B
He is a lesson to every boy who ever picked up a basketball and dreamed that it would change his life.
The lights were never brighter and the crowds were never bigger for a homegrown sports hero than they were a quarter-century ago for Ray Hall. But his athletic achievements, as impressive as they are, are to my mind not what is most admirable about the man.
Known as “Sugar Ray” in his teens, Hall was rated among the country’s top 25 high school basketball players. An inner-city kid from a solid family, Hall took on the challenge of lifting Canisius College — still recovering from its failure — back to respectability, rejecting more favorable offers. His status of a savior (救世主) brought more pressure than any 18-year-old should have to handle. However, I watched him mature into the player who led Canisius back to daylight.
After college Hall played professionally in Italy and Greece for over 10 years until a car accident at 32 ended his basketball career. The news that he would never play again shocked Hall but unlike so many others he was ready for life after basketball. When I met Hall — still fit at 46 — for lunch Monday, he wore a cut-sharp gray suit, designer tie and blazing white shirt that screamed Success. “That was always the question — when the cheers end, where do you go? Who do you turn to?” he said. “It starts and ends with that person in the mirror.”
Hall got the concept of academics-first from his parents. He graduated from Canisius a semester early. “No matter how good of an athlete you are, you are just one injury away from losing it all,” he said. “But if you take care of things academically, you are prepared until you leave this earth.”
For the past 14 years, he has been in a computer sales job at Ingram Micro. He married his college sweetheart. They have three kids and a nice house in the suburbs. He figured out early what others learn too late: Athletics is part of a journey, not the destination.
Congratulations, Ray, you made it. In more ways than one. Ray was regarded as a savior because ________.
| A．he liked to take on challenges |
| B．he helped his team to regain its glory |
| C．he was faithful to his hometown city |
| D．he fought hard against failure at a young age |
According to the writer, which of the following best describes Ray’s success?
| A．Unlike other athletes, he was academically superior. |
| B．He defeated his injury and returned to the playground. |
| C．He enjoys a successful job and a happy family. |
| D．He has gained impressive athletic achievements. |
What’s the right order of the events related to Ray?
a. He was rated among the best high school basketball players.
b. He was in a car accident.
c. He graduated from Canisius College.
d. He started his computer sales job.
e. He gave up his athletic career.
| A．a, c, b, e, d | B．a, c, e, b, d | C．c, a, b, d, e | D．c, a, e, b, d |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Ray was from an academic family |
| B．Ray was very mature in his teens |
| C．Ray was once desperate facing the cruel reality |
| D．athletics was not Ray’s final goal in life |
What was the writer’s intention in writing this passage?
| A．To describe the difficulties of being a professional athlete. |
| B．To explain the importance of choosing the right college. |
| C．To emphasize the need for a good education. |
| D．To warn against playing professional basketball. |
When Boris left school, he could not find a job. He tried hard and pestered (纠缠) his relatives, but they had problems of their own. He answered advertisements until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris grew annoyed, then depressed, then a little hardened. Still he went on trying and still he failed. He began to think that he had no future at all.
"Why don't you start your own business?" one of his uncles told him. "The world is a money-locker. You'd better find a way of opening it. "
"But what can I do?"
"Get out and have a look round," advised his uncle in a vague sort of way. "See what people want; then give it to them, and they will pay for it."
Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer. He worked hard, made friends with his customers and gradually managed to build up his goodwill and profit. A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself. He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good: in the wrong position , too expensive or with some other snags(小障碍). But at long last, he managed to find an empty shop on a new estate where there were plenty of customers but no competition.
Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair scooters and motor-cycles. Slowly but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last, Boris had managed to open the money-locker and found bank notes and gold coins inside. What's the passage mainly about?
| A．The key to success. |
| B．A story of a graduate from despair to success. |
| C．No education, no future. |
| D．Difficulty of starting a small business. |
Which of the following best describes Boris' job hunting experience?
| A．Surprising. |
| B．Encouraging. |
| C．Boring. |
| D．Disappointing. |
Boris started his career by _______.
| A．cycling around the town |
| B．developing a waste ground |
| C．repairing cycles |
| D．buying empty shops |
Boris finally chose an empty shop on a new estate because ______.
| A．it was not so expensive |
| B．he had a lot of old customers there |
| C．he could make good use of his skills there |
| D．there were good opportunities there |
We can infer from the last paragraph that Boris _______.
| A．still couldn't make good profits |
| B．succeeded in his career |
| C．found a lot of gold coins by accident |
| D．had great difficulty running his business |
Before she appeared on the reality show(真人秀) Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle-aged British woman. Now all this is going to change.
She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town. Because of learning difficulties, she doesn't have much education. But what she does have is a very good voice. As a kid, she sang in church and choirs and school plays. For a living, she sang at local pubs.
When she took the stage on April lOth, her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags. The audience laughed at her.
But when she opened her mouth, the laughing audience went silent. A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables. Everyone was amazed. At the end of her song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.
Almost overnight, Susan became a household name. She won fans and millions of admirers. Her online videos have drawn over 85. 2 million hits.
Susan's story proved the truth of an old saying: "Never judge the book by its cover." Susan may look ordinary, and doesn't have much dress sense, but she can certainly sing.
Susan's fans admire her courage, as much as they do her voice. She has experienced mockery and many disappointments, but her love for music has kept her going, which is worth anyone's respect. According to the passage, Susan Boyle ________.
| A．is a famous young actress |
| B．became famous after a show |
| C．used to be a good student |
| D．is good at dancing and has millions of admirers |
The underlined phrase "just one step up from" in the third paragraph probably means "________".
| A．far from |
| B．close to |
| C．different from |
| D．the same as |
The audience jumped and applauded wildly because ______.
| A．her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags |
| B．she looked very funny |
| C．she sang so well that everyone was amazed |
| D．she made a foolish mistake in the end |
Susan Boyle has many fans now because of ________.
| A．her beautiful face |
| B．her knowing how to dress |
| C．her good education |
| D．her beautiful voice and courage |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．how to win fans |
| B．how to sing well |
| C．a woman's sudden success |
| D．a woman's simple life |
I am a professor of sports and exercise so I often deal with nervousness ill my research with sports people. Actually, most people experience nervousness at some time or another.
If you are feeling anxious, my advice is to first find the causes. Make a list of those things that are making you nervous and work out which ones you can do something about. Focus all of your efforts on managing the causes that you can control.
Most people cannot tell the difference between controllable(可控制的)and uncontrollable causes, so things they can't control become a big reason for nervousness. Dealing with this is very important if people want to keep a healthy mind.
Simply try to accept the uncontrollable causes of nervousness. You might be worried about the weather on a big day, an accident or an attack on the train, or perhaps just things that other people are doing at work. The results may be very important but there is still no use worrying because you can't control any of these things. Accept that you can't control everything. Once you understand this, it becomes easier not to worry.
If a situation, such as swimming, is causing you to be anxious, try to face it as often as possible so that you can get used to it.
It can often help to think about yourself doing the thing that makes you nervous-then close your eyes and imagine it going well. Imagine how the flight or job interview is going to happen so that you can get used to it. This will help you understand that the thing you fear most is probably not going to happen. Who wrote this passage?
| A．A reporter. |
| B．A sportsman. |
| C．A patient. |
| D．A professor. |
The writer thinks there is no use worrying aboutsome causes of nervousness because _________.
| A．most are not very important |
| B．they are not the real causes of the problem |
| C．they cannot be controlled by people |
| D．it's better to deal with one cause at a time |
If swimming makes you nervous, what should youdo according to the writer?
| A．Go swimming often to get used to it. |
| B．Avoid going to the swimming pool. |
| C．Find a swimming teacher. |
| D．Imagine watching others swim. |
What is true about nervousness according to the passage?
| A．It usually has only one cause. |
| B．It is usually caused by people. |
| C．People can easily manage it. |
| D．Most people suffer from it. |
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To introduce the writer's sports experience. |
| B．To advise on how to deal with nervousness. |
| C．To help people remember their fears. |
| D．To explain the dangers of nervousness. |
China's first female astronaut Liu Yang, together with her two male crew mates Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang, met the media on Friday. The three astronauts boarded the ShenzhouⅨ spacecraft on Saturday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China to fulfill China's first manned space docking mission.
"I am grateful to the motherland and the people. I feel honored to fly into space on behalf of hundreds of millions of female Chinese citizens, "said Liu Yang. She said that to be an astronaut, one has to obtain a lot of theoretical knowledge, go through very challenging space living environment training and survive examinations on operation skills with no error.
"The sense of mission and responsibility as well as the passion for aerospace undertakings is the source of courage to overcome difficulties," she said.
"When I was a pilot, I flew in the sky. Now I am an astronaut, I will fly in space. That will be a higher and farther flight, "Liu said.
She said many tasks had been arranged for this space trip. "Aside from fulfilling the tasks, I want to experience the fantastic environment in space and appreciate the beautiful Earth and our homeland from space."
She said she would keep a detailed record of her feelings and experiences and share with scientists and future astronauts when she came back.
"I will live up to your expectations and work with my teammates to fulfil this space mission," she said.
All three crew members are former pilots of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). They are all members of the Communist Party of China.
Enlisted in the army in 1997, Liu was an experienced pilot with 1,680 hours of flying experience and the deputy head of a flight unit of the PLA's Air Force before being enlisted into China's second group of prospective astronauts in May 2010. She is now an air force major.
After two years of training that has shored up her astronautic skills and adaptability to the space environment, Liu excelled in testing and was selected in March this year as a candidate to crew the ShenzhouⅨ. According to Liu Yang, we know all the following are necessary for an astronaut except _____.
| A．obtaining a lot of theoretical knowledge |
| B．surviving examinations on operation skills |
| C．experiencing space living environment training |
| D．keeping calm and confident in any case |
Which of the following is TRUE about Liu Yangfrom the passage?
| A．Liu once was head of a flight unit of the PLA's Air Force. |
| B．Liu Yang has become an air force major in 1997. |
| C．She was enlisted into China's second group of prospective astronauts in 2010. |
| D．After three years of training Liu was selected as a candidate． |
The underlined phrase in the last paragraph probably means“______”．
| A．build up |
| B．put up |
| C．take up |
| D．bring up |
Hallmark arrived in my hometown of Calcutta, India when I was 16. On Valentine's Day, I waited in line with many other teenagers just for a chance to get into the store. I remember wishing two things. One of them is that the good-looking boy whom I could see through the store window was picking out a gift for me. Unfortunately, Valentine's Day passed and I received nothing but a lecture from my father on how Western capitalism (资本主义) was ruining our culture.
The next Valentine's Day, I still didn't have a boyfriend, but I did receive a greeting card from a secret admirer. I can't remember what it exactly said inside the card, but it hardly mattered. I know I'm not the only one who's had the blues because of being single on Valentine's Day.
It's not just on Valentine's Day that I'm reminded of these feelings. One night, my friend and I were at the subway station in New York City waiting for the local to arrive. The station was mostly full of college students, and later an older couple walked in. Just at that moment, a street musician started playingShe's only a Woman to Me. The couple began dancing around the station and was lost in their own world. On the train. I found myself recalling the time when I was with a date at the subway station, and there he picked me up in his arms like I was a ballerina(芭蕾舞女演员).
My view of romance has changed from when I was 16 in Calcutta to now, 23, and living in Manhattan. This year, I won't focus all my romantic expectations on one particular day. I'll spend Valentine's Day with friends in New York City. But I won't try to hide somewhere or turn off my cellphone. Instead, I'll help my coupled-up friends pack for their weekend trips to Rome.The underlined word "Hallmark" in Paragraph 1 probably refers to a ______.
| A．city |
| B．street |
| C．store |
| D．man |
According to Paragraph 2, if someone has the blues, he is probably ______.
| A．lonely |
| B．angry |
| C．excited |
| D．sad |
Who made the writer recall her romantic experience at the subway station?
| A．One of her friends. |
| B．The college students. |
| C．The dancing couple. |
| D．The street musician. |
What is implied in the passage?
| A．The writer now has a boyfriend. |
| B．The writer now is afraid of Valentine's Day. |
| C．The writer will go to Rome with her coupled-up friends. |
| D．The writer's attitude towards Valentine's Day has changed. |