31. After he retired from office, Rogers _______ painting for a while, but soon lost interest.

A. saved up       B. took up             C. kept up          D. drew up

  Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, fundingcuts, and many other administrative chores and started to dream of retirement．Sitting in trafficon a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering．I would imagine spending time withmy grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books．Itold myself that I wouldn't sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anythingrequiring a schedule．

    My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me,leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends．On thesecond day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper …On the third day, ...This is retirement? Itried to tell myself that it was just the transition, that those golden moments were right roundthe corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough．But something was missing．

    A former colleague asked a favor．A group of students was going to Jamaica to work withchildren in the poorest neighbourhood．Would I interrupt my newfound "happiness" and returnto the students, just this once? One trip．That's all．My bags were packed and by the door．

    The trip was very inspiring．I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by thesense of responsibility of the young people on the trip．When I returned home, I offered to workone day a week with a local youth organization．The experience was so positive that I was soonvolunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work．

    Now，it seems, the tables have turned ．Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student．These young people have reawakened my commitment to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poorand suffer because of greed, corruption and war．Most importantly, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions．In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas．I've gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!

What did the writer expect to do after he retired?

    A．To stay away from busy schedules．   B．To write some great books．

    C．To do some voluntary work．  D．To plan for his future．

Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?

    A．He missed his students in that country．

    B．He couldn't reflise his colleague's favor．

    C．He was concerned about the people there．

    D．He was not satisfied with his retired life．

The underlined part "the tables have turned" （Paragraph 5 ） means that thewriter ．

    A．improved the situation in his school B．felt happy to work with students again

    C．became a learner rather than a teacher   D．changed his attitude toward his retired life

What does the writer think of his retired life now?

    A．Disappointing．      B．Troublesome．

    C．Promising．      D．Meaningful．

To keep healthy,Professor Johnson _______ cycling as a regular form of exercise after he retired.

A. caught on B. set out

C. made for D. took up?

After he retired from office，Rogers        painting for a while，but soon lost interest．

A．took up    B．took off    C．took down     D．took in

In October, 1961. at Crowley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio, an old, deaf gentleman named William E Hey stood up to throw the first ball of the World Series. Most people at Crowley Field on that day probably did not remember Hoy because he had retired (退休) from professional baseball 58 years earlier, in 1903. However, he had been an outstanding player and the deaf people still talk about him and his years in baseball.

William E. Hoy was horn in Houckstown, Ohio, on May 23, 1862. He became deaf when he was two years old. He attended the Columbus Ohio School for the deaf. After graduation, he started playing baseball while working as a shoemaker.

Hoy began playing professional baseball in 1886 for Oshkosh (Wisconsin) of the Northwestern League. In 1888, he started as an outfielder (外场手) with the old Washington Senators. His small figure and speed made him an outstanding base runner. He was very good at stealing bases during his career. In the 1888 major league season, he stole 82 bases. He was also the Senators' leading hitter in 1888. Hoy was clever; he threw right-handed and batted left-handed. On June 19, 1889, he threw out three batters (击球手) at the plate from his outfield position.

The arm signals used by judges today to show balls and strikes began because of Hoy. The judge lifted his right arm to show that the pitch was a strike, and his left arm to signal that it was a ball. For many years, people talked about Hoy's last ball game in 1903. He was playing for Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast Winter League. It was a memorable game because Hoy made a wonderful play which won the game. It was a very foggy night and, therefore, very hard to see the ball. In the ninth inning (棒球的一局), with two men out, Hoy managed to catch a fly ball to make the third out in spite of the fog. Ms Angeles defeated their opposition and won the game.

After he retired, Hoy stayed busy. He ran a dairy farm near Cincinnati for 20 years. He also became a public speaker and traveled giving speeches. Until a few years before his death, he took 4 and 10 mile walks several mornings a week. On December 15, 1961, William Hoy died at the age of 99

1.In which order did the following things happen in Hoy's life?

a. Hoy worked as a shoemaker.

b. Hoy began to run a diary farm.

c. Hoy played a memorable game in the heavy fog.

d. Hoy threw the first ball of the World Series.

e. Hoy became deaf.

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

2.We can infer from the last paragraph that Hoy ________in his late years.

A. became famous                   B. led a relaxed life

C. traveled around the world           D. was in good physical condition

3. This passage is mainly about ________.

A. a deaf player devoted to the game of baseball

B. baseball game rules and important players

C. the rise in the social position of the deaf people

D. where the baseball judge hand signals came from

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

A. Hoy was the greatest baseball player in his time.

B. Speaking and listening are not necessary in baseball games.

C. The judge had to study the hand signals very seriously.

D. Hoy's family encouraged him to become a baseball player.