1 . Michelle Kwan is a champion ice skater who has won five World Championships, nine U. S. Championships and two Olympic medals, in addition to countless other skating competitions. While audiences have seen her glide effortlessly across the ice, long hours of practice and devotion contribute each jump and spin.

Kwan began ice skating when she was five years old, and her skill quickly became evident. At the age of eight, she skated several hours a day, every day of the week. Before school, after school and on weekends, she was at the ice rink. The cost of ice time and coaches quickly grew, but her parents were committed to her success. Her family sold their home and purchased a much smaller one to free up money to pay for her ice skating.

When Kwan was 13, she performed at her first U. S. National Championships. After a disappointing performance, she swore to work even harder and improve. She did. The next year, she finished second. From there she went on to win a silver medal at the 1998 Olympics and the first of her World Championships. She followed up with a bronze medal at the 2002 Olympic Games.

Kwan is the most decorated figure skater in American history. She was the sole member to the U. S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame classes of 2012, and in 2014, she was appointed to the Hall of Fame at the U. S. National Competition.

Even after retiring from skating. Kwan has not given up her devotion to learning, service and hard work. She received her college degree in 2009 from the University of Denver and is pursuing graduate studies in international relations at Tufts University. Meanwhile, she has held several diplomatic and ambassador positions representing the United States globally. Ultimately，whether on the ice, in the classroom or representing her nation, Kwan presents one consistent quality—devotion.

1. What do we know about Kwan according to the text?

A．She performed badly in her first national competition.

B．She has won five U. S. Championships.

C．She failed to graduate from Tufts University.

D．She hasn’t won the second place in Olympic Games.

2. Which of the following can best describe Kwan?

A．Warm-hearted.	B．Energetic.
C．Easygoing.	D．Devoted.

3. What may be the best title for the text?

A．The Way to Success	B．A Great Skater
C．How to Be a Good Player?	D．Why Is       Devotion Important?

2 . Dear Basketball

From the moment

I started rolling my dad’s tube socks

And shooting imaginary

Game-winning shots

In the Great Western Forum

I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.

—Kobe Bryant (Dear Basketball)

The New Gorgeous Starting

Kobe Bryant has a real shot to add Oscar-winner to his extensive resume at 2018 Academy Awards with his short animated film Dear Basketball.

The retired Los Angeles Laker talked about the nomination and how his six-minute short film came together. He said that he loves “storytelling every bit as much as I love Basketball”.

But as Kobe Bryant has taken on a number of different projects after his retirement from basketball, he explained what being nominated for Hollywood’s top honor feels like:

“I’ve always been told that as basketball players the expectation is that you play. This is all you know. This is all you do. Don’t think about handling finances. Don’t think about going into business. Don’t think that you want to be a write- that’s cute. I got that a lot. What do you want to do when you retire? ‘Well, I want to be a storyteller.’ That’s cute. This is... a form of validation for people to look and say. ‘OK, he really can do something other than dribble and shoot.’”

What he seems to be saying is that the feeling of winning an Oscar —something so unexpected for an NBA legend—is crazier than what he felt winning rings, something he spent years focusing on in a craft (职业) he’d been working hard at.

(An extract from Kobe Bryant: Great Man Shall Never Retire)

1. Where would you be most likely to find the text?

A．In a poster.	B．In a newspaper.
C．On a notice board.	D．In a finance report.

2. The underlined part “The New Gorgeous Starting^’ refers to the fact that Kobe Bryant       .

A．has said goodbye to his basketball

B．has won an Oscar for his Dear Basketball

C．won many champion rings as an NBA legend

D．has undertaken many projects after his retirement

3. Why does Kobe Bryant seem to feel crazier winning an Oscar?

A．He has managed to challenge people’s traditional beliefs.

B．He has spent many years fighting for the splendid award.

C．He loves making animated films more than he does basketball.

D．He has lived up to people’s expectations of basketball players.

3 . Simone was born in Ohio, but grew up in Texas. Early on, she and her siblings (兄妹) were adopted by her grandparents, who she says support her in everything. She first realized she wanted to be a gymnast at the age of 6 when she and her classmates went on a field trip to a local gym. A coach at the gym saw her natural talent and wrote a letter to her grandparents urging them to get her involved. The sport she signed up for “for fun” soon turned into her life’s enthusiasm.

Simone is energetic, so it’s no surprise that she’s got a few medals in her time. Her ten world gold medals are the most ever achieved by a woman in gymnastics history. She is also the first woman to win four medals at the same World Championships, which happened in her second year performing in 2014.

In 2015 Simone became the first gymnast to win three constant all-around titles at the World Gymnastic Championships. She even amazed herself, telling the interviewer “I blew my own mind.” and posting to social media “breaking history is kind of cool.”

What surprised everyone most though, was that she was performing perfectly as she usually does—her skill is so beyond everyone else that she can’t be beaten even when she trips up!

1. What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Simone’s early experience.	B．Simone’s sports life.
C．Simone’s gymnastics coach.	D．Simone’s family.

2. What is Simone’s greatest achievement?

A．She got four gold medals at the Olympic Games.

B．She won the first woman championship in gymnastics.

C．She won ten world gold medals in gymnastics history.

D．She got the first gold medal at the World Championships.

3. What does the phrase “I blew my own mind” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．I lost heart.	B．I was beaten.
C．I tried my best.	D．I surprised myself.

4. What purpose is the passage written for?

A．To make readers interested in great gym players.

B．To praise Simone for her skills and Olympic spirits.

C．To list Simone’s gold medals in the World Cups.

D．To give brief introduction to Simone’s achievements.

4 . George Springer helped his team Houston Astros win the World Series in 2017. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player, ______ his struggle is mostly hidden. His ______ is not in trying to hit a fastball, but in ______ it. He stutters(口吃).

Growing up in Connecticut, Springer was the kid who would ______ raise his hand in school, the kid ______ every time he opened his mouth.

“I was the guy who didn’t talk,’’ he said. “I would ______ speaking at all costs.’’

He was often ______. Sometimes he was bullied(欺侮). The phone was suffering to him. ______were worse. If he wanted a dish that he knew would be tough to say, he would ______. If he was with his family, his sister Nicole would ______ for him.

He remembers a couple of attempts at speech therapy(语言治疗), but he said he was ______ with encouraging parents, an ability to ______ himself in sports, and a small group of friends who ______.

“If therapy works for you, ______. But for me, I also developed my own ______ to handle it,’’ he said. “Besides, when I was around all my friends, it didn’t really seem to ______ them. If I did it, they would ______ until I was done, then finish the conversation.’’

To help other kids ______ the same issue, Springer frequently appeared in interviews and even agreed to wear a microphone ______ during the 2017 All-Star Game. He then added “I can’t let anything in life I can’t ______ slow me down or stop me from being who I want to be.’’ These 22 words proved it.

1.

A．so

B．yet

C．and

D．since

2.

A．strength

B．fault

C．goal

D．difficulty

3.

A．talking about

B．dealing with

C．thinking about

D．playing with

4.

A．even

B．sometimes

C．often

D．never

5.

A．in delight

B．in fear

C．in relief

D．in trouble

6.

A．forbid

B．prefer

C．regret

D．avoid

7.

A．deserted

B．scared

C．teased

D．attacked

8.

A．Classes

B．Restaurants

C．Foods

D．Debates

9.

A．gesture

B．weep

C．signal

D．beg

10.

A．take

B．pay

C．order

D．cook

11.

A．blessed

B．getting along

C．provided

D．fed up

12.

A．refresh

B．relax

C．enjoy

D．express

13.

A．cared

B．forgave

C．understood

D．approved

14.

A．interesting

B．great

C．unique

D．strange

15.

A．ways

B．interest

C．habits

D．taste

16.

A．amaze

B．hurt

C．aid

D．bother

17.

A．laugh

B．press

C．wait

D．panic

18.

A．raising

B．facing

C．confusing

D．settling

19.

A．on field

B．in school

C．at home

D．on stage

20.

A．grasp

B．possess

C．control

D．defend

5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
Lionel Messi，a player from the South American country of Argentina,     1     (be)the greatest soccer player alive today．At a young age，he     2     (move)to Spain and now plays professionally for the Barcelona soccer club．Messi started playing soccer at     3     age of 5 for a small soccer team     4     (own)by his father．Even as a young boy,he did very well．But when he was 11 years old, he found out he had a sickness which would prevent him    5    growing much taller. There was a way to help him grow more，    6     his parents did not have enough money to pay for his medical needs．So，they looked around for a Soccer club     7     would be able to do this for them．The clubs in Argentina couldn’t help him，but the famous Barcelona club in Spain offered     8    (accept)Messi on the junior team and pay for the bills．The Messi family     9     (happy)took the offer and moved to Spain．In the Barcelona soccer club，Messi was one of the best     10     (player) through his teen years．With his incredible talent，Messi has surprised the world．

6 . At the age of 95, Olga Kotelko attracted great attention at the World Masters Athletics Championships. This 5ft-tall Canadian became the oldest recorded woman indoor runner, high jumper and long jumper at the competition.
Olga now has more than 30 world records to her name and has won more than 750 gold medals. But she sees herself as nothing special, describing herself as just a plain Jane. As one of 11 children brought up on a farm, she has always been active, milking cows and doing other housework.
She has now outlived all her brothers and sisters and most of her friends but when asked what her secret is, she says there isn’t one. “I think your age is just a number. It’s not your birthday; it’s how you age that makes the difference. It’s your attitude to all the things that happen in your life that plays the biggest part.”
So can we all turn ourselves into nonagenarian (九十多岁的) superheroes? Research from Newcastle University suggests that as every 24 hours pass, we add an extra five hours to our lives — that’s over 2 months each year—partly because of improving living conditions and medical development. And in the UK the number of people who are living into their 100th year has nearly increased by four times since the 1980s. So ageing is not a terrible thing.
While Olga’s genes (基因) might help her, we’re not all prisoners to our own. After all, 75% of our later lives could be down to the lifestyle we choose to lead. A good diet (饮食) and regular exercise are key. Besides, developing friendships in mid-life also works. Dr Holland, director of Aston University’s research centre for healthy ageing, says: “The more friends you have when you’re 50-60 years old, the less likely you’re to be lonely in later life; the less lonely you are, the less likely you’re to be ill as the years go by.”
1. Olga Kotelko was well-known at the World Masters Athletics Championships because      .

A．she was the oldest sportswoman there

B．she competed in several events

C．she set a new world record

D．she won a gold there

2. What did Olga Kotelko mean by describing herself as a plain Jane?

A．She was hard-working.

B．She was once named Jane.

C．She was very active.

D．She was very common.

3. Olga Kotelko’s words suggest that         .

A．we shouldn’t count our age up like numbers

B．we shouldn’t celebrate our birthday as we get old

C．we should try to have a positive attitude towards life

D．we should learn to change according to what happens

4. We can learn from the last paragraph that        .

A．how long we live doesn’t completely depend on genes

B．Olga Kotelko succeeded because of her good genes

C．it’s hard for the middle-aged to make friends

D．it’s unavoidable for people to get old

7 . David Beckham was born in 1975 in London, at a place called Leytonstone. When he was a young boy, his greatest passion was in football. He played it whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he would go and watch a game with his friends. When David Beckham was 12 years old, he won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award. This was an important step forward for this young boy, and it led him to go for a visit to a football training camp in Spain. As a boy he played for schools of Essex and also for his county team.

In 1991, he became a trainee with Manchester United. This meant that he could practice football as much as he wanted to and play for the highly successful Manchester United Youth Cup team and Under-21 team. In April, 1995 he played his first football league game against Leeds Untied. During 1995 and 1996, David became a regular member of the team and Manchester United won in both football seasons, with David scoring many goals.

His goals made him a household name. In the first game of the 1996-1997 season, he scored a surprising goal from beyond the halfway line, seeing the goalkeeper a little way out of his goal; Beckham became famous overnight. He continued to score astonishing goals, especially from free-kicks. The speed of one of his shots was timed at 157 kph. He also had the ability to make the ball go from left to right, or right to left, whenever he chose. Goalkeepers were never sure where the ball was going, and it regularly ended up in the goal.

1. Which word can take the place of the underlined word “passion” in Paragraph 1?

A．success	B．interest
C．prize	D．skill

2. The unusually surprising way that he scored goals     .

A．helped him to gain many prizes for Essex

B．kept him playing for Leeds United

C．offered him the chance to join the national team

D．made him popular and famous

3. Which of the following shows the right order of what Beckham experienced?
a. Beckham played his first football league game
b. Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award
c. Beckham played for Manchester United Youth Cup team
d. Beckham went to Spain to join a football training camp
e. Beckham played for the schools of Essex

A．e, d, a, c, b	B．b, e, d, a, c
C．e, b, a, d, c	D．b, d, e, c, a

4. The passage mainly talks about     .

A．how Beckham became a successful football player

B．what abilities Beckham had to score so many goals

C．when Beckham became famous all over Britain

D．why Beckham could win in football league games