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. |
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. |
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. |
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 . With the cold weather drawing nearer, few people will choose swimming as a daily or usual activity.
Good for your brain.
Swimming is one of the best activities you can do all year round, which benefits your body and your mind. Swimming has been found to increase blood flow to the brain, which leads to more oxygen.
Work your muscles.
Every time you swim, it is like doing a mini-resistance workout. Each kicks and pull works your muscles more than you could imagine, especially your arms, shoulders and gluteus — the muscles that are inactive all day when you’re sitting at your desk.
Lift your spirits.
While swimming is an individual sport, it is also very social. You can meet people from all walks of life when swimming. Have a chat in the lap pool, join a swimming club or get involved in social water sports to get to know people in your community. Besides, the great thing about swimming is that you can do it — rain or shine. Although your backyard pool, the river or beach cools down over winter, most inside swimming pools run heated pools year round, so you’ve got no excuse to stop swimming.
A.Benefit your body. |
B.Meet new people. |
C.These chemicals can control your thought and action. |
D.Swimming also works your abs (腹肌) and will reduce your waist line. |
E.Exercise gives off chemicals in your body called endorphins (内啡肽). |
F.And that means you’re experiencing better memory and sharp mind. |
G.However, swimming in winter is of great benefit in cold days. |
1. Where did the man use to play tennis?
A.In a club. | B.In a stadium. | C.In the playground. |
A.Go back home. | B.Have a break. | C.Play tennis. |
4 . The dogsled (狗拉雪橇) race was about to begin. Julie’s team of dogs was lined up at the sating gate. Julie stood behind them. The air was so cold that she could see her breath. The other teams were lined up, too, and the dogs were excited. Julie kept her eyes on the clock. At exactly ten o'clock, she and the other racers shouted, “Mush!” The dogs knew that meant “Go!” They jumped forward and the race began!
Julie had trained months for this race, and she hopes she and her dogs would win. Hour after hour, day after day, Julie’s dogs pulled the sled in order to get in shape for the race.
Now, they ran over snowy hills and down into frozen valleys. They stopped only to rest and eat. They wanted to stay ahead of other teams. The racers got them to go a thousand miles across Alaska. The dogs, thick fur coats helped keep them warm in the cold winds and weather. In many places along the way, the snow was deep. Pieces of ice were as sharp as a knife. The ice could cut the dogs’ feet. To keep that from happening, Julie had put special booties (短靴) on their feet.
At first, the dogs seemed to pull the sled very slowly. They were still getting used to the race.
But on the the third day out, they began to pull more quickly. They worked as a team and passed many other racers. Once, one of the sled’s runners slid into a hole and the sled was broken. Julie could have given up then, but she didn’t. She fixed it and they kept going.
When they finally reached the finish line, they found out that they had come in first place! It was a great day for Julie and her dogs.
1. What does the passage tell us about the race?A.It was a single-day race. | B.It was a race for children. |
C.It was a race of a thousand miles. | D.The racers came from different countries. |
A.They were fed enough food. | B.They wore warm clothes. |
C.They were put on special shoes. | D.They were trained to get up early. |
A.They were the first to reach the finish line. | B.They had an accident and gave up. |
C.They ran slowly and lost the race. | D.They ran faster at the beginning. |
A.A Girl and Her Dogs | B.Winter Sports in Alaska |
C.Training for a Dogsled Race | D.The Story of a Dogsled Race |
5 . Chinese kung fu is one of the earliest and longestlasting sports that use both muscle and brain. Over its long history it has developed as a unique combination of exercise, practical selfdefense, selfdiscipline and art.
It is estimated that Chinese kung fu can date back to primitive society. At that time, people used sticks to fight wild beasts. Gradually, they accumulated a great deal of selfdefense experience.When the Shang Dynasty began, hunting was considered an important part of kung fu training.
During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, martial arts(武术) evolved to become a kind of dancing. Usually, the dancing of martial arts was used to train soldiers and inspire their morale(士气). At the same time, the skill and technology of sword making as well as sword ceremonies developed rapidly.
Starting from the Tang Dynasty, a kung fu examination was proposed and introduced. Excellent candidates would receive titles and awards through the examination, largely promoting the development of martial arts. By then, martial arts had evolved to become an art form and an independent genre. Kung fu was gradually introduced to many countries in Southeast Asia. Today, kung fu is honored as the ancestor of kickboxing(跆拳道),karate(空手道) and judo.
The Song and Yuan Dynasties witnessed the climax of kung fu development. The practice of kung fu by civil organizations became more and more popular. People actually made a living as martial arts performers all over the country. Usually their performance was carried out by a single person or two people as a pair.
Chinese kung fu achieved greater development in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, a lot of genres came into being and numerous books on martial arts were published. In the Qing Dynasty, the ruling emperor banned the practice of martial arts, and the people had to set up various clubs or societies to pass on the skills in secret.
Today, kung fu continues to be practiced by many people for the purpose of keeping fit or improving body image.
1. According to the text,________was an important part of the development of kung fu in ancient times.A.hunting. | B.dancing. |
C.singing. | D.fighting. |
A.promote the national economy. |
B.keep healthy and improve body image. |
C.train soldiers and inspire their morale. |
D.fight big wild animals. |
A.The production of swords reached the highest point during the Tang Dynasty. |
B.Kung fu was performed by many people during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. |
C.Kung fu had a great impact on many activities in Southeast Asia. |
D.The Tang Dynasty witnessed the climax of kung fu development. |
A.The emperor set up many organizations to promote kung fu. |
B.Various genres appeared and books were published about kung fu. |
C.Kung fu became the only performance at court parties. |
D.People made a living as kung fu performers all over the country. |
6 . More and more Chinese are jogging to stay healthy.Most joggers will run alone, but some will jog with friends or even coaches.The Beijing Olympic Forest Park is one of the most popular spots.
Jogging after a whole day’s work can be a way to relax people.It is true for He Wenjun, whose workplace is right near the Beijing Olympic Forest Park.She discovered her athletic talent at the age of seven, when she began playing tennis.Then she turned to jogging, and she has kept it for 10 years.
“I come to jog almost every day after work, whenever I have time.
She says she prefers jogging alone, so she can focus better. She loves jogging, even during Beijing’s smoggy days.“If the smog is severe, I’ll hold off for a while.But if I really want to get away from work, I’ll wear a mask and go on jogging,” she said.
Jogging does not require speed.If you want to stick to the game, you need to take it as a habit, and then eventually a hobby.
Jogging is beneficial for heartlung function, but improper technique damages your knees and ankles. And, jogging in a bad environment can cause some serious problems.So you should first consider your physical condition.
A.Jogging is good for my health. |
B.But keeping jogging is not always easy. |
C.Jogging helps people be liked by their friends. |
D.And then decide the amount and type of exercise. |
E.Nothing can stop me jogging even in the terrible weather. |
F.For those who are not so athletic, jogging also has its attractions. |
G.It is filled with runners in the afternoon, usually after work and at weekends. |
1. Who are the speakers?
A.A doctor and a patient. |
B.A teacher and a student. |
C.A salesman and a customer. |
A.He often overeats. |
B.He works too hard. |
C.He smokes heavily. |
A.Stop working and go on a vacation. |
B.Give up smoking as soon as possible. |
C.Change his diet and get some exercise. |
8 . Before there was the written word, there was the language of dance. Dance expresses love and hate, joy and sorrow, life and death, and everything else in between.
“I adore dancing,” says Lester Bridges, the owner of a dance studio in Iowa. “I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life.” Bridges runs dance classes for all ages. “Teaching dance is wonderful.
So, do we dance in order to make ourselves feel better, calmer, healthier? Andrea Hillier says, “Dance, like the pattern of a beating heart, is life. Even after all these years, I want to get better and better.
A.So why do we dance? |
B.Dance in the U.S. is everywhere. |
C.If you like dancing outdoors, come to America. |
D.My older students say it makes them feel young. |
E.I keep practicing even when I’m extremely tired. |
F.Dancing seems to change their feeling completely. |
G.They stayed up all night long singing and dancing. |
9 . Roller coasters are fast and exciting. But passing a painful kidney (肾) stones is not. The process is painful and can take a long time. But American researchers have found that a roller coaster ride just might help those suffering from a kidney stone. They say such rides help patients pass the stones with a 70 percent success rate.
David Wartinger led the study. He found that where the person sits on the roller coaster can make a big difference. He said, “In the pilot study, sitting in the last car of the roller coaster showed about a 64 percent passage rate. Sitting in the first few cars only had a 16 percent success rate.”
It also mattered where the stones were located in the kidney. The researchers found that stones located in the upper part of the kidney model were passed 100 percent.
When it comes to passing kidney stones, not all roller coasters are equal. The researchers used 174 kidney stones of differing shapes, sizes and weights to see if each model worked on the same ride and on two other roller coasters. They found that Big Thunder Mountain was the only one that worked. The other two roller coasters both failed the test. Wartinger said the other rides were too fast and too violent. The movement forced the stones against the side of the kidney. He said that the ideal roller coaster is rough and quick with some twists and turns.
Wartinger thinks roller coaster rides could also be used as a preventative measure. He said that a yearly ride on a roller coaster could even prevent stones from developing. “You need to heed the warnings before going on a roller coaster,” he said. “If you have a kidney stone, but are otherwise healthy and meet the requirements of the ride, patients should try it.”
He adds that it’s definitely a lower cost alternative to other treatments. And riding a roller coaster is definitely more fun!
1. According to the text, passing kidney stone is ______.A.fast | B.exciting |
C.interesting | D.painful |
A.Sitting in the first car of a roller coaster. |
B.Sitting in the middle car of a roller coaster. |
C.Sitting in big roller coasters with doctors’ care. |
D.Sitting in rough and fast roller coasters with twists and turns. |
A.Worried. | B.Negative. |
C.Supportive. | D.Skeptical. |
A.Some treatments of kidney stones |
B.Advantages of riding roller coasters |
C.Roller coasters can help pass kidney stones |
D.Kidney stones can be cured by riding roller coasters |