There were smiling children all the way. Charily they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Maiaysia. I was moved.

     I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

     It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight, Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

     From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

     The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

     I looked forward to the return journey.

1. The author expected the train trip to be

   A. adventurous  B. pleasant   C. exciting   D. dull

2. What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?

    A. The friendly country people.         B. The mountains along the way.

    C. The crowds of people in the streets.    D. The simple lunch served on the train.

3. Which of the following words can best take the place of the word "relish" in the second

     paragraph?    A. choose   B. enjoy    C. prepare for   D. carry on

4, Where was the writer going?

    A. Johore Baru,   B. The Causeway.   C. Butterworth,   D. Singapore.

5. What can we learn from the story?

    A, Comfort in traveling by train.    B. Pleasure of living in the country.

    C. Reading gives people delight.    D. Smiles brighten people up.

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!

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

One day I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was expecting a quiet   36   of the splendid artwork.

         A young   37   viewing the paintings ahead of me   38   nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking. I admired the man’s   39   for putting up with her   40   stream of words.   41   by their noise, I moved on.

         I met them several times as I moved   42   the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away   43  .

         I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a   44   when the couple approached the   45  . Before they left, the man   46   into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He   47   it into a long stick and then   48   his way into the coatroom to get his wife’s jacket.

         “He’s a   49   man,” the clerk at the counter said. “Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn’t change. So, as before, he and his wife come in   50   there is a new art show.”

         “But what does he get out of the art?” I asked. “He can’t see.”

         “Can’t see! You’re   51  . He sees a lot. More than you and I do,” the clerk said. “His wife   52   each painting so he can see it in his head.”

         I learned something about patience,   53   and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without   54   and the courage of a husband who would not   55   blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, their arms intertwined.

1.A. touch                                  B. view                           C. wander                         D. stare

2.A. lady                                     B. man                            C. couple                           D. clerk

3.A. chatted                              B. argued                       C. screamed                    D. yelled

4.A. attempt                             B. independence          C. wisdom                        D. patience

5.A. vivid                                     B. constant                   C. casual                           D. vague

6.A. Adopted                             B. Adapted                   C. Conducted                   D. Disturbed

7.A. through                              B. to                                C. towards                       D. from     

8.A. anxiously                            B. urgently                    C. quickly                          D. sensibly

9.A. comment                           B. decision                     C. purchase                      D. profit

10.A. entrance                          B. exit                             C. front                              D. queue

11.A. plugged                            B. held                            C. reached                        D. bent

12.A. made                                B. lengthened               C. brought                        D. broadened

13.A. led                                     B. found                         C. forced                           D. tapped

14.A. brave                                B. rough                         C. smart                            D. generous

15.A. wherever                         B. whatever                  C. whichever                    D. whenever

16.A. wrong                               B. silly                             C. equal                             D. unique

17.A. describes                         B. draws                        C. shows                           D. decorates

18.A. kindness                          B. pride                          C. enthusiasm                 D. courage

19.A. support                            B. sight                           C. expectation                 D. confidence

20.A. get                                    B. hope                           C. allow                             D. cause

Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my father, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely mad and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction. I named him Cowboy.?

Cowboy was without a doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reason.?

I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickers(窃笑) about Cowboy’s looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses.?

When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse was judged on appearance, we were quickly shown the gate. No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race.?

One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.?

The stinging memory of Becky’s smirks made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena (赛马场). We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted.?

All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place.?

My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy’s neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.?

As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds!?

I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it.?

1. The underlined expression "shown the gate" (paragraph 4) most probably means "     __________".?

A. told how to enter the arena?

B. shown how to make the horse beautiful?

C. removed from the competition early?

D. told to enter the timed-speed events?

2. Why was the writer not confident of victory??

A. He was an inexperienced rider.?    

B. He had not practiced enough.?

C. He believed he was unpopular with the crowd.?

D. He thought his horse wasn’t as good as the others. ?

3.When the final race finished, nobody cheered because____________.?

A. the audience didn’t like Cowboy?    B. people envied the writer?

C. the win was unexpected?           D. the writer had run out of time

4.What did the writer learn from his experience??

A. Life can sometimes be unfair.?

B. Anything is possible if one tries hard enough.?

C. A positive attitude will bring success.?

D. One should not make judgments based on appearance. [来源:Zxxk.Com]

5.The best title for the story is ___________.         .?

A. A Race to Remember              B.A Horse’s Tale?

C. Neck and Neck                    D.A Difficult Age ?

 I used to watch her from my kitchen window. She seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during break. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone.

One day I asked her why she practiced so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her school team to victory.

One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply, “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at 5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team—much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she truly wanted a scholarship and that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude.

The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was offered a scholarship and on the college team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of.

1.The author was probably the girl’s        .

A. brother or sister            B. friend       C. mother          D. teacher

2.Why was the girl heartbroken ?

A. She was considered too short to be a top player.

B. Her coach stopped her training because of her height.

C. She couldn’t be on a college basketball team.

D. She wouldn’t be admitted by an ideal college.

3. We can learn from the passage that        .

A. her family wouldn’t like to pay her college fee

B. her father forced her to play basketball in collage

C. being a top basketball player can win you a scholarship for college

D. she wouldn’t like to turn to his father for help when in difficulty

4.Which word can best describe her father ?

A. Encouraging.     B. Optimistic.      C. Stubborn.            D. Cruel.

5.Which proverb best matches the story ?

A. Practice makes perfect.              B. Rome was not built in a day.

C. Where there is a will, there is a way.    D. Pride comes before a fall.