When I was 10, my father lost his work. My mother was dispirited. I decided to make her happy by buying her a special Mother's Day gift.

One day after school, I rode my bike to the Agins. It was a popular shop because of its high-end fashions and style. I introduced myself to Sylvia Agins, the shopkeeper, and told her I was looking for a Mother's Day present.

I was a child but she treated me like an important person. She asked "What does your mother want?" I told her I wasn't sure. After walking around the store for a few minutes, she came with a box. She opened it and there was a yellow Italian purse made of soft leather.

"What about this purse? I think your mother will like it. How much money do you have?" she asked. "Twelve dollars," I said. "You're lucky, "she told me. "It's enough. You can have a dollar left for a card.“

She gift-wrapped the purse and gave it to me. I rode my bike with the package under my arm. It wasn't until many years later, when I learned that the purse was worth 300 dollars. I always felt bad that I never had a chance to thank her. How wonderful Sylvia Agins was to me. Letting me have the purse for just a few dollars was unbelievable enough. I'll never forget her and her kindness.

1.What does the underlined word " dispirited " mean?

A.开心的 B.兴奋的 C.沮丧的 D.难以置信的

2.According to the story, I exactly spent __________on the purse.

A.$1 B.$11 C.$12 D.$300

3.Which of the following is TRUE?

A.I knew what my mother would like.

B.I got a yellow box as the present.

C.The Agins was famous for its old style.

D.I never had a chance to thank Sylvia Agins.

4.What's the best title of the passage?

A.A Happy Mother's Day B.A Special Italian Purse

C.An Honest Shopkeeper D.A Popular Fashion Shop

I recently watched a TV program Real Sports where the presenter looked into the culture of handing out participation(参与)trophies to children. There's no doubt that today's kids live in a world of scoreless games and everyone gets a trophy. Sometimes when a league decides to award(奖励)just the winners instead of all participants, the parents buy their own trophies for the whole team!

However, when we try to protect children from losing at the early ages, are they less prepared when real competition kicks in? People who support giving trophies say they want to make each child feel special, but how does this make them feel special? Stanford University looked at this recently and found that although kids react positively to praise-they enjoy hearing that they're talented, smart and so on, they break down at the first experience of difficulty. Discouraged by their failure, they say they'd rather cheat than risk failing again.

There are also endless social-science studies showing the harmful effects of easy competition, not just on the psyche(精神)but more surprisingly on achievement. If children know they will get an award simply by showing up, what is the reason for improvement? Jean Twenge, writer of Generation Me, warns that when living rooms are filled with participation trophies, it's part of a larger cultural message: to succeed, you just have to show up. In college, those who've grown up receiving these endless awards do the required work, but don't see the need to do it well. In the office, they still believe that attendance is all it takes to get a promotion(晋升).

When I was a child, I earned my fair share of trophies but none of them was for just showing up. I also missed out on even more and had to watch my friends collect them while I stood by and clapped. I realized that in life, I'm going to lose more often than I win, even if I'm good at something, and I've got to get used to that to keep going.

When children make mistakes, our job should not be to turn those losses into decorated(装饰性的)victories. Instead, our job is to help kids overcome difficulties, to help them see that progress over time is more important than a certain win or loss, and to help them politely congratulate those who succeed when they fail. To do that, we need to refuse all the meaningless trophies.

1.The writer mentions Stanford University's study to show that

A.kids should be awarded for their special talents

B.necessary protection helps kids deal with failure

C.parents should try their best to keep kids out of competition

D.overpraise is likely to reduce kids' ability to face difficulties

2.The writer probably agrees that

A.attendance is the key to making progress

B.participation is more important than victory

C.getting awards easily stops kids from working hard

D.participation trophies give kids a sense of achievement

3.From his childhood experience, the writer has learned that

A.it's difficult to accept friends' victories

B.it's beneficial to learn from teammates

C.it's important to face winning or losing properly

D.it's necessary to be excellent at something to succeed

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.Participation Trophies: Do They Really Matter?

B.Participation Trophies: Why Are They Special?

C.Participation Trophies: How Do They Help Kids?

D.Participation Trophies: Who Should Award Them?

My favorite sport is baseball. It is fun to play, and it is fun to watch.

I went to my first baseball game with my grandparents when I was 6. It was really wonderful. We had a good time. I was happy to be with my grandparents. My grandfather made me love the game.

My dad knew I loved baseball, so he gave me a baseball on my eighth birthday. When I was 12, my friend came to me and asked me to join his team and play baseball. I agreed. From then on, I got to learn more about baseball. I practised a lot and learned how to play better.

My favorite baseball player is Derrek Lee. Derrek Lee joined the Chicago Cubs in 2004. That year was a good year for him, but 2005 was his best year. One of my favorite things about Derrek Lee is that he is a very nice person. He never shouts at others. He always has a big smile on his face. He seems happy all the time.

1.The writer went to his first baseball game with ______.

A.his grandparents B.his father C.his friend D.his mother

2.When he was ______ years old, the writer began to play baseball.

A.six B.eight C.twelve D.fourteen

3.The writer ______ after he joined his friend’s team.

A.played baseball very often B.lost interest in baseball

C.didn’t improve his playing skills D.often played baseball with derrek lee

4.Which of the following is NOT true about Derrek Lee?

A.He is very nice. B.He is not friendly.

C.He always smiles. D.He always looks happy.

5.What is the best title (题目) of the passage?

A.Who made me love baseball? B.What birthday present did I get?

C.2005-best year for Derrek Lee D.Baseball – my favorite sport

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