Some people would go through anything just to achieve their dream. Kasia Siwosz is proof. For the final year student on the university women’s tennis team, the road to Berkeley, University of California was met with poor advice and misinformation from her home country and two unsuccessful stops along the way that fell short of expectations.

    Born in Poland, Siwosz began playing tennis at seven years old and developed the skills that helped her earn a top-50 ranking among the ITF Junior division (国际网球联会青少年赛).. Siwosz wanted to do more with her life than just play tennis, which led her to seek chances that would also allow her to obtain a top education. While most who grow up in the U.S. are naturally accustomed to the American tradition of collegiate (大学的) sports, such a custom is not as familiar in a country like Poland. “There’s no collegiate sports in Poland and no culture of sports and academic (学术的) study there. You can only do one, not both,” Siwosz said.

    Her desire to have a quality education led her to America to follow her dream. While Siwosz was talented enough to begin her collegiate tennis career, she could only attend community college because she missed the deadline to apply to four-year schools, mainly due to misinformation provided in her home country of Poland.

    When she had earned all her credits and was able to transfer (转学), Siwosz made the decision to attend Baylor in Texas. Her friends from Poland put in a good word for the university, saying that it was a good fit because there were many international players at Baylor. “I thought it would be a good idea, but it really wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Siwosz said. “I wasn’t happy at Baylor. The level of tennis was high, but the academic standards were no match and I just wanted more.”

    After one year at Baylor, Siwosz’s luck finally began to change when she made the decision to transfer to Berkeley, which was due in large part to Lee, a former Berkeley student. Lee, who is a keen tennis player himself, met Siwosz four years ago in Texas. “I knew she was unhappy there,” he said. “I saw the opportunity for her to come here.” Siwosz visited Lee in Berkeley. “I ended up loving this place and this school,” Siwosz said. “I came here a lot over the summer, I gave it a shot and I ended up with a Berkeley education and a spot on one of the best college tennis teams in the country.”

 

What does “two unsuccessful stops” (Paragraph 1) refer to?

A. Poland and the U.S.

B. Baylor and Berkeley.

C. The community college and Baylor.

D. The ITF Junior division and the Berkeley tennis team.

Why did Siwosz want to leave her homeland for America?

A. Poland had no culture of sports.

B. Berkeley had always been her dream university.

C. She wanted to play tennis and have a good education.

D. She wanted to improve her tennis skills and get a higher ranking.

Why did she leave Baylor?

A. The level of tennis there was not high.

B. It was not suitable for international students.

C. She couldn’t get along with her friends there.

D. She was not satisfied with the education level there.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. How Siwosz left Poland.

B. How Siwosz realized her dream.

C. How Siwosz became a top tennis player.

D. How Siwosz transferred from Baylor to Berkeley.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?

Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers(制造商) to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream— as well as for developing over 75 flavors .

Some people think that it would be easy to do this job; after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No— there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.

In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up about 12℉. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”

While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!

Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy— working at one cool job.

According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the “cool field”, it is helpful to __________.

   A. keep a diary of work

   B. have a degree in related subjects

   C. have new ideas every day

   D. find out new flavors each day

What does Harrison do first when tasting ice cream?

   A. He stirs the ice cream.        B. He examines the color of the ice cream.

   C. He tastes the flavor of the ice cream.  D. He lets the ice cream warm up.

Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?

   A. Tasting with Eyes           B. Flavors of Ice Cream

   C. John Harrison’s Life    D. One Cool Job

What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice-cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream — as well as for developing over 75 flavors (味道).
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job: after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No — there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12℉. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy — working at one cool job.
【小题1】What is John Harrison’s job?

A.An official.B.An ice-cream taster.
C.A chemist.D.An ice-cream manufacturer.
【小题2】According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the “cool field”, it is helpful to ______.
A.keep a diary of work B.have a degree in chemistry
C.have new ideas every dayD.find out new flavors each day
【小题3】What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?
A.He stirs the ice cream.
B.He examines the color of the ice cream.
C.He tastes the flavor of the ice cream.
D.He lets the ice cream cool down.

Glaucoma(青光眼)is a major cause of blindness around the world, especially in developing countries. The World Health Organization says glaucoma is a greater public health challenge than cataracts(白内障), because the blindness caused by the latter can be cured after operations.

Glaucoma is a disease that makes people around the world lose their sight, and they usually don’t even know they have the disease until it has permanently destroyed at least 40 percent of their sight. The process is usually so painless and subtle(不明显的), so people don't notice it. Actually, the simplest medical test can discover it.

“It is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. In Hispanics and in African-Americans, it’s the second leading cause of blindness and so is the case in the Chinese and Indians.” said Dr. Alan Robin, a specialist in treating glaucoma. “The glaucoma we see in sub-Saharan Africa is a much more aggressive blinding disease than the glaucoma we see in Americans or even African- Americans in-the United States.” he said.     .

Dr. Eric Fleischer also sees these differences at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. “Pretty much anybody who has ancestors in Africa has an increased chance of developing glaucoma.” Age is another thing that may lead to glaucoma, although people of all ages can get it.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that commonly produce pressure in the eye. An eye is sort of like a watch. And behind the face of the watch, liquid is made. It goes through your pupil(瞳孔)and into the front of the watch between the face and the crystal.There's an area around the edge of the watch that drains(使排出)the liquid. When that drain is blocked, the liquid can't leave the eye as fast as it is produced. The rising pressure within the eye damages and eventually kills the optic(视觉的) nerve. The result is blindness.

Fortunately, if caught early, glaucoma can be controlled. Glaucoma is not curable. But as  researchers worldwide lean more about it, they grow more hopeful that glaucoma can one day be cured or even prevented.

1.In which country is glaucoma the biggest danger to people’s sight?

A.In China           B.In India           C.In the USA         D.In Japan

2.What do the underlined words “these differences”(in Para 4 )refer to?

A.The differences in regions(地区)         B.The cultural differences

C.The differences in age                    D.The physical differences

3.From the passage, we can learn that,            .

A.It is hard for medical tests to discover glaucoma

B.People in developed countries hardly develop glaucoma

C.Glaucoma only causes blindness among old people

D.The research on glaucoma is still going on worldwide

 

Watson entered Mr. Smith’s office. The Boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn’t do well without giving them a second chance.

“Watson,” said Mr. Smith, “this past year your department hasn’t earned money. We’re going to drop that department. It’s finished. I’ m sorry, —but you’ll have to go.” “But, sir—if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School.”

“What’s that!” said the Boss. “Riverside! I didn’t know you had a boy there. That’s an expensive school for a man with your salary.”

“I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He’s a star trackman(田径运动员) and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ(冠军) there.”

The Boss sat perfectly still for a long time—a faraway (恍惚的) look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, “We’ve got to close your department, Watson. But you’ll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours—maybe more pay. Now get out. You’re here for life.”

Watson got out, with surprise in his face. Then the Boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie’s last letter from Riverside School —written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read: I can’t say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it’s the same everywhere when you’re a cripple (跛脚的人). But don’t worry about me, Dad. They’ve got a good chemistry department here. And there’s one boy here who is really great. He’s a track star and boxing champ and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, I want to do something for Champ. Something big—that he won’t even know about.

Your son,   Herbie

1.The underlined word “drop” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by ________.

A. fall              B. close        C. punish         D. sell

2. It can be inferred from the text that Champ is_______.

A. Watson’ s son                  B. Mr Smith’ s son

C. a teacher of Mr Smith’s son       D. the son of Mr Smith’s friend

3.From the text we know that Herbie_______.

A. was a college student            B. didn’t live to grow up

C. made friends with many boys      D. died from a car accident

4.Watson was given a second chance because_______.

A. Mr Smith wanted to help Watson’s son

B. a man was needed in another department

C. Herbie told Mr Smith to do so in his letter

D. Mr Smith wanted to realize his son’s dream

 

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