1 . No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own efforts.

I learned this lesson from an experience many years ago. I took the head coaching job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program.

It was a tradition for the school's old team to play against the new team at the end of spring practice. The old team had no couch, and they didn't even practice to prepare for the Game. Being the coach of the new team, I was excited because I knew we were going to win, but to my sadness we were beaten. I couldn't believe I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I came to realize that my team might not be the number one team in Georgia, but they were depending on me. I had to change my attitude about their ability and confidence.

I stared doing anything I could to help them build a little pride. Most important,I began to treat them like winners. That summer, when the other teams enjoyed their vacations. We met every day and practiced passing and kicking the football.

Six months after suffering our failure on the spring practice field. we won our first game and our second, and continue to improve .Finally, we faced the number one team in the state.I felt that it would be a victory for us even if we lost the game. But that wasn't what happened. My boys beat the best team in Georgia, giving me one of the greatest thrills of my life !

From the experience I learned a lot about how the attitude of the leader can influence the members of a team. Instead of seeing my boys as losers, I pushed and encouraged them. I helped them to see themselves differently, and they built themselves into winners.

Winners are made, not born.

1. Who did the author think would become the winners at first?

A．The old team.	B．Their own team.
C．The number one team.	D．The other team

2. When did the author's team win their first game?

A．Before their training.	B．During the spring practice.
C．At the start of the vacation.	D．Six months after their failure.

3. What does the underlined word “thrill" probably mean in Paragraph 5?

A．Interests

B．Fears

C．Excitements

D．Concerns

4. How did the author help their team to win?

A．By building up their confidence.	B．By giving them a lecture.
C．By buying them a book.	D．By changing the leader.

5. What can we learn from the text?

A．Time is money.	B．Winners are born.
C．Losers are always beaten.	D．Practice makes perfect.

2 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms More than 2000 years ago, ancient Chinese people created this overall framework to mark the annual passage of time based on observations of the sun's motion. In the international meteorological field (国际气象界) the 24 solar terms are honored as “the fifth great invention of China”.

The 24 solar terms begins with Start of Spring followed by Rain Water, Insects Awaken...and ends up with Minor Cold and Major Cold. Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice are two days of the year with the longest and shortest amount of daylight respectively, while Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox are days with the most balanced amount of daytime and nighttime. Through these four parts, a year is divided into four part: Spring Summer, Autumn and Winter.

In ancient times this system not only guided agricultural production, instructing farmers to expect the changes in temperature, spring planting and autumn harvest but also directed Chinese folk customs. For example, Winter Solstice was the first one set among 24 terms and later developed into a festival to worship Heaven and ancestors. Every year at Winter Solstice, emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties would go to the temple of Heaven to hold a ceremony to worship Heaven, for good weather for their crop, and peace and prosperity for the country.

Nowadays, the 24 solar terms could not only be applied to farming but also guide Chinese everyday life. They remind people to adapt to the changes in the seasons through suitable food and cultural rituals (文化仪式). Seasonal customs are sill the rage such as eating spring pancakes at Start of Spring, sweeping ancestors' tombs at Qing Ming, gaining weight to keep warm at Start of Autumn and eating nutritious food to store energy at Start of Winter. They have actually became important rituals in Chinese life.

The 24 solar terms is a common cognitive system among Chinese. It reflects the emotional bond, the wisdom and creativity of Chinese, who respect and live in harmony with nature.

1. How were the 24 solar terms created in ancient China?

A．They were the results of leaning from each other.

B．They were set based on the movements of the sun.

C．They were created according to the change of the weather.

D．They were gradually developed from the practical experience.

2. What is a common feature of Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox?

A．They both have the same amount of day and night.

B．They were set only for guiding agricultural activities.

C．They both play the role in dividing a day into day and night

D．They are the days on which the length of a day is longer than night.

3. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Cheer

B．Honor.

C．Appreciation.

D．Fashion.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．The reasons for the recognition of the 24 solar terms.

B．The invention of the 24 solar terms in ancient China.

C．The origin and influence of the 24 solar terms in China

D．The ways to handle the relationship between human and nature.