2 . Though thousands of adventurers have climbed up Mount Everest, the highest and most famous of the world’s 14 tallest mountains, only 40 climbers have conquered them all. Nepalese mountaineer Purja became one of them after he reached the 8,028-meter peak of China’s Mt. Shishapangma on October 29, 2019. Purja made the extraordinary achievement in just six months and six days, much faster than late South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho’s 2013 record of 7 years, ten months, and six days.

“I am incredibly excited and proud to have reached this final peak and achieved my goal of climbing the world’s 14 tallest mountains in record time,” Purja said. “It was extremely hard six months, and I hope to have proven that anything is possible with some determination, self-belief, and positivity.”

Purja’s “Project Possible” started becoming a reality on April 23, 2019, when he successfully peaked Nepal’s 8,091 meters tall Mt. Annapurna. The climber then rapidly completed the next five mountains, including Mt. Everest, within only four weeks! Five more peaks were conquered in July and the last three during September and October.

The adventurer, who was joined by teams of Nepalese climbers on each of his adventures, encountered many memorable and critical moments. On April 23, 2019, while going down Mt. Annapurna, Purja and his team heard about a Malaysian climber who had been separated from his group with no food, water, or oxygen for over 40 hours. They managed to find him and got him airlifted to a hospital. On May 15, 2019, Purja’s team similarly helped three trapped climbers on Mt. Kanchenjunga by giving them oxygen.

Purja said his primary purpose for undertaking this enormous task was to show the world that anyone can attain greatness if they put their minds to it. “By achieving this goal, I knew I could inspire people from all generations across the world,” he said.

1. Which was the last of the world’s 14 tallest mountains Purja peaked?

A．Mt. Everest.	B．Mt. Annapurna.
C．Mt. Kanchenjunga.	D．Mt. Shishapangma.

2. Which of the following best describes Purja?

A．Capable, worthy and honest.	B．Brave, intelligent and traditional.
C．Determined, positive and caring.	D．Creative, energetic and adventurous.

3. What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 4?

A．The number of climbers should be limited to ensure safety.

B．Purja and his team are willing to assist climbers in trouble.

C．It is impossible to rescue trapped climbers on high mountains.

D．Necessary preparations must be made before climbing mountains.

4. What might be the best title of the text?

A．Mountaineering: A Challenging but Popular Sport

B．Purja: A World-famous Nepalese Climbing Pioneer

C．Kim Chang-ho Succeeded in Climbing up Mt. Everest Alone

D．Nepalese Mountaineer Conquers World’s 14 Highest Peaks in Six Months

3 . At the age of eight, Glenn Cunningham was severely injured in a fire. He had major burns over the lower half of his body and was taken to a nearby county hospital.

From his bed, the semi-conscious（半昏迷的）little boy heard the doctor talking to his mother. The doctor told his mother that her son would surely die—which was for the best, really—for the terrible fire had destroyed the lower half of his body.

But somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he did survive. The mother was told that her son was bound to spend a lifetime in a wheelchair.

But this brave little boy was determined that he would walk and even run. But unfortunately, from the waist down, Glenn had no motor ability. His thin, scarred legs just hung there, all but lifeless. Yet his courage that he would walk was as strong as ever.

One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself from the chair. Glenn worked his way to the fence, dragging his legs behind him. Then, step by step, he began dragging himself along the fence, determined that he would walk. He started to do this every day until eventually Glenn did develop the ability first to stand up , then to walk with help, then to walk by himself—and then amazingly—to run. Glenn began to run to school. He ran everywhere as fast as he could. Later in college, Glenn joined the track team where he received the nickname（绰号）the “Kansas Flyer”.

1938 witnessed this young man’s another amazing achievement. This young man, who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could never hope to run, ran the mile in 4 minutes and 4.4 seconds, the world’s fastest indoor mile! His persistence paid off.

1. What did the doctor think of Glenn’s injury?

A．It would take a long time for him to fully recover.

B．It would cost lots of money to cure him.

C．He would be semi-conscious.

D．He had little chance of surviving.

2. Why did Glenn receive the nickname the “ Kansas Flyer”?

A．Because he looked like the “ Kansas Flyer”.

B．Because he once acted as the “ Kansas Flyer”.

C．Because he could run very fast.

D．Because he joined the track team.

3. What achievement did Glenn make in 1938?

A．He survived.	B．He developed the ability to walk.
C．He began to run to school.	D．He set a world record.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The power of determination.	B．The dream for championship.
C．The key to high performance.	D．The mistake of a doctor.