Afraid that her son would be too tired, Ms. Wendy would sometimes tell the boy to skip school, but each time, Fabian would insist on going to school.
“I don’t like it because when I return to school, I don’t know what’s going on,” the 12-year-old boy explained. He suffers for SMA-a neuromuscular(神经肌肉的)disease that leads to weakness in muscles-and gets around in a wheelchair.
Fabian’s determination to excel in his studies was evident when he was disappointed that he got a total score of 236 yesterday in his Primary School Leaving Examination. He was hoping for a score of at least 240, but his mother was full of pride. “I am happy with his results. He’s very motivated,” said Ms. Wendy.
When Fabian was two months old, he was diagnosed with SMA. Ms. Wendy, who used to go to other homes to teach piano lessons, started teaching lessons at home so she could take care of her son. Fabian proved to be a fighter. Ms. Wendy said, “ He would study every day on his own even though he was weak and his spine(脊柱)was already starting to curve quite badly.”
Fabian is also active in the Singapore Disability Sports Council, where he plays boccia(滚球), a ball sport for those who require a wheelchair due to physical disability.
At just 133cm tall and weighing 14kg, he knows that he will have to rely on others all his life. “I’m afraid that when my parents grow older, they will not be able to carry me and that there will be nobody to carry me,” said Fabian. “But for now, I feel lucky that I get to go out and do a lot of things that I thought I couldn’t.”
His dreams aren’t lofty(崇高的)either-all he want to be able to do is work and provide for his parents. “I just want to study hard so that I can be a businessman, like my dad.” He is planning to apply to study at Victoria School.The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to ______.
A. going to school. B. being absent from school
C. studying hard. D. suffering from SMA.We can know from the text that Fabian ______.
A.got the disease at the age of 12. |
B.was proud of his exam results. |
C.has no interest in any sports. |
D.wants to be a businessman like his father. |
What do we know about Ms. Wendy?
A.She insists that her son go to school. |
B.She used to be a piano teacher in a school. |
C.She is satisfied with her son’s performance at school. |
D.She fears that her son will be helpless when she is older. |
Which words can best describe Fabian?
A.Sensitive and weak. | B.Active and optimistic. |
C.Clever and strong. | D.Stressed and concerned. |
What is the best title for the text?
A. He Is Disabled but He Is a Fighter.
B. A Great Mother and Her Special Son.
C. How to Fight Against SMA.
D. A disabled boy’s dream.
In the competition of Olympic weightlifting,the athletes try to lift the maximum (最大的) weight they can. There are special conditions they have to meet in order to compete:body weight,height and strength.
The Olympic weightlifting mainly tests the limit of explosive strength (爆发力).There are not many lifters who really like Olympic weightlifting and the explanation is very simple:they are short of explosive strength.
The weights used for Olympic weightlifting are added in kilograms. The order by which the athletes enter the competition is not general,but it is set depending on the event. Usually the athlete with the lowest weight begins. If he/she is not successful,he/she can try later. There is a maximum of three lifts allowed for every competition.
For many years Olympic weightlifting was only for men. However,now women also take part in Olympic weightlifting. It was at the beginning of the 21st century that women’s competitions entered an organized professional environment. For women,Olympic weightlifting is more difficult because of their different body structure. However,strength training techniques (技术) are widely and successfully used by women,too.
Lots of the athletes who’ve ended up in Olympic weightlifting competitions have started with strength training only to improve their muscle condition and their body power. However,the demarcation line (界线) is not still very clear between power training and Olympic weightlifting. This is how so many lifters have got into Olympic weightlifting competition,even if their purpose was different at the beginning.In the competition of Olympic weightlifting,athletes need to be all of the following EXCEPT________.
A.the right age | B.the right height |
C.the right weight | D.the right strength |
How many more times can a lifter try if he/she fails for the first time?
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
According to the fourth paragraph,________.
A.men often do better than women in weightlifting |
B.women need to use different training techniques from men |
C.men can learn the training techniques better than women |
D.women used not to be allowed to compete in Olympic weightlifting |
According to the passage,many athletes began to practice weightlifting because they wanted to________.
A.take part in the Olympics |
B.get a reward in the competition |
C.strengthen their body power |
D.test the limit of explosive strength |
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17,1706 in Boston,America. In his life he built a successful printing and publishing business in Philadelphia;he conducted scientific studies of electricity and made several important discoveries;he was a diplomat (外交官) and statesman;he helped establish Pennsylvania’s first university and America’s first city hospital;he also organized the country’s first subscription library (收费图书馆).
Franklin was also unequaled in America as an inventor until Thomas Edison. Ben had poor eyesight and needed glasses to read. He got tired of always taking them off and putting them back on,so he decided to figure out a way to make his glasses let him see both near and far. He had two pairs of glasses cut in half and put half of them together. Today,we call them bifocals (双光眼镜).Another invention of his,an iron stove,allowed people to warm their homes.
He loved to learn about new things. He also thought it was important to make life better with the things that he invented. Electricity was one of the things he experimented with when he retired from his business. Ben discovered that lightning (闪电) and electricity were the same thing. The lightning rod was an important invention that we still use today to protect buildings and ships from lightning damage.
Franklin preferred to have his inventions used freely for the comfort and convenience of everyone. Thomas Jefferson,the third president of America,called Benjamin Franklin “the greatest man of the age and country in which he lived”.To Benjamin Franklin there was no greater purpose in life than to “live usefully”.Benjamin Franklin was NOT a________.
A.diplomat | B.scientist |
C.businessman | D.president |
The underlined word “unequaled” in Paragraph 2 means________.
A.better than any other | B.worse than any other |
C.the same as others | D.confident as others |
Which of the following is NOT Benjamin’s invention?
A.Bifocals. | B.The iron stove. |
C.Printing. | D.The lightning rod. |
What was Benjamin Franklin’s purpose in life?
A.To live comfortably every day. |
B.To be useful to others. |
C.To be a famous person in the world. |
D.To earn a lot by inventing things. |
Just a few hours ago,the Italian ship Andrea Doria was sailing through thick fog toward the city of New York. Captain Piero Calamai kept watch. He knew that many other ships were nearby. He should have slowed down because of the fog but he decided not to. He wanted to arrive on time the next morning.
At about 11∶00 PM,another ship,the Stockholm,suddenly hit the Andrea Doria. It made a huge hole in the Italian ship. Some people were badly hurt. Others fell into the sea. But one girl was saved by the Stockholm.
Linda Morgan was fourteen. She lived in Spain with her mother and her little sister. She was going to visit her father in New York. She was excited about seeing her father.
Linda had loved the trip. She wanted to have dinner with the captain on the last night at sea. The captain did not sit at his table that night,though. He was busy guiding the ship through the fog. Linda did not get to talk to him.
When Linda went to bed,everything seemed fine. Her mother turned off the lights. Linda talked to her little sister. She thought about seeing her father the next morning.
What happened next was a terrible surprise. Linda woke up not knowing where she was. She was not in her bed. When she called to her family,no one answered. Both her knees were broken.
Linda had been saved by an amazing accident. When the Stockholm made a hole in the side of the Andrea Doria,it lifted Linda out of her bed. She landed on the deck (甲板) of the Stockholm instead of falling into the ocean. A sailor heard her cries and found her.
Right now,the girl is in the hospital. She is expected to get better. Her father is at her side,glad that his little girl was saved. The Andrea Doria lies under the waves at the bottom of the sea.Why didn’t Captain Piero Calamai reduce the speed?
A.He didn’t want to be late. |
B.He went crazy because of the bad weather. |
C.He thought the fog was not serious. |
D.He had rich experience. |
When the accident happened,________.
A.Linda was asleep |
B.the day was about to break |
C.few people were killed |
D.the Andrea Doria hit a hole in the Stockholm |
What can we learn from the text?
A.Linda hated the trip very much. |
B.Linda was saved by the Stockholm. |
C.Linda lived with her father in Spain. |
D.The Andrea Doria wasn’t badly damaged. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.A little girl’s braveness moved people. |
B.Andrea Doria sailed through thick fog. |
C.The Italian ship Andrea Doria was hit by Stockholm. |
D.A fourteenyearold girl was saved by accident after the crash. |
This is a true story. Tristin Saghin enjoyed the movie Black Hawk Down very much,which is about the conflict in Somalia.The battle scenes and the exciting rescues of people who are dying,interested him greatly.
There was just one problem:Tristin was only 9 years old,and it was thought that movie was not for children. When his parents caught him watching it on TV,they made him turn it off,though he had finished his homework and it was not late. Then one day,Tristin and his family were visiting his grandmother in Mesa,Arizona. Tristin’s 2yearold sister got out of the house and fell in the backyard pool. Realizing the little girl was missing,the family ran outside,only to find the girl had fallen into the water.
Pulled from the pool and placed on the ground,the child wasn’t breathing. The family called the ambulance (救护车),but no one knew how to do first aid. No one,that is,except for Tristin. A scene in Black Hawk Down describes a doctor giving first aid. Tristin remembered it. Then the 9yearold gave first aid to his sister at once and saved her life.
His parents don’t stop him seeing the movies he likes any more. Tristin taught himself how to do first aid but he had never thought he could use it to save his little sister’s life. Any skill can be used in time,so you should always learn.Black Hawk Down is a(n)________.
A.war movie | B.comedy | C.action movie | D.love film |
Why did Tristin Saghin’s parents order him to turn off the TV?
A.They wanted him to help look after his sister. |
B.He often spent too much time watching films. |
C.They thought the film was not good for children. |
D.He was asked to finish his homework first. |
The author’s purpose in writing the text is to advise readers to________.
A.see more movies | B.learn more skills |
C.save others bravely | D.do what they like |
Consult the page adapted from an English dictionary and do Questions 68~70.Fill in the blank in the sentence “I can’t believe this is Daniel—he’s ______ since we last met! Much taller than the other boys of his age!”
A.shot up | B.shot out | C.shot through | D.shot down |
When you are talking about unimportant things, we say you are ______.
A.shooting yourself in the foot |
B.shooting your mouth off |
C.shooting the breeze |
D.shooting questions at somebody |
Choose a word to complete the sentence “The ______, which killed a policeman and wounded a passer-by(路人), was reported to have lasted only 13 seconds.”
A.shooter | B.shoot | C.shot | D.shooting |