Some people would go through anything just to achieve their dream. Kasia Siwosz is proof. For the final year student on the university women’s tennis team, the road to Berkeley, University of California was met with poor advice and misinformation from her home country and two unsuccessful stops along the way that fell short of expectations.
Born in Poland, Siwosz began playing tennis at seven years old and developed the skills that helped her earn a top-50 ranking among the ITF Junior division (国际网球联会青少年赛).. Siwosz wanted to do more with her life than just play tennis, which led her to seek chances that would also allow her to obtain a top education. While most who grow up in the U.S. are naturally accustomed to the American tradition of collegiate sports, such a custom is not as familiar in a country like Poland. “There’s no collegiate sports in Poland and no culture of sports and academic study there. You can only do one, not both,” Siwosz said.
Her desire to have a quality education led her to America to follow her dream. While Siwosz was talented enough to begin her collegiate tennis career, she could only attend community college because she missed the deadline to apply to four-year schools, mainly due to misinformation provided in her home country of Poland.
When she had earned all her credits and was able to transfer, Siwosz made the decision to attend Baylor in Texas. Her friends from Poland put in a good word for the university, saying that it was a good fit because there were many international players at Baylor. “I thought it would be a good idea, but it really wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Siwosz said. “I wasn’t happy at Baylor. The level of tennis was high, but the academic standards were no match and I just wanted more.”
After one year at Baylor, Siwosz’s luck finally began to change when she made the decision to transfer to Berkeley, which was due in large part to Lee, a former Berkeley student. Lee, who is a keen tennis player himself, met Siwosz four years ago in Texas. “I knew she was unhappy there,” he said. “I saw the opportunity for her to come here.” Siwosz visited Lee in Berkeley. “I ended up loving this place and this school,” Siwosz said. “I came here a lot over the summer, I gave it a shot and I ended up with a Berkeley education and a spot on one of the best college tennis teams in the country.”
What does “two unsuccessful stops” (Paragraph 1) refer to?
| A．Poland and the U.S. |
| B．Baylor and Berkeley. |
| C．The ITF Junior division and the Berkeley tennis team. |
| D．The community college and Baylor. |
Why did Siwosz want to leave her homeland for America?
| A．Poland had no culture of sports. |
| B．Berkeley had always been her dream university. |
| C．She wanted to play tennis and have a good education. |
| D．She wanted to improve her tennis skills and get a higher ranking. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．How Siwosz realized her dream. |
| B．How Siwosz left Poland. |
| C．How Siwosz became a top tennis player. |
| D．How Siwosz transferred from Baylor to Berkeley. |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
D
In Britain, school is compulsory for children aged from five to sixteen, when they can leave or stay on for another two years. Primary schools take children from the ages of five to eleven; secondary schools from then until they leave.
The school year is from midSeptember to midJuly. There are three terms of about twelve weeks each. Normal school hours are from about 900 to about 400, five days a week, Monday to Friday.
Every school must give lessons in physical and religious education by law. No other subjects are compulsory in this way, but all schools consider English language and mathematics their most important subjects, and offer a wide range of other courses.
In many schools there is organized sport for all pupils at least one afternoon a week. Football, netball, hockey, tennis, cricket, swimming and athletics are the most commonly taught.
From fifteen, pupils normally take seven or eight subjects. These are two public exams: the CSE(Certificate of Secondary Education)and the more difficult GES“O”level(the“O”stand for“ordinary”). In both you pass or fail each subject. What matters is how many passes you get.
Those who do not leave at sixteen take two or three subjects for GCE“A”(advanced)level after a twoyear course. Universities and colleges differ in the way they select their students, but two good passes at “A”level is the minimum requirement for most universities. Oxford and Cambridge are more selective, and hold their own entrance exams.
University courses for a first degree normally take three or four years, and are in one main subject and possibly a second, subsidiary subject.In Britain, how many years can a child enjoy compulsory education?
| A．14. |
| B．12. |
| C．11. |
| D．13. |
Which subjects are obliged to be taught in Britain?
| A．Physical culture and law. |
| B．Religion and law. |
| C．Physical culture and religion. |
| D．English and mathematics. |
In the sentence“What matters is how many passes you get”， the word“pass”means________.
| A．a successful result in an examination |
| B．an official piece of paper with writing on which it shows |
| C．a way by which one may move |
| D．an act of moving past |
For most universities, what is the requirement for their enrollment?
| A．Not mentioned in the article. |
| B．2 good passes at“A” level of GCE. |
| C．2 good passes in GCE “O”． |
| D．2 good passes in GSE “A”． |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
C
Several months ago, CCTV broadcast a documentary(记录片)film about criminals(罪犯). I remembered one criminal clearly: he had killed his girlfriend just because she wanted to leave him. The journalist asked him, “Do you regret killing your girlfriend？”
“No.”
“Why？”
“It's useless to regret，”the man answered calmly.
The journalist was silent. At that moment, I felt very angry. This man had made such an unforgivable mistake but he still wouldn't say he was sorry.
Is regret really useless?
Of course, regret is an emotion linked to the past and this feeling cannot turn back the clock. But I think people who say regret is useless ignore(忽视)two points. One is that regret is useful for the future and to one's soul. Look up the word“regret”in a dictionary: there are many expressions, such as“repent(悔悟)”，“chagrin(悔恨)”and so on. All these are used to tell people not to make similar mistakes after they have realized their fault. If you don't regret, how can you repent? On the other hand, for those such as murderers, who have already lost their future, regret is still a baptism(洗礼)for the soul. A murderer won't leave the world at peace with himself unless he understands what regret is.
I have no doubt that regret is a virtue. Just like a light in the darkness, it can offer people the ray of hope they need. No matter what you have done wrong, people will always respect you for showing regret and a willingness to correct your mistakes. In this way, regret is a special feeling. Correcting mistakes is better than complaining; it makes you feel good about yourself. So why not show some regret after doing something wrong?The writer felt very angry because of________.
| A．the criminal's crime |
| B．the criminal's short answer |
| C．the criminal's not feeling sorry |
| D．the criminal's not knowing law |
Regret is useful for________of the people who do wrong.
| A．the future |
| B．the past |
| C．neither the past nor the future |
| D．both the past and the future |
To repent one should first to________.
| A．regret |
| B．remember |
| C．realize |
| D．tell |
If a person who has done great wrong shows regret people will________him at this point.
| A．hate |
| B．dislike |
| C．look down upon |
| D．respect |
If a murderer has already lost his future, regret is________for him.
| A．useless |
| B．still useful |
| C．hardly useful |
| D．almost useless |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
B
During the fourth China Beijing Hightech Industries Week, exhibitions, feature presentations, technological exchanges and trade talks, and other events are organized.
Exhibitions：
•China International Exhibition Center
Section for China's Key Science and Technology Achievements of the Ninth FiveYear Plan(1996～2000)
Environmental Protection and Energy Section
Section for Exhibition from Other Provinces and Municipalities(自治市)and Regions of China
•China World Trade Centre
Exchange and Trade Fair for Science and Technology Books and Sports Information Media
The Trade Fair for Modern Intelligent Houses and Beijing Urban Real Estate
•China Millenium Monument
Forum(论坛)and Exhibition of Foreign Scitech Universities
•China Agricultural Culture Centre
Hightech Construction Products Exhibition
Feature Presentation：
•Science and Education
Science Forum on the New Century
•Hightech Industry
Forum on Environmental Protection
2001 Forum on Biotechnology on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Medicine
Technical Exchanges and Trade Talks：
•Trade Talks on Financial Capital Transformation
•SinoItalian Forum and Trade Fair for the Development of IT and Communications Technology.If you want to know more about the hightech achievements of different parts of China, you should go to________.
| A．China World Trade Centre |
| B．China Millenium Monument |
| C．China International Exhibition Centre |
| D．China Agricultural Cultural Centre |
These sessions mark the achievement of mankind in the fields of________.
| A．electronic communications, energy and education |
| B．sports technology, filmindustry and environmental protection |
| C．network technology, hightech industries and traffic |
| D．medicine, weather broadcast and finance |
The advertisement is mainly about________.
| A．the major activities of the hightech week |
| B．the timetable of hightech week |
| C．the names of the meeting places |
| D．the topic of trade talks |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
A
It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog's legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn't last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn't just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂)and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn't been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.From Paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers________.
| A．worked very hard for centuries |
| B．dreamed of having a better life |
| C．were poor but somewhat content |
| D．lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．The frogs were easy money. |
| B．They needed money to buy medicine. |
| C．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children's sickness?
| A．The crops didn't do well. |
| B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visitors brought in diseases. |
| D．The pesticides were overused. |
What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?
| A．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. |
| B．Health is more important than money. |
| C．The harmony between man and nature is important. |
| D．Good old days will never be forgotten. |
Your guide to shopping at Meadow hall.
Market Street
Market Street is designed for daytoday convenience shopping of every type. Located within Market Street is our Free, Little Tikes Village.
High Street
The heart of Meadow hall, with nearly 100 shops, includes familiar High Street names like WH Smith & C & A plus fashion for all ages and plenty of toys and games.
The Arcade
Sweeping arches flooded with natural light from glass window above, fashionable store line the street. The Lower & Upper Arcade is also home to our customer Service Deskswe are here to help.
The Lanes
In the Cocacola Oasis you will find the Lanesour unique blend of Specialty Shopping with something for everyone. You will also find the Meadow hall Crechea wonderful place for 2～7 years old to enjoy themselves while you do your shopping.
Park Lane
Park Lane has an elegant air with its beautiful lights and shining brass. Houses as Fraser Debenhams, Crabtree & Evelyn are the largest NEXT in UK.
Cocacola Oasis
Cocacola Oasis offers a large choice of places to eat and drink, from an Italian dinner to a Greek restaurant, and of course, the everpopular McDonald's. Or why not visit the 11 screens Warmer Village Cinema.Meadow hall is________.
| A．a wide street |
| B．a big shopping mall |
| C．a wonderful Italian restaurant |
| D．a big parking lot |
What can you NOT do at Meadow hall?
| A．Seeing a movie. |
| B．Going shopping. |
| C．Having dinner. |
| D．Visiting villages. |
Where can parents find a place for their kids to be taken care of?
| A．McDonald. |
| B．Customer Service Desk. |
| C．Meadow hall Creche. |
| D．Warmer Village Cinema. |
The following statements are all true EXCEPT________.
| A．Meadow hall is in UK |
| B．Houses in the Park Lane are the largest in the country |
| C．Cococola Oasis offers places to eat and drink |
| D．High Street is the center of Meadow hall |