1 . Cassis Marcellus Clay, also known as Muhammad Ali (拳王阿里), was born on January 17th, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. In his younger years he had no interest in sports until an accident (事故) happened.

When Cassius was 12, his new bike was missing. Reporting the theft (盗窃) to Policeman Joe Martin, he said that he was going to beat whoever had taken his bike. Martin, who had been coaching youth boxing for decades, asked the boy, “Do you know how to fight?” When Cassius said that he didn’t, the officer suggested, “You’d better learn! ”

It was the beginning of his boxing career (事业). Cassius devoted (致力于) himself to boxing training. Although he wasn’t very talented (有天资的) in boxing, he worked harder than anyone else in the gym. He’d rush to the gym every day as soon as school was over and would even train on Saturdays. Outside of the gym, Cassius stayed away from anything that would influence his training. He was showing the kind of determination and discipline (自律) that other boxers didn’t have.

Under the guidance of Martin and his friend, young Clay began winning games one after another. By the age of 18 he had won 108 games, 6 Kentucky Golden Gloves championships and 2 national AAU titles.

Today he is recognized as one of the greatest athletes of modern times. He always had self-confidence and believed in his ability that he could put his competitors off guard before the first round bell had even sounded.

1. How did Cassius feel when he told the policeman bis bike was stolen?

A．Positive.	B．Confused.
C．Amazed.	D．Angry.

2. What did Martin do with young Cassius?

A．He asked Cassius to train hard.	B．He helped Cassius to find his bike.
C．He advised Cassius to learn boxing.	D．He introduced Cassius to a boxing coach.

3. Which can be used to describe Cassius?

A．Talented.	B．Easy-going.
C．Cold-hearted.	D．Hard-working.

4. Why did the author mention some figures (数据) in Paragraph 4?

A．To show Cassius’ achievements.	B．To express Cassius’ determination.
C．To express his admiration for Cassius.	D．To show the importance of hard work.

3 . 语法填空

When Michael Jordan’s feet left the ground, time seemed to stand still. The player     1    became known as “Air Jordan”     2    (change) basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. Jordan’s skills were impressive, but the mental     3     (strong) that he showed made him unique. In the final seconds of a game, Jordan always seemed to find a way     4    (win). Jordan says the the secret     5    success is learning from his failures. “I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”     6    (lose) games taught him to practise harder and never give up. In life, Jordan has learnt to share his success with others. The Boys and Girls Club     7    he started in Chicago has been helping young people since 1996.

4 . Five years ago, Chinese skater Wu Dajing introduced himself to the skating world by winning a silver medal at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. At Pyeong Chang Olympics, Wu not only returned, but also made history.

On Feb 22th, 2018, Wu won the gold medal in the men’s short-track 500-metre race. He set a new world record with a time of 39.584 seconds. He also became the first Chinese man to take home an Olympic short-track gold medal. BBC said Wu’s win was “flawless”, because he was much faster than all of the other skaters.

“I didn’t give them a chance and I kept my speed from the start,” he told the media after the match.

But China’s short-track teams didn’t do well in general at the Games. Chinese skaters in the women’s 500 metres, 3000-metre relay and men’s 1500 metres all failed to take home the gold. Wu was China’s biggest hope, which put a lot of pressure on him. But he proved himself with his great performance.

Wu is now known as a highly talented skater. But things were not always that way. When Wu joined the national team in 2010, he was seen as almost “nothing” compared to gifted skaters like Zhou Yang and Fan Kexin, as his coaches said at the time. Their comments made him quite upset. But as the saying goes. “Winners never quit (放弃) and quitters never win”. Wu didn’t want to give up and worked as hard as he could. He practiced skating all year round. He even didn’t return to his hometown for the holidays for 10 years. “I believe in myself.” he told the media after his match at the Olympics.

1. People began to know Wu Dajing by the time he .

A．won the second place at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games

B．won a gold medal at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games

C．won a gold medal at Pycong Chang Olympic Winter Games

D．entered the Pycong Chang Olympic Winter Games

2. What does the underlined word “flawless” mean?

A．common

B．valuable

C．perfect

D．difficult

3. According to the passage, which of the following is RIGHT?

A．Wu won a gold medal at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games four years ago.

B．Wu broke the world record with a time of 39.584 seconds and made history.

C．Wu’s coaches placed great hope on him when he joined the national team.

D．Chinese skaters in women’s 500 metres, 3000-metre relay took home the gold.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A．The national team and coaches thought Wu as a talented skater all the way.

B．Wu kept on practicing skating all year round even in the holidays for 10 years.

C．Zhou Yang and Fan Kexin were more hard-working on skating than Wu Dajing.

D．It is the hardwork, confidence and strong will that have made Wu a winner.

5 . “Some day, there’ll be no Americans left in the NBA,” said 12-year-old Xing Tao, who joined his school team two weeks ago after watching Yao Ming in a televised NBA game, “The players will all be Chinese, like Yao.”

To China, Yao is a home-grown superstar who helped make the world’s first basketball league closer to Chinese players. To the NBA, the 2.23-meter center offers an opening of a different sort into the world’s largest new market. Yao’s NBA first appearance against the Indiana Pacers in October reached 287 million families in the US. That game might have been a bit of a letdown to Yao’s fans: He played just 11 of the 48 minutes, had two rebounds (篮板) and got no points. Comparing that with his performance on December 19, also against Indiana, Yao won 29 points and 10 rebounds. “This was one of the most exciting games I’ve had,” Yao said after Houston’s 95-83 victory. The NBA has to be excited about his on-count success. In all his games, he’s averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds, quite good for a new star. “Yao Ming has brought the NBA closer to the Chinese,” said NBA spokeswoman Cheong Sau Ching, “That makes the dream seem practical for other people in China and proud to be Chinese.”

The 22-year-old Yao is not the country’s first player in the NBA: Wang Zhizhi broke down the Dallas Mavericks in November 2003. But Yao’s combination of modesty (谦虚) and skills make him a favorite back home.

1. What’s the direct reason for Xing Tao to join the school basketball team?

A．He watched an NBA game.	B．He liked basketball.
C．He hoped to play for the NBA.	D．He had dream that he would become a basketball star.

2. How many points did Yao Ming win in his first game in the NBA?

A．zero

B．two

C．29

D．10

3. What does the word “letdown” in line 6, paragraph 2 mean?

A．failure

B．surprise

C．disappointment

D．sadness.

4. Why does Yao Ming win more popularity than Wang Zhizhi at home?

A．He has performed excellently.	B．He is modest.
C．More and more Chinese people like to watch his games.	D．Both A and B.

5. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Middle school students want to play basketball.

B．Yao Ming makes NBA closer to China.

C．There’ll be no Americans left in the NBA.

D．There are many new stars from China in the NBA.

9 .
What are the speakers talking about?

A．A table tennis player.

B．An outstanding movie.

C．Yang Lan’s biography.

10 . Winter sports tend to be more dangerous than summer sports—they take place mostly outside at the mercy of ice or snow, involving metal edges, extreme speeds and crashes. Skeleton (俯式冰撬), however, stands apart as one of the most difficult and least accessible of all the winter sports. Adam Edelman, Israel’s first Olympic skeleton athlete, would like to change that.

Edelman was the 10th athlete named to the 2018 Israeli Olympic Team. Qualifying for the Olympics in any sport is impressive. But it’s more impressive if you qualify for the Olympics after only four years in the sport—and without a coach.

Edelman was first introduced to skeleton watching the game on television in late 2013. Sports have always been a part of his life. He grew up playing football and was a goalkeeper on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology football team. Ready for a new challenge, he set his sights on the Olympics.

Without a coach, Edelman learned to drive by watching endless hours of YouTube videos and taking more runs than anybody else on the track. “When everybody else would take three runs per day, I would take six to eight.” he recalled.

Succeeding in skeleton takes a large amount of athletic ability and technical skill, but there’s one more element (因素) required, one that can’t be taught. “These tracks but built in the middle of nowhere, and it’s gray and cold. You haven’t seen your family in seven months and you really just want to give up. To continue, it takes tenacity.” Edelman said.

Edelman is already looking beyond Pyeongchang. The 2022 Olympics could be in his future, but whether he continues to compete or not, he promises to stay in Israeli sports as long as possible-as instructor or as a coach.

1. What might impress people most?

A．Edelman’s gift in winter sports.

B．The challenges Edelman has met

C．Edelman entering for the Olympics.

D．Edelman’s successful story as a skeleton athlete

2. What does the underlined word “tenacity” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．willpower	B．Extra strength
C．Good luck	D．Financial support

3. What might be Edelman’s plan for the future?

A．Setting up a team of his own.

B．Passing on his skills and experience.

C．Calling on more people to take up sports.

D．Ending his sports life after the Olympic Games.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Edelman?

A．intelligent	B．confident
C．patient	D．determined