There was special interest in the Olympic Games that year.

Adolf Hitler was ruler of Germany. Hitler and his Nazi Party believed that white people—especially German people—were the best race of people on earth. They believed that other races of people—especially those with dark skin—were almost less than human. In the summer of 1936, Hitler wanted to prove his beliefs to the world. He wanted to show that German athletes could win every important competition.

Jesse Owens was black, too. Until 1936, very few black athletes had competed in the Olympic Games for the United States. Jesse was proud to be on the team. He was very sure of his ability.

Jesse spent one week competing in four different Olympic track and field events in Berlin. During that time, he did not think much about the color of his skin, or about Adolf Hitler. At last, Jesse Owens won the highest award—the gold medal—in all four of the Olympic, competitions he entered. In the hundred meter run, he equaled the fastest time ever run in that Olympic event. In the long jump and the 200-meter run, he set new Olympic records. And as part of a four-man team, he helped set a new world record for the 400-meter relay race.

　　  1. How many nations took part in the Olympic Games in 1936?

　　　　  A. 50　　　　   B. 55　　　　　　　　  C. 60    　　　　  D. 65

　　  2. What can be inferred from the passage?

　　　　  A. Hitler thought of Jesse Owens as a hero.

　　　　  B. Hitler believed that black people were worse than white people.

　　　　  C. Jesse Owens was black.

　　　　  D. Jesse Owens was not confident in himself when he took part in the Olympic Games.

　　  3. In which city was the Olympic Games held in 19367

　　　　  A. In New York.　　　　    B. In London.

　　　　  C. In Germany.　　　　　　 D. In Berlin.

　　  4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

　　　　  A. Hitler's belief that German people were better than any other race of people in the world.

　　　　  B. Black young man—Jesse Owens—became famous by winning four gold medals in the Olympic Games in 1936.

　　　　  C. Jesse succeeded in the Olympic Games because of his hard training.

　　　　  D Hider hated black people, especially Jesse Owens.

In 1883, an imaginative engineer named John Roebling decided to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was a pipe dream. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

But Roebling refused to listen to them. He thought about the bridge day and night and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. After much discussion and persuasion he convinced his son Washington, who was a promising engineer himself, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished. With great excitement, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but several months after it began, a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was so seriously injured that he was never able to walk, talk or even move again.

"We told them so", "Crazy men and their crazy dreams", "It's foolish to chase wild visions", the critics said and most thought the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

Washington's wife tried to inspire and pass on her husband's enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay in his hospital room, an idea suddenly hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this finger and tapping it on his wife's arm, he slowly developed a code to communicate with her. Then he used this method to tell his wife what the engineers should do. It seemed crazy but the project was under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances.

1._ What did most people think about Roebling's idea to build the bridge?

A. It would never become a reality.          B. Washington was not experienced enough.

C. It would take a lot of time.              D. Finding the money would be impossible. 

2._The underlined word `daunted' (para. 6) is closest in meaning to '______'.

  A. unpleasant    B. scared    C. amazed    D. determined

3._ Which of the following shows the correct order of the events that happened in the story?

   a. Roebling convinced his son.

   b. Washington found a new way to communicate.

   c. They hired the crew.

d. The bridge was completed.

   e. Roebling wanted to build a bridge.

   f. There was a tragic accident.

A. e, a, c, f, d, b     B. e, a, f, b, c, d    C. e, f, a, b, c, d    D. e, a, c, f, b, d　　

4._ What can we learn about Washington's wife?

A. She knew sign language very well.

B. She was devoted to her husband.

C. She developed a code to communicate with her husband.

D. She helped her husband design the plan.

5._ What does the story tell us?

  A. Success will come with the passing of time.

  B. Struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.

  C. Even the most distant dream can be realised with a never-say-die attitude.

  D. The people who make a difference in our life should be remembered forever.

In the summer of 1936, people all over the world heard the name of Jesse Owens. That summer, Jesse joined the best athletes from 50 nations to compete in the Olympic Games. They met in Germany, in the city of Berlin.

There was special interest in the Olympic Games that year.

Adolf Hitler was ruler of Germany. Hitler and his Nazi Party believed that white people—especially German people—were the best race of people on earth. They believed that other races of people—especially those with dark skin—were almost less than human. In the summer of 1936, Hitler wanted to prove his beliefs to the world. He wanted to show that German athletes could win every important competition.

Jesse Owens was black, too. Until 1936, very few black athletes had competed in the Olympic Games for the United States. Jesse was proud to be on the team. He was very sure of his ability.

Jesse spent one week competing in four different Olympic track and field events in Berlin. During that time, he did not think much about the color of his skin, or about Adolf Hitler. At last, Jesse Owens won the highest award—the gold medal—in all four of the Olympic, competitions he entered. In the hundred meter run, he equaled the fastest time ever run in that Olympic event. In the long jump and the 200-meter run, he set new Olympic records. And as part of a four-man team, he helped set a new world record for the 400-meter relay race.

　　  1. How many nations took part in the Olympic Games in 1936?

　　　　  A. 50　　　　   B. 55　　　　　　　　  C. 60    　　　　  D. 65

　　  2. What can be inferred from the passage?

　　　　  A. Hitler thought of Jesse Owens as a hero.

　　　　  B. Hitler believed that black people were worse than white people.

　　　　  C. Jesse Owens was black.

　　　　  D. Jesse Owens was not confident in himself when he took part in the Olympic Games.

　　  3. In which city was the Olympic Games held in 19367

　　　　  A. In New York.　　　　    B. In London.

　　　　  C. In Germany.　　　　　　 D. In Berlin.

　　  4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

　　　　  A. Hitler's belief that German people were better than any other race of people in the world.

　　　　  B. Black young man—Jesse Owens—became famous by winning four gold medals in the Olympic Games in 1936.

　　　　  C. Jesse succeeded in the Olympic Games because of his hard training.

　　　　  D Hider hated black people, especially Jesse Owens.

She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
　　    When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（寿命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
　　    Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
　　    Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”
　　    The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”
　　    Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”
　　    So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有弹性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species （物种）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
　　    Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （进化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.
【小题1】 What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?

She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.

　　    When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（寿命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?

　　    Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.

　　    Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”

　　    The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”

　　    Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”

　　    So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有弹性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species （物种）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.

　　    Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （进化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.

1. What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?

A．People can live to 122.

B．Old people are creative.

C．Women are sporty at 85.

D．Women live longer than men.

2. According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ______.

A．the average human life span could be 110

B．scientists cannot find ways to slow aging

C．few people can expect to live to over 150

D．researchers are not sure how long people can live

3. Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?

A．Jerry Shay.　                           B．Steve Austad

C．Rich Miller　                           D．George Martin

4. What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?

A．Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.

B．The average human life span cannot be doubled

C．Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.

D．New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species