Sneaker is a kind of shoe worn by many people all over the world. Some say that the word “sneaker” is another word for tennis shoe,   36   no one really knows where the word came from.   37  say it came from the old English verb “sneak”, which  38   moving silently and quickly. The only thing we are   39  is that when you put on a pair of sneakers, you   40   light-hearted, light-footed and ready to play.

Sneakers of some kind are used by   41   who play tennis, basketball, and other sports. New design has been made   42   for people who run slowly. But perhaps sneakers are   43   used by children in the United States. In fact American children of  44   ages would much rather play in sneakers than anything else, except perhaps  45   at all.

　　New York City once held a poetry contest (诗歌比赛) for children. The subject was only “sneaker”. Thousands of children sent in their  46   and praised the sneakers they love. One prize winner called  47   poem “The Sneaker and the World Peace”. “When everyone is wearing sneakers,” she said, “it will be impossible to   48 .”

American school children can be seen every day   49  sneakers of all colours. They put them on in the morning and take them off  50 . Sneakers are  51  washed. In fact the older and dirtier they are, the  52  loveable they are. When their sneakers wear out (穿破), children hate to throw them off. How do you explain the closeness between  53  ? Perhaps another young   54  in the New York Poetry Contest said it best. “A shoe is just a shoe,” he said. “But a sneaker is a   55 .”

1.                A．however        B．but            C．or   D．and

2.                A．All            B．Some          C．People   D．The others

3.                A．appears        B．remains         C．means    D．wants

4.                A．excited about    B．sure of         C．surprised at   D．pleased with

5.                A．think           B．feel            C．consider  D．suggest

6.                A．men           B．women         C．those D．these

7.                A．lovely          B．specially        C．lively D．cheaply

8.                A．only           B．greatly         C．hardly    D．finally

9.                A．all             B．some           C．little D．old

10.               A．some shoes     B．no shoes        C．no children D．some sneakers

11.               A．photos         B．compositions    C．poems    D．drawings

12.               A．her            B．his            C．its    D．their

13.               A．explain         B．guide          C．hate  D．love

14.               A．dressing        B．wearing        C．putting on D．having

15.               A．the next day     B．at noon         C．at bedtime D．in the evening

16.               A．forever        B．always         C．seldom    D．sometimes

17.               A．much          B．many          C．most  D．more

18.                                A．sneakers and other shoes   B．boys and girls

C．children and sneakers               D．winners and sneakers

19.               A．girl            B．man           C．woman    D．winner

20.               A．sneaker        B．friend          C．poem D．shoe

Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead."
　　Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt-- a mistake 75% of US population make every day. The big question is why.
　　There have been many myths (神化,虚构的事) about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
　　Myth the Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.
　　Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is able going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield (挡风玻璃)or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times in cases where people are "thrown clear".
　　Myth Number Two: Safety-belts "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.
　　Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour (mph).
　　Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres.
【小题1】Why did Elizabeth say to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead"?