After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletes have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletes and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin. These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability. But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest Paralympics athletes did not take part.
She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey-Thormpson. Born with spine hifida (脊椎裂) which left her paralysed from the waist. Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7. at first, she did not like sports, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom. But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously. She tried swimming, basketball and tennis. Eventually she found she began to love athletics, and never looked back.
Indeed, Tanni’s athletic career took off . In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games.
In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul. She won bronze in the 400 metres. Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelonn. Paralympics. Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the process. In the same year she achieved the first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories.
Tanni’s success had been part motivation(动机), part preparation, “The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter(短跑运动员) enables me to be good at a marathon too. I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I want to see…. I am still competing at a very high level, but as I get older, things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart.”
Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007. Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
In spite of ups and downs, she never takes her fate lying down. In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in series of Paralympics- a top level athletic career covering two decades. She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records.
What advice does she have for young athletes? “Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again.”Which of the following sports did Tanni like before thirteen?
A.Basketball | B.Swimming. | C.Tennis. | D.Horse-riding. |
When did Tanni win her first Olympic gold medal?
A.In 1984. | B.In 1988. | C.In 1992. | D.In 2007. |
The underlined word “that” in the 5th paragraph refers to _______.
A.fifty weeks’ training |
B.being a good sprinter |
C.training almost every day |
D.part motivation and part preparation |
What can we learn from Tanni’s success?
A.Union is strength. | B.Never too late to learn. |
C.Well begun is half done. | D.No pains, no gains. |
B
Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore(新加坡) are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries ---- in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus ---- obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay(马来语). Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent(月牙) because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
45. We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.
A. the government is usually the first to name a place
B. many places tend to have more than one name
C. a ceremony will be held when a place is named
D. people prefer the place names given by the government
46. What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Change suddenly. B. Change significantly(有重大意义的).
C. Disappear mysteriously. D. Disappear very slowly.
47. Which of the following places is named after a person?
A. Raffles Place. B. Selector Airbase.
C. Piccadilly Circus. D. Paya Lebar Crescent.
48. Bras Basah Road is named _______.
A. after a person B. after a place C. after an activity D. by its shape
第二部分:阅读理解(共25小题。第一节每小题2分,第二节每小题1分;满分45分)
第一节阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Young people and older people do not always agree. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special program in New York State, adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way.
Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and fun in work. Some teenagers work in the forests or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and to build houses. The adults teach them these skills.
There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo-taking or drawing. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to pass his free time.
When people live together, they should have rules. In this program the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”
One of the teenagers has said something about it, “You have to stop thinking only about yourself. You learn how to think about the group.”
41. In one special program in New York State, young and older people_______.
A. don’t work well together B. are friendly to each other
C. teach each other new ways of building houses
D. spend eight weeks together, working as farmers
42. All the members work some time every day mainly to________.
A. lead a busy life B. learn new skills of farming
C. get used to the life on the farms D. find useful things and pleasure in work
43. Living together,________.
A. the teenagers don’t have to obey the rules
B. the members have to obey the rules the adults make
C. the members have no free time but on weekends
D. the members should not break the rules they make together
44.The best title for the passage is________.
A. The Rules of Living Together B. Life in New York State
C. Teenagers and Adults Together D. Free Hours in the Special Work Group
B
Everyone needs friends. There is an old saying, “Friends are God’s way of taking care of us.” But how do you find real friendship and keep it?
The American writer Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to find friends. Sally says finding friendship is just like planting a tree. You plant the seed and take care of it to make it grow.
First, you should choose a friend. What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be kind and patient. For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints and do his or her best to help. To make a friend, you cannot be too shy. You should make each other happy and share your lives.
But things cannot always he happy. Even the best friends have fights. What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her. When there is no one around, have an honest talk. If he or she doesn’t want to talk, you could write a letter.
There are three steps to being friends again:
Tell him or her how you are feeling; say what your friend has done wrong, and explain why you did this or that. Remember that friendship is the most important thing in your life.
51. Sally wants to tell students the ways to ____.
A. find friends B. plant trees C. get happy D. keep fit
52. What makes good friends? A good friend should ______.
A. be lovely and cool B. be kind and patient
C. have lots of money` D. have good looks
53. According to the text, you can _____ your friend after a fight.
A. buy a present forB. never say a word to
C. have dinner withD. write a letter to
54. What is the best title of the text?
A. Teenagers and friendshipB. The good friends around you
C. The trouble of growing upD. The care and keeping of friends
55. Which of the steps to being friends again is NOT mentioned(提及) in this passage?
A. Tell him or her how you are feeling;
B. Say what your friend has done wrong,
C. Explain why you did this or that
D. Give him or her some money
V. 阅读理解(共40分)
第一节,阅读下列材料,从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案,并把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。(共20小题,每小题2分, 共40分)
A
Mr.and Mrs.White had two sons and three daughters.One Sunday,Mrs. White said to her husband,“The children don’t have any lessons today,and you’re free too.There’s a new funfair(游乐场)in the park.Let’s all go there to play.
Her husband said,“1 want to finish some work today. “oh, forget it.Go there and make our children happy.That’s the most important work” Mrs. White said.
So Mr. and Mrs. White took their children to the funfair.Mr. White was forty-five years old.
but he enjoyed the funfair more than his children. He hurried from one thing to another,and ate lost of sweets. One of the children said to her mother,“Dad is just like a small child,isn’t he, Mom?” Mrs. White didn’t want to follow her husband around any more at that time and answered, He is even worse than a small child,Mary,because he might spend more money than a small child.
46. There were ________ children in the White family•
A. two B. three C. four D. five
47.One Sunday,Mr.and Mrs. White wanted to go to _______ with their children.
A.school B. work C. a funfair D. a shop
48.Mr.White liked the place so much that he_______.
A.bought lots of sweets B. followed his wife all the time
C.hurried from one thing to another D. asked a lot of questions
49.From the story we know Mrs.White________ when Mary asked her the question.
A.was still excited to play B. was a little angry with Mr. White
C.looked for Mr.White everywhere C. are a lot of sweets
50.Of all he family members,_________ enjoyed playing there most that Sunday.
A.Mr.White B.Mrs.White C. Mary D. the boys
C
A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany.
“Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men’s world,” said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study.
Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in “Women’s Liberation”. “I don’t wish that I were a man,” she says. “And I don’t think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you’re a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there…or engineers or scientists?”
61. A lot of women in________wish that they were born men.
A. European countries B. West Germany
C. West Europe D. West Germany
62. “It is still a men’s would.” Means “_____”
A. There’re more men than women in the world.
B. There’re more men scientists or engineers than women in the world.
C. Women cannot live without men.
D. Women have not been given the same chance as men.
63. Anne Harper considers that women should _______ .
A. be really liberated B. live a better life
C. be well paid D. get better jobs than men
64. Anne Harper doesn’t wish that she were a man because she __________ .
A. has got a very good job
B. believes in “Women Liberation”
C. does the work that a man can’t do
D. isn’t looked down upon by anyone
65. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Usually the best jobs are not open to women.
B. Women are less paid than men for the same job.
C. There’re more men pilots, engineers and scientists than women.
D. Women are looked down upon because they’re the second-class citizens(二等公民).