There is a quote by William Purkey, a well-known professor of education, that goes, “Dance like no one is watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth.” I seems like the perfect life philosophy---and one I’ve learned to apply to running over the year.

But I didn’t always feel this way. In my early days, when I weighed 240 pounds, I ran like everyone was watching---and judging. If I was on a run and saw a car approaching, I’d stop and pretend I was looking for something I’d lost I bought the high-tech gear and clothes that I thought would make people believe I was a runner. And I didn’t have a clue if the expensive shoes I was wearing were the right kind for me---I just wanted to look like I fit in with this group.

To be honest, I felt a certain satisfaction in believing that someone was watching. I really thought that other people cared about my performance. The best example of this was a combined, two-lap marathon in Florence, Italy. As I approached the finishing line, the crowd began to cheer. I was surprised. Here I was, thousands of miles from home, and the Italians were shouting for “IIPenguino.”

About 20 yards from the finishing, the truth set in when the winner of the full marathon went past me as I was finishing the half-marathon. No one was cheering for me. no one probably even noticed that I was finishing. I couldn’t help but smile at my own illusion of self-importance.

That’s when I realized I had been running for every reason except the right one. I ran to make other people happy, ran to live up to their expectations. But no one was watching---no one cared. So I decided I was going to run for me---just me---and gained a new enjoyment from the sport I hadn’t truly experienced yet. I’ve learned to run like no one is watching.

So if you see me at race, and I look like a 60-year-old guy waddling(蹒跚)along, don’t worry. I’m fine. The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

1.The writer begins her anecdote by __________.

A. telling her running story B. explaining a life philosophy

C. listing some life rules D. introducing a quotation

2.It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that the writer__________.

A. used sports clothes and shoes to attract attention

B. was concerned about what others thought of her

C. liked to be the focus other runners

D. struggled to find the right shoes to fit her

3.When the writer was near the finishing line, ____________.

A. she smiled at her own achievement

B. the crowd cheered for her madly

C. nobody really cared about her running

D. She realized the importance of confidence

4.By telling her own story, the writer wanted to ___________.

A. tell us to live a life of our own

B. inspire more people to run

C. expect us to improve our health by running

D. stress the importance of determination

Four days after Dad’s 67th birthday, he had a heart attack. Luckily, he survived. But something inside him had died. His enthusiasm for life was gone. He refused to follow doctor’s orders, and his sour attitude made everyone upset when they visited him. Dad was left alone.

So I asked Dad to come to live with me on my small farm, hoping the fresh air would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated. Something had to be done.

One day I read an article which said when given dogs, depressed patients would be better off. So I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. As soon as I got there, a pointer’s eyes caught my attention. They watched me calmly.

A staff member said: “He got here two weeks ago and we’ve heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow.”

I turned to the man in horror. “You mean you’re going to kill him”

“Ma’am,” he said gently. “We don’t have room for every unclaimed dog.”

The police’s calm brown eyes awaited my decision. “I’ll take him,” I said.

I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. I was helping it out of the car when Dad walked onto the front porch. “Look what I got you!” I said excitedly.

Dad wrinkled his face. “I don’t want it,” he muttered, turning back towards the house. Then, suddenly, the dog pulled free from my grasp. He sat down in front of my Dad.

Dad’s anger melted, and soon he was hugging the dog.

This was the beginning of a warm friendship. Dad named the dog Cheyenne. Together they spent long hours walking down dusty lanes and relaxing on the banks of streams.

Dad’s bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne went on to make many friends. Then, late one night two years later, I felt Cheyenne’s cold nose burrowing (搜寻) through my bed covers. He had never before come into my bedroom at night. I ran into my father’s room and found that he had passed away.

Two days later, my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad’s bed. As I buried him near their favorite stream, I silently thanked the dog for restoring Dad’s peace of mind.

1.After the author’s father survived the heart attack, he ______.

A. ignored everyone who visited him

B. became unpleasant toward other people

C. was left alone to get full rest

D. no longer wanted to live

2.Why did the author take the pointer home?

A. It was a type that is known for its friendliness.

B. Its eyes made her think it was the best dog available.

C. It was good at getting people’s attention and entertaining them.

D. It caught her attention right away and she didn’t want it to be killed.

3.From the last two paragraphs we can conclude that _______.

A. the author’s father and Cheyenne formed a real connection

B. friendship and care is much more efficient than the medicine

C. more attention should be given to old people

D. dogs are so loyal that they usually die for their friends

4.Which section of a newspaper is the source of the passage?

A. Friends B. Entertainment

C. Education D. Health

Music

Opera at Music Hall:1243 Elm Street.The season runs June through August,with additional performances in March and September.The Opera honors Enjoy tho Arts membership discounts.Phone:241-2742.http://www.cityopera.com.

Chamber Orchestra:The Orchestra plays at Memorial Hall at 1406 Elm Street,which offers several concerts from March through June.Call 723-1182 for more information.http://www.chamberorch.com.

Symphony Orchestra:At Music Hall and Riverbend.For ticket sales,call 381-3300.Regular season runs September through May at Music Hall in summer at Riverbend.http://www.symphony.org/home.asp.

College Conservatory of Music (CCM):Performances are on the main campus(校园)of the university,usually at Patricia Cobbett Theater.CCM organizes a variety of events,including performances by the well-known LaSalle Quartet,CCM's Philharmonic Orchestra,and various groups of musicians presenting Baroque through modern music. Students with I.D.cards ban attend the events for free. A free schedule of events for each term is available by calling the box office at 556-4183.http://www.ccm.uc.edu/events/calendar.

Riverbend Music Theater:6295 Kellogg Ave.Large outdoor theater with the closest seats under cover (price difference).Big name shows all summer long.Phone:202-6220. http://www.riverbendmusic.com.

1.Which number should you call if you want to see an opera?

A. 241-2742. B. 723-1182.

C. 381-3300. D. 232-6220.

2.When can you go to a concert by Chamber Orchestra?

A. February. B. May.

C. August D. November.

3.Where can students go for free performances with their ID cards?

A. Music Hall. B. Memorial Hall.

C. Patricia Cobbett Theater. D. Riverbend Music Theater.

4.How is Riverbend Music Theater different from the other places?

A. It has seats in the open air. B. It gives shows all year round.

C. It offers membership discounts. D. It presents famous musical works.

Happy,angry,amazed—these are some of the emotions we like to express these days when we're sending a message on our smartphones.That's a quick way of telling someone how we're feeling.Yes,emojis have become a vital tool for communication.

The emoji was first invented in Japan in the late 1990s and the word "emoji" comes from the Japanese words for "picture" and "character".The number of different images has dramatically increased since then and now we have a picture for every mood or situation.

So now we are giving this new creation the visual "thumbs-up" but have you thought why we've become so addicted to using emojis? Professor Vyv Evans has written a book called The Emoji Code, saying "increasingly, what we're finding is that digital communication is taking over certain aspects of face-to-face interaction...one of the reasons why emojis are so popular is that they really do enable us to express our emotional selves more effectively."

Another advantage of emojis is that they are an international language—they don't use words but some pictures so they can be easily interpreted whatever your native language is. However, the emojis can sometimes be misinterpreted—if a friend sends you an emoji of a hammer, you may think he/she is angry when really he/she is saying he/she is clumsy!

Emojis are a good way for showing similar feelings. But as linguist(语言学家) Neil Cohn says, "To many, emojis are an exciting evolution of the way we communicate, but to others, they are a linguistic Armageddon(大决战)."It does show there is a lot more to our communication than words alone but does this mean the decline in traditional writing?

1.How do emojis help people in communication?

A. They can interpret the foreign languages.

B. They will take the place of face-to-face interaction.

C. People can express their emotions effectively with emoijs.

D. People can express themselves clearly with emojis at any time.

2.Which of the following words can replace the underlined "thumbs-up"in Paragraph 3?

A. doubt B. praise

C. ignorance D. attention

3.What do you probably mean by sending your friend an emoji of B hammer?

A. You are awkward. B. You need a hammer.

C. He/She loses his/her temper. D. He/She should apologize to you.

4.What is Neil Cohn's opinion on emojis?

A. They are not used by linguists.

B. They will take over the traditional writing.

C. They will become an international language.

D. They bring convenience and challenges to language.

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