Twenty-three-year-old Michael Phelps has become a phenomenon (神话) in swimming.

At the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, he won eight gold medals. That was more than the whole Australian team could put together. He beat (打败) Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven wins in the pool at the one Olympics. Phelps has put his name next to seven world records.

Nine days, 17 games, morning and night he competed and won. He had to beat former (从前的) world record-holders and gold medalists. He had to turn their wins into old news.

Michael Phelps started to swim at the age of 5. Guess which stroke (动作) he first tried? The backstroke. It’s because he didn’t want to put his face in the water.

By the age of 7, he had taken part in a lot of swimming competitions. At 11, he met Bob Bowman who saw the kid’s great talent.

How did Phelps become so good? He was born with the body of a swimmer. He stands 1.87meters high and has a wide wingspan (臂展). He knows how to use his body to full advantage. His hands and feet are like paddles (踏板) in the water and he has a strong kick.

But that’s not all；he also has the heart and will to win. He thinks that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it.

Swimming is Phelps’ life. Every day he spends five hours in the water, swimming about 11 kilometers. He never takes a day off. This is a young man who knows what he wants.

“If I didn’t swim my best, I’d think about it at school, at dinner, and with my friends. It would drive me crazy,” he said.

“There are no limits (限制). The more you dream, the further you get.”

1.Who did best in swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games?

A．Bob Bowman.                          B．Mark Spitz.

C．Phelps.                               D．The Australian team.

2.How many games did Phelps take part in at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games?

A．8.               B．9.                C．7.               D．17.

3.Why did Phelps try backstroke first?

A．Because he was born with the body of a swimmer.

B．Because his hands and feet were like paddles in the water.

C．Because he didn’t want to put his face in the water.

D．Because he had a wide wingspan.

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

A．Phelps is the best swimmer in Australia.

B．It was Mark Spitz who saw the kid’s great talent.

C．Phelps won 8 gold medals and broke 7 world records.

D．At the age of seven, Phelps started to swim.

5.What can we learn from this passage?

A．The Australian team got 8 gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

B．If you have a wide wingspan, you must be a good swimmer.

C．Phelps was made to spend all his time swimming every day.

D．Nothing is impossible if you put your heart into it.

Mr.  and Mrs.  Green had different ideas about where to go to spend their weekend.  Mrs.  Green wanted to go to Florida to see her sister,  but Mr.  Green did not like to go there.  He wanted to go to Maine. 

“Florida is too hot in summer. ”Mr.  Green said. 

“Maine is a little cold, ” said Mrs.  Green.  “I like swimming.  But the water in Maine is usually not warm enough. ”

“Florida is too far, ” said Mr.  Green.  “We don’t have enough time to drive there.  It’ll take us more than two days. ”

Just then,  the phone rang.  Mr.  Green answered the phone.  It was Mr.  Green’s mother,  “Is that Jim  speaking?  Please come in the shortest time.  I need help.  I’m calling from the hospital in Boston. ”

That stopped their talking,  and in time they both went there. 

6. Where did Mr.  Green like to go to on weekend?

A. Florida.                             B. Maine. 

C. Boston.                              D. England.  

7. What did Mrs.  Green like to do on vacation? 

A. Go swimming.                     B. Drive to Maine. 

C. See her parents.                     D. We don’t know. 

8. Who called them when they were talking?

A. Mr.  Green’s wife.              B. Mr.  Green’s mother.

C. Mr.  Green’s son.               D. Mrs.  Green.

9. Where was Mr.  Green’s mother then? 

A. In Florida.                         B. In Maine. 

C. In Boston.                       D. In Canada. 

10. Where did they go at last? 

A. Boston.                          B. Maine. 

C. Florida.                             D. We don’t know.           

Experts(专家) say that students usually need eight to ten hours’ sleep at night, but most Chinese students do not get enough sleep. Some Chinese parents are usually glad to see their children studying late. They will think their children work very hard, but not all parents are happy about this. Once a mother told us that every morning her 10-year-old boy put up one finger (手指) with his eyes still closed, begging(请求) for one more minute to sleep. Like thousands of students “ early birds” in China, he has to get up before six every morning.

    A report shows that without a good night’s sleep, students seem to be weaker (虚弱) than they should be. Many students have fallen asleep during class at one time or another. Too much homework is not the only reason why students stay up late. Some watch TV or play the computer games late into the night.

   Experts have ever said that the students should develop good study habits. So some clever students never study late, they are able to work well in class.

1.The 10-year-old boy begged for more minute to sleep because__________.

A. he didn’t have enough sleep   B. it wasn’t time for him to get up

C. he didn’t want to go to school  D. he wanted his mother to wake him up

2.In this passage we know if students don’t get enough sleep, they may________.

A. become too weak to sleep     B. not work well in class

C. go to bed early              D. be weak in English

3.In this passage “early birds” means “persons who ______________”

A. get up early  B. get up late   C. sleep less  D. don’t want to sleep

4. “Stay up late” here means “_____________”

A. study late B. watch TV late C. not go to bed until late D. stay outside

5.According to the passage, which of the following is right?_________

A. If you want to study better, you must work hard at night.

B. Sleeping less means working hard.

C. Some clever students are able to work well in class because they have good study habits.

D. Students don’t have enough sleep because they have lots of homework to do.

When you feel sad, tears will come down from your eyes. When you are happy, especially when you laugh hard, tears will also come down from your eyes. But tears have a more important job than showing your feelings.
Tears keep your eyes clean and healthy. They wash away dirt and germs(细菌) just like bath. Your eyes also need tears to keep them wet. And eyes must be wet so that they can move smoothly. Your eyes are busy looking here and there all day long. They move quickly from one thing to another. If you didn’t have tears, your eyes couldn’t move, and soon you would be blind.
Maybe you don’t like tears, but your eyes can’t do without them.
【小题1】The story tells us ____.