Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.
He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.
One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.
Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.
“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.
“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.
“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”
“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.
“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”
“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.
“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”
The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?
| A.He was worried he would lose the match. |
| B.He thought it was unfair for Charlie. |
| C.He didn’t care about money. |
| D.He preferred chicken to money. |
According to the text, what does the underlined word “self - assured” probably mean?
| A.ignorant | B.selfless | C.confident | D.sincere |
It can be inferred from the text that .
| A.Mr. Hogan was not good at playing golf |
| B.Charlie did well in other sports before playing golf |
| C.Mr. Hogan didn’t try his best to play |
| D.Charlie Boswell was born blind |
What would be the result of the match?
| A.Charlie won. | B.Hogan won. |
| C.Neither of them won. | D.Not mentioned. |
Which of the following can best describe Charlie?
| A.Competitive and generous | B.Energetic and reliable |
| C.Careful and considerate | D.Confident and smart |
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从第31至第40小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
Dear Mr. Takashhi,
I am writing to apologize for any misunderstandings that occurred when I showed you around Beijing the other day. I noticed that you were a bit 31when I put the business card you gave me in my 32without looking at it. And 33did not know why you kept making an OK sign and why you 34so many things. After reading a magazine article, I know that Japanese people give out their business cards 35they greet others and they would like others to look at their cards carefully. So I should have read your 36before I put it in my pocket. And I also know why you bought so many things 37 . Because gift-giving is expected in Japan and on a trip, you must bring back lots of 38 . As for the OK sign, I now know it is a request for small change.
I feel very sorry for not having known these 39habits earlier. I hope you can forgive me for all these misunderstandings. I hope 40our next meeting will be happier.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hualing
1. A. pleased B. upset C. excited D. encouraged
2. A. hand B. box C. watch D. pocket
3. A. I B. you C. we D. nobody
4. A. made B. saw C. bought D. eat
5. A. unless B. before C. after D. when
6. A. faces B. books C. cards D. clothes
7. A. there B. here C. home D. everywhere
8. A. gifts B. photos C. pictures D. sweets
9. A. strange B. rare C. unusual D. cultural
10. A. which B. that C. when D. where
Speakers of different languages not only describe the world differently but think about it differently too, according to a new study.
Researchers used a cartoon cat Sylvester to study how language was reflected (反映) in the gestures people made. Dr. Sotaro Kita of the University of Bristol’s Department of Experimental Psychology (心理学), showed the cartoon to a group of native English, Japanese and Turkish speakers and then watched their gestures as they described the actions they had seen. He found speakers of the three different languages used different gestures to describe the same event, which appeared to reflect the way the structure of their languages expressed that event. For example, when describing a scene where the cat swings on a rope, the English speakers used gestures showing an arc trajectory (弧形轨迹) and the Japanese and Turkish speakers tended to use straight gestures showing the motion but not the arc.
Dr. Kita suggests this is because Japanese and Turkish have no proper verb to express the English meaning “to swing”. While English speakers use the arc gesture as their language can readily express the change of location and the arc-shaped trajectory, Japanese and Turkish speakers cannot as easily express the idea of movement with an arc trajectory so they use the straight gesture.
Dr. Kita said, “My research suggests that speakers of different languages cause different spatial (空间的) images of the same event in a way that matches the expressive possibilities of their own languages. In other words, language influences (影响) spatial thinking at the moment of speaking.”
68. Researchers watched the gestures the people made because they wanted to know _____.
| A.how language was reflected |
| B.whether they could express the same idea |
| C.whether they could describe what they had seen |
| D.how the structure of language changed |
69. After watching the gestures of speakers of the three different languages, Dr. Kita concluded that _____.
| A.Japanese and Turkish people couldn’t express the meaning of “swing” |
| B.English was obviously better than Japanese and Turkish |
| C.no word in Japanese and Turkish could express some ideas of English |
| D.every language had its own special way to describe things |
70.What is mainly discussed in the text?
| A.Differences between languages. |
| B.Differences between gestures. |
| C.How people use different gestures to express the same event. |
| D.That language influences the way people think. |
Think back to this time last year. What was on your mind?
Most likely, you were thinking about finals or the holidays, although in this city I’ve noticed that thinking about the holiday is a fancy way of saying how much stuff will I get.
Now reflect on your thoughts for this holiday season. Most people are still thinking about the holidays, but I say that with a grain of salt. Everybody with a functioning brain and the ability to communicate knows that this holioday season comes with a pretty large price tag: the debt of all the hardships, both domestic and foreign, that we’ve faced over the past 12months.
Let’s face it: some of us will get everything we want over the holidays. But there are others whose parents have lost their jobs or who have lost jobs themselves because of the current economic situation. As much as we try to ignore it, there is still economic unrest in the blue and gold suburb.
In this situation, we have three options. One: We ignore the situation, like we seem to do for every bad thing that happens around us, because by God, it’s the American Way! Two: We recognize that our economy is shot, feel bad about it and spend our time wishing for the good old days. Three: We recognize that our economy is shot, but instead of moping, reflect on every good thing that we have going for us. Now, which option sounds best to you?
I spent a week this summer working in and around New York City with the city’s homeless population. Or so I thought. Although a lot of the people I served were in fact homeless, a significant number of them had a job or a home or both. The truth of the importance of this situation is that they and thousands of others across the country can’t afford even the most basic things of life, even while working two jobs. Yet no one that I met complained about their hardships. Instead, they took whatever I happened to give them(which was, more often than enough, not enough) and were genuinely grateful for what they had.
Wrap your heads around that statement for a second. These people worked their butts off to stay alive with minimal results, yet were overjoyed by a flimsy(脆弱的) paper plate with donated green beans on it. Although I am ashamed to admit it( both as a girthy figure and an affluent citizen), I have taken for granted most of my meals, let alone green beans, and I know for a fact that I am not alone.
64. According to the passage when people think about holidays they care much for ____.
| A.where to spend their holidays | B.how to spend their holidays |
| C.what they can get for their holidays | D.who they should go to visit |
65. When the author wrote the article, the economic situation in his country ____.
| A.began to go bad. | B.began to improve | C.was still serious | D.was favorable for middle class. |
66. The author wrote the article mainly to advise people____.
| A.to be thankful in time of hardship. | B.to spend their holidays in a wise way |
| C.to think little about their holidays | D.to help the country to sail through the crisis |
67. It can be inferred from the passage that the writer is most probably ______.
| A.a homeless child | B.an old professor | C.a famous scientist | D.a young student |
Holiday
The Bay Hotel
It is a quiet, comfortable hotel overlooking the bay in an uncommerciallised Cornish fishing village on England’s most southerly point. If pop music is no longer your strong point, and you are considering a relaxing holiday where the scenery is break taking and sound of the sea is live music to your ears, come and stay with us. For adults only. Sssh! Don’t tell everyone! 01326 280464
Willapark Manor Hotel.
Peaceful situation in 14 acres of separated gardens and woodlands, overlooking picturesque bay. Close to coastal path and beach. Excellent cuisine. Our excellent service bring our guests back year after year. Children and pets welcome. 01840 770782
The Country Garden Hotel.
Delightful hotel set in lovely gardens; calm Island of Wight near Tennyson Downs, Great food! Garden, sea view and ground floor rooms. Please call for brochure(服务指南) and sample menu. Adults only and pets welcome. 0800 980 1943.
Boscastle.
Romantic 17th Century farmers’s cottage in countryside with splendid coastal views. Well equipped. Sleeps 5. Regret no pets/ smoking. Garden with furniture. Brochure: 01633 450417 Godshill. 4 stars self---served units. Nonsmoking. Cosy. No pets. Brochure: 01983 840371
The Blakeney Hotel. Special seasonal midweek price for aged citizen.
Overlooking harbor traditional privately owned friendly hotel with 60 bedrooms, lift, heated indoor pool, spa bath and saunas. Relax, walk, sail, play golf, explore the Norfolk villages, countryside and coast. Special seasonal midweek price for aged citizen. 01263 7407 97
S W France.
Rural setting near Corders. Two beautifully repainted old houses, sleep 4/5 and 5. Gardens,woodland, pool, views, excellent walks. Available all year round. Outstanding 01962 776967
60. If you want to take your children and pets with you on holiday, you can choose _____.
| A.Boscastle. | B.The Bay Hotel. | C.Willapark Manor Hotel. | D.S W France. |
61. All of the following hotels are close to the sea Except ______.
| A.The Country Garden Hotel | B.The Blakeney Hotel. | C.Willapark Manor Hotel. | D.S W France |
62. We learn from the text that ____.
| A.If you are a smoker, you can stay at Boscatle. |
| B.If you want to play golf, you can call S W France. |
| C.Maybe the price is low for aged citizens during special seasonal midweek. |
| D.Adults with pets can call 01326 280464 |
63. What is the aim of putting this advertisement?
| A.To give a description of the hotels. |
| B.To encourage more people to know about hotels. |
| C.To tell people some special things in the hotels. |
| D.To introduce the hotels and attract more visitors to stay there. |
Dear Florence,
We arrived in India last week, and the voyage was the worst experience of my entire life. I’m lucky to be alive!
The first part of the journey was terrible, because the ship hit bad weather almost as soon as we left Liverpool. But much, much worse was to come. Later, we were involved in a collision with another boat and we had to abandon ship!
We had been at sea for about two weeks and we were in the Mediterranean. There is now a canal between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea called the Suez Canal, which opened last year. Our boat stopped at Port Said, the Egyptian port at the entrance to the canal. I remember looking through the porthole of my cabin and wishing that I could go ashore and visit this fascinating place, but mummy had ordered that I was to stay in the cabin because I was feeling ill. “you must stay here for at least another two days.” I remember her saying. How wrong she would turn out to be! The ship left the port and headed towards the canal . I was alone in the cabin and I watched the port disappear into the distance. Suddenly there was a loud bang, followed by the most awful crunching(嘎吱的)sound, and the ship shook and turned slightly on its side.
There was an eerie silence for a moment, then people started shouting. Mummy came running into the cabin and told me that we had collided with another boat. She took my hand and we ran along the deck towards the lifeboats. There was a lot of shouting and people were running everywhere, but the crew were all acting calmly, helping people into the lifeboats and telling people not to panic.
Well, clearly we survived, as did all the passengers and crew of the ship. The other boat wasn’t so lucky. It sank and several lives were lost.
I will write about the rest of the journey soon. Please give my love to Aunt Claire and Uncle Eric.
Your loving cousin,
Jane
56.When was the letter written?
| A.Before the author went to India. | B.In the mid – 19th century. |
| C.When the author arrived in Egypt. | D.Just after the author arrived in India. |
57.Why was the journey to India such a bad experience for the author?
| A.She was sick when it started and nearly died in Egypt. |
| B.Her ship left England in bad weather and crashed into another ship near the Suez Canal. |
| C.She was seasick when her ship sank. |
| D.She was alone when her ship hit another boat and she got sick. |
58.The author’s mother didn’t allow her to go ashore and visit the port city, Said because.
| A.she was homesick at that time |
| B.she didn’t feel very well then |
| C.she could meet some danger ashore |
| D.she could see the city through the porthole on board |
59.The underlined phrase “eerie silence” in the sixth paragraph means.
| A.pleasant calm silence | B.long peaceful silence |
| C.sudden long silence | D.strange uncomfortable silence |