Before I started school, people felt that 1 was not going to be successful．At the age of four I started speech lessons because basically I could not speak well enough for anyone to understand me．The story goes downhill from here．

The first grade was a struggle．I not only had difficulty speaking, but also felt nervous about the fact that I was expected to learn to read and I just couldn't do it．The second grade was not much better．I still struggled with the inability to read．It was in the third grade that the school district built a new school close to my home．I remember going there with my parents and helping to get the school ready so that we could move to the new one．However, things were still not much better as far as my schooling was concerned and did not get better for the next two years．

It was in the fifth grade．Mrs．Wakefield was my teacher, and if ever there was a teacher that deserved a gold star, it was her．She did not make me feel defeated．On the contrary, she did her best to let me know that I could be whatever I wanted to be．And that is just what I did．

For the past 22 years, I have been a fifth grade teacher．Because of Mrs．Wakefield's influence on my life, I am now encouraging students who have had difficulties in their lives to believe that they can overcome any difficulty and become someone．I have won numerous awards up to now, such as Teacher of the Year．I owe it all to one fifth grade teacher who believed in me and challenged me to be all that I could be．

1.The writer ______ when he was in the third grade．

A．did better in reading                     B．began speech lessons

C．went to a new school                    D．received a high award

2.We can learn from the passage that the writer ______．

A．is a very successful teacher now

B．thinks teaching is a challenging job

C．has solved problems with his own effort

D．works in the same school with Mrs．Wakefield

3.What is the writer's purpose in writing the passage?

A．To express his devotion to his work．

B．To show his respect to a special teacher．

C．To share his teaching experience with us．

D．To tell us his story of overcoming difficulties．

 

When Mary Moore began her high school in 1951, her mother told her, “Be sure and take a typing course so when this show business thing doesn't work out, you'll have something to rely on.” Mary responded in typical teenage fashion. From that moment on, "the very last thing I ever thought about doing was taking a typing course," she recalls. 

The show business thing worked out, of course. In her career, Mary won many awards. Only recently, when she began to write Growing Up Again, did she regret ignoring her mom, “I don't know how to use a computer,” she admits. 

Unlike her 1995 autobiography(自传), After All, her second book is less about life as an award-winning actress and more about living with diabetes (糖尿病). All the money from the book is intended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), an organization she serves as international chairman. “I felt there was a need for a book like this,” she says. “I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we're self-controlled and do our part in managing the disease.” 

But she hasn't always practiced what she teaches. In her book, she describes that awful day, almost 40 years ago, when she received two pieces of life-changing news. First, she had lost the baby she was carrying, and second, tests showed that she had diabetes. In a childlike act, she left the hospital and treated herself to a box of doughnuts (甜甜圈). Years would pass before she realized she had to grow up ---again---and take control of her diabetes, not let it control her. Only then did she kick her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, overcome her addiction to alcohol, and begin to follow a balanced diet. 

Although her disease has affected her eyesight and forced her to the sidelines of the dance floor, she refuses to fall into self-pity. “Everybody on earth can ask, 'why me?' about something or other,” she insists. “It doesn't do any good. No one is immune (免疫的) to heartache, pain, and disappointments. Sometimes we can make things better by helping others. I've come to realize the importance of that as I've grown up this second time. I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be.”

1.Why did Mary feel regretful? 

A. She didn't achieve her ambition. 

B. She didn't take care of her mother. 

C. She didn't complete her high school.

D. She didn't follow her mother's advice. 

2.We can know that before 1995, Mary __________.

A. had two books published

B. received many career awards

C. knew how to use a computer

D. supported the JDRF by writing 

3.Mary's second book Growing Up Again is mainly about her__________ . 

A. living with diabetes                    B. successful show business 

C. service for an organization                     D. remembrance of her mother 

4.When Mary received the life-changing news, she_____________ . 

A. lost control of herself                                     B. began a balanced diet 

C. tried to get a treatment                                  D. behaved in an adult way 

5.What can we know from the last paragraph? 

A. Mary feels pity for herself.      

B. Mary has recovered from her disease. 

C. Mary wants to help others as much as possible. 

D. Mary determines to go back to the dance floor. 

 

This morning, a Virgin Atantin 747 Jumbo Jet became the first commercial airplane to fly on biofuel. The short flight from London to Amsterdam used a blend of 20% babassu(棕榈) oil mixed with 80% conventional jet fuel.

What was really exciting about the flight was the fact that the engine did not have to be altered in any way for the biofuel to work While this is a great initial step in trying to reduce CO₂(carbon-dioxide)emissions(排放)from airplanes. there are a lot of hurdles (障碍)that still need to be overcome.

First and foremost, unlike the normal fuel used to run airplanes (known as Jet A),biofuel freezes at high altitudes. Also, Jet‘A’fuel burns consistently (at the same pace),which means it provides a safe and reliable fuel for long flights--engineers are not sure if biofuel will be able to do the same.

The biggest hurdle to a full biofuel switch is our ability to be able to grow enough crops that can be converted to biofuel. There are two concerns that scientists have in this matter – the first is that the land to grow the extra crops will come from clearing more of our forests and the second is that since it competes with what we eat, the price of food will go up.

However, Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines, envisions that if biofuel starts to replace oil on a greater basis, it will be manufactured from algae（藻类）produced in sewage treatment plants, not from food sources.

Birgin Airlines is not the only one trying to look for alternative fuel sources. Earlier this year, an Airbus A380 used another alternative fuel－a man-made mix of gas-to-liquid, in one of its four engines. The flight was tested by Rolls Royce (manufacturer of jet engines), in partnership with Shell (an oil company). Rolls Royce is also working with Air New Zealand on a similar project.

While a complete switch to alternative fuel may take years, it is very encouraging to see airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers all coming together to try to make it happen!

1.．Why does Virgin Airlines try to replace normal fuel with biofuel?

A．To cut down the flight cost of the company.

B．To remove some hurdles for the biofuel to work.

C．To reduce CO2 emissions from airplanes.

D．To test plane engines on biofuel.

2.．Which is NOT true for a full biofuel switch of airplanes?

A Biofuel cannot run for long flights.                  

B．Biofuel cannot work at high altitudes.

C．Man has not enough land to grow extra crops for biofuel. 

D．It’s not easy for sewage treatment plants to manufacture biofuel.

3.．One of the hurdles to be overcome for a full biofuel switch is to          .

A．alter the engine for airplanes

B．make biofuel burn consistently

C．open more land to grow more crops

D．develop sewage treatment plants

4.．We can infer from the last paragraph that          .

A．there is a long way to go for a complete switch to alternative fuel

B．it won’t be long before alternative fuel comes into use

C．airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers are reliable

D．alternative fuel has a bright future

5.．Which of the following can best serves as the title of this passage?

A．Biofuel-Alternative Fuel Sources.

B．The First Commercial Flight Powered by Biofuel.

C．How to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Airplanes.

D．Vigin Airlines Trying to Alter Fuel Sources.

 

On the first day of my new high school, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Everything about the school seemed so difficult. When I got home, my parents said, “You're nervous and that's okay. Everyone is afraid of high school.” I denied it. I wanted to be strong, so I refused to let anyone know about my fear, even my closest friends.

On the first day I was late for every class and was constantly lost. The school seemed like a puzzle that I couldn't figure out. Was this how the whole year was going to be? I didn't think I could rise to this challenge, especially carrying a huge backpack that I could hardly lift. It was so big that I could knock someone out with it! The schoolmates seemed to regard me as a fool, and they were probably right.

Despite my fears, after the first week I finally had my schedule figured out. With the exception of falling up and down the stairs a couple of times and getting laughed at, high school was turning out to be not so bad. It was actually much better than middle school and much more challenging.

Since then, I've been elected vice monitor of my class, which wasn't much of a victory since only three people ran for the four positions.

It is normal to be scared about a new school. Take a deep breath and relax. High school is something that any student can overcome. Make sure you participate in some out­of­class activities because you'll find it easier to make friends. Try to do your best, even if it isn't straight A's.

Most important of all, be who you are, whether you're a “fool”， an athlete, or a lower grader. Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not. Now you know the true secrets of high school.

1.The main reason for the author's fear on his first day is that ________.

A．he was unable to work out the puzzle

B．his schoolmates were unfriendly to him

C．he was not familiar with the new surroundings

D．his schoolbag was too heavy for him to carry

2.From the author's first day experience we can infer that ________.

A．his home was far from the school

B．he got to school before classes began

C．he was fond of the school immediately.

D．he didn't know the right way to class

3.After his first week at school, the author ________.

A．was still not accustomed to the schedule

B．gradually adjusted himself to the new school

C．found high school not so challenging as he had imagined

D．ran for monitor of his class against three other students

4.According to the passage, the secret of the author's success lies mainly in ________.

A．making more friends

B．getting more A's at school

C．being who he really is

D．joining in out­of­class activities

 

It started off as part of French military training and has since evolved as a sport, founded by Sebastian Foucan and David Belle, to encompass a wide variety of techniques, philosophies and exercises. Park-our now enjoys the devotion of many die-hard fans across the world and has been the source for much inspiration.

But what is park-our? It is the art of using only your body to navigate from Point A to B in the least time possible, which involves besides leaping, climbing and sprinting, various unusual and complex movements to overcome barriers. Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond’s wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.

Yes, that’s pork-our, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Park-our is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.

Park-our can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see much more in park-our than that.

To overcome all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy(理念)behind park-our. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in park-our and never fall back from them in your life to reach the destination successfully. A park-our lover said, “I love park-our, because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything.”

Another philosophy we’ve learned from park-our is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself so that you earn energy and confidence.

1. Park-our has become popular throughout the world because of ________.

A. its founder, David Belle                   B. the film, Casino Royale

C. its risks and tricks                        D. the varieties of participants

2.The underlined word “obstacles” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A.streets              B. objects           C. barriers        D. roofs

3.As its participants move around a city, _________.

A. they can ask for help                     B. they may choose to escape

C. they should run to extremes                D. they must learn to survive

4.Which of the following is TRUE about park-our?

A. It challenges human abilities.               B. It is a good but boring sport

C. It needs special training                   D. It is a team sport

5.Which of the following is the philosophy of park-our?

A. Sports and extremes.                      B. Excitement and freedom.

C. Dreams and success.                      D. Self-confidence and freedom.