When people hear that I’m the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, they all have the same question: How did a 22-year old woman row a 19-foot boat for 70 days through high winds and crashing waves? Well, the biggest difficulty for me wasn’t physical. By the time I decided to do the ocean row, I had already biked 3,300 miles cross-country, run across the Mojave Desert, and swum the 325-mile length of the Allegheny River. No, the tough part would be mental: How would I handle the loneliness, the boredom of the vast sea?
I set off on January 3, 2010. I set my sights on getting past the quarter-way mark, which would take about 20 days.
Day 20, January 22, was gray and cloudy. I could have done something to celebrate, such as treating myself to a chocolate bar. But I didn’t.
I was suffering from terrible loneliness. I hadn’t seen landing over two weeks. Every day was beginning to feel the same. Eating, rowing, sleeping, watch the sky, watch the ocean.
Then, around sunset, I saw something move on the horizon. They were dolphins! They circled my boat. Suddenly I felt so grateful. They had come to help me celebrate, just when I needed them. I rowed at full strength for the next 20 minutes with the dolphins around. By the time we went our separate ways, I was no longer lonely. Better yet, I knew I would be okay.
I did make it, all 2,817 miles. I hit the coast of Guyana, South America, on March 14, after 70 days and five hours at sea. My ocean row raised $70,000 for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, which funds drinking water programs around the world. I know some athletes spend the entire journey imagining the end, and that helps them get through. But for me, the secret is to focus on the moment, where you experience the personal growth — those moments of awareness of being connected to the sun, the weather, and the waves. And, on the best day of my life, those dolphins, which freed myself from terrible loneliness.Which is the step taken as part of preparation for the tough row?
| A．swimming the 325-mile length of the river |
| B．answering the same question raised by people |
| C．running 3,300 miles cross-country |
| D．biking across the Mojave Desert |
What does the underlined part mean?
| A．I didn’t have any chocolate bar for energy. |
| B．I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate my first goal. |
| C．It’s a pity not to celebrate my passing the quarter of the way |
| D．It’s a pity not to treat myself to a chocolate bar on Day 20. |
What can be implied from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Imagination was an effective way to help me get through. |
| B．The Blue Planet Run Foundation helped me a lot. |
| C．The dolphins accompanied me to reach my destination |
| D．The unexpected dolphins swept away my loneliness |
Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．The day I stopped being lonely |
| B．The only challenge for a 22-year old |
| C．How to overcome loneliness at sea. |
| D．How to row alone across the Atlantic |
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bird, which was very curious about hell(地狱). When she was little, her mother always told her that if she didn’t master the flying skills, she would go to hell. She was so curious about hell that she always asked others what hell looked like, but no one was sure, because none of them had ever been there. Some said hell was a place full of water, and others told her that hell was full of burning fire. However, the bird knew they were lying. She wanted to find out what hell was.
When other birds were learning flying skills, she always hid herself and watched them. She thought in this way she could go to hell and see what hell looked like. However, she spent so little time learning flying skills that one day she was caught by a little boy. The little boy gave her to his grandpa in the countryside as a gift. The old man liked her very much. He made a delicate(精美的) cage and put her in it. The bird was very worried because she thought she couldn’t find out what hell was like staying in this small cage. However, she couldn’t escape. Day after day, she just stayed in the cage, watching other birds flying. She lost her freedom and she became sadder and sadder. At last, she became ill. The old man finally opened the cage, but she was too weak to fly. Lying on the ground, she thought of the question that she ever asked all the time.
“What does hell look like?”
“Hell is a small well—decorated cage.” Before she closed her eyes forever, she finally answered that question herself.
What does the underlined word “master” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Miss. | B．Finish. |
| C．Follow. | D．Learn well. |
Why did the bird hide herself when other birds were learning flying skills?
| A．Because she was lazy. |
| B．Because she didn’t like learning flying skills. |
| C．Because she thought she could go to hell by doing this. |
| D．Because she thought she didn’t have to learn flying skills. |
According to the passage, the bird at last found that .
| A．hell was a place full of water |
| B．hell was a place full of burning fire |
| C．there was no hell |
| D．hell was a small well-decorated cage |
Since I became a full—time freelancer(自由作家), I’ve found one of the hardest things to do is to get up early. Without the danger of being fired, there just hasn’t been a lot of motivation(动机) to get out of bed.
I’ve quickly learned that getting up is the key to success and better yet: waking up early is really just a habit.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you must have strong reasons to get out of bed. Motivation is the only thing keeping us from lying in bed all day.
Writing down all the big and important things you’ll do the next day can give you an extra push in your goal to wake up early and quickly.
Don’t read in bed. Spending as little time as possible in bed will actually help your body realize that the bed is for sleeping, and not for lying awake for hours. The goal of reading in bed is just to help you fall asleep within 10 minutes.
Stress is one of the main causes of poor sleep. Relax yourself before getting into bed. Try controlled breathing exercises or yoga to lower your stress level.
These are just a few ways you can use to wake up earlier. Finding the best way is the most important, and it requires a little work. The key thing is that waking up should be a pleasant experience. If you can make waking up something you are looking forward to, you’re already halfway on your journey toward becoming an early riser.What do we know about the author?
| A．He has a full—time job outside. |
| B．He likes lying in bed all day. |
| C．He was once fired by a company. |
| D．He has difficulty getting up early. |
The author gives us some tips to help us .
| A．find the key to success |
| B．become an early riser |
| C．fall asleep within 10 minutes |
| D．relax after a day’s hard work |
Which of the following is NOT true about doing yoga?
| A．It is a good way to reduce stress. |
| B．It can help you sleep. |
| C．It can make you worried. |
| D．It will help you wake up earlier. |
What is the point of getting up early?
| A．Motivation. | B．Experience. |
| C．Success. | D．Ability. |
The first robots were invented in the 1920s. Robots have appeared in Hollywood films such as Robocop and The Terminator. The robots in these films are stronger, faster and more intelligent than people.
In real life, robots are mainly used in factories. They do many different jobs. Usually these jobs are too dangerous, difficult or boring for humans.
Robots also help disabled people and people who cannot look after themselves. For example, scientists are making a robot to help blind people. Nowadays many blind people have a dog to help them. This dog is called a guide dog. In the future, robot dogs might take the place of these guide dogs.
One robot guide dog is called Meldog. It has wheels. It usually “walks” in front of its owner. It is very clever. It knows the speed of its owner’s walk. Meldog talks to its owner by radio. The owner wears a special belt. This belt sends instructions to the owner from Meldog such as “Stop here”, “Turn left” and “Turn right”.
In the United States, another type of robot helps disabled workers. This robot, called Kilroy, helps disabled computer operators. The robot hears the sound of its owner’s voice. It follows instructions such as “Turn the page” and “Make a cup of coffee”. This robot will bring its owner tissue paper when he or she sneezes!
Robots are also used in American hospitals. They can do simple jobs. For example, they shave patients and brush their teeth and take meals from the kitchen to the patients’ rooms. They never get lost because they have a map of the hospital in their computer memory.
Some robots in real life are .
| A．dangerous | B．boring |
| C．film stars | D．factory workers |
Some disabled people need robots to .
| A．make robots | B．become scientists |
| C．look after themselves | D．do dangerous jobs |
Meldog is a .
| A．blind dog | B．robot scientist |
| C．real dog | D．robot guide dog |
The robots used in American hospitals can do the following except .
| A．make a map |
| B．shave patients |
| C．brush the patients’teeth |
| D．take meals from the kitchen to the patients’ rooms |
Language is a way to communicate witheach other. We started to learn language when we were born. However, people are used to speaking their native language, so immigrants(移民) are having many problems between the first generation and the second generation because they don’t have the same native language. A1so, the second generation is losing their identity. Especially in America, there are many immigrants that came from different countries to succeed in the States. Because they suffer in lots of areas such as getting a job and trying to speak English, they want their children to speak English, not only at school, but also at home in order to be more successful.
For example, my aunt, who has been living in Chicago for fifteen years, has three children and they were all born in the States. The eighteen-year-old daughter speaks English as a native language and she speaks Korean very well too. She has no problem talking with her parents, but she still doesn’t understand Korean jokes, and they are sometimes misunderstandings. The second daughter is fourteen years old, and she doesn’t want to speak Korean. My aunt often gets upset with her because she is very Americanized and they cannot understand each other. Even when my aunt punishes her, this daughter does not understand what my aunt is talking about.
My aunt taught Korean to her children not in order to help them succeed in the U. S.; she did so, hopefully, to help them establish a Korean identity(身份). Though the second generation is born in the new country, they often get confused about their identity because they look different from others, and also, if they visit their parents’ country, they will probably feel different from other people there, too.
We must realize that language is important and valuable for many reasons. Immigrants should make an effort not to be ignored by their children and to make their children understand their heritage(传统) by teaching them the parents’ language. This is very important, not only for the harmony(和谐) of the family, but also in helping the second generation establish their identity.What do you think this article is about?
| A．Learning a second language. |
| B．Immigrants who become homesick in the U. S. |
| C．Language and its effect on the identity of immigrants. |
| D．Schools attended by immigrants to the U. S. |
Which of the following is NOT true about the 18 year old daughter?
| A．She was born in the U. S. |
| B．She speaks only English very well but her Korean is poor. |
| C．She gets along better with her parents. |
| D．She doesn’t understand Korean jokes well. |
To whom does the mother speak Korean?
| A．Her oldest daughter only. | B．All of her children. |
| C．Her two daughters only. | D．Only to her son. |
Why did the author’s aunt try to teach her children to speak Korean?
| A．To help them succeed in the U. S. |
| B．To help them find a good job. |
| C．To help them establish a Korean identity. |
| D．To help her improve her Korean language skills. |
— __________ do you call up your parents?
— Mostly once a week, but this week I haven’t done that, because I’ll go back this weekend.
| A．How long | B．How far |
| C．How often | D．How soon |