“Do you want to come with me?” Sally asked her brother. “I’m going to meet some friends at the bike course（赛道，路线）down the block. We’re going to practice for the race next week.”

“No, thanks,” Mark replied. “Sam’s coming over to play basketball.”

Sally rode off on her bike while Mark waited for his friend. Mark was fast,   35   he usually did well in most sports. He didn’t think it would   36   if he practiced the course. It could be hilly or sandy, and Mark knew he would   37   speed along.

The race day finally arrived. “My stomach feels like I ate some butterflies,” Sally told Mark when she saw so many kids around. Then they   38   the other riders at the start line.

“Sally is always nervous,” Mark thought. “Don’t worry.   39   will do fine,” he said. As soon as the starter shouted “Go!”, Mark’s legs pumped up and down like two machines. He moved   40   to the front.

A few minutes later, there wasn’t anyone ahead of him! Mark raced along the course. He rode past some pine trees. Then the path looped(环绕)around a pond. Mark was surprised that the course was so   41  .

His tired legs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. All at once, a flash of color caught his eyes. There was a line of bike riders on the course ahead of him! “How could this be?” Mark said to himself. “I must have taken a wrong   42   and made one more loop in the course,” he thought.

Mark pushed his achy muscles(肌肉)harder. He realized his   43   alone wouldn’t be enough this time;   44   the course was just as important. He managed to ride past a couple of bike riders, but he couldn’t   45   the riders who were in the lead.

After the race Mark saw his sister. “Wow, you must have done a good job in the race. What place did you get?” Mark asked.

“Third place!” Sally answered excitedly.

“That’s great! I came in ninth place. But I’ll do better next year because I’ll be     46   enough to practice the course with you,” Mark made a face at his sister and replied.

35. A. but                           B. as                        C. and                      D. or

36. A. help                          B. move                   C. care                     D. come

37. A. just                           B. even                     C. never                   D. still

38. A. joined                       B. passed                  C. visited                  D. invited

39. A. I                              B. You                      C. They                    D. She

40. A. quickly                     B. quietly                  C. clearly                  D. carefully

41. A. hard                         B. wide                    C. long                     D. tidy

42. A. chance                      B. turn                     C. step                     D. ride

43. A. patience                    B. spirit                    C. speed                   D. imagination

44. A. accepting                  B. changing              C. knowing               D. finishing

45. A. leave                         B. touch                   C. face                     D. reach

46. A. honest                      B. smart                   C. brave                   D. confident

You carry your backpack（背包）around every day，to every class，all year long．So it's important that you choose the right one．And the time has come again：Another school year means another backpack to buy．

What's out there this year? Here's a look at three of this year's backpack trends（款式）．

1．You don't have to stay neutral（暗淡的）．There are all kinds of backpacks this year．They have lots of color and loud prints．So forget the basic black and gray（灰色）．Go for a bag that stands out and shows who you are and what you like．

2．Love lots of pockets? You’re in luck．There's a place for everything you might want to carry--your phone，iPod，water bottle．

3．Go earth-friendly．Just like everything else，school bags have gone environment-friendly．You'll find all kinds of bags made of materials that can be used again．

Do you know how to use your backpack correctly? Here are some tips：

1．Don't overload your bag．You shouldn't carry more than 10% of your body weight．

2．Carry it right．You should use both of those straps（带子）．And the bottom of the bag shouldn't be more than 10 cm below your waistline（腰部）．Any lower and it'll you’re your shoulders tired and make you lean（倾斜）forward when you walk．

3．Try to have a place for everything you carry．Make full use of those pockets．They will keep you from losing things．

1．It is important for students to choose the right backpack because _______．

A．a new school year is coming                     B．they carry backpacks very often

C．the school requires them to do so                D．it makes them follow the backpack trend

2．Which of the following is this year's backpack trend?

A．Black and gray backpacks．                     B．Backpacks made of strong materials．

C．Backpacks having many pockets．               D．Big backpacks．

3．A right way to use one's backpack is _______ according to the writer．

A．to keep both the straps on one shoulder

B．to carry as few things as possible

C．to keep the straps less than 10 cm

D．to put different things in different pockets

4．Tom is 50 kilograms so he should carry a backpack which should be no more than _______ kilograms according to the passage．

A．2.5                      B．5                         C．7.5                        D．10

5．The underlined word overload probably means “_______” in Chinese．

A．过分劳累            B．要价过高             C．过度磨损               D．装载过重