1 . In 2007, Bianca Valenti had an experience which nearly killed her. When she surfed (冲浪) at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, she met a wave as tall as a two-story house.
The wind was strong enough to block my vision. The moment I went under water, I was just getting knocked and spun (旋转) every which way. And then my feet touched the sand bottom there. When I swam to the surface, my lungs were burning painfully. I just thought to myself, “If there’s one more wave after this, I’m going to die.” Luckily there wasn’t another wave. That was when Valenti knew she had the drive and skill to surf big waves.
By 2014, Valenti surfed and won her first big waves contest (比赛) at Nelscott Reef in Oregon. There, she met fellow professionals Alms, Moller, and Kennelly. “One thing got me fired up at that point,” she said. “I wanted to have the opportunity to win more events, but there weren’t more events for women. That’s really annoying.” Luckily, Valenti, Alms, Moller, and Kennelly decided to stick together, support each other, and then fight together.
The four surfers formed Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing (CEWS) to fight for entrance at Mavericks—a contest set in the surfing location of the same name, north of Half Moon Bay. Mavericks was invitation-only and was open to only men when CEWS was formed. Now, through the organization’s hard work with the State of California, women are allowed to surf in the event.
When Valenti was young, there weren’t many women represented in surfing culture. “I think it’s important for young kids to have all kinds of role models. That way they know all the people who they see as superheroes are just normal people who have crazy dreams. And sometimes the dreams aren’t even that crazy. If you work hard and you stick together with your friends, you can do anything. You can move mountains.”
1. What inspired Valenti to surf big waves?| A．Her gift in learning surfing skills. |
| B．Her near-death experience in 2007. |
| C．Her courage to challenge men surfers. |
| D．Her ambition to be the best role model. |
| A．Angry. | B．Excited. | C．Satisfied. | D．Concerned. |
| A．It was named after a famous surfer. |
| B．All surfers were admitted to it freely. |
| C．Surfers could only attend it by invitation. |
| D．Valenti won the contest for the first time. |
| A．Determined and courageous. | B．Impolite and Careless. |
| C．Simple-minded and helpful. | D．Tough and impatient. |
2 . It’s 5:00 in the morning when the alarm rings in my ears. I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom. I turn on the light and put on my glasses. The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully. Usually I go for a long run, but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD. Insanity. Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes. My heart races as I face my body to finish each movement. As I near the end of the exercise, I feel extremely tired, but a smile is on my face. It’s not a smile because the DVD is over, but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.
Some people enjoy shopping, smoking , food, work, or even chocolate. But I need exercise to get through each day. Some shake heads when they see me run through the town. Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother’s chocolate cake. They raise their eyebrows, surprised by my “no thank you,” or by my choice to have a salad. Over the years , I have learned it’s okay to just say “no.” I shouldn’t feel sorry for refusing food that I don’t want to eat.
So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? What gives me the reason to just say no to ice cream? Commitment. A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety, increases self-confidence and energy, extends life and above all improves my body shape. This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right. It’s through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out.
1. Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?| A．Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully. | B．Because she finishes her favorite exercise. |
| C．Because she enjoys the interesting DVD. | D．Because she feels a sense of achievement. |
| A．Good health. | B．Firm belief. | C．A strong power. | D．A regular habit. |
| A．She acts in a strange way. | B．She wants to look different from others. |
| C．She aims to develop a good body shape. | D．She has difficulty getting along with others. |
