While watching the games the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.

The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to complete. It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important.

I watched the man dive off the bock and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.

I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out.

But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.

No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.

A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. You would have thought that he had won the gold, and should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.

Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to Sydney.

In a competition where athletes remove their silver medals feeling they have somehow been cheated out of gold, or when they act so proudly in front of their competitors, it is nice to watch an underdog.

68.From the passage we can learn that the young man _______.

A. made his turn to start back pitifully    

B. was skillful in freestyle in the game

C. swam faster than the average swimmer   

D. was not capable enough to win the medal

69.   The crowd changed their attitudes because _______.

A. they felt sorry for the young man                 

B. they wanted to show their sympathy

C. they were moved by the young man              

D. they meant to please the young man

70.   According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means _______.

A. it’s amusing to watch a man with awful swimming skills

B. it’s amazing to watch an ordinary man challenging himself

C. it’s cheerful for athletes to act proudly before their competitors

D. it’s brave enough for some athletes to remove the silver medals

71.   What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Go for it!                                      B. Try again！

C. Compete for Gold!                         D. Break a Record!

Today, I felt terrible. My head was full of problems, burdens and confusion. I decided to take a walk even though I didn’t know where I would go.

The most extraordinarything happened when I was out on this walk. I saw an old man sitting on a chair. He was a seller of second-hand shoes. He looked at least 70 years old. He seemed so tired and nobody bought his shoes. I wanted to give him something but I had not brought anything with me.

Then, a little girl came toward him. I heard the child say, “Grandpa, may I polish your shoes?” That old man took pity on her and he gave her a shoe to polish. The girl said, “I polish the shoe because I need money to buy my brother a new school uniform.”

I heard this and tears filled my eyes. The old man answered, “Oh, little girl. Just stop doing this. Come with me and I will buy you a uniform.” Then they walked to a market and I followed close behind them. There he bought her a uniform. The girl said, “Thank you so much for doing this. May God bless you.” Then she left, leaving the old man smiling.

The old man walked away from the market, but I stopped him. I whispered in his ear, “You are a hero! Thank you for your kindness!” As I walked away, I glanced back and I could see him still smiling.

My own sadness had disappeared, chased away by the light of this kind act. I began realizing that I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope, some day, I can show my appreciation of what I have by following the example of the old man who only had a little, but shared it happily with someone who had nothing.

1.The author decided to take a walk in order to    .

A．build himself up

B．lighten his mood

C．enjoy the scenery nearby

D．find out something special

2.When seeing the old shoe seller, the author felt   .

A．happy            B．sympathetic        C．regretful          D．disappointed

3.Why did the girl offer to polish shoes for the old man?

A．She took pity on him.

B．She intended to take care of him.

C．She meant to be friendly to him.

D．She wanted to earn some money.

4.By sharing the story, the author conveys a message that    .

A．a kind act can cheer us up

B．old men often set us examples

C．people value what they don’t have

D．helping others means helping ourselves

5.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A clever little girl                       B．A pair of old shoes

C．A kind shoe seller                       D．A girl’s new uniform

The world always makes way for the dreamer.
When I was twelve years old, my father took me to see Zig Zigler. I remember sitting in that dark hall listening to Mr. Zigler   1  everyone’s spirits up to the ceiling. I ___2___there feeling like I could do anything. When we got to the car, I turned to my father and said, “Dad, I want to  3  people feel like that.” My father asked me   4  I meant. “I want to be a motivational(激发积极性的)speaker just like Mr. Zigler,” I replied.  A（An）  5  was born.
Recently, I began seeking my dream of motivating others. 6  a four-year relationship with Fortune 100 Company   7  as a sales-trainer and ending as a regional(地区的) sales manager, I left the company at the height of my 8 .  Many people were  9  that I would leave after earning a six-figure income(收入). And they wondered__10  I would risk everything for a dream.
I made my   11  to start my own company and leave my worryingless position(职位)after  _12__ a regional sales meeting. The vice-president of our company made a   13   that changed my life. He asked us, “If a god would offer you three wishes, what would they be?” After giving us a   14  to write down the three wishes, he then asked us, “Why do you need a   15  ?” I would never forget the power I felt at that moment. I realized that   16  I had accomplished in the past had prepared me for this moment. I was ready and didn’t need a god’s help to become a motivational speaker. A motivational speaker was   17  .
Having made that decision, I was immediately   18 ___. One week after I gave notice, my husband was laid off (下岗) from his job, and now we had no  19 . But I held fast to my dream. The wonder really began to happen. In a short time my husband found a better job. And I was able to book several   20  engagements（业务）with new customers. I discovered the unbelievable power of dreams.

While watching the Olympics the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight．It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage．

         The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks．For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified．That left only one to complete．It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important．

         I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong．I'm not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality．When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle．The crowd started to laugh．Clearly this man was not a medal competitor．

         I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time．Finally he made his turn to start back．It was pitiful．He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out．

         But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed．

         No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer．Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did．

         A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race．The crowd went wild．You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have．Even though he was recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors．

         Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race．His country had been invited to Sydney．

         In a competition where athletes remove their silver medals feeling they have somehow been cheated out of gold, or when they act so proudly in front of their competitors, it is nice to watch an underdog．

1.From the passage we can learn that the young man ________

A. made his turn to start back pitifully

B. was skillful in freestyle in the game

C. swam faster than the average swimmer

D. was not capable enough to win the medal

2.The crowd changed their attitudes because ________

A. they felt sorry for the young man

B. they were moved by the young man

C. they wanted to show their sympathy

D. they meant to please the young man

3.According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means _______．

A. it’s amusing to watch a man with awful swimming skills

B. it’s amazing to watch an ordinary man challenging himself

C. it’s cheerful for athletes to act proudly before their competitors

D. it’s brave enough for some athletes to remove the silver medals

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Compete for Gold!

B. Try again!

C. Break a Record!

D. Go for it!

1. Mean old ladies

There is always a reason why an old lady gives you a serious look – you are being too loud, dressed improperly or not crossing the street in the right place. Sometimes it can be lovely, but if you are already having a bad day, a mean old lady can drive you mad.

What to do about it:

I’ve come to realize that when people start conflicts, it is actually an expression of their inner state expressed in an outside way. You, your personality, your looks or your actions have nothing to do with it. It is not personal, so why take it personally?

2. That person, who cuts in front of everybody in line

This is something that gets me angry. Even if I am not in a hurry, I still feel bad for the other people in line who are being treated unjustly. Are you more patient than I am or do you feel annoying too?

What to do about it:

If we have negative thoughts then we are wasting our energy on negativity. Situations like this could be a great opportunity to learn to control our first negative responses and practice understanding. After all, the person may just have a quick question or maybe there is an emergency.

Friends that tell you “I told you so”

It is one thing to admit that you made a mistake and another to hear it from a friend. Friends should be there to support you and cheer you up when you are feeling down, not make themselves feel better at your expense, right?

What to do about it:

It helps to remember that when people say “I told you so”, they may mean, “Please listen to my advice to avoid future mistakes.” If this is not the help you need – voice it out, without getting defensive.

1.According to the author, what can you do when meeting with a mean old lady?

A. Take it personally.                       B. Take it seriously.

C. Don’t apologize to her.                   D. Don’t get upset.

2.When seeing someone cutting in line, we’d better ________.

A. stop him immediately                             B. treat it with a good state of mind

C. pretend not to see it                                 D. teach him a good lesson

3.The third tip intends to advise you ________.

A. not to keep silent at a friend’s improper suggestion

B. to tell your friend if they have misunderstood you

C. not to talk to your friend if they feel better at your expense

D. to apologize to your friend when you’ve done something wrong

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A. What to do when meeting with these people?

B. How to ask your friends for help when in trouble?

C. How to give advice to your friends when asked to?

D. What to say when faced with different situations?