Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children's careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It's very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child's development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. All can be very expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may he damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training when young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.
【小题1】This passage is most probably taken from _______.

Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children's careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It's very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child's development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. All can be very expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may he damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training when young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.

1. 1.

   This passage is most probably taken from _______.

   1. A.
      a letter
   2. B.
      an advertisement
   3. C.
      a personal diary
   4. D.
      a newspaper
2. 2.

   According to the passage, parents whose children show a special interest in a sport ____.

   1. A.
      feel uncertain if they should let their children train to be sportsmen or sportswomen
   2. B.
      try to get financial support from the govern­ment for their children's training
   3. C.
      have to get medical advice from doctors about training methods
   4. D.
      prefer their children to be trained as young as possible
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true?

   1. A.
      By starting young, you won't have much time for your schoolwork.
   2. B.
      Early training may damage your muscles.
   3. C.
      Most children may become top sportsmen after a long period of training.
   4. D.
      It' s very expensive for parents to support their child's development in sports.
4. 4.

   The phrase "to take a second place" underlined in first paragraph means "_______".

   1. A.
      to repeat the activities some other day
   2. B.
      to become less important
   3. C.
      of all the things, they are the most important
   4. D.
      to happen again
5. 5.

   _____ can become the best players after many years of training.

   1. A.
      Most people
   2. B.
      Many people
   3. C.
      merely a few people
   4. D.
      No people

Today, when a man steps on to the moon, or something new and important happens the world learns about it immediately. What did the newspapers say about that first flight in 1903? Strangely enough, they said hardly anything about it at all. There were only a few reports about it in the papers. These reports said very little. Some of the things they said were not even correct.

In 1904 the Wrights built a second machine. They called it “Flyer No. Two”. They invited some reporters to a field near Dayton to watch them fly. Unfortunately, there were some mechanical (机械的)trouble with the plane and it did not fly at all that day. The newspapermen went away. They were disappointed and did not come back. The Wrights went on with their work. In 1905, they built an even better machine, “Flyer No. Three”. They were able to stay upon the air for half an hour and more in the machine. Farmers and travelers on the road around the Dayton often saw tem flying, but when three people told newspapermen about it, they refused to believe them.

The Wrights offered “Flyer No. Three” to the United States government. The govern－ment was not interested. They seemed to think the Wrights wanted money in order to build a place. They did not understand the Wrights had already done this, and flown it well. Experts were still saying that mechanical flight was impossible. At the end of 1905 the two brothers took their planes to pieces. The parts were put into a huge wooden box. It seemed nobody was interested.

1. The reporters were disappointed in 1904 because____________.

　 A. the Wrights did not invite them

　 B. the plane could not stay long in the air

　 C. the plane did not fly at all that day

　 D. they had wanted to see a better machine

2. The U.S. government could not understand that____________.

A. the Wrights had already built a machine that could fly

B. experts still thought flying was impossible

C. the Wrights wanted more money to build an airplane

D. “Flyer No. Three” was now in a wooden case

3. The Wrights took their plane to pieces because_____________.

　 A. they planned to go to Europe

　 B. nobody was interested

　 C. the government didn’t give them any money

　 D. the newspapermen didn’t report their flights

4. What does the underlined word “Flyer” means?

　 A. pilot　　　　 B. driver　　　 C. plane　　　 D. kite

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

　 A. Today, people are very interested in new things.

　 B. People in the past talked little about new things.

　 C. Reporters are now as interested in new happening as in the past.

　 D. People in the past even told each other wrong things.

Kong Zi. called Confucius(551-479 B. C. ). and Socrates (469-399 B. C. )lived only a hundred years apart, and during their lifetimes there was no contact between China and Greece, but it is interesting on look at how the world that each of there great philosophers came from shaped their ideas, and how these in turn, shaped their societies.

Neither philosopher lived in times of peace, though there were more wars in Greece than in China. The Chinese states were very large and feudal, while the Greek city-states were small and urban. The urban environment in which Socrates lived allowed him to be more radical(激进的)than Confucius. Unlike Confucius, Socrates was not asked by rulers how to govern effectively. Thus Socrates was able to be more idealistic, focusing on issues like freedom and knowledge for its own sake, on the other hand, advised those in government service, and many of his students went on to government service.

Confucius suggested Rule as a principle for the conduct of “Do not do to others what you would not want others to you. ”He assumed that all men were equal at birth, though some potential than others, are that it was knowledge that set men apart. Socrates focused on individual, and thought that the greatest purpose of man was to seek wisdom. He believed that some had more potential to develop their reason than others did. Like Confucius, he believed that the superior class should rule the inferior(下层的)classes.

For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the community of little concern. For Confucius, however, the family was the centre of society, with family relations considered much more important than political relations.

Both men are respected much more today than they were in their lifetimes.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the first paragraph?

         A.Socrates and Confucius had much in common.

         B.Confuius had much influence on Socrates ideas.

         C.The societies were influenced by the philosophers’ ideas.

         D. there were cultural exchanges between China and Greece.

2.Socates snared wih Confucius the idea that_________.

         A.all men were equal when they were born

         B.the lower classes should be ruled by the upper class

         C.the purpose of man was to seek freedom and wisdom

         D.people should not ask others to do what they did not want to

3.What made some people different from others according to Confucius?

         A.Family                               B.Potential                          C.Knowledge                      D.Community

4.This passage is organized in the pattem of_________

         A.time and events                        B.comparison and contrast

         C.cause and effect                      D.definition and classification

Nothing succeeds like confidence. When you are truly confident, it radiates (辐射) from you like sunlight, and attracts success to you like a magnet (磁铁). Besides, those who are self-confident can in turn inspire (encourage) confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success.

So how can we build a sense of self-confidence and prepare ourselves on the way to success?

First, do what you believe to be right, even if others mock or criticize you for it. Believe in yourself and believe that you can do it in any situations, because if you believe you can, then you really will. The belief keeps you searching for answers, which means that pretty soon you will get them.

Second, govern your behavior based on what other people think. What’s more important, be willing to take risks and go the extra miles to achieve better results, in which case mistakes can not be avoided. Always be ready to admit your mistakes, and learn from them. Next, work hard to settle the problems in order to cover up your mistakes before anyone notices. Building self-confidence is readily achievable, as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what’s even better is that the things you’ll do to build self-confidence will also build success -- after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No one can take this away from you!

As you sow, so will you reap. With your perseverance (毅力) and improvement, you are getting closer to success. At this stage, wait for others to give congratulations and compliments on your achievements. “Thanks, I really worked hard on it. I’m pleased you recognize my efforts.” The congratulations and compliments from others will promote you to gain further success.

Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, and it is no wonder that so many people struggle to find it. Self-confidence really can be learned and built on. Besides, whether you’re working on your own self-confidence or building the confidence of people around you, it’s well worth the effort!

1.Those who are truly confident _______.

A．succeed without effort and hard work

B．encourage people around to become confident

C．appear more attractive and thus become successful

D．gain the confidence of others and feel successful

2.The underlined word “mock” (Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to _______.

A．praise            B．imitate (模仿)      C．punish            D．laugh at

3.When others congratulate us on our achievements, we are supposed to _______.

A．praise them in return

B．gain further improvement

C．politely accept the compliments

D．expect them to congratulate you again

4.Which of the following proverbs (sayings) best goes with Paragraph 4?

A．Look before your leap.

B．It is no use crying over spilt milk.

C．Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

D．Learn from past mistakes and avoid future ones.

5.The purpose of the text is to _______.

A．tell people how to become successful

B．convince people to do what they believe to be right

C．encourage people to build confidence and achieve success

D．criticize people who lack confidence and thus fail in their career