3 . My First Marathon

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 firs P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn't do either well.   He later informed 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. I was all about the batter against my own body and mind. A test of will!

The night before my marathon, I dreamt 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. Not the start I wanted!

At mile 3.1 passed sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”

By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.

By mile 21, I was starving!

As I approached 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), 1 can now call myself a “marathon winner”.

1. A month before the marathon, the author________.

A．was well trained	B．felt scared
C．made up his mind to run	D．lost hope

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

A．To admit 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 precious memory.

3. According to the passage, why are the different mile numbers are listed?

A．To show the author's injured ankle.	B．To show the length the Marahon
C．To show the wife's support to the author.	D．To show the author’s great perseverance

4. 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 . The National Gallery

Description:

The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance.

Layout:

The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th- to 15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.

The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci , Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titian and Veronese.

The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van de Dyck, Velázquez, Claude and Vermeer.

The East Wing houses 18th- to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.

Opening Hours:

The Gallery is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm (Fridays 10 am to 9 pm ) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.

Getting There:

Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8-minute walk).

1. In which wing can you see religious paintings?

A．In the West Wing	B．In the North Wing
C．In the East Wing	D．In the Sainsbury Wing

2. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The National Gallery is the biggest British national art museum.

B．The Gallery is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm.

C．The Gallery is completely free.

D．There are four exhibition areas in the National Gallery.

3. Where does the text probably come from?

A．A museum guide.	B．An artist magazine.
C．A news report.	D．A tourist map.

5 . Everyone should go to his or her 50th high school reunion. There was a time I thought I’d never go even if the opportunity _______. But now I feel _______for people who don’t go.

I went to the _______of my high school on a Saturday evening, and I am glad I did. It was a   gift to recognize some _______classmates right away — and to be recognized. _______, we had name tags and our _______photos on our clothing to help identify us. I recognized one woman immediately!

The most memorable and moving experience of the night was _______by a schoolmate and neighbor to whom I was once close. Unfortunately, we had a falling out in the high school. I never saw her after _______, but this time, I saw her name on a place setting. At first, I feared that I would _______her. But my better self won over, and I __________ her out. I kept looking until I got a(n) __________on my shoulder. There she was __________. We hugged as if nothing had ever __________and exchanged affectionate words. When the party __________, my old-new friend walked towards me, __________me again and wished me well. I returned her good wishes. All the bad __________melted into thin air.

I am grateful I had this __________to reunite with old classmates. After all, we are almost __________the final lap of our lifelong journeys. Some classmates had already left this __________, and their names were deleted from the list. Sometimes we have to walk back into the past because time does heal old wounds. We’re not the __________people. We are better people.

1.

A．came down

B．came up

C．came through

D．came off

2.

A．sorry

B．happy

C．excited

D．moved

3.

A．competition

B．reunion

C．exhibition

D．concert

4.

A．latter

B．former

C．present

D．future

5.

A．Unluckily

B．Unwillingly

C．Normally

D．Thankfully

6.

A．old

B．recent

C．modern

D．new

7.

A．described

B．provided

C．promised

D．ordered

8.

A．graduation

B．invitation

C．retirement

D．punishment

9.

A．stare at

B．turn to

C．run into

D．rely on

10.

A．let

B．drove

C．sought

D．pushed

11.

A．instruction

B．blow

C．kiss

D．tap

12.

A．reading

B．singing

C．smiling

D．dancing

13.

A．happened

B．changed

C．disappeared

D．mentioned

14.

A．began

B．ended

C．continued

D．lasted

15.

A．encouraged

B．praised

C．hugged

D．judged

16.

A．news

B．scores

C．excuses

D．memories

17.

A．qualification

B．situation

C．talent

D．chance

18.

A．missing

B．destroying

C．nearing

D．wasting

19.

A．world

B．city

C．school

D．class

20.

A．important

B．serious

C．successful

D．same

6 . Learning to Accept

I learned how to accept life as it is from my father. _______, he did not teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was   _________ and ill.

My father was _______ a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness _______ all that away. Now he can no longer walk, and he must sit quietly in a chair all day. Even talking is   _______. One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. We started _______ about life, and I told them about one of my_______. I said that we must very often give things up _______ we grow --- our youth, our beauty, our friends --- but it always _______ that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father ________ up. He said, “But, Peter, I gave up ________! What did I gain?” I thought and thought, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. ________, he answered his own question: “I ________ the love of my family,” I looked at my sisters and saw tears in their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness.

I was also ________ by his words. After that, when I began to feel irritated (愤怒的) at someone, I ________ remember his words and become ________. If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of love for others, then I should be ________ to give up my small irritations. In this ________, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.

Sometimes I ________ what other things I could have learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though, I am grateful for this one ________

1.

A．Afterwards

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Meanwhile

2.

A．tired

B．weak

C．poor

D．slow

3.

A．already

B．still

C．only

D．once

4.

A．took

B．threw

C．sent

D．put

5.

A．impossible

B．difficult

C．stressful

D．hopeless

6.

A．worrying

B．caring

C．talking

D．asking

7.

A．decisions

B．experiences

C．ambitions

D．beliefs

8.

A．as

B．since

C．before

D．till

9.

A．suggests

B．promises

C．seems

D．requires

10.

A．spoke

B．turned

C．summed

D．opened

11.

A．something

B．anything

C．nothing

D．everything

12.

A．Surprisingly

B．Immediately

C．Naturally

D．Certainly

13.

A．had

B．accepted

C．gained

D．enjoyed

14.

A．touched

B．astonished

C．attracted

D．warned

15.

A．should

B．could

C．would

D．might

16.

A．quiet

B．calm

C．relaxed

D．happy

17.

A．ready

B．likely

C．free

D．able

18.

A．case

B．form

C．method

D．way

19.

A．doubt

B．wonder

C．know

D．guess

20.

A．award

B．gift

C．lesson

D．word

7 . Essay

Epic Fails: The Wright Brothers: Nose-Diving into History By Erik Slader and Ben Thompson. Ages 6 to 12. The first book in the Epic Fails series deals with one of the most ambitious goals humans have pursued: the quests to fly. Authors Slader and Thompson focus on life-or-death scenes, such as when the Wright brothers crashed their glider over and over on the sandy coast of North Carolina; it took them two more years to get it right.

Epic Fails: The Race to Space: Countdown to Liftoff By Erik Slader and Ben Thompson. Ages 6 to 12 Today, everyone is familiar with Neil Armstrong’s famous words as he first set foot on the moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” He made it look easy, but America’s journey to the moon was anything but simple. Our first attempt was a failure. Still, we didn’t give up. We tried again. And again. And each time we failed, we failed a little bit better.

Fantastic Failures: True Stories of People Who Changed the World by Falling Down First By Luke Reynolds. Ages 6 to 12. Teacher Luke Reynolds opens each chapter with a quick, impossibly perfect version of one person’s life and then says how that person actually had to face huge challenges to accomplish goals. In this book, Reynolds writes about various common men, women and children.

Cyrus Field’s Big dream：The Daring Effort to Lay the First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable By Mary Morton Cowan. Ages 6 to 12. In 1853，it took at least a week to relay a message between the United States and Europe because people had to be transported on ships over the Atlantic Ocean. Cyrus Field tried to reduce that transmission（传送）time to just minutes by laying a long undersea cable. In this book，Cowan describes many failures Field suffered before he achieved this major breakthrough.

1. Who are the four books intended for?

A．Children.

B．Teenagers.

C．Adults.

D．Old people.

2. What do we know about Fantastic Failures?

A．It was written by a famous actor.	B．It tells stories of ordinary people.
C．It is about science fiction stories.	D．It is a picture book by a teacher.

3. What lesson can we learn from the four books?

A．All roads lead to Rome.	B．Failure is the mother of success.
C．An early bird catches worms	D．Actions speak louder than words.

8 . Australia and New Zealand’s health organizations have given their advice on when to use sunscreen (防晒霜), suggesting Australians apply it every day to avoid bad health effects.

A Sunscreen Summit took place in the Australian State of Queensland. During the summit, representatives from some of Australia’s leading research, medical and public health organizations examined the evidence on sunscreen use the determined that in most parts of the country it is beneficial to apply sunscreen every day.

“Up until now, public health organizations have recommended applying sunscreen ahead of planned outdoor activities but haven’t recommended applying it every day as part of a morning routine (惯例),” professor Rachel Neale from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute said. “In recent years, it has become clear that the DNA damage causes skin cancer and melanoma (黑色素瘤), which is caused by repeated small exposure to sunlight over a period of time,” Neale said. “In Australia, we get a lot of sun exposure from everyday activities such as walking to the bus stop or train station,” Neale said.

A study showed that one in two Australians believed it was unhealthy and potentially dangerous to use sunscreen every day. However, Terry Slevin from the Public Health Association of Australia says it is wrong. “There is consistent and compelling evidence that sunscreens are safe,” Slevin said. “Importantly, medical trials have found that people who use sunscreen daily have the same levels of vitamin D as those who don’t,” Slevin added.

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, which is made worse by the country’s close to Antarctica where there is a hole in the ozone layer (臭氧层), letting in higher numbers of UV rays.

1. What made Australian health organizations advise Australians to use sunscreen?

A．The makers of sunscreen.

B．Australian government.

C．The Sunscreen Summit.

D．New Zealand’s researchers.

2. What is not recommended before the Sunscreen Summit?

A．Using sunscreen as a morning routine.

B．Using sunscreen before outdoor activities.

C．Reducing the use of sunscreen.

D．Reducing outdoor activities.

3. What is the misunderstanding of many Australians?

A．Sunscreen will never take effect.

B．Sunscreen is bad for people’s health.

C．People using sunscreen have the same levels of vitamin.

D．D. People using sunscreen won’t have skin cancer.

4. Which of the following best explains “compelling” underlined in paragraph 4?

A．Interesting.	B．Disappointing.
C．Boring.	D．Convincing.

9 . I sat at my table, signing my name to the most difficult letter I'd ever written. The letter was____ my son — Luke's birth mom, a single mother of three children with little money, struggling for ____. This was not the first time that I had ____ her. I'd sent several letters over the years with ____ of Luke, which the adoption agency agreed to forward, ____ had never received a single reply.“Please read this letter，” I ____， for Luke's life might depend on it.

I adopted Luke when he was less than one. A gene from his birth parents had ____ Luke to be born with a blood disease. Much was done. But nothing was a ____ sign.

Then, the doctor told us there was a chance that Luke's disease ____ be cured with a bone marrow (骨髓) transplant. My heart lighted up but it ____ coldly when the doctor inquired if Luke had any brother or sister.

I was at a loss.

“Do I have the ____ to ask Luke's birth mother for help？”I asked the adoption agency official.

“Luke is your child. You have the right to do whatever it ____ to save his life.”

And so I penned the letter describing Luke's ____ to her.“Would you consider having your other children tested as ____ marrow donors？” I wrote. I ____ the letter into the mailbox, waited and prayed.

Two weeks later, the doctor called that Luke's birth mother had her children tested, and one of them was a 100 percent ____.The transplant operation ____ well and Luke survived.

In another letter I shared the happy ____ with Luke's birth mother, who this time wrote back: “I've written many letters but never had the ____ to mail them. Many times I felt like I did the wrong thing, but I know now it was right. He is right____ God needed him to be. Luke has two families who love him.”

1.

A．of

B．to

C．about

D．on

2.

A．dream

B．work

C．marriage

D．life

3.

A．understood

B．complained

C．contacted

D．touched

4.

A．letters

B．photos

C．books

D．clothes

5.

A．but

B．so

C．and

D．or

6.

A．smiled

B．sighed

C．prayed

D．cried

7.

A．helped

B．allowed

C．forbidden

D．caused

8.

A．hopeful

B．wonderful

C．thankful

D．peaceful

9.

A．must

B．could

C．need

D．should

10.

A．lifted

B．loaded

C．landed

D．locked

11.

A．right

B．duty

C．chance

D．time

12.

A．asks

B．gets

C．brings

D．takes

13.

A．progress

B．condition

C．change

D．worry

14.

A．possible

B．necessary

C．important

D．special

15.

A．cast

B．laid

C．dropped

D．delivered

16.

A．discovery

B．company

C．choice

D．match

17.

A．went on

B．took on

C．put on

D．got on

18.

A．story

B．operation

C．news

D．message

19.

A．confidence

B．courage

C．patience

D．determination

20.

A．who

B．what

C．when

D．where

10 . Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict（有瘾的人)” he jokes.“I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and a sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I am working harder than ever.”David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”

More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday（but only on Friday.This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”.“What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.

Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code.” “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative（保守的）dress code.”Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（心境, 士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative influence on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”

1. David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because      .

A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt

B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance

C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time

D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes

2. David Smith wears casual clothes now, because      .

A．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes

B．they make him feel at ease when working

C．he looks handsome in casual clothes

D．he no longer works for any company

3. According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.

B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.

C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.

D．All the employers in the U. S. are for casual office wear.

4. According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago.

B．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.

C．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 90s.

D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.