1 . 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.

2 . When I tried out for the football team during the summer before 9th grade, I never imagined how important this sport would become in my life. Football is a _____ sport, at times almost painful, and practices really _____ a team’s physical and mental limits. Without trust in my own ability and a strong sense of commitment, I would never have managed to continue after years of hard work as a player, and with countless _____.

In the first year, I played on the defensive line. This was an amazing _____ that gave me a great sense of achievement. But in the last game of the season, I was seriously injured. I was prohibited from any physical activities for six months. After going _____ a series of physical treatments, I returned to the field as a team captain. I practiced harder than ever to make up for my _____ time.

In September, during my junior year, my name was mentioned in the local newspaper as the key defensive lineman on the team. After playing a fantastic season, I was given the _____ of the Most Valuable Player.

_____, my skills in football do not magically extend to other sports. During the winter break, I went on a snowboarding trip and seriously injured my right shoulder. I had to have four _____. Since I could not use my right arm for two months, I had to learn how to write and eat using my left hand.

______ life must go on. I knew that my own present efforts would decide my future, so I ______ the strict training program to build up strength and improve flexibility in my ______. After an eight-month recovery, I was back to the field playing football, the sport I ______.

In this sense, the world of football has taught me an important life lesson: ______ and commitment make what seems impossible ______. This lesson from football is the one that can be applied to every part of life.

1.

A．tough

B．popular

C．typical

D．dynamic

2.

A．set

B．control

C．test

D．require

3.

A．mistakes

B．adventures

C．accidents

D．injuries

4.

A．performance

B．position

C．moment

D．advantage

5.

A．with

B．over

C．through

D．into

6.

A．valuable

B．lost

C．extra

D．regular

7.

A．pride

B．choice

C．name

D．honor

8.

A．Unfortunately

B．Similarly

C．Happily

D．Gradually

9.

A．practices

B．tryouts

C．seasons

D．operations

10.

A．But

B．Or

C．So

D．And

11.

A．examined

B．changed

C．provided

D．completed

12.

A．shoulder

B．hand

C．leg

D．foot

13.

A．explore

B．avoid

C．love

D．support

14.

A．Knowledge

B．Belief

C．Experience

D．Opinion

15.

A．enjoyable

B．possible

C．sensible

D．responsible

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 . Did you know that the color of uniforms can influence the performance of an athlete? It may sound strange, but a study suggests this might be true.

Two British scientists studied the results of four sports in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where the athletes had been given either a red or a blue uniform. They discovered that when there was a big difference in the score, color had no influence on the result. But if it was a close match, the athlete in a red uniform was more likely to win. Then they looked at the uniforms of the soccer teams at the Euro 2004 tournament. Again, teams wearing red won more games.

The two scientists got their idea from earlier studies of wild animals. It had been discovered that when a male show red on its body, it sends a signal of its power and strength. For example, in many kinds of monkey, the more the male shows off its red scars, the more females it can attract.

Based on this fact, the British scientists thought that the idea might work for humans, too. According to them, when an athlete sees a competitor in a red uniform, he gets a feeling that his competitor could be stronger than him. And that kind of feeling may have a bad influence on the player’s performance in the actual game.

Although the idea is Interesting, most people don’t accept that color signals in the animals world can really be useful to humans in sports. They think that it is unreasonable to develop an idea based on such a small number of examples. Much more research has to be done to prove the influence of uniform colors on the performance of athletes.

1. What did the scientists find out about the 2004 Athens Olympic Games?

A．Athletes played equally well in four sports.

B．Game results had a big influence on the athletes.

C．Athletes dressed in red scored more in a close match.

D．There was a big difference in red and blue team’s scores.

2. What may the red scars of a male animal suggest?

A．It is quite strong.	B．It is a failure.
C．It has power over other males.	D．It has attracted a lot of females.

3. The underlined part “that kind of feeling” in the text refers to a feeling of ________.

A．weakness

B．pride

C．danger

D．shame

4. What is most people’s opinion to the scientists’ idea?

A．Interested.

B．Satisfied.

C．Doubtful.

D．Thankful.

5 . My son Joey was born with club feet (足内翻). The doctors _______ us that with treatment he would be able to walk _______ — but would never _______ very well. The first three years of his life were spent in surgery, casts and braces._______ the time he was eight, you wouldn’t know he had a problem when you saw him walk.

In seventh grade he decided to _______ for the cross-country team. Every day he _______ with the team. He worked harder and ran more than any of the others — perhaps he _______ that the abilities that seemed to come _______ to so many others did not come naturally to him. Although the _______ team runs, only the top seven runners have the ________ to score points for the school. We didn’t tell him he probably would never ________ the team, so he didn’t know.

He ________ to run four to five miles a day, every day — ________ the day he had a 103-degree fever. I was ________, so I went to look for him after school. I found him running all   ________. I asked him how he felt. “Okay,” he said. He had two more miles to go. The ________ ran down his face and his eyes were glassy from his ________. Yet he looked straight ahead and kept running.

Two weeks ________ , the names of the team runners were called. Joey was number six on the list. Joey had made the team. We never told him he shouldn’t ________ to make the team. We never told him he couldn’t do it...so he didn’t know. He just ________ it.

1.

A．showed

B．assured

C．reminded

D．insured

2.

A．normally

B．usually

C．ordinarily

D．commonly

3.

A．jump

B．go

C．run

D．climb

4.

A．Before

B．Until

C．For

D．By

5.

A．go all out

B．go in

C．take part

D．enter

6.

A．exercised

B．competed

C．trained

D．traveled

7.

A．believed

B．admitted

C．decided

D．sensed

8.

A．naturally

B．specially

C．particularly

D．properly

9.

A．all

B．entire

C．perfect

D．complete

10.

A．strength

B．power

C．potential

D．ability

11.

A．become

B．make

C．join

D．beat

12.

A．continued

B．stopped

C．struggled

D．managed

13.

A．especially

B．even

C．still

D．also

14.

A．surprised

B．moved

C．worried

D．disturbed

15.

A．around

B．along

C．aloud

D．alone

16.

A．sweat

B．tears

C．dust

D．colour

17.

A．running

B．steps

C．fever

D．face

18.

A．early

B．late

C．later

D．back

19.

A．expect

B．want

C．wish

D．look forward

20.

A．liked

B．hated

C．did

D．appreciated

6 . Taking care of yourself is not being selfish. By caring enough to _______ your body well, you will be in _______ shape to take care of those around you.

Believe in yourself and your ability. Make a list of _______ changes that you have made in the past. It is easier to achieve a goal when you are _______.

Seek out a friend or coworker who will make you feel comfortable. _______ friends is a happy thing in the world. Regular phone calls, emails or visits over coffee could _______ your friendship.

_______ yourself when you make simple changes that in the end will _______ in achieving your overall goal. Celebration is part of successful change. Remember to _______ you motivated.

Adopt eating and physical activity habits that can become part of your ________. Have a backup plan ________ those days when your plans to eat well and be active are challenged. If you can’t walk ________ the weather, have an exercise video to use.

Go on a ________.Work and family are two most important things in people’s lives. People try to tackle the two things at once，________ most of them fail.Just as an old saying goes: People who know how to rest ________ how to work.Go out with your family and have a good time.

1.

A．see

B．take

C．use

D．treat

2.

A．better

B．worse

C．bigger

D．smaller

3.

A．successful

B．little

C．strange

D．few

4.

A．optional

B．particular

C．dynamic

D．optimistic

5.

A．Taking

B．Making

C．Sharing

D．Playing

6.

A．create

B．ruin

C．benefit

D．forget

7.

A．Reward

B．Pick

C．Pass

D．Instruct

8.

A．introduce

B．gain

C．find

D．result

9.

A．found

B．pass

C．build

D．keep

10.

A．family

B．friendship

C．object

D．lifestyle

11.

A．to

B．on

C．for

D．outside

12.

A．out of

B．due to

C．away from

D．on to

13.

A．trip

B．talk

C．story

D．meeting

14.

A．and

B．but

C．because

D．so

15.

A．study

B．accept

C．know

D．discuss

7 . As a high school coach, I did all I could to help my boys win their games. I cheered as hard for victory as they did. A dramatic _________, however, following a game in which I was a referee (裁判), changed my _________ on victories and defeats.

It was a league championship basketball game between New Rochelle and Yonkers High. New Rochelle was _________ by Dan O’Brien, Yonkers by Les Beck. The gym was _________, and the noise made it impossible to hear. The game was well played and _________ competed. Yonkers was _________ by one point as I glanced at the clock and discovered there were but 10 seconds left to play. New Rochelle, the home team, took _________ of the ball, passed off and shot. The ball _________ around the rim (篮筐边沿) and off. The fans yelled. New Rochelle recovered the ball, and tapped it in for what looked like victory. The noise was _________.

I looked at the clock and saw that the game was over. I hadn’t heard the final buzzer (终场哨) because of the noise. I __________ with the other official, but he could not help me. So, I __________ the timekeeper, a young man of 17 or so. He said, “Sir, the buzzer __________ before the final tap­in was made.” Yonkers won!

I had to tell O’Brien the sad news. His face __________. The young timekeeper came up and said, “I’m sorry, Dad. The time ran out before the final basket.” __________, like the sun coming out from a cloud, O’Brien’s face lit up. He said, “that’s okay, Joe. You did what you had to. I’m proud of you.” The two of them then walked off the __________ together, the coach’s arm around his son’s shoulder.

1.

A．conversation

B．incident

C．gesture

D．challenge

2.

A．view

B．attitude

C．theory

D．impression

3.

A．organised

B．represented

C．imagined

D．coached

4.

A．crowded

B．cleared

C．shaken

D．arranged

5.

A．happily

B．closely

C．smartly

D．freely

6.

A．moving

B．progressing

C．leading

D．shooting

7.

A．control

B．place

C．care

D．need

8.

A．stuck

B．fell

C．turned

D．rolled

9.

A．annoying

B．amazing

C．thrilling

D．deafening

10.

A．examined

B．watched

C．researched

D．checked

11.

A．criticised

B．approached

C．interviewed

D．reminded

12.

A．broke down

B．faded away

C．went off

D．carried on

13.

A．clouded over

B．softened up

C．sweated over

D．wrinkled up

14.

A．Certainly

B．Similarly

C．Fortunately

D．Suddenly

15.

A．court

B．course

C．track

D．field

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

During the summer vacation, I took part in     1     16th Natural English Contest, in which I was listed in the top 10 and     2    (gain) valuable experience.

I never expected     3    (go) that far. And I had never thought about standing that high on the stage.    4     at that moment, I set out for the long ride. All I had to do was try.

Preparing for the contest, practicing a 3­minute speech, and overcoming stage fright, I spared no effort to take part in the competition.

One of my     5    (teammate), my good friend in my school, gave me lots of encouragement and advice during the contest. Her ideas were new and     6     (power) and she stayed quite calm when she was fighting against her competitors. She was like my coach,    7     showed me how to search for related materials online and how to express my own view     8     (clear).

Thanks     9     the contest and the help of my friend, I now feel more relaxed on stage and more confident when     10    (talk). I’m really appreciative of her timely help.

10 . Dangerous as they are, extreme sports remain appealing among many Australian young people! Camp Xtreme is the perfect test of your heart.

Kite Surfing

It’s the exciting mixture of kite, board and waves. The idea of using a kite to accelerate speed seems like a new challenge:Yet the art of kite flying dates back to the 13th-century China when it was used as a simple means of transport.   

Catch a wind and you’re moving up, down and across the surf. “It’s always exciting. You’d jump 5 feet or 35 feet. You never know if you’re going to go up in the air, and your heart is just going boom, boom, boom. ”

Coasteering

It is by far the best activity and the event that everyone is still talking about. This is exploring the coastline without worrying about a coastal path or finding a rocky bay blocking your route. You climb, dive and swim from one place to another. With coasteering, you don’t have to be able to swim as the wet suit and buoyancy (浮力) aid will keep you floating when you are in the water.

Sky Diving

Traditional parachuting (跳伞) doesn’t sound risky enough. So now sky diving is the name for jumping from a plane and listening to your heart beating heavily as you move fast towards earth before you open your parachute at the last moment.

Mountain Biking

It’s been around so long that bikers are no longer satisfied with just going up and down a mountain. Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough land, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but include features designed to improve strength and performance in rough areas.

For details, please call us at 1300-792-668 or click here: www. xtremecamp.com.au.

1. All the four extreme sports are mainly intended to test one’s 　　　.

A．heart beat	B．physical health
C．potential strength	D．courage

2. The underlined word in the second paragraph “it” refers to 　　　.

A．the kite	B．kite surfing
C．kite flying	D．the art of kites

3. Which of the following sports can be the most risky?

A．Kite surfing.	B．Coasteering.
C．Sky diving.	D．Mountain biking.