One of the most important events in the Olympic Games is the Marathon race. It _ 16_ one of the great events in Greek history.

     In 490 B.C .about 10,000 Greeks fought _ 17_ the Persian army at a place _18__ Marathon. It is said that the Persians were ten times as many as the Greeks .However , __19_ the brave attack of the Greeks , the Persians were badly beaten and _20__ away from the plain of Marathon . When the Persians had run away, a soldier, who was the most famous _ 21 _in Athens, was ordered to carry the good news to the city _22_ full speed.

     Although he had fought through the battle and received many wounds, the soldier at once started off towards the _23_ city. It was twenty-six miles _24__ the plain of Marathon to the marketplace of Athens, where the elders of Athens had gathered waiting for news. He ran and ran __25_ hills and across plains. As he went on, his lips became dry and he breathed hard. But he thought of the _26__ of the people of Athens __27_ hearing the news, and he ran harder than ever.

     The elders of Athens heard a great shout and saw a soldier staggering (蹒跚）towards them . "Rejoice! Rejoice! We won!" gasped the soldier, and fell down __28__ .

   In __29_ of this noble soldier, the Marathon race _30__ the athletes run this same distance became an event in the Olympic Games.

One of the most important events in the Olympic Games is the Marathon race. It _ 16_ one of the great events in Greek history.

     In 490 B.C .about 10,000 Greeks fought _ 17_ the Persian army at a place _18__ Marathon. It is said that the Persians were ten times as many as the Greeks .However , __19_ the brave attack of the Greeks , the Persians were badly beaten and _20__ away from the plain of Marathon . When the Persians had run away, a soldier, who was the most famous _ 21 _in Athens, was ordered to carry the good news to the city _22_ full speed.

     Although he had fought through the battle and received many wounds, the soldier at once started off towards the _23_ city. It was twenty-six miles _24__ the plain of Marathon to the marketplace of Athens, where the elders of Athens had gathered waiting for news. He ran and ran __25_ hills and across plains. As he went on, his lips became dry and he breathed hard. But he thought of the _26__ of the people of Athens __27_ hearing the news, and he ran harder than ever.

     The elders of Athens heard a great shout and saw a soldier staggering (蹒跚）towards them . "Rejoice! Rejoice! We won!" gasped the soldier, and fell down __28__ .

   In __29_ of this noble soldier, the Marathon race _30__ the athletes run this same distance became an event in the Olympic Games.

  Looking back on my childhood, I get to believe that naturalists are born and not made． Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon threw away their pressed flowers and insects． Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages． I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic．

  Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary． I have only the unclear memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys． Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door． But I do have a clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds and, above all, the insects．

  I am a naturalist, not a scientist． I have a strong love of the natural world, and my enthusiasm（热情） has led me into varied investigations（调查）． I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil while reading about other people’s observations and discoveries． Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind． Suddenly you wonder you see the answer to the riddle（迷）, because it all seems to fit together． This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honour with the title of scientific research．

  But curiosity, a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist; one of the outstanding qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack． A scientist requires not only self-discipline but hard training, determination and a goal． A scientist, up to a point, can be made． A naturalist is born． If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds．

53． The first paragraph tells us that the author ___．

     A． was born to a naturalist’s family

     B． lost his hearing when he was a child

     C． didn’t like his brothers and sisters

     D． was interested in flowers and insects

54． The author can’t remember his relatives clearly because ____．

     A． he didn’t live long with them

     B． he was fully busy observing nature          

       C． the family was too large to remember

     D． he was too young when he lived with them

55． It can be inferred from the passage that the author was ____

     A． a naturalist but not a scientist    

     B． more a good observer than a listener

     C． no more than a born naturalist

     D． a scientist as well as a naturalist

56． The author says he’s a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he ___．

     A． lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist

     B． he couldn’t do mental arithmetic

     C． he was brought up in a family of farmers

     D． he was not knowledgeable enough

Since the end of World War I (WWI) in 1918，Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to honour the sacrifices our soldiers have made in different wars, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.
Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI， a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide.
As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI，today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed，and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution.
They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.
That’s why we wear the red poppy (罂粟花);that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you” ; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request.
Yet this message is fading away, year after year.
Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school.
Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.
It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem In Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid.
It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history，no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice.
Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today, can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.
Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.
【小题1】Which of the following is true about Remembrance Day?

England was one of the first countries to set aside a day to recognize mothers．In the eighteenth century,      many people worked as household servants for the     , "Mothering Sunday" was _     for them to return home to be with their mothers．Though this      stopped when the Industrial Revolution altered the working and living patterns of people, one     for mothers was established as a holiday in the twentieth century．

In the United States, Mother's Day did not become a（n）       holiday until 1915．Its establishment was      due to the perseverance and love of one      , Anna Jarvis．Anna's mother had provided strength and support as the family      their home in West Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania      her father served as a minister．

When Mrs Jarvis died on May 5, 1905, Anna was determined to       her．She asked a minister at the church in West Virginia to give a sermon（布道）      memory of her mother．

On the same Sunday in Philadelphia, ministers there honoured Mrs.Jarvis and all mothers with a (n)      Mother's Day service．Anna Jarvis began writing to congressmen, asking them to       a day to honour mothers. In 1910, the governor of West Virginia proclaimed(宣布) the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day and a year later every state       it．

On Mother' s Day morning some American children       the tradition of serving their mothers breakfast in bed．Other children will give their mothers      which they have made themselves or bought in      ．Adults give their mothers red carnations, the official Mother's Day flower．If their mothers     , they may bring white carnations to their grave（坟墓）sites．This is the busiest day of the year for American       ．On the special day, family members do not want Mom to cook dinner!

1.A．before         B．since             C．when              D．until

2.A．rich             B．poor                  C．living             D．injured

3.A．protected            B．reserved               C．changed         D．persuaded

4.A．form          B．custom            C．habit            D．plan

5.A．Monday                B．Wednesday            C．Sunday                  D．Friday

6.A．ordinary        B．common             C．regular          D．official

7.A．nearly         B．largely                 C．deeply           D．highly

8.A．mother         B．sister                  C．daughter         D．waitress

9.A．destroyed    B．found                 C．made            D．left

10.A．where      B.  when                     C．why           D．how

11.A．reward       B．honour                C．award                   D．inspire

12.A．on                 B．at                      C．in               D．for

13.A．special               B．expensive             C．simple           D．easy

14.A．put off               B．give up                C．take on        D．set aside

15.A．understood          B．received                C．celebrated              D．prevented

16.A．follow            B．refuse                C．accept           D．support

17.A．letters               B．gifts                    C．calls                    D．toys

18.A．schools               B．churches             C．stores           D．hospitals

19.A．went ahead     B．moved on                 C．stayed up        D．passed away    

20.A．restaurants            B．departments        C．offices           D．markets