There are only two reasons people cannot achieve their goals: The goals aren't important to them; or
people don't break them into small enough pieces. So all we need to do is to try our best...
     Have you ever watched a quitter in a boxing match-a man who just gives up and walks away? The
whole crowd boos. They throw drink bottles and bits of hot dog into the ring. They don't throw things
because he lost. They throw things because he quit. In our hearts we all believe that we should do our
best.
     Eric Moussambani swam for Equatorial Guinea (赤道几内亚) at the 2000 Olympics. This was the
first time Eric had swum a 100-metre race. He swam with his head out of the water and he barely kicked
his legs. In the first lap he was really struggling (挣扎). In the second he was nearly drowning (沉没).
But Eric was fighting with everything he had.
     At the turn, the large audience began to shout and with every stroke (划水) the noise got louder and
louder. Twenty meters from the finish, Eric was hardly moving but the crowd was crazy. When he finally
hit the wall, the cheering and stamping all but lifted the roof off the stadium. His time of 1 minute 52
seconds was about a minute slower than all the other competitors. Who cared? Eric Moussambani had
done his best.
     When you make an honest effort, people support you. You feel happier when you do your best. Think
about what it feels like walking to school on those days when you have done all of your homework and
done it as well as you can. Don't you feel just a bit more interested about school? Why? Because you are
always happier when you make a 100 percent effort, whether it's for an essay or a basketball game.
     Your teachers will tell you"Work hard!" and your parents will probably tell you "Work hard." But you
don't work hard to please your parents and teachers. The big reason you do it is for you. If you get good
marks, that's a prize. If other people notice, wonderful! But the main reason is how you feel about yourself.
     Even when you do your best, it is not certain that you will succeed. You may do your best, and still
be criticized. You may do your best, and still have people laugh at you. But when you do your best, the
reward is that feeling that says, "I did everything I could."

1. The audience would get unhappy with a quitter because ______.

A. the quitter loses the match
B. the match ends earlier than expected
C. the match is not wonderful
D. the quitter fails to show sportsmanship

2. People shouted when Eric was swimming because ______.

A. he swam too slowly
B. they wanted to cheer him on
C. he was the last one in the competition
D. he had not mastered basic swimming skills

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. You work hard only to make your parents and teachers happy.
B. The audience was very angry when Eric lost the 100 meter race.
C. If you have done your school work, you will surely get high marks.
D. When you make an effort in a basketball game, you'll feel happier.