1 . Near the small town of Grottoes, Virginia, a narrow dirt road goes from the house of Stephen Curry’s grandfather to the woods nearby. A far cry from the bright lights and shiny courts of the National Basketball Association (NBA), it was along this road that Stephen’s grandfather built a simple basket by attaching a piece of plastic to a telephone pole.

Like his father, basketball star Dell Curry, Stephen spent many childhood hours playing on this muddy basketball court. He probably didn’t realise it at the time, but it was where he learnt to be creative and flexible as a player. You see, with every shot, the weak plastic backboard gave way. The bumps and rocks that lined the road under the basket caused the ball to bounce in all directions. Knowing where the ball would go wasn’t easy. He had to adjust his own playing style as a result. Shooting with great accuracy was another thing he learnt. Only shots perfectly aimed at its centre went into the heavy, thick basket. In this way, practising day in and day out helped Stephen sharpen his skills.

Despite his father’s successful career, Stephen was thought by many people, including his high school teammates and coaches, to be too short, too thin and too weak to follow in his father’s footsteps. But Stephen carried on. Playing basketball was his dream. He would not give up. He finally ended up playing college ball at a small, little-known school, Davidson College, not too far from where he lived. His creativity and perseverance (毅力) made him Davidson’s star player.

Selected for the NBA in 2009, Stephen joined the Golden State Warriors. He performed beyond everyone’s expectations with his accurate shooting and continuous efforts. In 2015, Stephen won his first NBA championship, and he led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975.

After receiving the Most Valuable Player award for two years in a row, Stephen explained his philosophy, “I never really set out to change the game…What I wanted to do was just be myself…I know it inspires a lot of the next generation, a lot of people who love the game of basketball to value the skill of it, value the fact that you can work every single day to get better. You’ve got to be able to put in the time and the work. That’s how I got here. That’s how I continue to get better every single day.” Inspiring others to believe in themselves, Stephen Curry is living proof that what other people think of you does not have to influence what you become. Through self-belief, hard work, perseverance and some help from an old hoop, he has shown that anything is possible.

1. The underlined part “a far cry from” in Paragraph 1 can be understood as ________.

A．not far from	B．equal to
C．completely different from	D．very similar to

2. What helped Stephen Curry develop his creative and flexible playing skills?

A．The humble basketball court.

B．His father’s example.

C．His coach’s training methods.

D．The bouncing basketball.

3. Many people thought it was impossible for Stephen Curry to become a great basketball player due to ________ .

A．his father’s success

B．his creativity and skills

C．the little-known college

D．his physical condition

4. What can we learn from Stephen Curry’s philosophy?

A．His wish is to inspire the next generation.

B．An old hoop is critical to what be has achieved.

C．You’ll get better with consistent effort and devotion.

D．Perseverance and some help from an old hoop guarantee success.

5. What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To introduce Stephen Curry’s philosophy.

B．To inspire people with Stephen Curry’s determination to succeed.

C．To explain why Stephen Curry was doubted by many people

D．To inform people about Stephen Curry’s basketball skills.

3 . THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

Near the small town of Grottoes, Virginia, a narrow dirt road goes from the house of Stephen Curry’s grandfather to the woods nearby. A far cry from the bright lights and shiny courts of the National Basketball Association (NBA), it was along this road that Stephen’s grandfather built a simple basket by attaching a piece of plastic to a telephone pole.

Like his father, basketball star Dell Cury, Stephen spent many childhood hours playing on this muddy basketball court. He probably didn’t realise it at the time, but it was where he learnt to be creative and flexible as a player. You see, with every shot, the weak plastic backboard gave way. The bumps and rocks that lined the road under the basket caused the ball to bounce in all directions. Knowing where the ball would go wasn’t easy. He had to adjust his own playing style as a result. Shooting with great accuracy was another thing he learnt. Only shots perfectly aimed at its centre went into the heavy, thick basket. In this way, practising day in and day out helped Stephen sharpen his skills.

Despite his father’s successful career, Stephen was thought by many people, including his high school teammates and coaches, to be too short, too thin and too weak to follow in his father’s footsteps. But Stephen carried on. Playing basketball was his dream. He would not give up. He finally ended up playing college ball at a small, little-known school, Davidson College, not too far from where he lived. His creativity and perseverance made him Davidson’s star player.

Selected for the NBA in 2009, Stephen joined the Golden State Warriors. He performed beyond everyone’s expectations with his accurate shooting and continuous efforts. In 2015, Stephen won his first NBA championship, and he led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975.

After receiving the Most Valuable Player award for two years in row, Stephen explained his philosophy, “I never really set out to change the game... What I wanted to do was just be myself... I know it inspires a lot of the next generation, a lot of people who love the game of basketball to value the skill of it, value the fact that you can work every single day to get better. You’ve got to be able to put in the time and the work. That’s how I got here. That’s how I continue to get better every single day.” Inspiring others to believe in themselves, Stephen Curry is living proof that what other people thing of you does not have to influence what you become. Through self-belief, hard work, perseverance and some help from an old hoop, he has shown that anything is possible.

1. What’s Stephen’s first basket?

A．A second-hand basket bought by his grandfather.

B．A piece of plastic attached to a telephone pole.

C．A new one built in the woods nearby.

D．A wooden one picked up behind the house.

2. How did Stephen Curry settle the problem that it was hard to know where the ball would go?

A．To play in a small court.

B．To adjust his own style.

C．To strengthen the plastic backboard.

D．To bounce the ball in all directions.

3. Why was he thought to be a failure as a basketball player by many people?

A．Because his father was too excellent.

B．Because he ended up playing at a small little-known team.

C．Because he was far from a well-built player.

D．Because he came from a small town far away.

4. How did Stephen Curry win other’s recognition?

A．With his accurate shooting and continuous efforts.

B．By joining the Golden State Warriors.

C．By following in his father’s footsteps.

D．With the help of his grandfather.

5. What’s the author's purpose in writing the passage?

A．To explain why Stephen Curry was doubted by many people.

B．To inform people about Stephen Curry’s basketball skills.

C．To inspire people with Stephen Curry’s determination to succeed.

D．To tell what Stephen Curry has achieved during his career.

4 . Practice，practice，and practice! That’s____Tiger Woods became a champion golfer.
Tiger Woods ____ golf when he was very young. ____ with other children of his age，he showed special interest in golf．Finding that his son had a ____ for this game，Tiger’s father decided to ____ him on his own．To his father’s surprise，Tiger was a(n)____ golfer even at the age of 6.
However，being a child,Tiger couldn’t focus all the time，____he never gave up. Tiger listened to soft music to improve his ____ His father helped him learn to focus inspite of the ____ ．Sometimes his father stood in front of Tiger and said，“I'm a tree in your way,”He would have to hit the ball ____ his father．Sometimes his father would dance and sing when it was Tiger’s turn to hit and Tiger had to focus on the ____．
The training helped him．Once a ____ made a loud noise while Tiger was playing. He Said he never heard the broadcast because he was so ____ on the game. Tiger cannot____ losing. If he loses，he will go out and____ even harder in order not to make the same mistake.
In the year 2000，when he was 24 years old，he ____ four major golf competitions—the US Open，the US Amateur，the British Open and the British Amateur. But during the 2008 season it became clear that Tiger was ____ pain in his knee．In April his knee was operated on and he ____ the PGA(美国职业高尔夫球协会)tour season．After an eight-month period of ____ he returned to play again in February 2009. He didn’t make his fans ____．He won again.
He is so much better than the other golfers that some say he is the greatest golfer to ever play the game．1.

A．how

B．when

C．where

D．because

2.

A．looked up

B．set up

C．took up

D．gave up

3.

A．Mixed

B．Compared

C．Living

D．Competing

4.

A．trick

B．plan

C．skill

D．gift

5.

A．train

B．save

C．stop

D．raise

6.

A．lucky

B．common

C．amazing

D．careful

7.

A．and

B．but

C．so

D．as

8.

A．confidence

B．strength

C．patience

D．energy

9.

A．disturbance

B．carelessness

C．determination

D．failure

10.

A．against

B．under

C．onto

D．over

11.

A．music

B．ball

C．coach

D．ground

12.

A．teammate

B．teacher

C．radio

D．fan

13.

A．curious

B．quick

C．serious

D．focused

14.

A．stand

B．forget

C．understand

D．recognize

15.

A．cry

B．practice

C．think

D．argue

16.

A．judged

B．watched

C．conducted

D．won

17.

A．examining

B．avoiding

C．suffering

D．reducing

18.

A．missed

B．offered

C．escaped

D．joined

19.

A．research

B．rest

C．learning

D．traveling

20.

A．worried

B．troubled

C．surprised

D．disappointed