阅读理解
How to Be a Winner
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes(糖尿病) . Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it—the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believe in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success—you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kirsten Best
Poet & Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological tool.”What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?
| A．Difficulties influenced his career. |
| B．Specialists offered him medical advice. |
| C．Training helped him defeat his disease. |
| D．He overcame the shadow of illness to win. |
What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?
| A．Her achievements | B．Her daily happenings |
| C．Her training schedule | D．Her sports career |
What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to?
| A．Ways that help one to focus. |
| B．Activities that turn one’s attention away. |
| C．Words that help one to feel less tense. |
| D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax. |
According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?
| A．Hard work. | B．Devotion |
| C．Courage | D．Self-confidence |
While reading a book in English, every few lines, you run across a word or two that you don't know. You look up every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does is slow you down. Even electric or CD-ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if you get lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the "map" each time you take a step, you'll get nowhere fast.
On your English learning "journey", a dictionary can be a helpful "travel companion"—if it's not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise, you'll always depend on your native language and end up translating in your head.
A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. It can help you verify (test and check) spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentences and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources.
Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols. Understand what the abbreviations(缩写
字) mean. Become familiar with the grammar codes that explain the usage for each word. Look for charts, diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future. You'll discover how rewarding it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, "A friend in need is a friend indeed". The underlined word "that" used in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．chart, diagrams and lists |
| B．abbreviations and the usage for each word |
| C．the meaning of a word, spelling and grammar usage |
| D．pronunciation symbols and grammar codes |
Why do you want to buy a good English-to-English dictionary?
| A．Because it is a good friend if we use it often. | |
| B．Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost. | |
C．Because it can help us to start thinking both in English and in Chinese. |
D．Without it we'll depend on our native language and end up translating in our head. |
Which of the following statements does the writer lead you to believe?
| A．The more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article you read. |
| B．The more you use the resources in the dictionary, the more you can benefit from it. |
| C．The more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read. |
| D．The better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is. |
The best title of the passage may be _______.
| A．Dictionary is Like a Road Map While We Are Traveling |
| B．Use a Dictionary When Necessary |
| C．How Important a Good English-to-English Dictionary is |
| D．A Dictionary is a Friend Indeed |
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
Good news
Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.
Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival (与……匹敌) the US on this score.
Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander Mc Queen; street styles are justly loved, too.
ing hours. Alcohol (酒) is in short su
pply after 11 p.m. even in “24-hour cities.”
| A．Poor service. | B．Poor public transport. | C．Overpriced hotels. | D．Rain. |
What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
| A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US. |
| B．Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US. |
| C．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US. |
| D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US. |
When is alcohol not able to get?
| A．At 12:00 p.m.. | B．At 10:00 p.m.. | C．At 11:00 p.m.. | D．At 9:00 p.m.. |
“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.
The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her streng
th in surviving the war and its hardships.
Love story
In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that h
as kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant(不相关的) to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.
With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."(毫不在乎)
Great epic (史诗)
The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.
When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression(侵略), people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.
Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.
Biggest of all time
The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.
| A．the novel Gone with the Wind | B．"tomorrow is another day" |
| C．the movie Gone with the Wind | D．the Academy Award |
The text is written mainly to _______.
| A．celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell |
| B．introduce how the film was directed and filmed |
| C．throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind" |
| D．inspire people to struggle the economic downturn |
It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.
| A．optimistic and lucky | B．childish and realistic |
| C．caring and stubborn (固执的) | D．strong-minded and persistent (坚毅的) |
The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.
| A．prove that the background of the movie touched viewers |
| B．describe how popular the movie was at that time |
| C．point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment |
| D．tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then |
A number of scientific studies have suggested that repeatedly heading a football could increase the risk of developing dementia (痴呆症) in later life.
In 2002, former England international footballer Jeff Astle died aged 59. A coroner (验尸官) said that Astle died from a brain disease likely to have been caused by “repeated small damages to the brain” related to heading a heavy leather football.
Dr. Scott Delaney, research director of emergency medicine at McGill University Health Center in Montreal, Canada, has also researched soccer-related head injury and agrees that head-to-head or elbow-to-head blows are the real risk.
In 2007, Delaney carried out a study on footballers aged between 12 and 17 that showed they were half as likely to be concussed (使脑部受到震荡) wearing headgear (帽) than without.
He said youngsters have a higher risk of head injury than adults because their heads are thinner and less able to absorb shock. To make matters worse, their neck muscles aren’t as well developed and they often lack the correct heading technique that can help throw away the force of the ball.
Delaney recommends that children wear headgear when playing football and says his two eldest children wear head protection playing the sport. But he admits that children can be unwilling to be the first to wear head protection—especially when their football heroes play without it.
While headgear can protect footballers from being concussed during a match, no one knows the long-term effects of repeated “sub-concussive” blows to the head.
Delaney says that while there is indirect evidence that a career in soccer can lead to dementia, no one has yet found a sure link between the two. He says proving a link would mean monitoring hundreds of footballers for three or four decades—and that would take a lot of funding.Which might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Playing football may lead to brain damage. |
| B．Repeated small damages to the brain. |
| C．Footballers should wear headgear when playing. . |
| D．Evidence to dementia. |
According to Delaney’s research, what is the most risky injuries to head?
| A．Long-term effects of blows. |
| B．Wearing head protection. |
| C．Underdeveloped neck muscles. |
| D．Head-to-head or elbow-to-head blows. |
Children are unwilling to wear headgear because they think _____ .
| A．headgear is harmful to their heads | B．headgear influences their skills |
| C．they should follow their idols | D．they mustn’t lead the fashion |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____ .
| A．Delaney has studied dementia for three or four decades |
| B．few footballers would like to be studied in the research |
| C．funding is important in order to carry out the research. |
| D．no one can find the link between playing football and dementia |
It is winter in many parts of the world. For some areas, that means snow. Maybe even lots of snow. If you don’t have to drive in it or remove it, snow can be very beautiful. When snow covers everything around you, the world looks like a “winter wonderland”. That is the name of a very popular song about winter. Richard Smith and Felix Bernard wrote the song back in 1934. There are hundreds of recordings of this happy song.
But winter is not always such a beautiful and happy time. It’s cold outside. You try hard to keep warm. The days are darker and shorter. The sun rarely shines. The leaves on the trees are brown. It isn’t surprising that some people are sad in winter. And some people dream about being somewhere else where it’s warm and pretty—like the state of California. The Mamas and the Papas recorded this famous song “California Dreaming”.
During the 1960s, many other famous rock groups released songs about winter. Here is a poetic song by Simon and Garfunkel called “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. They sing about life and hope and possibilities.
In 1968, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears recorded this gentle, sad song about winter. They sing about a lost love and forgotten memories in “Sometimes in Winter”.
In the early 1990s, Tori Amos wrote and recorded the beautiful song called “Winter”. She enjoyed singing about winter when she was a child.
Finally, on a happier note comes this song written and recorded by Fountains of Wayne in 2003. They sing about a snowstorm in a New England town. Nothing unusual there. But instead of being sad or tense about the snow, they write a song about it. The underlined sentence “For some areas, that means snow.” probably means
_____ .
| A．In some areas, when it’s winter, it must snow |
| B．In some areas, it often snows in winter |
| C．In some areas, it’s important to snow |
| D．In some areas, people like snow in winter |
According to the second paragraph, winter is _____ .
| A．beautiful and happy | B．happy and warm |
| C．lovely and hopeful | D．cold and sad |
Which of the songs can bring us hope of life?
| A．Winter Wonderland. | B．California Dreaming. |
| C．A Hazy Shade of Winter. | D．Sometimes in Winter. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Winter in different areas. | B．Different ideas about winter. |
| C．Songs about winter. | D．Winter is cold but happy. |