Recently, I have begun to do rides with a group of guys who ride professionally (老练地). The first day, I finished the ride with great1, though I tried hard to keep up with one guy for most the ways. To my2, I did a little better the second time.
I decided to work harder to3. Yesterday, I4so much on my ride that I missed the short route (路线) I usually take;5, I stayed on the long route. I had never used this route, so I wasn’t really sure about which6I should take. Thankfully, a group of four riders7, and I just followed them.
A few minutes later, one of the guys got a flat tire (爆了的轮胎), and, with the help of the others, he had it 8in about a minute. We all waited there 9he changed his tire. After we started riding again, I noticed something10. The guy at the front would ride11for a couple of minutes, then he would move over to the side,12his way to the end of the line, and the guy behind him would move into the lead position. The process (过程) would13every few minutes. This was a lot easier than riding alone, trying to14the first rider. This time I had a great time – and I think it is the15I’ve ever gone.
This made me realize how important teamwork is, and the16of having a great team. The point is that you don’t have to be at your best17. You give it your all for a while, and then you let the guy18you do the same. The entire team improves because you don’t have to be the19all the time. You get your time to shine, and so does everyone else. You cannot get anywhere – or even make any worthwhile improvement – without a20. Who else will stop and help you to change your flat tire?

1. 1.
   1. A.
      comfort
   2. B.
      carefulness
   3. C.
      difficulty
   4. D.
      bravery
2. 2.
   1. A.
      delight
   2. B.
      disappointment
   3. C.
      surprise
   4. D.
      amazement
3. 3.
   1. A.
      adjust
   2. B.
      improve
   3. C.
      approve
   4. D.
      increase
4. 4.
   1. A.
      turned
   2. B.
      checked
   3. C.
      carried
   4. D.
      focused
5. 5.
   1. A.
      therefore
   2. B.
      otherwise
   3. C.
      instead
   4. D.
      still
6. 6.
   1. A.
      end
   2. B.
      direction
   3. C.
      route
   4. D.
      place
7. 7.
   1. A.
      developed
   2. B.
      formed
   3. C.
      left
   4. D.
      appeared
8. 8.
   1. A.
      used
   2. B.
      worked
   3. C.
      changed
   4. D.
      stopped
9. 9.
   1. A.
      if
   2. B.
      since
   3. C.
      while
   4. D.
      before
10. 10.
    1. A.
       natural
    2. B.
       unusual
    3. C.
       simple
    4. D.
       regretful
11. 11.
    1. A.
       suddenly
    2. B.
       quickly
    3. C.
       immediately
    4. D.
       finally
12. 12.
    1. A.
       making
    2. B.
       leading
    3. C.
       getting
    4. D.
       keeping
13. 13.
    1. A.
       show
    2. B.
       pass
    3. C.
       continue
    4. D.
       repeat
14. 14.
    1. A.
       catch up with
    2. B.
       end up with
    3. C.
       put up with
    4. D.
       come up with
15. 15.
    1. A.
       longest
    2. B.
       highest
    3. C.
       biggest
    4. D.
       fastest
16. 16.
    1. A.
       plan
    2. B.
       aim
    3. C.
       value
    4. D.
       effort
17. 17.
    1. A.
       at a time
    2. B.
       at the time
    3. C.
       for some time
    4. D.
       all the time
18. 18.
    1. A.
       before
    2. B.
       between
    3. C.
       behind
    4. D.
       above
19. 19.
    1. A.
       hero
    2. B.
       speaker
    3. C.
       junior
    4. D.
       organizer
20. 20.
    1. A.
       friend
    2. B.
       team
    3. C.
       practice
    4. D.
       rid

Recently, I have begun to do rides with a group of guys who ride professionally (老练地). The first day, I finished the ride with great   36 , though I tried hard to keep up with one guy for most the ways. To my   37 , I did a little better the second time.
I decided to work harder to   38 . Yesterday, I   39  so much on my ride that I missed the short route (路线) I usually take;   40 , I stayed on the long route. I had never used this route, so I wasn’t really sure about which   41  I should take. Thankfully, a group of four riders   42 , and I just followed them.
A few minutes later, one of the guys got a flat tire (爆了的轮胎), and, with the help of the others, he had it   43  in about a minute. We all waited there   44  he changed his tire. After we started riding again, I noticed something   45 . The guy at the front would ride   46  for a couple of minutes, then he would move over to the side,   47  his way to the end of the line, and the guy behind him would move into the lead position. The process (过程) would   48  every few minutes. This was a lot easier than riding alone, trying to   49  the first rider. This time I had a great time – and I think it is the   50  I’ve ever gone.
This made me realize how important teamwork is, and the   51  of having a great team. The point is that you don’t have to be at your best   52 . You give it your all for a while, and then you let the guy   53  you do the same. The entire team improves because you don’t have to be the   54  all the time. You get your time to shine, and so does everyone else. You cannot get anywhere – or even make any worthwhile improvement – without a   55 . Who else will stop and help you to change your flat tire?

Recently, I have begun to do rides with a group of guys who ride professionally (老练地). The first day, I finished the ride with great   36 , though I tried hard to keep up with one guy for most the ways. To my   37 , I did a little better the second time.

I decided to work harder to   38 . Yesterday, I   39  so much on my ride that I missed the short route (路线) I usually take;   40 , I stayed on the long route. I had never used this route, so I wasn’t really sure about which   41  I should take. Thankfully, a group of four riders   42 , and I just followed them.

A few minutes later, one of the guys got a flat tire (爆了的轮胎), and, with the help of the others, he had it   43  in about a minute. We all waited there   44  he changed his tire. After we started riding again, I noticed something   45 . The guy at the front would ride   46  for a couple of minutes, then he would move over to the side,   47  his way to the end of the line, and the guy behind him would move into the lead position. The process (过程) would   48  every few minutes. This was a lot easier than riding alone, trying to   49  the first rider. This time I had a great time – and I think it is the   50  I’ve ever gone.

This made me realize how important teamwork is, and the   51  of having a great team. The point is that you don’t have to be at your best   52 . You give it your all for a while, and then you let the guy   53  you do the same. The entire team improves because you don’t have to be the   54  all the time. You get your time to shine, and so does everyone else. You cannot get anywhere – or even make any worthwhile improvement – without a   55 . Who else will stop and help you to change your flat tire?

…That’s my second piece of advice, very simple: Don’t make excuses. Take responsibility not just for your successes; take responsibility where you fall short as well.

Now, the truth is, no matter how hard you work, you’re not going to ace (取得好成绩) every class. You’re not going to succeed the first time you try something. There are going to be times when you screw up (弄糟). There will be times where you hurt people you love. There will be times when you make a mistake and you stray (偏离) from the values that you hold most deeply.

And when that happens, it’s the easiest thing in the world to start looking around for somebody else to blame. Your professor was too hard; the coaches were playing favorites; your friend just didn’t understand.

No, but this is an easy habit to get into. You see it every day in Washington — every day -—folks calling each other names, making all sorts of accusations on television. Everybody is always pointing a finger at somebody else. You notice that?

Now, this community could have easily gone down that road. This community could have made excuses — well, our kids have fewer advantages, our schools have fewer resources — how can we compete? You could have spent years pointing fingers— blaming parents, blaming teachers, blaming the principal , blaming the superintendent.

But that’s — Class of 2010, I want you to pay attention on this because that’s not what happened. Instead, this community was honest with itself about where you were falling short. You decided to do better, push your kids harder, open their minds wider, expose them to all kinds of ideas and people and experiences.

So, graduates, I hope you’ll continue those efforts. Don’t make excuses. And I hope that wherever you go, you won’t narrow the broad intellectual and social exposure you’ve had here at Kalamazoo Central — instead, seek to expand it. Don’t just hang out with people who look like you or share your political views. Broaden your circle to include people with different backgrounds and life experiences, because that’s how you’ll end up learning what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes. That’s how you’ll come to understand the challenges other people face.

And this is not just an academic exercise. It’s a way to broaden your ambit (范围) of concern and learn to see yourselves in each other.

—adapted from US President Barack Obama’s graduation ceremony speech at the Kalamazoo Central High School.

1. The underlined words “fall short” in Paragraph 1 probably mean         .

A. make a decision                       B. begin to experience something

C. have someone else to blame            D. fail to reach a standard

2. The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refers to         .

A. misunderstanding your friends         B. straying from the values you hold

C. making accusations on television      D. blaming someone else for your mistake

3. We can infer from Paragraphs 5 and 6 that the community         .

A. has got used to making excuses            B. has lived up to its responsibility

C. is satisfied with itself                  D. provides fewer resources than it used to

4. In the last two paragraphs, Obama calls on the graduates to         .

A. welcome different ideas, people and experiences

B. participate in as many social activities as they can

C. make friends with people who share their polit­ical views

D. be honest and concerned about the community

What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic(认错的) about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?