Some people would go through anything just to achieve their dream. Kasia Siwosz is proof. For the final year student on the university women’s tennis team, the road to Berkeley, University of California was met with poor advice and misinformation from her home country and two unsuccessful stops along the way that fell short of expectations.

    Born in Poland, Siwosz began playing tennis at seven years old and developed the skills that helped her earn a top-50 ranking among the ITF Junior division (国际网球联会青少年赛).. Siwosz wanted to do more with her life than just play tennis, which led her to seek chances that would also allow her to obtain a top education. While most who grow up in the U.S. are naturally accustomed to the American tradition of collegiate (大学的) sports, such a custom is not as familiar in a country like Poland. “There’s no collegiate sports in Poland and no culture of sports and academic (学术的) study there. You can only do one, not both,” Siwosz said.

    Her desire to have a quality education led her to America to follow her dream. While Siwosz was talented enough to begin her collegiate tennis career, she could only attend community college because she missed the deadline to apply to four-year schools, mainly due to misinformation provided in her home country of Poland.

    When she had earned all her credits and was able to transfer (转学), Siwosz made the decision to attend Baylor in Texas. Her friends from Poland put in a good word for the university, saying that it was a good fit because there were many international players at Baylor. “I thought it would be a good idea, but it really wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Siwosz said. “I wasn’t happy at Baylor. The level of tennis was high, but the academic standards were no match and I just wanted more.”

    After one year at Baylor, Siwosz’s luck finally began to change when she made the decision to transfer to Berkeley, which was due in large part to Lee, a former Berkeley student. Lee, who is a keen tennis player himself, met Siwosz four years ago in Texas. “I knew she was unhappy there,” he said. “I saw the opportunity for her to come here.” Siwosz visited Lee in Berkeley. “I ended up loving this place and this school,” Siwosz said. “I came here a lot over the summer, I gave it a shot and I ended up with a Berkeley education and a spot on one of the best college tennis teams in the country.”

 

What does “two unsuccessful stops” (Paragraph 1) refer to?

A. Poland and the U.S.

B. Baylor and Berkeley.

C. The community college and Baylor.

D. The ITF Junior division and the Berkeley tennis team.

Why did Siwosz want to leave her homeland for America?

A. Poland had no culture of sports.

B. Berkeley had always been her dream university.

C. She wanted to play tennis and have a good education.

D. She wanted to improve her tennis skills and get a higher ranking.

Why did she leave Baylor?

A. The level of tennis there was not high.

B. It was not suitable for international students.

C. She couldn’t get along with her friends there.

D. She was not satisfied with the education level there.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. How Siwosz left Poland.

B. How Siwosz realized her dream.

C. How Siwosz became a top tennis player.

D. How Siwosz transferred from Baylor to Berkeley.

A few years ago I had an “aha!” moment regarding handwriting.

I had in my hand a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions on it for some sort of editorial task. It occurred at first that I did not recognize the handwriting，and then I realized whose it must be. I finally became aware of the fact that I had been working with this colleague for at least a year，maybe two，and yet I did not recognize her handwriting at that point.

It was a very important event in the computerization of life—a sign that the informal. Friendly communication of people working together in an office had changed from notes in pen to instant messages and emails. There was a time when our workdays were filled with little letters，and we recognized one another's handwriting the way we knew voices or faces.

As a child visiting my father’s office，1 was pleased to recognize，in little notes on the desks of his staff，the same handwriting 1 would see at home in the notes he would leave on the fridge—except that those notes were signed “dad” instead of “RFW”.

All this has been on my mind because of the talk about The Rise and Fall of Handwriting，a book by Florey. Sire shows in her book a deep concern about the fall of handwriting and the failure of schools to teach children to write well，but many others argue that people in a digital age can’t be expected to learn to hold a pen.

I don’t buy it.

I don’t want to see anyone cut off from the expressive，personal associations that a pen still promotes better than a digital keyboard does. For many a biographer，part of really getting to know their subjects is learning to read their handwriting.

What some people advocate is teaching one of the many attractive handwritings based on the handwriting of 16th-century Italy. That may sound impossibly grand—as if they want kids to learn to draw by copying classical paintings. However，they have worked in many school systems.

51. Why was the author surprised at not recognizing his colleague’s handwriting?

A. He had worked with his colleague long enough.

B. His colleague’s handwriting was SO beautiful.

C. His colleague’s handwriting was SO terrible.

D. He still had a 1ot of Work to do.

52. People working together in an office used to ____________.

A. talk more about handwriting

B. take more notes on workdays

C. know better one another's handwriting

D. communicate better with one another

53. The author’s father wrote notes in pen _________.

A. to both his family and his staff

B. to his family in small letters

C. to his family on the fridge

D. to his staff on the desk

54. According to the author，handwritten notes _______.

A. are harder to teach in schools

B. attract more attention

C. are used only between friends

D. carry more message

55. We can learn from the passage that the author __________.

A. thinks it impossible to teach handwriting

B. does not want to lose handwriting

C. puts the blame on the computer

D. does not agree with Florey

A

If you and your friends wish to share a secret, you can write it in code, and no one else will be able to read it. Codes are one way of writing in secret. Ciphers (密码) are another. In a code each word is written as a secret code word or code number. In a cipher each letter is changed.

Codes and ciphers have played an important role in the history of the world. Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler who defeated almost all the countries in Europe about 2, 000 years ago, used a cipher when he sent secret messages to his troops. During the American Revolution, George Washington's spies used a kind of code to send him information about the enemy before his military action. In World War Ⅱ, the Americans "broke", or figured out, Japan's most important naval codes and got enough information to destroy a powerful Japanese fleet(舰队).

Storekeepers use codes to mark their goods. The codes show how much was paid for the goods or when they were added to the stock. Businessmen use codes to hide plans from their business enemies. Sometimes personal letters or diaries are written in code. Many people enjoy figuring out codes and ciphers simply as a hobby.

In the 16th century, codes and ciphers were very popular among scientists. They wrote messages to each other in code so that no one else would learn their secrets. Geronimo Gardano, an Italian astrologer(占星家), mathematician, and doctor, invented the trellis cipher. He took two sheets of paper and cut exactly the same holes in each one. Then he sent one sheet, which he called a trellis, to a friend and kept the other for himself. Whenever he wanted to write a message, he put his trellis over a clean sheet of paper and wrote the secret message through the holes. Then he removed the trellis and filled the rest of the paper with words that would make sense. When his friend received it, he put his trellis over the writing and read the secret message.

What does the underlined word "trellis"mean?

A. A piece of paper with many small holes.          B. A machine with a lot of small holes.

C. A letter with unreadable words and sentences.   

D. A sheet of paper with groups of Arabic figures.

Which of the following statements is true?

A. Ciphers can be broken or figured out more easily than codes.

B. You could read some words in Geronimo' s letter without his trellis.

C. The first person who ever used a cipher in history was Julius Caesar.

D. Fondness of using codes was the hobby of the scientists in the 16th century.

The best title of this passage is________.

A. Codes and Ciphers                  B. Differences between Codes and Ciphers

C. History of Codes and Ciphers         D. Inventors of Codes and Ciphers

A letter to Edward, a columnist（报刊专栏作家）

Dear Mr Expert:

I grew up in an unhappy and abusive home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I’ve achieved.

Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine — so much so that they make mine theirs.

It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.

I enjoy having my friends here sometimes — it makes the place feel comfortable and warm— but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy（隐私）?

Joan

Edward’s reply to Joan

Dear Joan:

If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.

And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere（气氛）,you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with— or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.

Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over.”

63. We can learn from the first letter that Joan Edward        .

A. lives away from her parents

B. takes pride in her friends

C. knows Mr Expert quite well

D. hates her parents very much

64. We can infer from the first letter that        .

A. Joan considers her friends more important than her privacy

B. Joan’s friends visit her more often than she can accept

C. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all

D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over

65. According to Mr Expert, why can’t Joan tell her friends her feelings?

A. She is afraid of hurting her friends.

B. She does not understand true friendship.

C. Her family experience stops her from doing so.

D. She does not put her needs first.

66. The underlined word “conflict” in the second letter means      .

A. dependent life    B. fierce fight C. bad manners      D. painful feeling

67. The second letter suggests that Mr Expert        .

A. is worried about Joan’s problem      B. warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends

C. advises Joan on how to refuse people      D. encourages Joan to be brave enough

A letter to Edward，a columnist

Dear Mr. Expert,

    I grew up in an unhappy and abusive(虐待) home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I've achieved.

    Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine—so much so that they make mine theirs.

      It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.

    I enjoy having my friends here sometimes—it makes the place feel comfortable and warm—but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?

                                                                                                                    Joan

Edward’s reply to Joan

Dear Joan,

　　If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.

　　And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict（冲突）you grew up with—or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.

      Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company（陪伴） but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over. ”

                                                                                                                    Edward

59. We can learn from the first letter that Joan ___________.

  A. takes pride in her friends                       

B. lives away from her parents

  C. knows Mr. Expert quite well              

D. hates her parents very much

60. We can infer from the first letter that __________.

　 A. Joan thinks her friends more important than her privacy

   B. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all

   C. Joan’s friends visit her more often than expected

   D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over

61. In Mr. Expert’s opinion, the reason why Joan can’t tell her friends her feelings is that _________.

　 A. she is afraid of hurting her friends 

B. she does not understand true friendship

   C. her family experience stops her from doing so

D. she does not put her needs first

62. The second letter suggests that Mr. Expert __________.

　 A. is concerned about Joan’s problem

B. warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends

   C. encourages Joan to be brave enough

   D. advises Joan on how to refuse people