【推荐2】You can’t imagine how terrible I felt at that time. A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.

I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps (圆圈) and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later told me that I was “not athletic”.

The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!

The night before my marathon, I dreamed that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.

Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces (鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust (重新调整). Not the start I wanted!

At mile 3, I passed a sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”

By mile17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Although my ankle was very painful, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.

By mile 21, I was so hungry!

As I came to mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.

I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.

Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels (世俗标签), I can now call myself a “marathon winner”.

1. How did he author feel a month before the marathon?

A．Anxious.	B．Frightened.
C．Well prepared.	D．Confident.

2. Why did the author mention the P.E. class in his 7th year?

A．To thank the support of his teacher.	B．To amuse the readers with a funny story.
C．To show he was not talented in sports.	D．To share a valuable memory.

3. How was the author’s first marathon?

A．He made it.	B．He quit halfway.
C．He got the first prize.	D．He walked to the end.

4. What does the story mainly tell us?

A．One is never too old to learn.	B．Failure is the mother of success.
C．A winner is one with a great effort of will.	D．A man owes his success to his family support.

【推荐3】My family and I never talked about school as the ticket to a future. I was in the classroom, but I wasn't there to learn to write, read or even speak. When it was my turn to read, I wanted to hide. I was 13 years old, but I already hated being who I was.

I had an English teacher, Mr. Creech, who knew I couldn’t read. In one of my first lessons the teacher said that anyone who had a reading age below six had to stand up. I felt so embarrassed. But at the same time, it made me realize that I needed to change the situation. I was determined it wouldn’t happen again. Later that day, Mr. Creech encouraged me and promised he would try his best to help me learn to read. From then on, I never gave up practicing Reading.

Then when I was 41 years old , one day, I planned to fly back to Texas to visit my friends and family. On my way from the airport, I saw Mr. Creech buying himself a drink. I rushed over and reached into my pocket to pay for him. "Do I know you?" he asked. "Yes, sir, you do know me," I answered excitedly. " My name is Anthony Hamilton. You taught me English." The look on his face told me that he remembered the boy he'd once encouraged.

"I'm so glad T had a chance to see you," I said. "And Mr. Creech, I have great news to share." I told him I had learned to read. But that wasn’t all. I had become a published author and an active speaker. "The next time you get another Anthony Hamilton in your classroom, please encourage him to read as well," I added.

The experts say what once worried me has a name : dyslexia(诵读困难). But I can tell you it was a lack of desire for education.

1. Why did the author want to hide?

A．Because he felt sorry for himself.	B．Because he hated being laughed at.
C．Because he couldn’t read at all.	D．Because he didn’t have a ticket.

2. Which of the following could best describe Mr. Creech?

A．Considerate and dutiful.	B．strict and enthusiastic.
C．Emotional and forgetful	D．Friendly and ambitious.

3. Why couldn’t the author read before meeting Mr. Creech?

A．Because his reading age was not long enough.

B．Because his parents didn’t teach him how to read.

C．Because he was afraid of reading before the class.

D．Because he didn't have inner driving force to learn to read.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Mr. Creech taught two students called Anthony Hamilton.

B．The author had become a published author and an active speaker.

C．Dyslexia was the underlying reason that made the author unable to read.

D．The author was grateful to Mr. Creech.

【推荐1】It was late, about 10:15 pm. Janice Esposito got off the train at Bellport, New York, went to her car and started driving home. She was so familiar with the route that she almost drove automatically: turned left to the Station Road, then another left onto Montauk Highway, and then -bam! When Esposito’s car had just crossed the railroad tracks, it hit another vehicle and was pushed back onto the tracks. Injured but mostly shocked by the crash and by the airbags that popped up, she was stuck in the vehicle.

As it happened, Pete Dipinto was just about to go to sleep when he heard a sharp noise and saw the accident not far outside his bedroom window. As a volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, Dipinto who was 65, fetched a flashlight and rushed out without hesitation. “Any firefighter would have done what I did. We’re always on duty.” he said.

At first, he spoiled the other car in the accident. After making sure that the driver was all right, Dipinto looked around and discovered Esposito’s car straddling (横跨) the railway tracks. And then he heard die bell ring, which signaled a train’s arrival.

Dipinto rushed to Esposito’s car and broke the window on the driver’s side. Esposito looked up at him, with her eyes glazing over, “I don’t know where I am.” she said.

“You’re on the railroad tracks,” Dipinto yelled. “I have to get you off right now!” The train was running toward them at a speed of some 105 kilometers per hour. The driver’s door cannot be opened due to the collision, so Dipinto quickly ran to the other side and managed to open the door. He put the airbags aside, seized her arms, pulled her toward him across the passenger seat until finally got her out and walked her to safety as swiftly as possible. Several seconds later, the train crashed into the vehicle. It was like a Hollywood movie, Dipinto told reporters the next day.

“Last night?” said Gregory Miglino Jr, Chief of the Department in South Country, Ambulance, “the hero arrived in pajamas (睡衣), not in a fire truck.”

1. What was the reason for the accident?

A．Esposito didn’t know the route well.

B．Esposito’s car hit another vehicle.

C．Esposito drove out of the highway.

D．A running train crashed into Esposito’s car.

2. How was Janice Esposito in the accident?

A．She got stuck and couldn’t move out.

B．She lost awareness completely.

C．She was lucky to escape from the train.

D．She helped rescue the driver in another car.

3. How was Janice Esposito rescued from her car?

A．Through the roof of the car.

B．Through the passenger’s door in the back.

C．Through the window on the driver’s side.

D．Through the door on the passenger’s side.

4. What did Gregory Miglino Jr. mean by “the hero arrived in pajamas, not in a fire truck”?

A．Dipinto was not a professional firefighter.

B．Dipinto rushed to save life without thinking about himself.

C．Dipinto was a special firefighter who liked wearing pajamas.

D．Dipinto was unable to find a fire truck when the accident happened.

【推荐2】On a cold winter morning, a poor boy called Howard Kelly was on his way to school. He was so hungry that he decided to beg(乞讨) for a meal at the next house.

A lovely young lady opened the door and she brought him a large glass of milk. He had it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe(欠) you?”

“You owe me nothing,” she replied. “Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Years later the woman became seriously ill. The local doctors sent her to the big city, where specialists(专家) can study her illness. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous, was called in for the consultation(会诊). When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went to her room. He recognized her at once and decided to do his best to save her life. From that day on, he gave special attention to her and her illness.

After a long time, the lady was well again at last. Dr. Kelly asked the hospital office to pass the final bill to him. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she had thought that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side caught her attention. “Paid in full with a glass of milk.”

1. What is probably the best title of the text?

A．A Young Lady	B．A Glass of Milk
C．A Famous Doctor	D．A Medical Bill

2. Why did Dr.Kelly decide to try his best to save the woman’s life?

A．Because he owed her a lot of money.

B．Because they were once good friends.

C．Because she helped him out years ago.

D．Because they came from the same town

3. Who paid the final bill for the woman?

A．Dr. Howard Kelly	B．The hospital
C．The woman herself	D．The woman’s mother

4. What does the story intend to tell us?

A．Where there is a will, there is a way.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．Every kindness will be paid off.

D．Better late than never.

【推荐3】Wildlife photographer Sam Turley and his wife Vera found a two-week-old blesbok (南非白面大羚羊) — whom they named Meme — on her own. She was spotted wandering around on her own after her mother passed away.

The pair took Meme in and raised the animal themselves for seven months before releasing her back out into the wild. Neither of them had ever raised a blesbok before. So it required a huge amount of patience and compassion to keep her fit and healthy but it deserved the effort. Meme would follow Vera wherever she went and sometimes the couple would have a blesbok, a dog and a cat all walking together. In the right areas, blesbok are a really common antelope to see and they are therefore often overlooked and under-appreciated. It was a privilege to be let into blesbok’s secret world and they learned more about blesbok than they thought was ever possible.

After releasing Meme back out into the wild, the couple were convinced they would never see her again, until several months later when they were driving around a reserve and happened to come across a herd of blesbok.

Vera called out Meme’s name in the hope of finding Meme. Blesbok all look very similar to one another, which makes it very difficult to distinguish individuals. When Vera started to talk, the herd raised their heads and looked over. Vera continued to call Meme and as all the other blesbok lost interest, one individual held her gaze and ran straight up to her.

After rescuing the lonely animal, Sam and Vera found it extremely emotional to have to release her back out into the wild to fend for herself — even though they knew it was the right thing to do. But after having such a strong bond with an animal, it was really difficult to see her go. They had put so much time, effort and energy into raising her but to see her walking in a herd of blesbok made it all worthwhile.

1. What happened to Meme when she was spotted?

A．She was lost in the forest.	B．She became an orphan.
C．She was hunted by a couple.	D．She was abandoned by her mother.

2. What was Meme’s life with the couple like?

A．She was rare to be seen outside.	B．She was hard to be artificially fed.
C．She fitted in well with the whole family.	D．She was under-appreciated in the family.

3. Which word can best replace the underlined word “fend” in Paragraph 5?

A．Care.

B．Look.

C．Search.

D．Hunt.

4. Which of the following can best describe the act of rescuing the blesbok?

A．Unsatisfactory.	B．Heartbreaking.
C．Effortless.	D．Rewarding.