1 . From the heartland to urban parks, school kids were released onto the baseball diamond. There was a time when baseball was the only summer game. But with competition from soccer and lacrosse, the clap of leather gloves is not as omnipresent as it used to be. Still, America’s game is a place for young boys to prove themselves.
Some boys were born athletic but Tim seemed to be growing in the opposite way: thin shoulders and no meat on his bones. But he loved baseball. And game after game, strikeout after strikeout piled up in the stat sheet. The desire was there, but the body doesn’t respond to dreams and wishes. The strikes continued.
Tim practiced his swing every day. His teammates encouraged him. His coach worked with him. Even opposing teams wished for a hit, just one hit for a boy who seemed to deserve it more than any other kid in the world.
What teammates and even the coach never saw was a gray van that pulled up each game in the parking lot adjacent to left field. Inside was Tim’s father, too weak from cancer to get out of the van. It’s a tough to watch your kid strike out, even tougher when you don’t have the strength to pitch to him.
At the end of the season, Tim stood at the plate as determined as ever. On the first pitch, the bat fell from his shoulder in a downward swing and somehow made contact. The ball dribbled down the third-base line, and Tim galloped to first. He stood on the bag wearing a smile as big as the outfield. He didn’t have the chance to advance, and when the pitcher retired the final out, Tim ran straight into left field, climbed the fence and dove into the front seat of a gray van, into the arms of a frail father whose wish for his son had finally materialized.
Sometimes it is more than a game.
1. What does the underlined word “omnipresent” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Outstanding. | B．Exciting. | C．Replaceable. | D．Common. |
| A．Tim's efforts won others’ respect |
| B．everyone believed Tim deserved a strikeout |
| C．Tim's coach was very satisfied with his performance |
| D．Tim's teammates often complained about his performance |
| A．Nobody supported Tim playing baseball. |
| B．Tim and his father love each other deeply. |
| C．Tim won the game through constant efforts. |
| D．Tim played baseball only to satisfy his own vanity. |
| A．Easier said than done. | B．One good turn deserves another. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. | D．One false step makes a great difference. |
2 . The news that all teachers were expected to attend camp with their students left me feeling unsettled. For the first time in more than 20 years, I would need to spend three days in the early autumn bush with 120 14-year-olds.
I love spending time with teenagers. But I teach Grade 12 English and am 51 years old. There is a difference between a literary seminar on King Lear, no matter how lively it may be, and late-night party in a campground. Besides, my idea of “outdoors” is biking on the Ottawa bike paths or sitting in the backyard with a cup of tea and a good book.
Eventually, we turn down a long dirt track that dives deep into a forest. I read the schedule and note the impressive minute-by-minute detail for the next 72 hours. I’ve never faced such a structured(高度组织化的) time since, well, when I went to camp in Grade 9. I think of home.
The next morning, I arise early. It is 7 a.m. Time for the polar bear dip. Everyone asks if I am going to swim. I respond with lame excuses and then wander, like a Grade 8 boy at the edges of a middle-school dance. Kids charge in, great plumes(股流) of water rising up around them as they shout with joy. My colleagues link arms, count down and run into the water bravely. Toweling off, the swimmers discuss the water temperature. The regret that I knew I would feel starts to kill me. I will now forever be the guy who did not take part in the polar bear dip. I walk slowly up to the dining hall and decide that from that moment on I will commit fully to camp life. My unwillingness to do anything is replaced with a burning desire to do everything.
At 7 a.m. the next morning, I am the first person on the beach in my bathing suit. I dive into the water. I scream about how good it feels. Toweling off afterward, I talk to anyone within earshot about the temperature of the water.
Later that day, the camp winds down. Something has happened in this camp. To the students, for sure, but also to me. When the last camper leaves, I give the camp director a big hug.
1. How did the author feel before the camp?| A．Angry. | B．Disappointed. |
| C．Anxious. | D．Excited. |
| A．To stress its liveliness. | B．To explain its topic. |
| C．To introduce his preference. | D．To show its similarity to camping. |
| A．He is fed up with making excuses. |
| B．He hates to be regret-stricken. |
| C．He desires to show off his swimming skills. |
| D．He is encouraged to do so by his colleagues. |
| A．He has used up his energy. |
| B．He misses home very much. |
| C．He turns into a camp director. |
| D．He has become a camp lover. |
