2 . The Price of a Dream

I grew up poor. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could still afford a dream. My dream was athletics.

By the time I was sixteen, I was good at baseball and football. My high school coach was Ollie Jarvis. He not only believed in me, but taught me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念).

One summer a friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket — cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a house for my mother.

Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. I was afraid of this, but my mother said, “If you make your bed, you have to lie in it.” 

When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as mad as I expected him to be. “Your playing days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them,” he said.

I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why I dream of buying my mom a house.

“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he demanded.

“Three point twenty-five an hour,” I replied.

“Well,” he asked, “is $3. 25 an hour the price of a dream?”

That question exposed the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play rookie-league ball, and offered a $20, 000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother my dream house.

1. Why was the writer grateful to Coach Jarvis?

A．Because Coach Jarvis made him set a goal.

B．Because Coach Jarvis supplied him with new clothes.

C．Because Coach Jarvis gave him financial support.

D．Because Coach Jarvis helped him show conviction.

2. What did the writer want to do when he was offered a job?

A．Balance summer baseball and the work schedule.

B．Refuse the job offer for summer baseball.

C．Give up summer baseball for the job.

D．Ask his coach Jarvis for advice.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined part “If you make your bed, you have to lie in it.” in paragraph 4?

A．You must eat the bitter fruit of your own making.

B．Believe in yourself, but above all be patient.

C．You must rely on yourself first, then others.

D．A good beginning makes a good ending.

4. What did the writer do at the end of the story?

A．He failed to buy his mother a house.

B．He succeeded as a sportsman.

C．He became a successful businessman.

D．He made some money in the summer job.

3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Sports Day was getting close in the school. All the children were very excited and were practicing for the big race. John, one of the fast runners of the school, was confident that he would win for he was not doing anything at all. “You have to work hard to come first in the race John. You are not practicing at all,” said John’s mother.

“Mom, you know how fast I am! Why should I waste my time running? Only I will win; no one else will win!”said John. “John, you may be right but talent (天赋) without hard work is not good at all. This laziness of yours will cost you greatly,” his mother warned him. John just laughed. He was so confident that he would win the trophy (奖杯) as no one else in his class was as fast as he was!.

Tim, a classmate of John, was also participating (参加) in the running race. He was not a fast runner. However, he practiced till late at night and had developed great endurance (持久力) to run the race.

There were a few days left for the Sports Day but John did not practice at all. On the other hand, Tim practiced day and night.

The Sports Day was almost around the corner but John was confident that no one could beat him and had not practiced at all. But Tim with his hard work had become a very great runner.

At last, the Sports Day arrived. All the students showed up on the ground to cheer their favorites. The coach blew the whistle (口哨) and everyone began to run toward the finishing line. It was so exciting. John and Tim left all the racers far behind. Both of them were neck to neck.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

Suddenly, John went ahead of Tim.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

John’s mother came up to Tim and praised him for his hard work.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 你校正在组织英语作文比赛，请你以“My First Day at Senior High School”为题写一篇作文参赛，内容包括：
1. 所见所闻；
2. 当时的感受。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 题目和开头已为你写好，不计入总词数；
3. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

My First Day at Senior High School

       The first day at my senior high school left me a deep impression.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sports men or women? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.

Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the best young sportsmen and women. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc.

Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional(专业的) trainers however, believe that it is only by training young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.

1. This article is probably taken from ________.

A．a letter	B．an advertisement
C．a personal diary	D．a newspaper article

2. According to the passage parents whose children show a special interest in sport ________.

A．feel uncertain if they should let their children train to be sportsmen or women

B．try to get financial support from the government for their children’s training

C．have to get medical advice from doctors about training methods

D．prefer their children to be trained as young as possible

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．It’s hard for a young child to understand why he or she has to spend so much time training.

B．Early training may damage their muscles.

C．Most children may become professional sports men or women after a long period of training.

D．It’s very expensive for parents to support their child’s development in sports.

4. The underlined phrase “to take a second place” means _________.

A．to repeat the activities some other day	B．to become less important
C．to be of no importance	D．to happen again

6 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad _______ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, _______.

When I entered the University of Regina, my dad _______ telling me “You have to find a way to stay _______.” or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I _______ to give swimming a shot, but I _______ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was _______ to convince myself that’s OK.

The spring semester came. A friend of mine _______ me if I wanted to try Zumba (尊巴) with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically a kind of exercise: dancing to Latin pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be _______.

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my ________ of tea. The instructor would always say, “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my ________ of sports. I didn’t have to be ________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to ________ the music and move. Zumba did ________ me from the Freshman 15, and it also did so much more. It let me make ________ with my unpleasant past about physical exercise, and enjoy staying healthy.

1.

A．expected

B．allowed

C．forced

D．invited

2.

A．therefore

B．though

C．instead

D．besides

3.

A．avoided

B．risked

C．regretted

D．kept

4.

A．in shape

B．for fun

C．at ease

D．on business

5.

A．refused

B．happened

C．bothered

D．decided

6.

A．hardly

B．merely

C．constantly

D．gradually

7.

A．eager

B．content

C．embarrassed

D．disappointed

8.

A．cheated

B．comforted

C．asked

D．annoyed

9.

A．happy

B．proud

C．careful

D．sure

10.

A．cup

B．part

C．share

D．mouth

11.

A．curiosity

B．passion

C．fear

D．confidence

12.

A．perfect

B．positive

C．adorable

D．official

13.

A．accept

B．feel

C．display

D．compare

14.

A．witness

B．separate

C．discourage

D．save

15.

A．trouble

B．sense

C．peace

D．contact

7 . Have you ever wondered how your favorite NBA team received its famous name? All NBA teams have an interesting story or a history behind their names. Some of the names reflected the city’s culture or history, others came from previous owners and many were selected through “Name the Team” contests.

For teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz, the names were not always a reflection of the city. Even though Los Angeles has no lakes, the Lakers name has been a city treasure for almost 40 years. Before going to Los Angeles, the team originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In1947, team officials changed the name to the Lakers to reflect the Minnesota State’s nickname, “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. The team name went unchanged after moving to Los Angeles in1960.

Because the Utah’s team originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, it was called the Jazz. In 1974, New Orleans club officials chose the name to represent the city for its reputation as the “Jazz Capital of the World”. The name stayed with the team even after they found a new home in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1979.

The original owner of the Chicago Bulls, Richard Klein, named the team the Bulls. He picked the name because a fighting bull is relentless and never quits. Klein, who founded the club in 1966, believed these qualities were necessary for a championship team and hoped his Chicago athletes would live up to the team name. The Bulls, the winner of the six NBA championships, has definitely followed the belief.

In 1967, the Indiana Pacers selected their team name in a different way from most other teams. Their decision was based on what they wanted to achieve in the NBA. Team officials chose the Pacers name because the organization wanted to set the “pace” in professional basketball.

1. Which can be the best title for this passage?

A．The Long History of NBA Teams

B．Interesting Stories about NBA teams

C．Excellent Qualities of NBA Team Officials

D．Stories Behind the Names of NBA Teams

2. Why is the Los Angeles’ team named “the Lakers”?

A．The name was selected from a “Name the Team” contest.

B．The name shows that Los Angeles is a city with various lakes.

C．It was named after a city treasure, which had a long history.

D．The team got this name in another state, which had a lot of lakes.

3. Which of the following refers to the “Jazz Capital of the World”?

A．New Orleans.	B．Salt Lake City.
C．Los Angeles.	D．Minneapolis.

4. Why did Richard Klein name the Chicago’s team the Bulls?

A．He had guessed the success of the team.

B．People in Chicago used to like watching bullfighting.

C．He wished the team to have the qualities of fighting bulls.

D．Chicago was then a city famous for fighting bulls.

8 . Every time I passed boys who were playing basketball, I stopped to silently watch them. I really envied them. But as a girl, I once thought that I could _______ play basketball.

I like playing basketball though I’m not good at it. I’ve had a basketball _______ I was a child. At first, I could play freely because no one _______ when I was just a kid. But as I grew up it seemed harder for me to enjoy basketball. At school, boys always played basketball during PE classes. The girls were _______ allowed to play volleyball or badminton. My parents did not _______ me play basketball at home.

“Basketball is not fit for girls,” they said. _______ I went to play basketball with my friends, boys _______ at me on the court as if I were an alien. I was feeling _______ and had lost hope of playing basketball. _______, something changed the first day of high school. I made some friends who also enjoyed playing basketball. They ________ me to get back on the court.

One of them told me with a smile, “Go your own ________, let others talk.” This girl would always play basketball with me. Even the boy who sat next to me in class talked about ________ with me almost every day.

I was inspired by them. Confidence and passion ________ to my heart. I will play as well as I can, ________ for me, even the sky is boundless (无限的).

Basketball has become an important part of my ________. I am interested in it. I watch matches and enjoy playing almost every day. Through basketball, I not only feel happy and confident, but also ________ a lot.

I’ve heard the NBA star Tracy McGrady say, “Nothing is impossible.” I have ________ to realize that life is just like playing basketball. You should have an ________. After that, just be confident and ________ going. Never give up and you’ll make it sooner or later.

I love the motto of the NBA. It can ________ my strong feelings for basketball, “I love this game!”

1.

A．ever

B．often

C．never

D．always

2.

A．until

B．before

C．after

D．since

3.

A．tried

B．cared

C．enjoyed

D．joined

4.

A．only

B．almost

C．hardly

D．not

5.

A．refuse

B．dislike

C．let

D．invite

6.

A．Still

B．Yet

C．Just

D．Even

7.

A．looked

B．heard

C．settled

D．stared

8.

A．happy

B．down

C．excited

D．satisfied

9.

A．Unluckily

B．Naturally

C．Unexpectedly

D．Clearly

10.

A．encouraged

B．suffered

C．devoted

D．requested

11.

A．vote

B．way

C．business

D．reward

12.

A．basketball

B．homework

C．interests

D．dreams

13.

A．stuck

B．referred

C．turned

D．returned

14.

A．but

B．though

C．and

D．however

15.

A．wish

B．life

C．work

D．study

16.

A．bring

B．borrow

C．learn

D．play

17.

A．come

B．turned

C．refused

D．happened

18.

A．idea

B．aim

C．opinion

D．effort

19.

A．want

B．stop

C．keep

D．make

20.

A．inform

B．connect

C．ignore

D．express