1 . When young, I loved going on trail（小路） runs. It was my favorite way to escape stress. So, when I was back in my hometown after a tough first year of my Ph. D. program, I thought a trail run was just what I needed. But instead of helping me relax, the run did just the opposite.

After I moved to the city for college, where my runs were on flat concrete paths instead of winding dirt trails, I used a GPS watch. When I went on trail runs again in the country, it constantly reminded me of the fact that I wasn’t keeping up with my usual pace. I turned my watch off, thinking that would allow me to enjoy my surroundings and find the peace I expected, but I worried I was underperforming. “Why can’ t I let go and just enjoy myself?” I wondered. But after some introspection（反省）, I realized why I was struggling—both on trail runs and in graduate school.

Going into my Ph. D. , I had thought that my solid undergraduate track record would set me up for instant success. To my surprise, I was wrong. I lacked confidence in my research abilities which I thought stopped me performing well and I constantly felt my progress was too slow. Other students’ self-confidence and their excellent results made me feel insecure. Finally, one day I broke down in tears in my adviser’ s office.

Then came my visit home: I was having trouble because I hadn’ t properly adjusted my expectations to the differences between an urban run and a trail run.

A Ph. D. is like a trail run: Sometimes you can run fast. Sometimes you might find yourself climbing up a steep, winding trail at a snail’ s pace. And that’ s OK. Barriers are unavoidable, and success looks and feels different on a challenging trail than it does on a smooth, flat path. Sometimes it’ s best to take a deep breath and do your best to meet the challenge.

1. How did the author feel when he was on trail runs again?

A．Relaxed.	B．Tired.
C．Anxious.	D．Happy.

2. What resulted in the author’ s poor performance in Ph. D

A．His lack of confidence.	B．His lack of hard work.
C．His poor research abilities.	D．His poor track record.

3. What does the author want to show in the last paragraph?

A．His desire for success.	B．His confidence of trail runs.
C．His expectations in his study.	D．His realization after the trail run.

4. What does the author want to tell us?

A．Failure is the mother of success.

B．Working out regularly is beneficial.

C．It’ s important to make necessary adjustments.

D．It’ s vital to turn to others for help.

2 . Mark was a great kid from a tough neighborhood. Crime, drugs, fighting and poverty: You name the problem and his neighborhood had it. A scholarship fund provided his tuition to Catholic High, where he was a great baseball player.

Mark struggled in the classroom, though. He was bright, just behind, due to a more than difficult home environment. But there were problems finding the time for all he needed to do. After-school tutoring seemed impossible because of baseball practice. Some suggested Mark abandon sports and concentrate on “schooling”. But, in reality, if he was going to attend college he would need his sports; so to miss practice and then perform any less than at his best on the field was not wise.

A fellow teacher, Mrs. Jones, offered to tutor Mark in math at her home. I asked Mark to come to my house for other areas of work. No one paid us. Mrs. Jones summed it up this way: “Pay day doesn’t always come on Mondays”.

When we were not working with Mark to improve his skills for the ACT, the coach and Mark’s dad took him to various colleges to talk with both baseball and football program coaches. He settled on the college that offered him scholarships to play both sports. But he needed a good ACT score.

It takes months to receive the results of college entrance exams. One afternoon after school, while I was grading papers in my room, there was a noise outside the door.

Mark came in, lifted me out of the seat behind my desk, spun(旋转) me around in the air, and yelled over and over: “I’m going to college! I’m going to college!”

“I guess you got your scores!” I asked.

“Well, yeah!” he laughed. “And guess what? I got one point more than I need to be admitted. One point extra. Thank you! Now, where’s Mrs. Jones? I’ve got to tell her too!”

Until that moment, I had never quite understood what the expression “Pay day doesn’t always come on Mondays” meant. But it was clear to me the instant Mark ran into the room to announce his news. No amount of money could ever replace my spin in the air at the hands of a boy who finally had a chance at a better life.

1. Mark had difficulty in learning mainly because ________.

A．he spent most of his spare time practicing baseball

B．his family couldn’t afford any tutoring for him

C．his parent didn’t care about his study

D．he was constantly involved in the crimes in his neighborhood

2. According to the article, which of the following is false?

A．The teachers offered to tutor Mark free of charge.

B．Theft was a problem in Mark’s neighborhood.

C．Mark owed his success in passing ACT to his teachers.

D．Mark went to college mainly due to his good ACT score.

3. The underlined word “settled on” in the fourth paragraph probably means _____.

A．was accepted by	B．reached a final decision about
C．paid a visit to	D．became familiar with

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Pay Day Will Come Some Day.

B．Practice Makes a Better Life.

C．Relationships between Teachers and Students.

D．Never Give up on Yourself.

3 . Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother.The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.
“Farah，aren’t you going to invite Hafsa？”her mother asked.Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.
“Mother，you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with，”Farah answered.
“Really？And what are the rules？”her mother asked.
“Well，only very pretty girls can be part of our group.And Hafsa is so...you know...dark.”
“I cannot believe it，”her mother said angrily.
As Farah left the kitchen，her father called   her from the living room.
Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands.“Farah，what has happened to your grades？You have failed in Mathematics，”her father said.
Farah had no answer.The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies.
“Farah，it says that you can take part in supplementary exams(补考).If your grades don’t improve then，I’ll cancel(取消) your trip to Spain.”
Farah went to her room and called Gina，the leader of Purple Girls Club， “Gina，can you help me to complete my notes before the exams？”
Gina laughed.“Exams？Who cares about exams？”
One by one，she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help.
Farah knew Hafsa would help her.Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her，but Hafsa said，“If you need any help，just let me know.We can study together till your exams.”
Next Monday，as two friends entered the school together，Gina called out.
“Farah，you know our rules.You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”
“Gina，I have a new rule about friendship，”Farah replied.
1. After Farah became a member of Purple Girls   Club，she chose a friend according to a person’s________.

A．looks

B．usual activities

C．grades

D．favorite colors

2. Farah became pale after going to her father because________.

A．he didn’t allow her to go to Spain

B．she didn’t do well in her exams

C．she had to leave Purple Girls Club

D．he asked her to improve her grades

3. Which word can best describe Hafsa?

A．Silly.

B．Beautiful.

C．Rude.

D．Kind.

4. What lesson can we learn from the passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

B．A perfect friend will never be found.

C．Be slow in choosing a friend.

D．Friendship can be developed easily.

4 . When I was 16 years old, a boy gave me an important gift.     1    .It was the early autumn of my first year at a junior high school, and my old school was far away.     2    . I was very lonely, and afraid to make friends with anyone.

Every time I listened to other students talking and laughing, I felt my heart break. I couldn’t talk about anyone with my problems. And I didn’t want my parents to worry about me.[

Then one day, my classmates talked happily with their friends, but I sat at my desk unhappily as usual.     3     I didn’t know who he was. He passed me and then turned back. He looked at me, with a smile on his face.

Suddenly, I felt the touch of something bright and friendly. It made me feel happy, lively and warm     4     I started to talk with other students and made friends. Day by day, I became closer to everyone in my class. The boy with the lucky smile has become my best friend now!       5     I believe that the world is what you think it is. If you think it lonely, you might always be alone. So   smile at the world and it will smile back.

A．At that moment, a boy entered the classroom.

B．He’s living in Australia now and he loves it.

C．It doesn‘t matter because all the dark days have gone.

D．It was a smile.

E．That smile changed my life.

F．It’s practically impossible to make friends here.

G．As a result, no one knew who I was.