Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children's careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It's very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child's development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. All can be very expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may he damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training when young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.
【小题1】This passage is most probably taken from _______.

Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children's careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It's very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child's development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. All can be very expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may he damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training when young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.

1. 1.

   This passage is most probably taken from _______.

   1. A.
      a letter
   2. B.
      an advertisement
   3. C.
      a personal diary
   4. D.
      a newspaper
2. 2.

   According to the passage, parents whose children show a special interest in a sport ____.

   1. A.
      feel uncertain if they should let their children train to be sportsmen or sportswomen
   2. B.
      try to get financial support from the govern­ment for their children's training
   3. C.
      have to get medical advice from doctors about training methods
   4. D.
      prefer their children to be trained as young as possible
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true?

   1. A.
      By starting young, you won't have much time for your schoolwork.
   2. B.
      Early training may damage your muscles.
   3. C.
      Most children may become top sportsmen after a long period of training.
   4. D.
      It' s very expensive for parents to support their child's development in sports.
4. 4.

   The phrase "to take a second place" underlined in first paragraph means "_______".

   1. A.
      to repeat the activities some other day
   2. B.
      to become less important
   3. C.
      of all the things, they are the most important
   4. D.
      to happen again
5. 5.

   _____ can become the best players after many years of training.

   1. A.
      Most people
   2. B.
      Many people
   3. C.
      merely a few people
   4. D.
      No people

Today, when a man steps on to the moon, or something new and important happens the world learns about it immediately. What did the newspapers say about that first flight in 1903? Strangely enough, they said hardly anything about it at all. There were only a few reports about it in the papers. These reports said very little. Some of the things they said were not even correct.

In 1904 the Wrights built a second machine. They called it “Flyer No. Two”. They invited some reporters to a field near Dayton to watch them fly. Unfortunately, there were some mechanical (机械的)trouble with the plane and it did not fly at all that day. The newspapermen went away. They were disappointed and did not come back. The Wrights went on with their work. In 1905, they built an even better machine, “Flyer No. Three”. They were able to stay upon the air for half an hour and more in the machine. Farmers and travelers on the road around the Dayton often saw tem flying, but when three people told newspapermen about it, they refused to believe them.

The Wrights offered “Flyer No. Three” to the United States government. The govern－ment was not interested. They seemed to think the Wrights wanted money in order to build a place. They did not understand the Wrights had already done this, and flown it well. Experts were still saying that mechanical flight was impossible. At the end of 1905 the two brothers took their planes to pieces. The parts were put into a huge wooden box. It seemed nobody was interested.

1. The reporters were disappointed in 1904 because____________.

　 A. the Wrights did not invite them

　 B. the plane could not stay long in the air

　 C. the plane did not fly at all that day

　 D. they had wanted to see a better machine

2. The U.S. government could not understand that____________.

A. the Wrights had already built a machine that could fly

B. experts still thought flying was impossible

C. the Wrights wanted more money to build an airplane

D. “Flyer No. Three” was now in a wooden case

3. The Wrights took their plane to pieces because_____________.

　 A. they planned to go to Europe

　 B. nobody was interested

　 C. the government didn’t give them any money

　 D. the newspapermen didn’t report their flights

4. What does the underlined word “Flyer” means?

　 A. pilot　　　　 B. driver　　　 C. plane　　　 D. kite

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

　 A. Today, people are very interested in new things.

　 B. People in the past talked little about new things.

　 C. Reporters are now as interested in new happening as in the past.

　 D. People in the past even told each other wrong things.

“The first and best of victories for a man is to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful,” says Plato. Self-control is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses (冲动) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral freedom.

A single angry word has lost many friends. When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many a person has dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease. “Whoever the gods would destroy, they first make them mad.” “Keep cool,” says Webster, “anger is not argument.” “Be calm in arguing,” says George Herbert, “for fierceness (狂怒) makes error a fault.”

To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. “Anger,” says Pythagoras, “begins with foolishness and ends with regret.” You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him.

Self-control is man’s last and greatest victory.

If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking too.

What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Self- control is important for a man.                  

B. We should learn to be strong.

C. A man who keeps cool won’t lose any game.

D. The great heroes in history knew how to control themselves.

What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. If you are mad, the gods will fail you.

B. If you lose your temper first, gods will fail you first.

C. If you can’t control yourself, you will be crazy.

D. If the gods want to fail you, they will make you mad first.

Which of the following is NOT true, according to passage?

A. The first and best of victories for a man is to conquer himself.

B. You will make a small mistake serious if you don’t keep cool.

C. You must measure a man’s strength by the power of the feelings which conquer him.

D. Anger begins with foolishness and ends with regret.

Which of the following can’t help you avoid anger, according to the passage?

A. Being calm in arguing.              

B. Checking your temper or anger by speaking low.

C. Keeping your mouth shut.            

D. Trying to make the other angry first.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's new son will be named George Alexander Louis, the royal family says. A statement from William and Catherine's settlement  Kensington Palace said the baby, third in line to the throne(王位), would be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.