The triathlon(铁人三项运动) promises to be one of the most popular Olympic sports. Recently it has drawn huge crowds attracted by athletes swimming 1,500m, cycling 40km, and then running 10km, without stopping. But what makes an attractive 17-year-old give up everything for the doubtful pleasures it offers?

Melanie Sears has not yet learnt those often-repeated phrases about personal satisfaction, mental challenge and higher targets that most athletes use when asked similar questions. “You swim for 1,500m, then run out of the water and jump on your bike, still wet. Of course, then you freeze. When the 40km cycle ride is over, you have to run 10km, which is a long way when you’re feeling exhausted. But it’s great fun, and all worth it in the end,” she says.

Melanie entered her first triathlon at 14 and she won the junior section. Full of confidence, she entered the National Championships, and although she had the second fastest swim and the fastest run, she came nowhere. “I was following this man and suddenly we came to the sea. We realized then that we had gone wrong. I ended up cycling 20 kilometers too far. I cried all the way through the running.”

But she didn’t give up. “Sometimes I wish I could stop, because then the pain would be over, but I am afraid that if I let myself stop just once, I would be tempted to do it again.” Such doggedness draws admiration from Steve Trew, the sport’s director of coaching.

Melanie was top junior in this year’s European Triathlon Championships, finishing 13th.“I was almost as good as the top three in swimming and running, but much slower in cycling. That’s why I’m working very hard at it.” She is trying to talk her long-suffering parents, who will carry the £1,300 cost of her trip to New Zealand for this year’s world championships, into buying a £2,000 bike, so she can try 25km and 100km races later this year.

But there is another price to pay. “I don’t have a social life,” she says. “After two hours’ hard swimming on Friday night, I just want to go to sleep. But I phone and write to the other girls in the team.” What does she talk about? Boys? Clothes? “No, what sort of times they are achieving.”

1.How does Melanie differ from other athletes, according to the writer?

A. She worries less than they do.

B. She expresses herself differently.

C. Her family background is not like theirs.

D. Her aims are different from theirs.

2.What upset Melanie during the National Championships?

A. She was tricked by another competitor.

B. She realized she couldn’t cycle as fast as she thought.

C. She felt she had let her team-mates down.

D. She made a mistake during part of the race.

3.What does the underlined word “doggedness” in Paragraph 4 means?

A. Melanie knows her own limits.

B. Melanie likes to please her coach.

C. Melanie feels less pain than most people.

D. Melanie continues regardless of difficulties.

4.What is Melanie trying to persuade her parents to do?

A. Buy an expensive bike for her.

B. Give her half the cost of a bike.

C. Pay for her to go to New Zealand.

D. Let her compete in longer races.

5.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A. Melanie’s Dull Social Life

B. Melanie’s Personal Achievements

C. The Pain and Suffering Caused by the Triathlon

D. The Triathlon’s Great Attraction

Tristan da Cunha, a 38–square–mile island, is the farthest inhabited island in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. It is 1,510 miles southwest of its nearest, St. Helena, and I,950 miles west of Africa. Discovered by the Portuguese admiral (上将) of the same name in 1506, and settled in 1810, the island belongs to Great Britain and has a population of a few hundred.

Coming in a close second–and often wrongly mentioned as the most distant land–is Easter Island, which lies 1,260 miles east of its nearest neighbor, Pitcairn Island, and 2,300 miles west of South America.

The mountainous 64–square–mile island was settled around the 5th century, supposedly by people who were lost at sea. They had no connection with the outside world for more than a thousand years, giving them plenty of time to build more than 1,000 huge stone figures, called moai, for which the island is most famous.

On Easter Sunday, 1722, however, settlers from Holland moved in and gave the island its name. Today, 2,000 people live on the Chilean territory (智利领土). They share one street, a small airport, and a few hours of television per day.

1.It can be learned from the text that the island of Tristan da Cunha ________.

A. was named after its discoverer

B. got its name from Holland settlers

C. was named by the British government

D. got its name from the Guinness Book of Records

2.Which of the following is most famous for moai?

A. Tristan da Cuha. B. Pitcairn Island.

C. Easter Island. D. St. Helena.

3.Which country does Easter Island belong to?

A. Britain. B. Holland. C. Portugal. D. Chile.

Dear all,

Please read Professor Hume’s email about his next lecture on Rosa Parks.

Susan Miller

Secretary

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Dear Susan,

Please forward this message to students of my history class.

Besides the life story of Rosa Parks in the textbook, the students are also required to read the passage below and some related stories that can be borrowed from the school library.

Ted Hume

The early experiences of Rosa Parks(1913-2005), long known as the “mother of the civil rights movement,” were not different from those of many African-Americans at that time. The black woman, however, turned the course of American history in December 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. “By sitting down, ” remarked John Lewis, “She was standing up for all Americans.”

Among the numerous awards Parks received in her life were the Presidential Medal of Freedom(1996) and the Congressional Gold Medal(1999).

Parks died on Oct. 24, 2005. At St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Montgomery, a large crowd including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice celebrated her life. Rice said she and others, who grew up when the political activities of Parks held public attention, might not have realized her impact on their lives, “but I can honestly say that without Mrs. Parks, I probably would not be standing here as Secretary of State.”

After her casket(灵柩) was placed at the Capitol, U.S. President Bush, members of Congress and ordinary Americans paid their respects. In American history Parks is the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol, a very high regard usually reserved for Presidents of the United States.

1.What is the main purpose of Susan’s email?

A.To introduce to the students Rosa Parks.

B.To help the students organize a lecture.

C.To answer Professor Hume’s last email.

D.To make arrangements for Professor Hume’s class.

2.What does the underlined word “forward” mean?

A.Read.B. Explain.C. Send.D. Take.

3.The political impact of Rosa Parks lies in the fact that she ________.

A.joined the civil rights movement at a young age

B.made racial equality a common value in American society

C.helped Condoleezza Rice achieve political success

D.set a good example in her early life for other black Americans

4.How was Rosa Parks treated after her death?

A.She was honored to lie in state at the Capitol.

B.She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

C.She was received by President Bush at the Capitol.

D.She was named “mother of the civil rights movements.”

阅读下面短文。从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

My brother Hershel celebrated his seventeenth birthday on January 4th, 1943. Unexpectedly, there was a(n) ________ in my family.

Seeing young men from our village race to join the army, Hershel was greatly ________. He made a decision on his birthday to ________ for his duty. “You’re too young!” Dad rejected .“I’m not! I can’t ________!” Hershel declared.

By then so many young men had lost their lives in the battlefield. Out of his ________ of losing his firstborn, Dad didn’t want to send Hershel off to war.

The argument continued for months. ________ Dad’s signature was necessary for his service, Hershel had to persuade Dad to support him. With little progress, he became increasingly ________ and impatient. ________, Dad realized that a son who was unhappy would accomplish little at home. He ________, though with deep worry.

On the day of Hershel’s ________ to begin his service in the Navy, Dad ________ him to town. ________ to speak of his love, Dad waited until the last moment, and pulled him tightly to his heart.

One day two years later, a piece of ________ news came over the radio. Hershel’s ship had ________! The number of survivors was unknown. Dad’s face was crumpled (扭曲) by ________, “Oh, no!”

Sending his firstborn off to war must be an enormous ________!

Without further message, the whole family were in despair. ________ filled our home. But Dad was still waiting. One day, a telegram came. It was from the war department. When Dad held it in the hand, he was ________. With trembling fingers, he tore it open. “Hershel is alive and is coming home!” he shouted with ________.

When Hershel appeared in the yard, he walked slowly to Dad and hugged him fiercely. Dad, a strong man who seldom ________ emotion, embraced his son and cried openly.

His son was home.

1.A. accidentB. bargainC. meetingD. quarrel

2.A. disturbedB. honoredC. encouragedD. defeated

3.A. look outB. sign upC. wake upD. set out

4.A. waitB. obeyC. understandD. help

5.A. fearB. sadnessC. regretD. annoyance

6.A. UnlessB. IfC. SinceD. Though

7.A. ambitiousB. seriousC. anxiousD. wild

8.A. EventuallyB. UndoubtedlyC. UnconsciouslyD. Completely

9.A. held onB. gave upC. broke outD. went away

10.A. graduationB. departureC. applicationD. signature

11.A. accompaniedB. invitedC. deliveredD. carried

12.A. DesperateB. DiscouragedC. UnableD. Undecided

13.A. excitingB. interestingC. shockingD. strange

14.A. broken downB. gone downC. broken throughD. gone away

15.A. sorrowB. doubtC. disappointmentD. displeasure

16.A. gloryB. challengeC. pressureD. sacrifice

17.A. HopelessnessB. ConflictC. AssumptionD. Expectation

18.A. ignorantB. nervousC. proudD. calm

19.A. determinationB. disbeliefC. confidenceD. delight

20.A. showedB. wastedC. controlledD. hid

The Enigma (谜)of Beauty

The search for beauty spans centuries and continents. Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4, 000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup. In 18th-century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假发)of long, white hair to make themselves attractive. Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.

There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive: beauty is power. Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier.

But what exactly is beauty? It's difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it. And our awareness of it may start at a very early age. In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs. The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students. In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.

The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers. In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist. According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits —the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders —equal health and genetic well-being.

Not everyone thinks the same way, however. “Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations — mostly cultural,” says C. Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan. What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another. Look at most Western fashion magazines: the women on the pages are thin. But is this “perfect” body type for women worldwide? Scientists' answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world. They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.

For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives. But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another. Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard. Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.

1.People's ideas about beauty ________.

A. have existed since ancient times

B. can be easily described

C. have little influence on a person's success

D. are based upon strict standard

2.In Paragraph 3, the babies in the study ________.

A. were rated for their appearance

B. were entered in a beauty contest

C. were shown photos of a group of college students

D. were able to tell attractive faces from unattractive ones

3.The underlined word “traits” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

A. qualities B. measurements

C. judgments D. standards

4.We can learn from the passage that ________.

A. the ideas of beauty vary as people grow up

B. the search for beauty is rooted in lack of confidence

C. the standards for beauty are based on scientific researches

D. the understanding of beauty depends on cultural backgrounds

Many people trying to sell homes find that an increase in home prices has turned the market in their favor. But sellers can still get the short end of the deal if they aren’t careful. Here are a few tips for you:

Don’t test your luck. Of course you think anyone who moves into your lovely home should be willing to pay top dollars, especially if you’ve recently invested in some improvements. But listing a home at a price that’s too high above the market price could turn away some buyers.

Buyers noticing that the home still hasn’t sold may begin to assume there’s something wrong with the house and use that as a reasonable excuse for offering a lower price. And if a home hasn’t received any offers after two weeks, it might be time to reset the price.

A price that’s too low can bring about an undesired outcome. Listing your home at or slightly below the market price can have the effect of drawing in a large group of buyers and increase the chances that a home will receive multiple offers. But setting the price too low comes with several risks. One possibility is that buyers will get skeptical of the home that is listed for $ 15,000 to $ 20,000 less than similar homes in the area, especially if it’s not properly marketed. Once again, people might assume there is something wrong with the home and may not bother to look at it.

Spy on the competition. Going to other people’s open houses can give you a better sense of how your home compares to others on the market. Check out the finishes in their kitchens, the size of their backyards and use the information to figure out where your home should fit in the range of the price. But don’t set your pricing just on what you see elsewhere.

1. What does the underline part in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A. To be at a disadvantage

B. To get the upper hand

C. To have control over the situation

D. To be unable to fit in

2. What should home sellers do according to the passage?

A. Price your house on the basis of its geographic location.

B. Price your house slightly above the market price after decorating it.

C. Change the price if no offer has been received within a week.

D. Change your house at a price slightly below the market price.

3.If you set the price of your house too low, _____.

A. buyers might think it not worthwhile to go to have a look

B. you are likely to come into conflict with the neighborhood sellers

C. your house will be crowded with buyers within a couple of days

D. chances of your house being sold at a better price will be greatly increased

4.What is the benefit of going to other people’s open house?

A. You can pick up some useful lessons on house selling.

B. You can get your pricing mainly based on what you see elsewhere.

C. You can work out how much money you should ask for your home.

D. You can know how to make your house stand out against other houses.

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