It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn’t healed(痊愈) from a(n) ___36___ injury. I had___37___ whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was, ___38___for the 3,000-meter run.

“Ready…set…” The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed ___39___ me. I felt ___40___ as I fell farther and farther behind.

“Hooray!” shouted the crowd. It was the loudest___41___ I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps（圈）ahead of me when she crossed the finish line.

“Maybe I should___42___, I thought as I moved on. ___43___, I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran ___44___ and decided not to ___45___in track next year. It wouldn’t be worth it, ___46___my foot did heal.

When I finished, I heard a cheer--___47___ than the one I’d heard earlier. I turned around and___48___, the boys were preparing for their race. “They must be cheering for the boys. ”

I was leaving ___49___ several girls came up to me. “Wow, you’ve got courage!” one of them told me.

“Courage? I just ___50___a race!” I thought.

“I would have given up on the first lap,” said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us?”

Suddenly I regained___51___. I decided to ___52___ track next year. I realized strength and courage aren’t always ___53___ in medals and victories, but in the ___54___we overcome(战胜). The strongest people are not always the people who win, ___55___ the people who don’t give up when they lose.

36. A. slighter B. worse  C. earlier D. heavier

37. A. expected      B. supposed    C. imagined    D. doubted

38. A. late      B. eager  C. ready  D. thirsty

39. A. from behind B. ahead of     C. next to       D. close to

40. A. ashamed      B. astonished  C. excited       D. frightened

41. A. cheer    B. shout  C. cry     D. noise

42. A. slow down   B. drop out     C. go on  D. speed up

43. A. Therefore     B. Otherwise   C. Besides      D. However

44. A. with delight B. with fear    C. in pain       D. in advance

45. A. play     B. arrive  C. race    D. attend

46. A. even if  B. only if       C. unless D. until

47. A. weaker B. longer C. lower  D. louder

48. A. well enough B. sure enough       C. surprisingly enough   D. strangely enough

49. A. while    B. when  C. as       D. since

50. A. finished       B. won    C. passed D. lost

51. A. cheer    B. hope   C. interest       D. experience

52. A. hold on B. turn to       C. begin with  D. stick with

53. A. measured     B. praised       C. tested  D. increased

54. A. sadness B. struggles    C. diseases      D. tiredness

55. A. or B. nor     C. and     D. but

What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.
We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.
Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”
36. The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.
A. bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding
B. pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking
great and important; common
D. hopeful and helpful; careless
37. According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.
A. a normal person; a funny person
B. a strong person; a weak person
a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person
D. a famous person; an ordinary person
38. A person ________ is more likely to become a genius.
A. whose parents are clever
B. often thinking about difficult problems
often helped by his parents and teachers
D. born with a good brain and putting it into active use
39. It is better for parents ________.
A. to praise and encourage their children more often
B. to be hard on their children
to leave their children alone with nothing to do
D. to give their children as much help as possible
40. Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.
B. The less you use your mind the duller you may become.
C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.
D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion.

Dear Editor,

I have just returned home after studying for a year in Germany. But it seems that my parents don’t understand me now. They expect me to be the same person I was before I went abroad, but I’m not! Why can’t they let me be myself?

Jimmy

Hi, Jimmy,

As far as I know, people who have lived abroad often find that the adjustment （调整） to returning home is more difficult than their adjustment to living in a foreign culture. Why? We expect to have some problems when we go to a new place, speak a different language and learn the rules of a different culture ... But home? ... we know that place!

Your parents expect that the same person who boarded the airplane one year ago will be returning. Especially if they have never been abroad themselves, your parents probably won’t understand the changes that living abroad can cause in a person. On the other hand, you may have maintained (保持) an ideal mental image of your loved ones while abroad, an image that is broken into pieces when you return.

Remember you have been living a different lifestyle in your host country, and you have probably become very independent while staying there alone. Now that you’re home, you will be expected to conform （顺应） again to the lifestyle of your family. As a result, you may be upset about your parents’ involvement in your life.

Communication is the key to overcoming this problem. Tell your parents how you are feeling. Share with them information about cultural re-entry（重归）, and ask them to be patient. This does not mean that you have to forget your experience and give up everything you’ve learned! Learn to find a balance between the old and new, just as you did when first adjusting to your host country’s culture.

1.What is Jimmy’s main purpose in writing the letter?

A．To criticize his parents.

B．To ask for advice about his studies.

C．To complain about his parents.

D．To ask for help.

2.What does the editor think of Jimmy’s problem?

A．It’s unusual.      B．It’s normal.       C．It’s serious.       D．It’s interesting.

3.The editor thinks that both Jimmy and his parents ______.

A．have changed in the past year

B．have unrealistic expectations of each other

C．need to behave like they did before

D．need to find a balance between the good and bad

4.The author suggests that ______ would help solve Jimmy’s problem.

A．patience and trust

B．patience and politeness

C．better communication between family members

D．a deeper understanding of the host country’s culture

It is easy for some people to learn a second language. However, others have difficulty in learning a new language. What can you do to help yourself learn a second language, such as English？__1.__

1．Feel positive about learning English.__ 2.__Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about making mistakes.

2．Practice your English. For example, write a diary every day. You will form a habit of writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English.__ 3.__ In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class.

3．__4._You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.

You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements.__ 5.__

A． Go over the points you have learned.

B． Keep a record of your language learning.

C． Don't give up when you meet some difficulty.

D． If you believe that you can learn, you will learn.

E． Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving.

F． In these ways， you will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.

G． There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.

The key to happiness is how quickly you can get back your focus on what`s important.

——Anonymous

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here`s what happened. I hopped in a taxi，and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when，all of a sudden，a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes，skidded，and missed the other car`s back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car，who almost caused a big accident，started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean，he was friendly.  So，I said，"Why did you just do that？This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital！"And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck. "

Many people are like garbage （rubbish）trucks. They run around full of garbage，full of frustration， full of anger，and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up，they need a place to dump it. And if you let them，they`ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you，don`t take it personally. You just smile，wave，wish them well，and move on. You`ll be happy with what you did.

I started thinking，how often do I led Garbage Trucks run right over me？And how often do I　take their garbage and spread it to other people at work，at home，or on the streets？It was that day I said，"I`m not going to do anymore. "

Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you？If you let more garbage trucks pass you by，you`ll be happier. Life`s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So，Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don`t.

What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi？

A.The taxi almost hit another car.

B.The taxi driver was injured.

C.The author scolded the driver of the other car.

D.The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck.

How did the taxi driver respond to the behaviour of the driver of the black car？

A.He yelled back at the driver.

B.He sent the driver to the hospital.

C.He was friendly towards the  driver.

D.He dumped some garbage in front of his car.

What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3？

A.Many people like to drive garbage trucks.

B.Many people dump garbage wherever they like.

C.Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy.

D.Many people tend to be very much depressed.

What can we infer from Paragraph 4？

A.The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks.

B.The author used to complain a lot.

C.The author used to have a lot of money.

D.The author used to be a good manager.

According to the passage，what should you do if people "dump garbage" on you？

A.Ignore them and go on with our own work.

B.Try our best to persuade them not to do that again.

C.Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place.

D.Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else.