1 . My First Marathon（马拉松）

A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.

I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was ＂not athletic＂.

The idea that I was ＂not athletic＂ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!

The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.

Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!

At mile 3, I passed a sign: ＂GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!＂

By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.

By mile 21, I was starving!

As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.

I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.

Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a ＂marathon winner＂.

1. A month before the marathon, the author ____________.

A．was well trained	B．felt scared
C．made up his mind to run	D．lost hope

2. Why did the author mention the P.E. class in his 7th year?

A．To acknowledge the support of his teacher.

B．To amuse the readers with a funny story.

C．To show he was not talented in sports.

D．To share a precious memory.

3. How was the author’s first marathon?

A．He made it.	B．He quit halfway.
C．He got the first prize.	D．He walked to the end.

4. What does the story mainly tell us?

A．A man owes his success to his family support.

B．A winner is one with a great effort of will.

C．Failure is the mother of success.

D．One is never too old to learn.

5 . Last year I went to the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, and it blew my mind. It had been my dream to attend the famous carnival for many years, so I was excited. However ,the moment I arrived, I was a little bit nervous because there were so many people on the streets. They say that five or six million people come to Rio during carnival time and about two million of them are on the streets on any given day. Luckily, I had a local guide, my sister’s friend Ronnie. He said he would take care of me and show me around at the carnival. He did not let me down.

Well, the carnival is all about the samba. It’s a style of music and dance which has its origins in Africa. Lots of Africans were used as slave labor by the Portuguese when Brazil was being conquered, so this mixed culture of African, Latin and European styles is really strong here.   Samba music is usually fast and exciting with a lot of drums and harmonic vocals(和声).It’s the kind of music that you couldn’t help dancing to. And I was learning that as I followed Ronnie through the crowd, I couldn’t help moving my hips and shoulders.

Ronnie had got us tickets for the samba parade inside the Sambadrome where the top samba schools compete for the championship, but we still had a long way to go through the street parties. He said most people enjoy the carnival by making their own parties in the street. About the samba parade, twelve main teams compete for the championship, and if they win, their performance will be talked about for years to come.

So, you must be wondering how it was. Well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Ronnie and I never made into the Sambadrome.   We spent the day moving from one street party to another. There were more snacks, more drinks and lots of dancing. Do I regret missing the main parade? Not at all. I experienced the carnival like the locals, and it was truly amazing.

1. How did the author feel once she arrived at the carnival?

A．Disappointed.

B．Anxious.

C．Excited.

D．Annoyed.

2. What can be known about samba in Paragraph 2?

A．It has a strong mixed culture.

B．Its music is always fast but soft.

C．It is not to the taste of the author.

D．It has its origins in South America.

3. Why didn’t the author regret missing the main parade?

A．She met some amazing local people.

B．She gave her own parties in the street.

C．She celebrated the festival in a local way.

D．She didn’t have the tickets for the parade.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To recommend a helpful guide.

B．To encourage people to learn samba.

C．To share an unforgettable experience.

D．To tell a cruel history of Rio de Janeiro.

8 . Jessica Long, from Baltimore, Maryland, USA is a champion by all definitions of the word. She is one of the world’s most decorated swimmers. Jessica was the youngest athlete to win a Paralympics (残奥会) medal. But her path to becoming a champion has been anything but easy.

Jessica was born in Irkutsk, Russia with a severe and rare disease — fibular hemimelia (腓侧半肢畸形). This means that part of her leg bones was missing or abnormal. Because of that, her young mother placed her in a Russian orphanage (孤儿院), fearing she could not care for Jessica.

Fortunately, she was adopted by an American family when she was 13 months old. She required 25 different surgeries to help her leg condition. But unfortunately, both of her legs had to be removed when she was just 18 months old. Jessica learned to walk with artificial legs. As a child, she took to sports including gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, biking and rock climbing.

She began swimming at her grandparents’ house when she was 6. She started competitive swimming about 4 years later. She did really well in swimming. Shortly after she started competing, Jessica was selected as Maryland’s Female Swimmer of the Year with a Disability. Even though Jessica was annoyed with her physical limitations, she was encouraged to enter her first Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. She won three gold medals in swimming at 12! But she did not rest on her success.

Jessica has gone on to win 23 medals for Team USA at the Paralympics! While she began her career out of anger and annoyance, she now has a positive force on a mission to inspire the next generation of Paralympians! Her attitude and growth have been keys to her success. Jessica always believed she could do anything. As she says, “The only disability in life is a negative attitude.”

1. What happened to Jessica when she was a baby?

A．She was abandoned in the wild.	B．She had 25 operations on her leg.
C．She had her legs cut because of a disease.	D．She was adopted by a Russian family.

2. When did Jessica begin to receive professional swimming training?

A．At the age of 4.	B．At the age of 6.
C．At the age of 10.	D．At the age of 12.

3. What can we infer about Jessica from the text?

A．She was the youngest athlete in US history.

B．She has set a good example to Paralympians.

C．She has won 23 gold medals in Paralympics.

D．She took part in several sports in Paralympics.

4. What does the author want to tell us?

A．Difficult the first time, easy the second.

B．Never hit a man when he is down.

C．A common danger causes common action.

D．Nothing is impossible to a determined heart.

9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Adam lived with his parents in one city while his grandparents lived far away in another city. Adam’s parents usually took their son to his grandparents’ house during summer holiday every year and stayed there for around 20 days. Adam’s grandfather loved him very much and spent a lot of time playing with him. His grandmother always cooked delicious food for him. Adam loved his stay there. This continued for years. The boy grew up over time.

One day Adam said to his parents, “Now, I am old enough to go to grandparents’ house alone. So, please let me go by myself.”

His parents didn’t agree at first but Adam insisted(坚持). They finally agreed. But they were worried about his safety. So, they taught him everything he needed to know to travel alone.

The day came when Adam was to leave for his grandparents’ house. And his parents came to see him off at the train station. When the boy was comfortably seated on the train, his parents got off and waited for the train to leave.

While waiting, the father went to the window and kept talking to his son. He handed his son an envelope(信封) from the window and said, “Son, if you feel afraid on the way, open this and read it. It will help you to calm down.”

The boy kept that envelope in his pocket carefully and said goodbye to his parents. When the train was ready to leave, the boy smiled and told his father, “I remember everything. Don’t worry.”

At every station where the train stopped, people kept coming and going. The boy started feeling a little lonely.

注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

At one station, a big man with cuts on his face got on the train.

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Then he remembered his father’s letter.

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10 . Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my dad in his study every night when he came home from the office. I’d watch as he put his personal items away: his watch, wallet, comb and car keys. They would always occupy the same spot on the table every time.

Dad’s comb was jade green. I heard he bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would smile, hand me the comb and say, “Be a good girl and help Daddy clean it, OK?”

I was more than happy to do it. At age five, this kind of task brought me such joy. I would excitedly turn the tap on, and then brush the comb with a used toothbrush as hard as I could. Satisfied that I’d done a good job, I would proudly return the comb to Dad. He would smile at me, and place the comb on top of his wallet.

About two years later, Dad left his sales job and started his own wholesale business. I started primary school. That was when things started to change. Dad’s business wasn’t doing so well, and our stable life started getting shaky. He didn’t come home as much as he used to. And when he did come home, it was always late and I’d already be in bed. I started to get mad. Why didn’t he listen to Mum and just stick to his old job? Why take the risk and place the whole family in trouble? Over the years, I stopped waiting for him to come home, and stopped going downstairs to check on him.

Now 28, I’ve graduated from college and got a job. Dad’s business has also started to get back on track. Yet the uncomfortable silence between Dad and me went on.

Two days before my birthday last year, Dad came home early. On that evening, I helped him carry his bags into his study as usual. When I turned to leave, he asked me to clean his comb. I looked at him for a while, then took the comb and headed to the sink.

It was a new comb. This one was brown. I hadn’t noticed that he’d changed it. After cleaning it, I passed it back to Dad. He looked at it and smiled. But this time, I noticed something different. My dad had aged. He had wrinkles next to his eyes when he smiled, yet his smile was still as heartwarming as before.

1. From the first three paragraphs, we can learn .

A．the earliest memories with Dad were full of joy

B．the precious green comb of Dad was made of jade

C．the author was unwilling to clean the comb for Dad

D．the author would study together with Dad every evening

2. What probably made Dad decide to resign from his original job to start his own business?

A．That he was eager to get everything on track.	B．That he wanted to keep his family life stable.
C．That he was laid off and had to make a living.	D．That he hoped to earn a better life for the family.

3. What emotional changes did the author experience when staying with Dad these years?

A．cheerful→ mad→ warm.	B．mad → satisfied → warm.
C．satisfied → worried → angry.	D．warm → concerned → uncomfortable.

4. What could be the best title for the text?

A．A Comb of Jade Green	B．Dad’s Wholesale Business
C．Evenings with My Dad	D．My Earliest Memories with Dad