“Your homework is to collect sounds and take them down,” Mrs. Olson said before class was over. She handed out sheets of paper shaped like giant ears.
On his way home, Colin glared out the school-bus window. Not fair, he thought. How could he collect enough sounds on his family's farm? If only he lived in the town.
He got off the bus when it stopped at his mailbox. But he wasn't in the mood to wave as it drove away. “I'm home!”Colin called when he pushed open the gate. He threw his school bag down on a kitchen chair.
“How was school?”His mother asked, walking in with his baby brother on her shoulder.
“I've got homework,” Colin complained.
“Eat something before doing your chores.”His mother gave him the animal biscuits. Colin ate two tigers, three lions, and a seal, then drank some milk.
Astrid, Colin’s dog, woofed as Colin walked toward the barn(谷仓).Her young dogs were yipping. Colin placed dog food into their pan. In the chicken house, Colin hurried two hens from their nests. He put their warm eggs into his jacket. The black cow napped in the sun. Colin woke her when he poured corn into her pan.“Moo, thank you!”she seemed to say.
Colin put the eggs in the kitchen, then climbed to his tree house as usual. He could see Dad's beehives(蜂箱)by the field. Six hives usually meant plenty of humming noise. But today he couldn't hear it over the chattering sound of the sparrows. How could a person think?
“QUIET!”Colin shouted.
Suddenly, he sat up straight. Cows mooed and young dogs yipped. Chickens crackled in their yard. When Astrid began woofing below, Colin smiled broadly.“I hear you!” he called. He hurried down from the tree.
1. Why did Colin wish he lived in the town?| A．Because living on the farm was boring. |
| B．Because people were treated fairly there. |
| C．Because the town was near his school. |
| D．Because collecting sounds would be easier. |
| A．Doing his homework. | B．Helping with farm work. |
| C．Playing with animals. | D．Babysitting his brother. |
| A．4. | B．5. | C．6. | D．7. |
| A．woof | B．yip | C．nap | D．hum |
| A．Walk Astrid. | B．Gather honey. |
| C．Draw a giant ear. | D．Record the sounds. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】At thirteen, I was diagnosed (诊断) with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”
She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.” I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braile. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day—with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, “See what you can do when you keep trying?”
1. What problem did the author meet when he was in class?| A．He didn’t like the teacher. | B．He was not fond of literature. |
| C．The classroom was too noisy. | D．He couldn’t focus his attention in class. |
| A．He managed to cure his blindness. |
| B．He got a good education at school. |
| C．He made an invention which helped the blind. |
| D．He couldn’t see and read for the whole life. |
| A．She encouraged him. | B．She looked down on him. |
| C．She hurt him. | D．She was angry with him. |
| A．The author couldn’t read. | B．The author overcame his difficulty. |
| C．The author gave up finally. | D．The author got a low grade. |
| A．How to be a great teacher. | B．Keep trying, and you can do it. |
| C．What should you do as a blind. | D．Ways to overcome attention disorder. |
【推荐2】I met Luis, an exchange student from Mexico, and soon we became friends. Language was no barrier as he could speak English. If his three sisters, who spoke little English, hadn’t visited us, we might have been the best friends.
At that time, I got along well with him and determined to pay a visit to his home and make a good impression on his family. The only problem was that I was too busy with my classes to take a Spanish class. Instead, I decided to take the Spanish-English cognate (同根词) shortcut. I thought to myself, “They are interrelated, and Spanish is not so difficult.” I discovered I could add a vowel(元音)to the end of many English words. Instantly, it became Spanish. Thus “active” was “activo”; “habit” was “habito”; “abrupt” was “abrupto”.
On a Saturday night, I was invited to dinner at Luis’s apartment when his sisters arrived. I thought the dinner went well since the three girls kept giving me friendly smiles. However, we kept silent, and no one seemed to break the ice. Then Luis excused himself from the table.
With three pairs of eyes focused on me, I was forced to speak. Since I didn’t know much about Spanish, I had to be careful to say anything. I chose to play it safe by simply praising the fine meal they’d made. “Me gusta el dinero,” I said, smiling at each girl in return. They unhappily stared at me as Luis re-entered the room. Confusedly, he asked, “What did you do?” I just praised your sisters for this delicious dinner,” I replied weakly, suddenly questioning my limited Spanish vocabulary. Finally, the three girls told me that “gusta el dinero” means “like money”.
That night really left me in an awkward state. I couldn’t say that ended my friendship with Luis, but things were never quite the same between us after the fateful night. I learned a valuable lesson—it was always the shortcuts that got me into trouble.
1. What does the author think of Spanish and English?| A．They are equally difficult. | B．Their spellings are the same. |
| C．There is a link between them. | D．They have nothing in common. |
| A．Have fun. | B．Avoid running a risk. |
| C．Play a trick. | D．Turn to somebody for help. |
| A．Embarrassing. | B．Dangerous. | C．Harmonious. | D．Pleasant. |
| A．A Decision On Fate | B．A Common Mistake |
| C．A Chance Encounter | D．A Shortcut To Disaster |
【推荐3】It isn’t a concert hall, but a picnic table at Lake Roland. Norma Griner performs here now. A cellphone begins recording. She keeps tapping her fingers on the table. “Feel it!” says Larry Griner, her son and caregiver.
It’s a charming scene repeated day after day at this Baltimore County park. Alzheimer’s disease (阿尔茨海默症)fogs her memory but the music moves her still.
Larry shares these performances on Facebook. There’s Ms. Norma singing a song about her love of chocolate, or making strangers cry by singing Over the Rainbow. Who could guess she is at the age of 91?
Alzheimer’s caregivers from around the country watch the recordings. In Texas, one woman starts her day with Ms. Norma’s newest video. In Alabama, another woman watches with her grandson, who finds life so meaningful.
Born in Philadelphia, Norma learned to read music during elementary school. Wherever she was, she lost herself in music. She retired in 1989 and devoted more time to music. In 2012, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which slowly destroyed her memory and thinking. Larry soon found he could cheer her up with music.
When he played her favorite songs, Norma came alive. She might not remember where she was, but she could sing Lean on Me. The bursts of vigor (活力) moved Larry. He began to record and share her performances online.
Meanwhile, Larry formed an online support group for Alzheimer’s caregivers called Molly’s Movement. Caregivers from as far as Australia heard Norma sing. Each day, he shared a new video. “I already know what’s going to come from the loved one. They’re the only one who’s consistent (始终如一的).” he said.
1. What makes Norma Griner so special in the park?| A．She is the oldest woman patient there. |
| B．She designs the best chocolates for strangers. |
| C．She sings there despite her age and illness. |
| D．She is good at making friends with strangers. |
| A．The interest in making video. | B．Fading memory. |
| C．The gift for singing. | D．Frightening disease. |
| A．He knew her singing would be popular. |
| B．He hoped to make some money online. |
| C．He was touched by her love for music. |
| D．He decided to become a music producer. |
| A．To help Alzheimer’s caregivers. | B．To tell the story of his mother. |
| C．To share a video every day. | D．To cure Alzheimer’s disease. |
【推荐1】Raised by grandparents, Nikki was 17 years old when she secretly went to the University of Kentucky under cover of darkness. It was 2009, and the advice of her late grandmother Sue echoed in her head as she drove: Leave. Go to college. And do not let anybody from the bigger, wider world think they’re better than you.
Sue died when Nikki was 9. The opioid (鸦片) addiction had already broken out in eastern Kentucky by then. And in Nikki’s mind the drug problem turned into a drug crisis (危机) shortly after Sue’s death, when her family went from sleeping with the screen door unlocked to buying new doors - without glasses, which could be broken by thieves. Around that time, Nikki went to a birthday party, only to find her friend’s mother passed out on the toilet, surrounded by vomit (呕吐物) and pill bottles.
In high school, her teacher asked her classmates what they wanted to be in future. Nikki knew by then that both her safety and her economic fortunes lay far from her hometown. But her grandfather, Curt, wanted her to stay home, thinking Nikki should become a nurse, and that the community college would be enough.
The night she ran away, Nikki stopped halfway because she was shaking too hard to drive. She’d been planning the move her entire senior year, secretly applying for scholarships and saving $800 by working at a comic-book store. But she hadn’t ever set foot on a university, and she worried about her grandfather, who had never lived alone. She’d waited for him to fall asleep, and when she imagined him waking to an empty house the next morning, her shaking turned to loud cry. Nikki cried so hard that she vomited. Then she wiped herself off and drove directly to college.
A decade later, Nikki, now 28,, has become one of the leading voices on the opioid crisis in rural America —where, about 20 years later, treatment remains scarce even as deaths caused by overuse of opioid increase. In many rural places, neighbors turn on one another rather than placing the blame on the pharmaceutical (制药的) companies creating such serious situations.
The crisis has killed over 800,000 Americans, but the government hasn’t provided effective solutions, let alone a level of funding that could stop the crisis. However, Nikki has figured out a way to offer treatment to people in need. While the program she’s developed is still small and new, its results are promising, and it appears to be copied in other states. Her aim is to help people with opioid addiction, rather than just locking them up.
1. What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?| A．The sudden death of Sue. |
| B．The terrible situation of the opioid crisis. |
| C．The danger caused by thieves. |
| D．The symptoms of the opioid addiction. |
| A．Her friend’s mom’s passing out. |
| B．Her experience in a comic-book store. |
| C．Her grandma’s thoughtful encouragement. |
| D．Her decision to make economic fortunes. |
| A．Kind and strong-willed. | B．Sensitive and weak. |
| C．Selfish but optimistic. | D．Diligent but cruel. |
| A．assist | B．trust | C．attack | D．dismiss |
| A．To indicate the difficulties to treat the addiction. |
| B．To stress Nikki’s unusual achievements. |
| C．To support the practice of locking up addicted people. |
| D．To blame the government for killing 800,000 Americans. |
【推荐2】Dog owners who lived near Chicago’s Soldier Ficeld knew to watch out for the coyote(从林猴).
The’ wild, dog-like animal’ lived somewhere among the tall buildings near the football stadium. As the sun went down each evening, the coyote would lie in the grass next to a parking lot, waiting. Within his view, peopte walked their dogs along a bike trail. Each night, the soyote would assault the firstt dog to come along.
Dr. Stanley Gehrt, a scientist at the Ohio State University, led the team that solved the problem. Besides studying coyotes, he and his co-workers teach people ways to avoid problems with coyotes. In short, he says, Don’t feed them. and manage your pets.
The secret to the coyote’s success is intelligence. To survive in the wild, a coyote must hunt small animals, and avoid becoming a meal for wolves or bears.“This way of living creates a super-smart animal,Dr. Gehrt says. One of the smartest changes coyotes made was to hide during tbe day and come out mainly at night b the city.
Coyotes have also learned to avoid their biggest killer cars. One coyote has been seen sitting patiently at a busy crossroads. She may not know how traffic lights work, but she has learned that; the cars will soon stop long enough for her to cross the street.
The male that charge at passing dogs near Soldiet Field is another example. Dr.Gehrt and his co-workers had already been watching the coyote for months, and the animal had always avoided dogs. But now he and his mate had a home with young coyote on top of the parking lot nearby. He was charging at the dogs to protect his family.
The researchers solved the problem. When the coyote pair appeared in the evening, they ran toward them, shouting and shaking a noisemaker——a coffee can with coins rattling(格格作响) inside.“Usually, that’s all you have to do,’’ Dr. Gehrt says.“You do it once, and you’ll never see that coyote again.Finally, the coyote pair moved out of the parking lot.
1. What troubled dog owners living near Soldier Field?| A．Increasing heavy traffic. |
| B．Limite space to walk their dogs. |
| C．Their outdoor activity being lessened. |
| D．The threat to their dogs from the coyote. |
| A．Accompany. | B．Call. | C．Protect. | D．Attack |
| A．They are not as smart as dogs . | B．By frightening them away. |
| C．They are getting used to city life. | D．They usually hunt during the day. |
| A．By throwing cans at them | B．By frightening them away. |
| C．By catching them in the evening. | D．By sending them away from Chicago |
【推荐3】David Rush of Idaho set out to break one Guinness World Record every week of 2022. The challenge was no small achievement, and at the same time, nothing out of the ordinary for Rush, who is a writer, speaker and entertainer. He describes himself on his website as “one of the most productive Guinness World Records title holders on the planet.”
Rush has been promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for more than a decade through talks with students, educators and corporations. “STEM is hard and when a student struggles with science or fails at math they may say they can never be an engineer,” he wrote.
“In 2015 I broke my first Guinness World Record to create a vivid example for folks to show that if you set your mind to a goal, believe in yourself, and pursue it with a passion, you can accomplish nearly anything. Going on to break an average of one record a week is an extension of that to encourage kids to pursue hard subjects and anyone to pursue anything that’s hard,” he said.
Rush started the year off on Jan. 4 by piling up wet bars of soap with his neighbor. From there, his missions included bouncing ping pong balls, catching fruit in his mouth and doing various tasks very quickly. He crossed the 200-Guinness-World-Records-broken milestone for the most kiwis sliced in one minute using a sword while standing on a ball.
Holding one Guinness World Record is impressive enough, but David Rush of Idaho set a new record each week for the year of 2022—52 weeks, 52 records. Could that be a record number of records? Anyway, his message is engaging and inspiring.
1. What can we learn about Rush from paragraph 1 and 2?| A．He is extremely productive in publishing books. |
| B．He has broken the most Guinness World Records. |
| C．He considers STEM to be a vital part in education. |
| D．He considers himself to be nothing but ordinary. |
| A．To show that anyone can be a record-breaker. |
| B．To encourage students to become engineers. |
| C．To overcome the hardship in learning STEM. |
| D．To inspire those struggling in pursuit of goals. |
| A．Talented and generous. | B．Considerate and honest. |
| C．Determined and creative. | D．Ambitious and humorous. |
| A．Approving. | B．Unclear. | C．Skeptical. | D．Objective. |
【推荐1】There is a breakthrough in building aircrafts. Bendable wings covered with overlapping(部分重叠) pieces resembling fish sizes could be used to build swifter, fuel-efficient aircraft, a new study finds.
Nowadays, conventional aircrafts typically rely on ailerons (副翼) to help control the way the planes tip as they fly. However, when the Wright brothers flew the first airplane, Flyer 1, over a century ago, they used no ailerons but wires and pulleys that twisted the wood-and-canvas wings, to control the plane,
Scientists have long sought to develop aircrafts that can alter their wings during flight, just as birds can. However, most previous attempts have failed because they relied on heavy mechanical control structures within the wings. These structures were also complex and unreliable, said Neil Gershenfeld, a physicist and director of the Center for Bits and Atoms at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The new wing consists of a system of tiny, strong, lightweight modules. The shape of the wing can be changed uniformly along its length using two small motors, which apply a twisting pressure to each wingtip. These wings are covered in “skins” of overlapping strips of flexible material resembling fish sizes. These strips move across each other as the wings alter, providing a smooth outer surface, the researchers explained.
Wind-tunnel tests of these wings showed that they at least matched the aerodynamic properties of conventional wings, at about one-tenth the weight. Initial tests using remotely piloted aircrafts made with these wings have shown great promise, said Benjamin Jenett, a graduate student at the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT.
The new modular structures the scientists developed could be manufactured quickly in mass quantities and then installed by teams of small robots. These modular structures also can be disassembled more easily, making repairs simpler.
“Still, the first aircraft built using this strategy will not be a passenger jet, ”Gershenfeld said. “Instead, the technology will likely first be tested on unmanned aircraft, leading to drones (无人机) that can fly for a long time, to help deliver internet access or medicine to remote villages and do some rescue works.”
1. Why did most previous aircrafts fail to fly like birds?| A．The previous wings were complicated and weighed a lot. |
| B．The previous aircraft relied on ailerons to control directions. |
| C．There were few scientists to do research on the lighter wings. |
| D．There was little fuel in the aircrafts to make them fly in the air. |
| A．The shape of the new wings. |
| B．The result of the tested wings. |
| C．The function of the small motors. |
| D．The working principle of the new wings. |
| A．put away |
| B．taken apart |
| C．invented |
| D．analyzed |
| A．Carry passengers. |
| B．Save people in danger. |
| C．Test planes. |
| D．Monitor the villages. |
“There are factors present in blood from young mice that can recharge an old mouse’s brain so that it functions more like a younger one,”says Dr. Tony from Stanford University School of medicine. In the study published in Nature Medicine, mice aged 18 months were given injections of the blood taken from mice aged 3 months. The injected mice performed better on memory tests than mice of the same age that had not been given the blood. Dr. Tony said it was not known whether the same was true of humans, but a trial was planned.
A research center in UK said the treatment restored certain aspects of learning and memory in mice, but was of unknown importance to humans. The research, while very interesting, did not test the type of brain damage that was seen in dementia, which is not a necessary consequence of ageing.
Meanwhile, two similar studies by a separate team have thrown more light on how young blood may benefit the old, in mice at least. A substance in the blood of mice previously shown to have an anti-ageing effect on heart muscle also improved brain cells, according to a Harvard team. The research, published in Science, found the blood factors encouraged the growth of brain cells in old mice, and restored their sense of smell. The same chemical also improved muscle power of aged mice, the researchers found.
1. The underlined word in paragraph 1 probably means _________.
| A．change | B．destroy |
| C．speed | D．increase |
| A．proving the possibility to live longer. |
| B．showing the importance of scientific research. |
| C．publishing the study in Nature Medicine. |
| D．treating an age-related disease successfully. |
| A．memory | B．muscle power |
| C．fur color | D．brain cells |
| A．supportive | B．objective |
| C．negative | D．doubtful |
【推荐3】Our first welcome to Britain wasn’t from the staff of Heathrow Airport or the coach driver who took us to our new city and new home for the next three weeks. It was, in fact, the noisy and energetic seagulls full of songs that flew down to us. When leaving from the plane exits, we still could hear their loud and clear songs through the glasses. It was unbelievable that they lifted our spirits and cheered us up after our stupidly long and awful journey.
These seagulls welcomed us into the new home with open wings. If they could speak instead of merely squawking, I’m sure we would have established some bright and harmonious relationship. They liked to hover overhead around with childlike greetings or just simply walk fearlessly close to our feet. Some of us saved bread our host family prepared for these friends and really enjoyed their company.
But my hostess, Julie, doesn’t think so. Strangely enough, she couldn’t give any reasons. The squawk-proof double-glazing that is closed explains. Perhaps she prefers to sleep with her windows open but she always fails to do that, because those birds seem to enjoy staying up till next morning, doing nothing but scream. And they decide to keep doing so every single night. Furthermore, every time she has to wash the marble floor of the gardens, Julie would look up around, curse the seagulls for droppings and say to me with a sad smile, “They are friendly to you.”
But stop thinking that she hates the creatures and never plans to have a change, because there is another side to her evident feelings towards the birds. Every time we go shopping, Julie never forgets to put a big bag of wild birdseed into her carriage which costs quite more than milks or juices for one week. I can see what it goes for since she refills the wild bird feeder before a big hurry to drive to work every morning and when working she knows what is happening back at home — seagulls are enjoying the seed.
I’m leaving soon and not likely, though I hope not, to get back to see my friends here in England in the future. I said I would miss all friends living here including the seagulls. And when Julie was refilling the feeder again, she said, “They’re nice but they are not my friends.”
1. According to the first paragraph, we can know that ___________.| A．people in Britain didn’t welcome the newcomers |
| B．the seagulls were all the more energetic and friendly than the local people |
| C．the author felt surprised to find seagulls shortly after the plane landed |
| D．the author’s spirits sank at the sight of noisy and stupid seagulls |
| A．A window used to keep noise out. | B．Birdseed used to feed the seagulls. |
| C．A net used for capturing birds. | D．A cage used for keeping birds. |
| A．the seagulls were the source of noise every night | B．her garden became dirty due to the seagulls |
| C．the seagulls were friendly to her guests | D．the birdseeds cost her large amounts of money |
| A．a popular science book about birds | B．a travel brochure for London |
| C．a guidebook on how to feed the birds | D．a magazine about travelling |
【推荐1】My grandma is the best pie maker in the world. So when she called me to say that one of her pies was missing, I knew that it was serious. I hurried to Grandma's house and suddenly realized that I hadn't visited her in a long time.
“Start from the beginning,” I said. “I cut the pumpkin pie into six pieces,” she began. “A pumpkin pie! My favorite kind! This is even more serious than I thought.”
I took out a small notebook and a pencil. “Now, when did you last see this pie?” “You mean the whole? I baked it this morning,” said Grandma. “Then the doorbell rang. It was the leaf collector.”
“Just as I suspected,” I said, writing down “leaf collector”. “He stole the pie.” “Oh, no,” Grandma said. “He just wanted me to know that he was finished. I gave him a piece for his good job.” I put a line through "leaf collector"."Then what happened?"
“When I went outside with his piece, the mail carrier was there. She told me she could smell that pie all the way. “Aha!” I wrote down “mail carrier”. “She stole the pie.”“No, I gave her a piece myself.” “Go on, please.” I said.
“Then the phone rang, and it was my neighbor, Gloria Ketchum with the cats." I nodded and wrote "G.K.”. “She calls me every day to see if I need anything. So I invited her and her daughter over for some pie.”
“Grandma! No one stole the pie. You gave away all the pieces. One to the leaf collector. Another to the mail carrier. You and Gloria each had one. And her daughter's is five.”
“Altogether six pieces!” Grandma said. “Maybe it was one of Gloria' s cats, or maybe a monster took it.” Grandma hid her face in her handkerchief; I couldn't tell if she was laughing or blowing her nose.
I had to search for more clues.
I opened the door of the refrigerator and asked “What's this?” Grandma looked surprised. “That's it!” She said, “I'll just warm it up. You must be hungry from the work, Jane!”
I did find the pie. And it was delicious, just as I suspected.
1. Who got a piece of pie for bringing Grandma's groceries?| A．The leaf collector. | B．The mail carrier. | C．The neighbor. | D．The author. |
| A．She found a piece of her pumpkin pie missing. |
| B．Someone was needed to look into the strange case. |
| C．The author did well in making the right judgement. |
| D．She wanted to find a good excuse to meet the author. |
| A．Because she believed the pie was stolen. | B．Because she didn't know where the pie was. |
| C．Because she didn't want to ruin the game. | D．Because she thought Grandma made a mistake. |
| A．He who laughs last laughs best. | B．You are the apple of my eye. |
| C．Honesty is the best policy. | D．Observation is the best teacher. |
【推荐2】My family and I belonged to a country club located across the street from the Long Island Sound. Each summer, the big attraction for us was the pool. I learned how to swim and joined the swimming team but was never really a good swimmer. However, swimming in my younger days was a way to keep cool, and swimming on a team gave me identity and a sense of belonging (归属感). It also became invaluable many years later.
Fast-forward (快进) to 1973 – I was married, pregnant and had a home. What made our little home even more wonderful was when I discovered that four blocks away was Rath Park Pool! For the next 30 years, most of our summer days were spent around that pool.
Each of my five kids took swimming lessons and learned all the different swimming strokes (姿势). They later joined the swimming team and competed in meets. My daughter even became a lifeguard at the town pool. I sat back and happily took it all in!
As much as I would have liked to have life stand still, it doesn’t. My children outgrew their pool days and moved on. But the pool was still four blocks from my home, so I began to take up swimming again. And it was far better than I ever could have imagined. I got so much out of it that I joined the local pool so I could swim year-round. Whenever I swam, I would always come out feeling physically and mentally refreshed. I often felt that if I looked hard enough, I would be able to see all of the worries and problems I’ve had in life, sitting at the bottom of the pool!
What has swimming taught me? I’ve learned that balance is the key to being a good swimmer. If you are balanced in the water, you have no resistance. Working on staying balanced made me realize the similarities between life in and out of the swim lane (泳道). If you work on keeping yourself balanced, you will be able to swim right through the stress and problems life throws at you.
1. What can we learn about the author from paragraph 1?| A．Her family taught her how to swim. |
| B．She swam with friends more often in summer. |
| C．She was elected to be the swim team captain. |
| D．Swimming brought her lifelong benefits. |
| A．Swimming was losing its appeal to the author. |
| B．The author loved the pool days with her kids. |
| C．She was proud of her kids for winning competitions. |
| D．The author preferred to have a peaceful life. |
| A．It enabled her to see how to handle problems in life. |
| B．She mastered more swimming skills than expected. |
| C．Sports can give you the courage to face difficulties. |
| D．Swimming made her remember her younger days. |
| A．The author’s wonderful pool days with her family. |
| B．The influence of swimming on the author’s life. |
| C．The physical and mental benefits of swimming. |
| D．The similarities between swimming and life. |
【推荐3】When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was a delicacy(美味). One of my father's buddies, Bernie, was a successful fruit-and-vegetable wholesaler, who operated a warehouse in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons rolled in, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie's warehouse and take up our positions. We'd sit on the edge of the dock, feet dangling（摇晃）, and lean over, minimizing the volume of juice we were about to spill on ourselves.
Bernie would take his machete（刀）, crack our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we'd bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart - the reddest, juiciest, firmest, most seed-free, most perfect part - and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father's idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that what my father admired about Bernie's wealth was less its substance than its application. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. Others are rich without ever being more than a paycheck ahead.
If you don't take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and chomp into life's small pleasures, your career is probably overwhelming your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I'd learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I've relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the accomplishments of others and to take pleasure in the day. That's the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.
Finally, I am rich.
1. Why did the author's father think Bernie was a rich man?| A．Because Bernie was a successful businessman. |
| B．Because his father admired Bernie's wealth. |
| C．Because Bernie was good at making friends. |
| D．Because Bernie knew how to fully enjoy life. |
| A．Being free is what he pursues. |
| B．Being rich is a state of mind. |
| C．A lot of money makes him happy. |
| D．He likes paying all the bills. |
| A．Making a lot of money. |
| B．Having more watermelons. |
| C．Being a wholesaler. |
| D．Enjoying every day. |
| A．To introduce a successful person in business. |
| B．To warn us of the hardships of becoming rich. |
| C．To remind us of the true meaning of richness. |
| D．To give tips on how to work with others. |
