In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity, others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self – worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life – and – death affairs. In their single – minded pursuit (追求) of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self – respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Competition helps to set up self – respect. |
| B．Competition is harmful to personal quality development. |
| C．Opinions about competition are different among people. |
| D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition |
Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
| A．It improves personal abilities. | B．It builds up a sense of duty. |
| C．It pushes society forward. | D．It encourages individual efforts. |
The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means ___________.
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who value competition most highly |
| C．those who rely on others most for success |
| D．those who are against competition most strongly. |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
| A．Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
| B．Competition should be encouraged. |
| C．Winning should be a life – and – death matter. |
| D．Every effort should be paid back. |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days： Mother's Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day, on the third Sunday in June.
Mother's Day was proclaimed a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation.
In 1909，Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910，the first Father's Day was observed in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to established Father's Day as a national commemorative day, in 1972.
These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother's Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father's Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is not true?
| A．It is a day to show love to mothers. |
| B．It is a day to wear carnations. |
| C．It is a day for people to visit the cemetery. |
| D．It is a day for many people to attend religious services. |
Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The first Father's Day was observed.
b. Mother's Day was proclaimed a day for national observance.
c. Father's Day became a day for national observance.
d. The idea of honoring fathers was brought up.
| A．a b c d | B．d a b c |
| C．b a c d | D．d a c b |
Who plays the most important role in Father's Day becoming a national commemorative day?
| A．Mrs. Dodd. | B．Margaret Chase Smith. |
| C．Ann Jarvis. | D．Woodrow Wilson. |
The author's purpose of writing this passage is to __________.
| A．call on people to love and respect their parents |
| B．introduce Mother's Day and Father's Day |
| C．tell the difference between Mother's Day and Father's Day |
| D．show how important fathers and mothers are |
Are you carrying too much on your back at school? You're not alone. Back experts in the USA were worried that young students are having back and neck problems because they are carrying too much in their backpacks （schoolbags）.
"It hurts my back when I run，" said Beeline Reyes, a student in Virginia. "It's hard to get up the stairs with my backpack because it's too heavy. "
Students have to carry heavy backpacks on their backs for a whole week's study. Beeline is one of them. They have regular back-packs with two straps （带子）to carry them, but a number of students with heavy loads have switched to rolling backpacks. The backpacks have wheels and can roll on the ground.
Shirley Park's backpack weighs 10 kilos, and she said，"I'll change to a rolling backpack because I am starting to have back pain. "
How much is too much? Experts say that students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight. A few students have had a good idea to lighten the load ： Less homework.
Doctor's suggestions ：
•Lighten the load. Take home only the books the students need that night.
•Wide straps are better. They can send out weight over your shoulders and be sure to wear backpacks with two straps.
•The heaviest things should be packed closest to the back.
•Bend （弯曲）both knees when you pick up the pack, don't just bend the waist（腰）.The main idea of the text is __________.
| A．the problems made by rolling backpacks |
| B．the goodness of backpacks |
| C．the best backpacks for students |
| D．how to make students' backpacks light |
From what Eglin Reyes and Shirley Park said, we know __________.
| A．students have to carry heavy backpacks |
| B．students have to do homework |
| C．backpacks with wheels are bad for students |
| D．students have no time to play because of homework |
By the words of the experts, it's better for a student of 40 kilos to carry a backpack of at most __________.
| A．10 kilos | B．8 kilos |
| C．6 kilos | D．7 kilos |
If students follow the doctor's suggestions, they __________.
| A．may do less homework |
| B．may feel their backpacks are lighter |
| C．can learn how to enjoy them |
| D．will know how to use backpacks |
"Let's go down one more, push your enter key..." says a volunteer helping senior citizens work a web（网）session on the Inter-net.
David Lansdale has found a way to light up the lives of the elderly. He gets them wired to the Internet. " If you hit your enter key, it will bring up this particular e-mail..."
Pauline Allen is one of those who has started using the Internet，" I thought I was through with life, I was ready for a rocking chair, because I was 86 years old. And I haven't found the rocking chair yet. " " You found the keyboard?" asks the reporter. " That's right, I found the keyboard. "
The average age of Lansdale's students is around 68. All are in nursing or assisted care homes. He used family relationships to introduce them to the World Wide Web.
David Lansdale says，" Here they are in California, the family was back in New York, the opportunity to connect, to cross the time and space, was incredibly precious （valuable） to them. "
"I hear you are so beautiful. " Lillian Sherly writes an e-mail to a newborn great granddaughter. Working with one another, the senior learn as a group. They learn to master the Internet and to overcome what Lansdale calls the maladies of the institutionalized ：loneliness, helplessness, boredom, and loss of memory.
Mary Harvey says，" Bingo just doesn't interest me. But this does, believe me, this does. "
Ninety-four-year-old Ruth Hyman is a star pupil and instructor. She says，" When I send a letter to my grandchildren, and great grandchildren, they hang it up in their offices, just like I used to hang their drawings on my refrigerator. Ha, ha. "
David Lansdale says，" There's a collective benefit. There is an element （因素）of treatment. Remember we started as a support group. "
Dixon Moorehouse says，"I just wish I was 15 years old and getting to learn all this. " The senior calls their weekly meetings Monday Night Live. And many say the meetings have given them new life. Ruth Hyman says，" Three years ago, they told me I wasn't going to live. But I showed them, and got work, and I've worked ever since.The purpose of David Lansdale's work is to __________.
| A．keep the health of the mind of the senior |
| B．popularize the use of computers among the old |
| C．organize the senior as a group to work |
| D．help the senior connect with their families |
The words "the maladies of the institutionalized" used in the text refer to __________.
| A．the difficulties in learning |
| B．the problems caused by getting old |
| C．some kinds of treatments |
| D．the worries about the Internet |
How many examples does the writer give to prove that the senior enjoy the Internet?
| A．Four. | B．Five. |
| C．Six. | D．Seven. |
It can be inferred that Ruth Hyman's younger generations hang her mails up __________.
| A．in order not to lose the letters |
| B．in order not to forget something important |
| C．to make the offices more beautiful |
| D．to show pride in their grandmother's work |
In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical （热带的）Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about half a dozen becomes the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that are called hurricanes, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as soft circling wind hundreds-even thousands-of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried west-ward by the southeast winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist（潮湿）air flows in at the bottom of such a wind, moves up-ward through it and comes out at the top. In the process（过程），the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat is changed to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to move in a counter-clockwise motion（逆时针运动）.
The life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat re-leased （释放）by a hurricane's rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction（毁灭）in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours, causing sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea-the mountains of water moving toward the hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?
| A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas. |
| B．When it hits the coastline. |
| C．When it is more than 75 miles wide. |
| D．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour. |
What is the worst thing about hurricanes?
| A．The terrible effects of water. |
| B．The heat they give off. |
| C．That they last about nine days. |
| D．Their strong winds. |
Here the word "downpour" means __________.
| A．heavy rainfall |
| B．dangerous waves |
| C．the progress of water to the hurricane center |
| D．the increasing heat |
Which statement about a hurricane is wrong?
| A．It travels more than 75 miles per hour. |
| B．It usually stays about 9 days. |
| C．It usually causes 6 to 12 inch downpours. |
| D．It sometimes brings the sea water level to the height of 15feet. |
The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived on the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. Then whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1，400 to 900.
Nauru's real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate（磷酸盐）on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which is a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip-mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968，Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem-their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000，Nauru was al-most financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?
| A．To seek help for Nauru's problems. |
| B．To give a warning to other countries. |
| C．To show the importance of money. |
| D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war. |
What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
| A．Rich and powerful. |
| B．Modern and open. |
| C．Peaceful and attractive. |
| D．Greedy and aggressive. |
The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from __________.
| A．soil pollution |
| B．phosphate overmining |
| C．farming activity |
| D．whale hunting |