My dream ended when I was born. Although I never knew it then, I just held on to something that would never come to pass. Dreams really do exist. But in the morning when you wake up, they are remembered just as a dream. That is what happened to me.

I always had the dream to dance like a beautiful ballerina(芭蕾舞女演员)turning around and around and hearing people applaud for me. When I was young, I would turn around and around in the fields of wildflowers that grew in my backyard. 

Reality woke me up when I heard someone saying, "I don't know why you bother trying to dance. Ballerinas are pretty and slender(苗条) www..comgirls. Besides, you don't have the talent to even be a ballerina." I remember how those words hurt every feeling in my body. I fell to the ground and wept for hours. 

I enjoyed hanging out by the water. I would sit there for hours and stare at my reflection(倒影). There I was, looking nothing like a pretty ballerina dancer. Reflections don't lie. Once the waves would come, my reflection was washed away just like my dream to dance.

As I grew older, I began to realize that the reason my dream was even born was because it was something that was inside of me. The dream I had was never nurtured(培育) and cared for, so it slowly died. It's not that I wanted it to die, but I allowed it to die the day I started listening to the words, "You can't do it." When I finally woke up from many years of dreaming, I realized that you can't only settle for dancing in the wildflowers, you have to move on to the platform.

Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage?

A. Care for your dream

B. Dream and reality

C. Nothing is impossible

D. Efforts to be a ballerina will pay  

The author didn’t realize her dream of being a ballerina mainly because_______.

A. she was bored of dancing and performing  

B. she had lack of self-respect  

C. her health conditions allowed her dream to die

D. she was deeply affected by others easily

From the passage, it can be inferred that _________.

A. the author was once a pretty and slender girl with wonderful dream.

B. we should dare to give up our dream facing much pressure and difficulty

C. if you stick to your dream and never say die, you will enjoy a bright life

D. You should necer give up.

What is the main purpose of writing the passage?

A. to complain    B. to praise     C. to warn    D. to criticize

The underlined expression “settle for” in the last paragraph means_________.

A. turn down     B. take up    C. give up   D. settle down   

I have to admit: I don’t flush(冲) the toilet every time I go to the bathroom. In fact, I firmly believe “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.”

I’m sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that I work at home. Alone (well, except for the cats and dog). All day. And I drink a lot of water, which makes for many trips to the bathroom.

Another thing I have to admit: I also try to use very little toilet paper. I wash my hands after, though. Every time. (So maybe the water I don’t use flushing makes up for the water used to wash my hands?)

Ironically, my husband, who only uses toilet paper when necessary, always flushes. But he doesn’t seem to mind that I don’t flush every time. Or, at least not enough to file for divorce. Yet.

 Posted by Juliet Farmer

 Jun 14, 2010 at 10:21 PM

Comments (2)                                                     

When I’m at home alone I do not flush every time I pee(小便).  My husband hates that, though, so when he’s home, I flush a little more often.  I grew up doing that because I had a family that lived with huge tanks and you have to do it that way because it’s easier on the system, so it doesn’t bother me.  I do flush when I’m out in public, at people’s houses that don’t have big tanks and when we have company!

CherBearCM, Jun 15, 2010 at 4:21 PM

Not always. But I have 4 children who are always hanging from the door knob(球形捏手) while I pee anyway. So I’m lucky I have time to wash my hands after. The average toilet uses 8 gallons of water per flush! Much less than what it takes to wash my hands after. (just saying)

luvbnmomnwife, Jun 15, 2010 at 4:32 PM

CherBearCM doesn’t flush the toilet every time she pees ________.

A. because she can’t afford so much water

B. because her husband doesn’t like that

C. when she is with her friends

D. when she is alone

luvbnmomnwife seems to enjoy ________.

A. washing hands after using the toilet

B. taking care of her four children

C. peeing with her kids watching

D. flushing the toilet after peeing

The text is taken from ________.

A. a newspaper

B. a website

C. a magazine

D. a handbook

Which of the following titles best suits the text?

A. Stop flushing your toilet!

B. Do you flush the toilet every time?

C. Don’t forget to flush the toilet after peeing!

D. Do you realize the importance of saving water?

When did you last see a polar bear?On a trip to a zoo,perhaps?If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago,you would have seen a whole polar bear club.These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water.That day,the air temperature was 3℃,and the water temperature was a little higher.The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island,New York are usually about the age of 60.Members must satisfy two requirements.First,they must get along well with everyone else in the group;this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club.Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February. 

Dcotors don't agree about the medical effects of cold-winter swimming.Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops.Other doctors,however,point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter. 

The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming.They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统)because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm.Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water.A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming. 

The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental.The Polar Bears love to swim all year round;they find it fun and relaxing.As one 70-year-old woman says,"When I go into water,I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away." 

1.The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that_____. 

A.they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months

B.they must reach the age of 60

C.they should be easy to make friends with

D.they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February

2.According to the passage,some doctors believe it is true that_____. 

A.Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water

B.cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high

C.you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue

D.cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter

3.The Polar Bears like to swim year-round,for_____. 

A.it is an easy way ot keep the body warm in winter

B.they can remain young

C.they find it enjoyable and interesting

D.they might meet fewer troubles in life

4.The passage is mainly about_____. 

A.the requirements of the Polar Bear Club

B.a group of cold-water-swimming livers

C.the Polar Bears' life in New York

D.doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming

 

七.阅读理解 (20分)   

When did you see a polar bear ? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps ? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These  “Polar Bears” are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3 degrees. And the water temperature was a little higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group; this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.

Doctors don’t agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body’s temperature drops so slow that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and the water tempreature is much greater in summer than in winter.

The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system (循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and could not try cold-water swimming.

The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim all the year round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says, “When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away.”

1. Doctors _________ .

A. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming

B. believe swimming is helpful both in summer and in winter

C. enourage people to take part in cold-water swimming

D. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming

2. According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that _______ .

A. Polar bears are bears swimming in freezing water    

B. cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high            

C. you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue           

D. cold-water swimming causes more heart attack in summer than in winter

3. The Polar Bears like to swim year-round, for _______ .

A. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter                        

B. they can stay young

C. they find it enjoyable and interesting

D. they might meet fewer troubles in life

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text ?

A.The Polar Bear is a club in which people swim to protect polar bears.

B. The club members are all over 60 years old.

C. There is no woman in the club.

D. None of the above.

5. This passage is mainly about _______ .

A. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club                

B. a group of cold-water-swimming lovers

C. the Polar Bears’ life in New York                 

D. doctors’ ideas about cold-water swimming

 

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