1 . Jack caught the basketball and threw it at once. The ball flew into the net. “Jack, you never miss !” Tom said excitedly. “You're a great shooter!”
“But I always fail to do it in a real game,” Jack felt upset. “I'm just not comfortable playing with strangers around me.”
Tom knew that Jack was right. Jack performed much better when he was having fun with Tom in the school yard than he did when he was playing for the school team in front of a large crowd. But Tom soon had an idea.
The next day Tom and Jack met in the school yard again to practice for the coming game. After a few minutes, Tom excused himself. “I'll be back in a minute.”
Tom hurried through the school building to search for some people.
“Hey, Jack!” Tom called out finally. Jack turned. A look of surprise came over his face. “I just wanted to show you that you could play well with people watching you,” Tom said. “Now you'll have nothing to worry about for the next game!”
| A．As Tom had hoped, Jack was still practicing basketball there. |
| B．Everyone was happy to help after Tom explained why he needed them. |
| C．Finally he found four students, a math teacher, two secretaries, and a cleaner. |
| D．He made five shoots in a row without noticing the people standing silently behind him. |
| E．Having listened to Tom’s explanations, they still felt confused about what they need to do. |
| F．Tom reminded the group to stay quiet as they all went toward the school's basketball court. |
2 . Free solo climbing is a risky form of rock climbing where the climber makes the climb alone without ropes or any other protective things. In June 2017, Alex Honnold completed an ultimate free solo climb up El Capitan, a 3,000-foot wall in Yosemite National Park.
On a freezing November morning in 2016, Alex determined to take up a challenge-a free solo climb of the world’s most famous vertical（垂直的）cliff. Every step, he had to be extra careful to keep the balance. All the time he had to shine his headlamp on the cold, smooth part of stones to decide where he could next place his foot. Unlike parts of the climb higher up that Alex could climb with his strong fingers, this lower part he must manage with a perfect balance of fine skills and confidence.
Every move tied people’s hearts. The cameraman said. “Every time I got no response, I thought Alex was bailing. But it turned out that I was wrong-He was still moving on.”
More physically challenging parts wait for him to climb up with his feel and hands pressing the rock. The Free blast is the most frightening part. In 2016, after several failures, Alex knew he would try again. His foot tap-tap-tapped against the wall as if he was feeling his way into the huge rock, but he wouldn’t turn back this time. And then, he stood on the top and he made it!
People view free soloing differently. Critics regard it as risky, considering the long list of those who’ve died attempting it. Others, myself included, recognize it as the sport's truest expression. Such was the attitude of Austrian climber Paul Preuss, the father of free soloing. He believed that the spirit of mountain-climbing was to master a mountain with wonderful physical and mental skill.
1. Why is the headlamp mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．To prove how dark the environment is. |
| B．To indicate how risky the free soloing is. |
| C．To share the great pleasure of a solo climber. |
| D．To introduce the location of the mountain climber. |
| A．Alex was climbing. |
| B．Alex was giving up. |
| C．Alex was struggling. |
| D．Alex was being saved |
| A．A great dream is limitless. |
| B．Wisdom is better than force. |
| C．Gains can't make up for losses. |
| D．Strong will leads to a smooth path. |
5. What did Alex need to climb the lower part?
6. What does "turn back" mean in paragraph 4?
7. How does Paul Preuss feel about free soloing?
