Born in 1949, Diana Nyad took an early interest in swimming as a sport and was a Florida State High School swimming champion（冠军）. Like many young trainers, she had Olympic dreams, but a serious illness prevented her from competing in the Games. The disappointment didn’t stop her from going forward. Instead, she became interested in marathon swimming.
For ten years Nyad devoted herself to becoming one of the world’s best long-distance swimmers. In 1970, she swam a ten-mile marathon in Lake Ontario, setting the women’s record for the course. In 1972 she set another record by swimming 102.5 miles from an island in the Bahamas to the coast of Florida. Then she broke a third record when swimming around Manhattan Island in 1975.
Nyad attempted to swim the distance between Florida and Cuba in 1978. Though the span(跨度) of water is less than 100 miles wide, it is rough and dangerous. After battling(与---作战) the water for two days, she had to give up for the sake of her own health and safety. Even so, she impressed the world with her courage and strong desire to succeed. It did not matter that her swim came up short; she believed she had touched the other shore.
When Nyad ended her career as a swimmer, she continued to try new things---travelling the world as a reporter, writing books and giving public speeches about her life. Diana Nyad works to inspire others, just as she did when she swam the waters of the world.What was Nyad’s early interest?
When did Nyad set the record for a ten-mile marathon swimming?
According to the passage, how many times did Nyad join the long-distance swimming?
What did Nyad do after she finished swimming?
What can we learn from the passage?
I caught a cold． It was really a bad cold． Actually， the doctor later told me that I had the flu （流感）．
My head was pounding． My throat was hurting． My body was aching．My voice became hoarse and I could hardly speak．I never experienced anything like this before．Worst of all， my sore throat was so serious that I couldn't even swallow（吞咽）!
I knew I should drink more fluids﹣water， soup or juice ﹣ and maybe take some medicine． But I couldn't． Each time I tried to swallow， it hurt so much． So my dad took me to the hospital．
A doctor came in．He checked my throat．He then checked my lungs．After his examination，he said，"Nothing to worry about． You have the flu．"
"Why is it so serious？" I asked．"Can you give me some medicine so that I don't suffer as much？"
"No，" the doctor said．"No medicine can cure （治愈） your flu． Don't be sad． Your body is an amazing thing． It will cure itself without any help．""What？ My body will fix things on its own？"I cried in disbelief．
Yes， your body's immune system （免疫系统） will fight the virus （病毒） for you． No doctor or medicine will cure you．" repeated the doctor．
My tears rushed out．I had not realized this in the past．Everything had always seemed so natural．I've had my meals every day for thirteen years． I drink water like taking a breath﹣without thinking about it at all．
Now， I understand that even a simple thing like swallowing is like a miracle （奇迹）． The parts of my body do their jobs amazingly well一and yet quietly， without me even noticing．
I don't remember how many days it took me to be well again， but I do remember what my father told me． He said that we should all appreciate our bodies and the miracle of how they are built．
注意：每小题答题词数不超过10个．
（1）What was wrong with the girl？
（2）What does the underlined word "it" refer to （指代）？
（3）How old is the girl？
（4）Why did the doctor not give her any medicine？
I failed a test． I felt terrible． It hurt me both inside and out． I was embarrassed． Just think about it．（1） !
I cried． I could not sleep． "I was supposed to be at the top! How will I face my friends at school？ I thought． I would never be happy again． Never!
（2） ．She said， "So， you failed a test． But do you know about another test that is even more important？"
"What is it？" I looked at my mother， puzzled．
"It is whether or not you can learn from your mistake，" my mom continued． "（3） ．To me， that is more important than what you scored on a test．"
（4） ．
After a few days of struggling，I finally understood what my mom had said．She was right．（5） I will walk away from this a better person．
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A． What my mom said really made me think B． My mom found out about my problem C． I should not pity myself because of this one bad test D． Learning from your mistakes will make you strong E． A smart girl did not pass the test |
Nature is amazing! Take a close look at the world of insects （昆虫） and you will discover many unbelievable things． Consider butterflies， for example． They have beautiful， colorful wings，and strong，steady flying skills． On summer days， we see them flying gracefully over flower gardens and wild fields．
But， do you know that butterflies live three separate lives before they become the flying insects we all know？ They begin their lives as one thing， change into another， and then another．
Finally， they change into beautiful flying insects． It's true． And it's one of the wonders of nature．
In the beginning， there is an egg， it's usually small and colorful． A female butterfly lays an egg on a leaf of a plant． When you look at this tiny egg， it's hard to believe that in a few days， it will become something completely different．
In time， it changes into a new life． No longer the small egg becomes a walking insect． This insect is called a caterpillar． It now has legs， eyes， a mouth and a large body． A new life has begun．
The caterpillar eats， and eats， and eats． It can walk． It can see．But it is still not a butterfly．Soon，after growing big， the caterpillar makes a cover for itself． It wraps （包裹） itself in this nice protective blanket and goes to sleep． This stage （阶段） of a butterfly's life is known as the "pupa" stage．
What happens next is truly amazing!
After a period of time， the blanket breaks and a wet， weak butterfly appears．It now has six legs，a mouth， eyes and wings． Soon， the wings fill with blood，and the beautiful，colorful butterfly spreads its wings and flies away．
After a few weeks pass， this adult butterfly lays her eggs， and the cycle begins all over again．
This is just one example of the wonders of nature． Look around the natural world， and you will learn many truly amazing things．
（1） is a "caterpillar"．
（2）According to the passage， it's clear that butterflies ．
A． have three separate lives in all
B． have colorful wings with no legs
C． can be seen in flower gardens in summer
D． are small eggs with no color at the beginning
（3）The last paragraph means we should ．
A． take a close look at the insect world
B． protect all kinds of animals and plants
C． discover the different forms of different things
D． go into the nature and enjoy the wonders of the world
The Way Out
By Ming﹣da Wang
﹩450→﹩199 Buy it now!
http://www．mingdawang books．net/thewayout/
I couldn't put the book down after I read some pages at my friend's home． I borrowed it and read it over that night． I think it can help someone who is afraid to face family problems．
﹣Sam Lee
The book saved my life． It opened a door that led me into a world of true love． I was able to look at the world around me with fresh new eyes．
﹣Candy Vigor
The first part of the book really touched my heart and made me want to read on．However， I was getting bored when I came to the second part． In fact， I didn't finish the book．
﹣Rod Green
The book helped me forget about my worries． I laughed and cried with those people in the book． With its simple and clear language， people of all ages can enjoy it．
﹣Vivian Lu
（1） thinks the second part of the book is boring．
A． Rod Green
B． Candy Vigor
C．Sam Lee
D． Vivian Lu
（2）The book is probably about ．
A． school education
B． website safety
C． travel lines
D． family problems
（3）We can know from the passage that ．
A． Ming﹣da Wang tells his family stories in the book
B． everyone can find the ways of solving problems from the book
C． it's the right time to buy the book because of the price at present
D． the book is only written for children with simple and clear language
Once my mother told me a story． In Africa， when an antelope （羚羊） wakes up every morning， the first thing it thinks about is， "I must be able to run faster than the fastest lion， or I will be killed．"（1） the first thing the lion thinks about is，"I must be able to catch the slowest antelope， or I will starve to death．" So， almost at the same time， they get up and start running toward the rising sun．
This is life： full of chances and challenges．（2） For students， it is just the same． If we do not study hard， sooner or later， we will fall behind the other students． At first， I did not know what the word "exam" meant． Later， I knew an exam was a kind of competition． In competitions， there are always winners and losers． As I grew up，I got to know competition well．（3） ．
Each time I saw children playing games，and heard their laughter，I wished I were that age again．（4） So I picked up my pen and began to study hard again．
I was still not sure what competition really meant． One day， I was taking part in an English﹣speaking competition． When I went to the stage， I saw other students looking at me kindly．（5） It is not as cruel as my teacher and parents told me． In fact， competition is the opposite： it is kind and necessary．
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A． When a lion wakes from his dream B． I suddenly knew what competition was C． There must be competitions in one' s life， so people can improve D． However， I remembered my parents' words， "You must work very hard in order to have a good future．" E． Whether you are an antelope or a lion， you must go ahead when the sun rises |