Few people have achieved fame for coming in last place. That is why Michael Edwards, or “Eddie the Eagle”, became a rather unexpected hero. Unlike most athletes, Eddie did not come to the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games for a medal. He came simply to compete. In doing so, he realized his dream.
At first, Eddie tried to make the British national ski team but failed. Then he chose the riskiest event, ski jumping. No British skier had ever competed in that sport, but having no competitors meant that Eddie had a better chance of qualifying (取得资格) for the 1988 Olympic. Games. It also meant there was no support for him. Eddie had no coach, equipment, or financial support, but what he had was determination. Not afraid of what he lacked, Eddie set out to learn his chosen sport, training himself for nearly 2 years. And he managed to meet the qualification for Olympic ski jumping, and landed himself in the 1988 Olympic Games. Eddie was determined to compete, and while he came in last, he did manage to land his jumps, and he still holds the British record in that sport. Coming in last place actually made him the star of the Olympics and the true embodiment (化身) of the Olympic spirit.
Many of us may have experienced similar limitations during our own youth that prevented us from following our dreams. Eddie’s rejection (拒绝) from the British national ski team is a story that many of us can relate to. Rejection can be devastating, but we can struggle to find the courage to put ourselves back out there, or the creativity to find another way.
1. What was Eddie’s dream?| A．To become a hero. |
| B．To join the national ski team. |
| C．To take part in the Olympics. |
| D．To develop his ski jumping skills. |
| A．It was popular among British skiers. |
| B．It meant a better chance to win a medal. |
| C．He would get the support he needed in this event. |
| D．He would be more likely to be included in the Olympics. |
| A．His caring little for fame. |
| B．His professional performance. |
| C．His breaking the British record. |
| D．His determination to follow his dream. |
| A．Unforgettable. | B．Disastrous. | C．Sudden. | D．Confusing. |
相似题推荐
I started my first business when I was in my mid-twenties. A few years later, I bought a large chicken farm. Even with this success, though, my drinking was always a problem. It affected my marriage and family so much that I knew I had to make up my mind to stop drinking. So I tried great efforts. But two years later, I began drinking again.
When I was in my mid-thirties, I sold both of my businesses, and bought the big house on the hill. I was not at all happy, although I had everything that was supposed to make me happy. I sold our big house on the hill and bought a large land, where I built a new house. Our marriage was in big trouble, and my finances would
My marriage still came apart when I was 38, and my kids had to go through our divorce. I spent 6 months in giving up drinking on a school camp. Nearly a year later, I met my childhood neighbor girl, June. We were married not long afterwards. My kids learned to trust me again and I have two stepchildren that also love me.
Happy life continued about ten years. Everything was going so well when I felt there was something wrong with my body. I went to see a doctor, and the medical examination came out that I had ALS(肌肉萎缩症). Record shows that people with ALS generally survive between two to five years after symptoms appear. I've probably had the symptoms for one-and-a-half years already, so I don't know how much time I have left.…God knows…
1. Which of the following is the right order for the author’s experience?
a. He married June.
b. He married Sue
c. He bought the big house on the hill.
d. He bought a large chicken farm.
e. He succeeded in giving up drinking.
f. He tried but failed to get rid of drinking.
| A．a, d, c, b, f, e | B．b, d, f, c, e, a |
| C．b, c, d, a, f, e | D．f, b, d, c, e , a |
| A．be out of expectation | B．be totally successful |
| C．become worse and worse | D．be safe in one’s pocket |
| A．He began drinking at the age of 17. |
| B．He ended his army life at the age of 19. |
| C．He was not happy, although he lived in the big house at the age of 35. |
| D．He bought the big house on the hill when he was 25. |
| A．His two kids didn’t trust him before he remarried. |
| B．His finance was the first thing that led to the failure of his first marriage. |
| C．His first wife didn’t know about his drinking before marriage. |
| D．He gave birth to two children in his 40s. |
| A．The author is hopeless because he will be dead in a few years because of ALS. |
| B．The author has hope because the doctor concluded that he had 2-5 years left. |
| C．The author is uncertain whether the symptoms of ALS have appeared or not. |
| D．The author will ask God whether the disease is curable or not. |
On the last day of our visit, I found myself alone on a busy corner across the street from our hotel. Bicycles and motorbikes rushed in front of me. As I hesitated on the sidewalk, I felt a hand on my elbow and looked down to see the smile of my small beggar friend looking up at me. She nodded her head toward the street, indicating that she would take me across. Together, we moved slowly into the chaos.
Then we moved on toward the sidewalk, where she pulled my face down to hers, kissed me on both cheeks, and then left, still smiling and waving back to me.
Traveling in poorer nations, I have witnessed a variety of ways to deal with beggars. The most common response of tourists faced with the poverty-stricken is to ignore them and focus their eyes elsewhere. I have seen people push away an outstretched hand in angry annoyance. A few may drop a few coins into the hand in a hurry, hoping that other ragged pursuers won’t immediately appear on the scene.
For many reasons, giving money is not the best response to an outstretched hand. Many world travelers have discovered that the greatest gift they can give is their time and respect. Everyone needs recognition, to be seen as worthy of being known, to feel appreciated and loved. And I believe that everyone is worthy and worth knowing.
1. The woman beggars helped the author go across the busy street because __________.
| A．the author gave her material assistance |
| B．the author treated her kindly and friendly |
| C．the author would help her as a reward |
| D．the author was a foreigner |
| A．equal | B．superior | C．lower | D．valuable |
| A．pretending to see nothing |
| B．handing out some money |
| C．refusing them angrily |
| D．greeting them normally |
| A．mercy and pity | B．money and food |
| C．smile and greeting | D．attention and respect |
| A．show how poor the beggars are in Vietnam |
| B．offer some advice on dealing with begging |
| C．express what we should offer the beggars |
| D．describe an experience with a beggar |
【推荐3】This July my husband and I decided to move both our kids, aged 14 and 10, from their previous schools to a new international school that’s located in our neighborhood. It wasn’t an easy decision. We knew switching(改变)schools would be a challenge for our kids.
Put two kids in the same situation and they react and feel differently. Nina, outgoing and talkative, has no problem making new friends and adjusting to (适应) the new school. It took her less than a week to say, “This school is great. I like it.” Everywhere she goes, she’s surrounded by friends.
While it took Michael months to say, “I guess this is fine.” Before that, he complained about everything. He’s sensitive and quite hard on himself. Words of encouragement need to be told on a daily basis.
To make our children comfortable before, during, and after the move, we included them in our plan from the beginning. They’re big enough to take part in decision-making activities. We researched, compared, and asked questions. We listed everything about their old schools and the new one, and we discussed every item. We were open with them from the start. Our kids knew what was going on and what was about to happen. They had time to prepare themselves. They trusted us.
Communicating with their new teachers was also important. For the first three months, we kept an eye on our children’s academic (学业的) performance and their school life. If we discovered a drop in their grades or any unusual behavior, we were quick to arrange appointments with their teachers.
We don’t aim to be helicopter parents, but it doesn’t mean we let them go completely. Balancing this role is hard- -the older the kid, the harder it gets- but it’s not impossible. The key is to listen first, and act second.
1. Why were the children probably moved into a new school?| A．The old school is not good enough. |
| B．They wanted to make more new friends. |
| C．The new school is conveniently located near their home. |
| D．The outgoing child can help the shy one in the same school. |
| A．By tolerating their behavior in school. |
| B．By choosing the best teachers for them. |
| C．By encouraging them to enjoy social life. |
| D．By having open communication with them. |
| A．Parents who send their children to school in person. |
| B．Parents who pay very close attention to their children. |
| C．Parents who talk too much rather than take action. |
| D．Parents who listen to their children all the time. |
| A．Parents should prepare children for decisions. |
| B．Children can adapt to a new school quite easily. |
| C．Children should listen to their parents when making decisions. |
| D．Parents should communicate with children about their performance. |
【推荐1】Jacky Hunt-Broers ma, who lost one leg to cancer, is seeking to break a world record by completing 102 marathon runs. She set her goal in mid-January. And since then, she has been running the distance of a marathon. Most of the time, she averages just over five hours to complete a run. If she keeps successfully completing marathon runs every day, she will reach her goal by April 28.
Until five years ago, she was not very active. But then she looked into running and decided to give it a try. The sport ended up being quite costly. Currently, she runs on an artificial leg made of a strong, light material known as carbon fiber. The material, which is designed specially for running, costs about $10, 000.
But Jacky says her investment has been well worth it. The biggest struggle used to be that she had to admit part of her body was gone. “Running really changed my life,” she said. “It helped me accept myself as an amputee (截肢者). It gave me a sense of freedom. I fell in love with the process of pushing my body further just to see what I could do.”
However, she has faced both physical and mental difficulties during her record-breaking attempt. On one recent day, Jacky said she felt like giving up at 24 kilometers and began to cry. “I had a total emotional breakdown. I was like, ‘I just can’t do this.’” she said.
Jacky is documenting her progress online and has also gained a large social media following. As she nears the end of her goal, Jacky is hoping to inspire a single thought in others. She tells people, “You’re stronger than you think and you’re able to do so much more.”
1. What is Jacky’s goal according to paragraph 1?| A．To defeat a deadly disease. | B．To break her 5-hour record. |
| C．To be a professional runner. | D．To finish 102 marathon runs. |
| A．Difficult but rewarding. | B．Interesting but challenging. |
| C．Enjoyable and eye-opening. | D．Stressful and time-consuming. |
| A．To prove her ability. | B．To encourage others. |
| C．To gain wider attention. | D．To increase her confidence. |
| A．Health is the key to happiness. |
| B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．Chance favours the prepared mind. |
| D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
【推荐2】When Jenny Benson was eight, her mother took her to soccer practice for the first time.
“She’s never played soccer before,” Mrs Benson told the coach.“I’m not sure how she’ll do.”
Jenny ran onto the field and joined the other players. Over the next hour, Mrs Benson and the coach watched as Jenny outran many of the more experienced players.
“I knew then that soccer would be Jenny’s sport.” Mrs Benson recalls. And she was right.
It may have helped that Jenny had spent much of her time trying to keep up with her three brothers.“I wanted to be just like them,” Jenny says.“My family has inspired me for my entire life.”
Jenny has retired from the United States women’s national soccer team. She started out on her professional career in the Philadelphia Charge, a team in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA)．Later on, she joined FC Energy Voronezh, and then New Jersey Wildcats.
When the WUSA was being formed, league officials watched many college soccer games, looking for players good enough to join the league. They were very interested in Jenny, who played for the University of Nebraska.
“Throughout that college season, I knew I was being watched,” Jenny says, “I knew I couldn’t be perfect, so I just tried to be very consistent and have fun.”
As a professional, Jenny relied on her focused but funloving attitude. “In a game, I try never to put too much pressure on myself. The more I concentrate on having fun, the better I play.” She says. “I have good and bad days, just like everyone else, but I know the sun will always come up after a bad day. So all I have to do is to adjust myself, either to the change of my inner feelings or to the change of circumstances.That helps me get through anything.”
1. What can we learn from Jenny’s first soccer practice?| A．She was not sure how to play soccer. |
| B．She was gifted in playing soccer. |
| C．She was instructed by the soccer coach. |
| D．She was more experienced than other players. |
| A．New Jersey Wildcats. |
| B．FC Energy Voronezh. |
| C．The University of Nebraska. |
| D．The Philadelphia Charge. |
| A．Talented but impatient. |
| B．Confident and considerate. |
| C．Concentrated and adaptable. |
| D．Absorbed but selfcentered. |
| A．How Jenny developed her soccer career. |
| B．Why Jenny retired from the national team. |
| C．How Jenny’s brothers influenced her career. |
| D．What made Jenny a good soccer player. |
【推荐3】Veteran Oksana Chusovitina called time on her career on Sunday night after competing at a record eighth Olympic Games.
After failing to secure a spot in Sunday’s vault(跳马) final, the 46-year-old, representing Uzbekistan, waved to the small crowd inside Tokyo's Ariake Gymnastics Center. “We thank her for her contributions to artistic gymnastics,” the arena announcer said while athletes, officials and media workers gave Chusovitina a standing applaud as she left the sport’s biggest stage.
Born in Uzbek in 1976, Chusovitina took up gymnastics at age 7. She made her Olympic first appearance at the 1992 Barcelona Games as part of the gold medal-winning unified team from former Soviet states. When Chusovitina’s 3-year-old son suffered from leukemia(白血病) in 2002, she sold her possessions to pay for his medical treatment. She switched to German citizenship, which was pushed by the promise of a higher income and better medical care. But the medical care was much too expensive, so Chusovitina once again began competing in international competitions to raise more money for her son. Not only was her comeback successful, more importantly, so was her son’s treatment. In 2008, her son was declared cancer-free. Chusovitina continued to compete, but this time it was her passion for gymnastics that kept her going. Just months later, Chusovitina won her first individual Olympic medal in Beijing.
Chusovitina had already finished her eighth Olympic Games in Tokyo. When her ranking of 11th was shown on the screen, Chusovitina was overcome with emotion. She said, “I have been crying with tears of happiness, because so many people have supported me for such a long time”, adding, “I’m just so grateful. 99 She told reporters, according to The Guardian, “My son is 22 years old and I want to spend time with him. I want to be a mom and wife.”
Her trophy cabinet(奖杯柜) now holds no less than two Olympic medals, eleven World Championship medals, two World Cup medals, eight Asian Games medals, four Asian Championship medals and four European Championship medals.
1. What does the underlined part “called time on” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Stopped. | B．Changed. | C．Boosted. | D．Maintained. |
| A．To keep her son company more. |
| B．To get better training environment. |
| C．To receive better education for her son. |
| D．To earn more money for her son’s treatment. |
| A．Gold medals. | B．Family support. |
| C．Love for sports. | D．Desire for attention. |
| A．Honest and confident. | B．Selfless and determined. |
| C．Humorous and intelligent. | D．Emotional and easygoing. |
