Sports are the base of my life, next to my mother who raised me when my dad left us. I have been into sports since I was six years old. I have known many coaches and heard hundreds of their tips, but they usually focused on drills to develop my skills and reach the next level of play.
When I was in Senior Two, I met the new school basketball coach, Brian Pawloski. I thought I was certain to be selected for the school team since I had been in it the year before. I showed up to the tryouts and put out about 90% effort since I thought I’d make it with no problem. That was a big mistake.
Brian Pawloski is the hardest-working coach I have ever met. He didn’t expect 100% effort, he expected 200% effort. One example: he once made us do 40 suicide drills for the 40 lay-ups (投篮) we missed in a game. Some think this is crazy, but it isn’t. After this conditioning practice, as we were getting a cup of cold water to drink, I said, “coach, that was the best practice I ever had.” I was completely sincere. This man was and is the person who influenced me most at my high school. He expects us to be excellent not just on the court but in the classroom. If I am not working on basketball, I am reading a book that he thinks will help us better understand life’s challenges, including Wooden, Coach, and The Screwtape Letters.
In the first two years I slacked off, not putting forth my full potential. Now, unlike the coaches of my youth, this man was interested in how he did off the court. He always made sure I kept up with my studies and was able to be trusted. I can honestly say that on other coach has given me so much advice on how to succeed in basketball, but more importantly, in life. My school is lucky to have such a great person to teach, coach and influence their students. I will always remember my high-school basketball days as one of the hardest times I have ever worked in my life not only in basketball but in my growth as an individual.Different from other coaches, Coach Brian ________.
| A．concentrated on skill training |
| B．trained the team to the edge of death |
| C．expected the team to do well in their studies |
| D．asked the team to do more reading than training |
The underlined phrase “slacked off” in the last paragraph probably means ________.
| A．paid no attention |
| B．showed no interest |
| C．had less passion |
| D．made less effort |
In the author’s eye, Coach Brian is ________.
| A．strict and helpful |
| B．hardworking and honest |
| C．skilled and cruel |
| D．professional and serious |
B
Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s have a look．
People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies．We sometimes say that people who are nervous have ants in their pants．Sometimes，people may get caught with their pants down．They are found doing something they should not be doing．And，in every family，one person takes contro1．Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do．Then we say she wears the pants in the family.
Pants usually have pockets to hold things．Money that is likely to be spent quickly can bum a hole in your pocket．Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants．If you have less money than usual，you may have to tighten your belt.
I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. l really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat, which means I immediately spend it.
Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people.
My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him will think he is too serious and never shows his feelings openly. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve.What is this passage mainly about?
| A．What pants mean in English. |
| B．Some special English expressions. |
| C．Some funny English expressions. |
| D．Some expressions related to clothes. |
Which of the following expressions can show someone is nervous?
| A．Get caught with one's pants down. | B．Have ants in one's pants. |
| C．Wear the pants in the family. | D．Bum a hole in one's pocket. |
If we say someone has to tighten his belt, we probably mean he
| A．has done something wrong | B．used to live a rich life |
| C．has put on the wrong pants | D．doesn’t have enough money |
Someone who spends his money at the drop of a hat most probably_
| A．doesn’t save money | B．earns much money |
| C．never wastes his money | D．spends more than he earns |
A
My friend Robert started a new job this week and he’s been in the training class for two days. The employer has a very strict dress code—dark blue shirts and pants.
On the first day, an older gentleman in his class did not have the proper clothes and he was strictly told that he would be fired if he didn’t have the right clothes the next day. He explained, “Sir, I had not been told about this. Because of my larger size, it’s sometimes difficult to find the right clothing for a price I can afford.”
Last night, Robert and I decided that this old man shouldn’t lose the chance of work simply because he couldn’t afford the clothes. I had some cash on hand and Robert took it with him this morning just in case it was needed.
When training started this morning, the trainer was ready to fire the older gentleman. “You have 10 minutes to be in proper clothes,” he was told. At this point, Robert spoke up and asked if he could have 10 minutes to get him the clothes. He then ran out to the store and bought the proper-sized pants and a shirt; he returned with both and gave them to the older man.
The older gentleman began to cry and told him that he couldn’t accept such a gift from a stranger. Robert told him he had to because he had lost the receipt(收据) and couldn’t return them—a little white lie. The pants were a perfect fit, the shirt was a bit tight but he was able to keep his job.
“My wife and I tried to gather together some money last night, but we didn’t have enough to buy the clothes,” he told Robert. “It’s unbelievable to me that anybody would do such a thing for only knowing me a day!”
More unbelievable is how good it has made Robert and me feel to do this.If the older man did not have the proper clothes, he would _____
| A．be punished | B．be offered another job |
| C．put off the training class | D．lose his job |
The money which was paid for the clothes belonged to _____
| A．the trainer | B．the older man |
| C．the writer | D．Robert |
How did Robert persuade the older man to accept the clothes?
| A．He told the older man that he would lose his job if he did not take them. |
| B．He told a lie that the clothes didn’t fit himself. |
| C．He told the older man that he could save money and return it later. |
| D．He told the older man that he had no way to send them back. |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Proper clothes for a stranger | B．Fight against strict rules |
| C．A strange employer | D．An unbelievable thing |
（二） 66Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.
The ridge （隆起） structure on a person's fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one, which bears a reproduction of the original pattern.67Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.
Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer's ink. They can by be recorded easily. 68 Because of the simplicity and economy of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. 69 . When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. 70 Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.
| A．Special techniques are used to "develop" them. |
| B．A fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges of all part of the finger. |
| C．It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed. |
| D．With special methods, identification can be achieved successfully within a short time. |
E. A latent print is the chance reproduction of the friction ridges deposited on the surface of an item.
F. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.
G. Every human being has a unique arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable.
（一）It seems that the Englishmen just cannot live without sports of some kind. ____61____. Wherever you go in this country, you will see both children and grown-ups knocking a ball about with a stick or something, as if in Britain men shall always remain boys and women girls! Still, it can never be bad to get exercise, can it?
Taking all amateur（业余）and professional sports in Britain into consideration, there can be no doubt that football is at the top of the list. ____62____. The game originated（起源于）in Britain and was played in the Middle Ages or even earlier.
The next is rugby, which is called “football” in the United States.______63_____. In rugby, an oval-shaped ball is used which can be handled as well as kicked. It is a pretty rough game.
____64_____. In fact, it has sometimes been called the English national game. Most foreigners find the game rather slow or even boring, but it enjoys great popularity among the British.
Tennis rates high on the list, too. It was introduced into England from France in the 15th century . ______65______
| A．A famous French humorist once said that this is because the English insist on behaving like children all their lives. |
| B．It is called soccer in the United States |
| C．It is a kind of football played by two teams of fifteen players than eleven |
| D．In summer, cricket is the most popular sport |
E. Basketball and volleyball were introduced into Britain during the late 19th century from America and are gaining popularity
F. But it was from England that it spread to practically every country in the world.
G. Not everyone likes ball games
Pollution is reducing the fragrance（芬芳） of plants and thus preventing bees from pollinating(授粉) them—endangering one of the most essential cycles of nature, a new study suggests.
The potentially hugely significant research, funded by US National Science Foundation, has found that gases mainly formed from the emissions（排放） of cars prevent flowers from attracting bees and other insects to pollinate them. And the scientists who have conducted the study fear that insects’ abilities to drive away enemies and attract mates may also be disturbed.
Professor Jose Fuentes, who led the study, said, “Scent molecules(香味分子) produced by flowers in a less polluted environment could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters. But today they may travel only 200 to 300 meters. This makes it increasingly difficult for bees and other insects to locate the flowers.”
The researchers, who worked on the molecules of snapdragons(金鱼草),found that the molecules are volatile(易挥发的) and quickly bond with pollutants, mainly formed from vehicle(车辆)emissions. This chemically changes the molecules so that they no longer smell like flowers. A harmful cycle is therefore set up where insects struggle to get enough food and the plants do not get pollinated enough to multiply.
Already bees, which pollinate most of the world’s crops, are in such a great decline that has never been known before in Britain and across much of the globe. At least a quarter of America’s 2.5 million honey bee colonies have been mysteriously wiped out by colony collapse disorder(CCD),where hives are found suddenly deserted.
The crisis(危机) has now spread to Europe. Politicians insist that CCD has not yet been found in Britain, but considering the present number of bees, the agriculture minister Lord Rooker has sent the warning, “The honey bee population could be wiped out in 10 years.”
Although the researchers are not certain whether this is the real cause of CCD, they say that pollution is making life more difficult for bees and other insects in many ways. In what way does pollution prevent flowers from attracting bees?
| A．By shortening the distance traveled by the scent molecules of flowers. |
| B．By disturbing the bees’ ability to attract mates. |
| C．By weakening the bees’ ability to fight against enemies. |
| D．By stopping flowers from giving off fragrance. |
From the passage we can know that.
| A．Europe is affected greatly by CCD |
| B．CCD has destroyed most of the honey bee colonies in Europe |
| C．no honey bees will be found all over the world in the near future |
| D．European officials have paid much attention to CCD |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Traffic Pollution Puts Bees in Danger |
| B．Traffic Pollution is to Blame for CCD |
| C．Pollution Makes Flowers Lose Their Scent |
| D．Pollution Causes the Decrease in Flowers |