Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together, they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: international competitions encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sport encourages international brotherhood. Not only was there the tragic incident including the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by incidents caused mainly by smaller national contests.

One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were sure that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in great anger when he said, “This wasn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension（停赛）of the team for at least three years.

Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages  aggressive patriotism(爱国主义).

1.According to the author, recently the Olympic Games have ______.

A．created goodwill between the nations

B．brought about only false national pride

C．hardly showed any international friendship

D．put an end to misunderstanding and hatred

2.The underlined word “disallowed”(in Paragraph 2) means “______”.

A．permitted to pass	B．considered as reasonable
C．won by the other side	D．refused to accept

3.What did the manager mean by saying, “Hockey and the International Hockey Federation 

are finished"?

A．His team would no longer take part in international games.

B．Hockey and the Federation are both ruined by the unfair decisions.

C．There should be no more Hockey matches organized by the Federation.

D．The Federation should break up.

4.The author gives the example in paragraph 2 to show ______.

A．how false national pride led to undesirable incidents in international games

B．that sportsmen are often against the final decisions

C．that competitiveness in the games discourages international friendship

D．that unfair decisions are common in the Olympic Games

5.What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

A．The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved.

B．Athletes should compete as individuals in the Olympic Games.

C．A game should be played competitively rather than for the love of the game.

D．More and more athletes will compete for their own honor.

 

I became a gardener when I was twelve. My early__36___of gardening may not have originated from my love for nature. It was to ___37____my parents.

   At that time, we had a big yard in which a beautiful maple tree stood. But my mother often looked with __38___at this work of natural art. Those golden leaves seemed like tons of rubbish to her, “something else to ___39___!”Seeing the neighbors busy with gardening, my father even thought it a waste of time.

   At that age, I always did something___40_____to whatever my parents did! If gardening were something they found____41___, I would plant a garden!

   I planted some lily（百合花）seeds in the yard. But they failed to ___42___.I continued to plant sunflower seeds and roses. Wild ____43_____joy,I found the first rose bloom（开花）.One by one, the flowers bloomed their heads off.__44___, I was touched by this land of wonder.

___45___, my parents showed no interest in my garden. My father even___46_____at me because he found it was ___47____to move around my garden to the driveway. To my mother’s ___48__,I put in her vase my real roses which, in her eyes, were simply weeds____49___flowers.

  Regardless of their ____50___, I kept on planting my garden and ____51___to enjoy the pleasure of gardening. Plants make such good companions: they breathe, they bloom, they____52____to care and love.

  It has been many years since I made my first garden out of my desire to ____53___my parents .Today I become known as Mrs. Greenthumbs, teaching gardening and hosting a gardening show, which makes my parents feel very____54_.And now I could say it is my affection for____55___that makes me a real gardener.

1.A. memory        B. dream        C.intention       D. design

2.A. please          B. change       C. help          D. annoy

3.A.doubt          B.appreciation    C. surprise       D. excitement

4.A.collect up       B care about      C. clean up       D. come in

5.A.equal           B. similar        C. superior       D. opposite

6.A.painful          B. valuable      C. upsetting      D. interesting

7.A.come up         B. break out      C. hold on      D. get through

8.A.to              B. with          C. in           D. by

9.A.Luckily          B. Cheerfully    C. Regularly     D. Eventually

10.A.Instead         B. However       C. Therefore    D. Besides

11.A.shouted         B. laughed        C. glanced      D. jumped

12.A.convenient      B. troublesome     C. enjoyable    D. dangerous

13.A.sadness         B. displeasure      C. delight       D. relief

14.A.other than       B. more than       C. rather than    D. less than

15.A.disklike         B. encouragement    C. threat       D. suggestion

16.A.decided         B. stopped        C. continued     D. struggled

17.A.devote         B. turn             C. respond      D. lead

18.A.defeat          B. satisfy           C. respect      D. challenge

19.A.proud         B. comfortable       C. strange      D. disappointed

20.A.freedom       B. life             C. growth        D. nature

 

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.

I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied（依赖）on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit（追求）of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.

However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “ I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解） can we discover a new meaning in competition.

1.What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Competition helps to set up self-respect.

B．Opinions about competition are different among people.

C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development.

D．Failures are necessary experience in competition.

2.Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?

A．It pushes society forward.

B．It builds up a sense of duty.

C．It improves personal abilities.

D．It encourages individual efforts.

3.The underlined phrase "the most vocal" in Paragraph 3 means __________.

A．those who try their best to win

B．those who value competition most highly

C．those who are against competition most strongly

D．those who rely on others most for success

4.What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a "desire to fail"?

A．One's worth lies in his performance compared with others.

B．One's success in competition needs great efforts.

C．One's achievement is determined by his particular skills.

D．One's success is based on how hard he has tried.

5.Which point of view may the author agree to?

A．Every effort should be paid back.

B．Competition should be encouraged.

C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter.

D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

 

While reading a story on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruiningg their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, certainly share their disappointment : my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we two are burdened by student loans(贷款). But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?

Consider some of these views shared in the story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.

I read that, and I thought what planet she is living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury(奢华), not a fertility requirement.

A 26-year-old in the story is disappointed that he can’t afford to get a Ph. D in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.

Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be increasing, Their parents probably saw their home values rise along with their investments. “So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner.

This recession(经济衰退) will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful---for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day---than on longing for some kind of luxury life.

1.. What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?

A．They expect everything to be easy for them.

B．They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans.

C．They are unwilling to face all of the challenges.

D．They are burdened by student loans.

2.. The underlined word “fertility” in paragraph 3 probably means“_____”.

A．baby production

B．pleasant

C．baby comfort

D．comfortable

3.. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the complaints of the 20-somethings?

A．They can’t have children for at least a decade a decade to buy a house.

B．They have only a one-bedroom apartment to live in.

C．They can’t buy a house until 40 and are burdened by student loans.

D．They despair at not being able to afford a PH. D in literature.

4.. What’s the Kobliner’s attitude towards the 20-somethings with high expectations?

A．Unbearable

B．Opposite

C．Doubtful

D．Understanding

5.What is the best title for this passage?

A．Young people afford to continue their study

B．Young people can’t afford to buy a house

C．Young people’s high hopes create despair

D．The 20-somethings’ high expectations

 

When a child is told he is "uncool", it can be very painful. He may say he doesn't care, and even act in ways that are opposite of cool on purpose. But ultimately, these are simply ways to handle sadness by pretending it's not there.

      Helping a child feel better in school had to be careful. If you say, "Why are you worried about what other children think about you? It doesn't matter!"  Children know that it does matter. Instead, an active way may be best. You could say, "I'm going to do a couple of things for you to help you feel better in school."

      If a boy is having trouble making friends, the teacher can help him. The teacher can arrange things so that he has chances to use his abilities to contribute to class projects. This is how the other children learn how to value his good qualities and to like him. A teacher can also raise a child's popularity in the group by showing that he values that child. It even helps to put him in a seat next to a very popular child, or let him be a partner with that child in activities, etc.

      There are things that parents can do at home, too. Be friendly when your child brings others home to play. Encourage him to invite friends to meals and then serve the dishes they consider "super". When you plan trips, picnics, movies, and other shows, invite another child with whom your child wants to be friends.

      What you can do is to give him a chance to join a group that may be shutting him out. Then, if he has good qualities, he can start to build real friendship of his own.

1.A child who has been informed of being "uncool" may ________.

   A. care nothing about it                       B. develop a sense of anger

   C. do something uncool purposely          D. pretend to get hurt very much

2.A teacher can help an unpopular child by ________.

    A. seeing the child as the teacher's favourite

    B. asking the child to do something for partners

    C. forcing other children to make friends with the child

    D. offering the child chances to show his good qualities

3.Which of the following is TRUE?

    A. Children don’t care others' comments on them.

    B. It's only teacher's work to make children popular.

    C. Parents should take their children out for picnic and shows more often.

    D. Inviting children's friends to family activities is good for them to make friends.

4.The passage mainly talks about ________.

    A. how to help an unpopular child

B. why some children are unpopular

    C. who is responsible for unpopular children

    D. how to find out good points of unpopular children