When Sally Ride was ten years old, she had no idea that she would some day grow up to be one of America’s first woman astronauts. In fact, if you had asked her then what wanted to be, she would have said, “ I want to play shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers.” Sally collected baseball cards by the boxful, and she knew the name and batting average (击球率)of every player in the National League.
But major league baseball didn’t seem much of a possibility for a girl, even an athletic one like Sally, so her father and mother talked her into taking tennis lessons when she was twelve. At first she hated to trade in her baseball bat for a tennis racket, but it wasn’t long before she started to win tournaments in her new sport. “ Tennis became much more fun when I started winning,” Sally remembers. Soon a row of trophies （奖牌）replaced her box of baseball cards, and tennis star Billie Jean King replaced Dodger shortstop Maury Wills as her sports idol.
Sally first became interested in the space program in 1962 when astronaut John Glenn orbited the earth in his Mercury space capsule. Sally was ten years old at the time, but she remembers the launch and the splashdown (掉落) as if they happened yesterday. The girl who used to memorize batting averages became a space fan. She quickly learned the name of every NASA astronaut(there were only eight of them in 1962), the date of every launch, and the name and number of every spacecraft from Freedom 7 to Skylab 3. She could tell you the speed of light (186,300 miles per second), the distance to the moon (238,860 miles), and the names of the three nearest stars( the Sun, Alpha Centauri, and Barnard’s Star).
By the time she was sixteen, Sally had decided to become an astrophysicist, a scientist who studies space. She had also become a nationally ranked tennis player. She remembers yawning（打哈欠） through an important tennis match on June 20, 1969, after staying up all night to watch Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. Sally lost the match.
As Sally got older, many of her friends started playing professional tennis. Some of them tried to talk her into quitting school to join them on the professional tennis circuit. But Sally said no. “ Black holes are more interesting to me than backhands,” she told them. Now she knows that she made the right choice, but in 1970 Sally had no way of knowing that NASA would open the space program to women

1. 1.

   At the age of twelve, Sally Ride ________

   1. A.
      was interested in playing tennis
   2. B.
      was persuaded into taking tennis training
   3. C.
      began to become interested in space
   4. D.
      decided to become an astrophysicist
2. 2.

   Sally Ride lost the match on June, 1969 just because________

   1. A.
      she was tired
   2. B.
      she couldn’t decide whether to be an astrophysicist
   3. C.
      she couldn’t decide whether to take part in a professional tennis circuit
   4. D.
      she wasn’t interested in tennis
3. 3.

   From the story we know that Sally ________

   1. A.
      had been a professional baseball player
   2. B.
      had never been a professional player
   3. C.
      had never been a woman astrophysicist
   4. D.
      wasn’t interested in space program
4. 4.

   A capsule is ________

   1. A.
      the name of the neareast star
   2. B.
      a place where the American astronauts and the crew work
   3. C.
      a place where astronauts and the crew are trained
   4. D.
      a container of the crew and astronauts detached(分离) from a rocket
5. 5.

   Which of the following is True according to the passage?

   1. A.
      According to the story, Sally Ride is a woman astrophysicist
   2. B.
      The ambition of becoming a woman astronaut was made in Sally’s childhood
   3. C.
      Freedom 7 and Skylab 3 are the names of the nearest stars
   4. D.
      Sally didn’t quit her schooling at the time as she knew sooner or later NASA would hire woman astronaut

Famous centenarians (百岁老人) still active in arts, science are in no mood to retire. "Those who stand still, die," is one of Oliveira's favorite phrases. He knows from experience what it means, as the Portuguese film director has reached the age of 102 and is still active in his profession. Every year, Oliveira shoots a film and is currently working on his next project. "You have to work, work, work in order to forget that death is not far away," he said. When asked about his age, Oliveira said with some humility: "It's down to mother nature. It gave to me what it took from others."
Being both mentally and physically fit in old age is partly a matter of luck, but it also has something to do with character. Not every white-haired person is wise and social skills, openness and the ability to train the brain are essential for senior citizens.
Along with the architect Oscar Niemeyer (103), Nobel laureate Montalcini (101) and director Kurt Maetzig (100), Oliveira is one of those people of whom it would be very wrong to think as members of a listless elderly generation.
Another master in his profession is the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The 103-year-old Brazilian is best known for his futuristic-looking buildings in Brasilia, but he also speaks out on behalf of the poor. "The role of the architect is to struggle for a better world where we can develop a form of architecture that serves everyone and not just a privileged few," said Niemeyer recently. He spends almost every day working in his office in Copacabana, and even when he falls ill he keeps working on ideas: After a gallbladder (胆囊) operation he composed a samba tune (桑巴舞曲) in the clinic.
Another man who could sing a song about age is 107-year-old Heesters. The Dutch-born opera singer spent most of his life performing in Germany, where he still works. Recently Heesters said: "I want to be at least 108-years-old." He also plans to keep performing. "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?" Heesters has not given up trying to add to his tally of awards and is looking for a "good stage role".
Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who is 101-year-old and is still active in medical science, has described the force that keeps driving her on: "Progress is created through imperfection." In 1986 she and her lab colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work on nerve growth factor. She's convinced that humans grow on challenges.
With so many brilliant examples given, we can see clearly that age is no barrier to some high achievers.
【小题1】From the first two paragraphs, we can see ______.

Famous centenarians (百岁老人) still active in arts, science are in no mood to retire. "Those who stand still, die," is one of Oliveira's favorite phrases. He knows from experience what it means, as the Portuguese film director has reached the age of 102 and is still active in his profession. Every year, Oliveira shoots a film and is currently working on his next project. "You have to work, work, work in order to forget that death is not far away," he said. When asked about his age, Oliveira said with some humility: "It's down to mother nature. It gave to me what it took from others."

   Being both mentally and physically fit in old age is partly a matter of luck, but it also has something to do with character. Not every white-haired person is wise and social skills, openness and the ability to train the brain are essential for senior citizens.

   Along with the architect Oscar Niemeyer (103), Nobel laureate Montalcini (101) and director Kurt Maetzig (100), Oliveira is one of those people of whom it would be very wrong to think as members of a listless elderly generation.

   Another master in his profession is the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The 103-year-old Brazilian is best known for his futuristic-looking buildings in Brasilia, but he also speaks out on behalf of the poor. "The role of the architect is to struggle for a better world where we can develop a form of architecture that serves everyone and not just a privileged few," said Niemeyer recently. He spends almost every day working in his office in Copacabana, and even when he falls ill he keeps working on ideas: After a gallbladder (胆囊) operation he composed a samba tune (桑巴舞曲) in the clinic.

   Another man who could sing a song about age is 107-year-old Heesters. The Dutch-born opera singer spent most of his life performing in Germany, where he still works. Recently Heesters said: "I want to be at least 108-years-old." He also plans to keep performing. "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?" Heesters has not given up trying to add to his tally of awards and is looking for a "good stage role".

   Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who is 101-year-old and is still active in medical science, has described the force that keeps driving her on: "Progress is created through imperfection." In 1986 she and her lab colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work on nerve growth factor. She's convinced that humans grow on challenges.

   With so many brilliant examples given, we can see clearly that age is no barrier to some high achievers.

1.From the first two paragraphs, we can see ______.

A. being active at 102 is achievable for everybody

B. Oliveira owes his long life to his mother’s help

C. being fit in old age is a matter of luck and character

D. social skills and wisdom are difficult for the senior

2.How many centenarians are mentioned in this passage?

A. 4                     B. 5                     C. 6                   D. 7

3.By saying "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?” in Paragraph 5, Heesters shows us he ________.

A. wants to sit or lie in comfort

B. is waiting for people to pick him up

C. is willing to work till he dies

D. prefers to give performance at home

4.In the passage so many examples were given to show ________.

A. old age is a big problem if you want to succeed

B. as a senior citizen, you have to be open-minded and optimistic

C. old people should never think of themselves as old

D. old age cannot prevent a great person from achieving a lot

5.In the writer’s opinion, the architect Oscar Niemeyer is not ________.

A. intelligent          B. pessimistic                    C. positive                       D. Diligent

Famous centenarians (百岁老人) still active in arts, science are in no mood to retire. "Those who stand still, die," is one of Oliveira's favorite phrases. He knows from experience what it means, as the Portuguese film director has reached the age of 102 and is still active in his profession. Every year, Oliveira shoots a film and is currently working on his next project. "You have to work, work, work in order to forget that death is not far away," he said. When asked about his age, Oliveira said with some humility: "It's down to mother nature. It gave to me what it took from others."

   Being both mentally and physically fit in old age is partly a matter of luck, but it also has something to do with character. Not every white-haired person is wise and social skills, openness and the ability to train the brain are essential for senior citizens.

   Along with the architect Oscar Niemeyer (103), Nobel laureate Montalcini (101) and director Kurt Maetzig (100), Oliveira is one of those people of whom it would be very wrong to think as members of a listless elderly generation.

   Another master in his profession is the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The 103-year-old Brazilian is best known for his futuristic-looking buildings in Brasilia, but he also speaks out on behalf of the poor. "The role of the architect is to struggle for a better world where we can develop a form of architecture that serves everyone and not just a privileged few," said Niemeyer recently. He spends almost every day working in his office in Copacabana, and even when he falls ill he keeps working on ideas: After a gallbladder (胆囊) operation he composed a samba tune (桑巴舞曲) in the clinic.

   Another man who could sing a song about age is 107-year-old Heesters. The Dutch-born opera singer spent most of his life performing in Germany, where he still works. Recently Heesters said: "I want to be at least 108-years-old." He also plans to keep performing. "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?" Heesters has not given up trying to add to his tally of awards and is looking for a "good stage role".

   Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who is 101-year-old and is still active in medical science, has described the force that keeps driving her on: "Progress is created through imperfection." In 1986 she and her lab colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work on nerve growth factor. She's convinced that humans grow on challenges.

   With so many brilliant examples given, we can see clearly that age is no barrier to some high achievers.

1.From the first two paragraphs, we can see ______.

  A. being active at 102 is achievable for everybody

  B. Oliveira owes his long life to his mother’s help

  C. being fit in old age is a matter of luck and character

  D. social skills and wisdom are difficult for the senior

2.How many centenarians are mentioned in this passage?

  A. 4          B. 5            C. 6           D. 7

3.By saying "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?” in Paragraph 5, Heesters shows us he ________.

  A. wants to sit or lie in comfort

B. is waiting for people to pick him up

  C. is willing to work till he dies

D. prefers to give performance at home

4.In the passage so many examples were given to show ________.

  A. old age is a big problem if you want to succeed

  B. as a senior citizen, you have to be open-minded and optimistic

  C. old people should never think of themselves as old

  D. old age cannot prevent a great person from achieving a lot

5.In the writer’s opinion, the architect Oscar Niemeyer is not ________.

 A. intelligent       B. pessimistic          C. positive             D. diligent