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.”
1.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.
2.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.
3.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.
4.The phrase “gave it a shot” (Paragraph 5) is closest in meaning to ______.
A．had a try B．shot a tennis ball C．took a picture D．waved goodbye
5.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.
According to legend, a young man while wandering the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet, he 21 his leather container so he could bring some 22 to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.
After a four-day journey he 23 the water to the old man who took a deep drink, 24 warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy 25 .
Later, the teacher let another student 26 the water. He spat it 27 , saying it was awful. It 28 had been no longer fresh and 29 unpleasant to drink because of the old leather container.
The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was smelly. Why did you 30 to like it?”
The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted the 31 . The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be 32 .”
I think we understand this lesson best when we receive 33 gifts of love from young children. 34 it’s a tray or a bracelet, the 35 and proper response is 36 and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.
Gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. 37 , most children and many adults value only the thing given 38 the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and 39 our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. 40 , gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.
1. A．packed B．filled C．took D．carried
2. A．in B．away C．back D．up
3. A．presented B．mailed C．delivered D．showed
4. A．said B．laughed C．smiled D．nodded
5. A．heart B．mind C．moment D．occasion
6. A．smell B．watch C．taste D．feel
7. A．away B．out C．off D．on
8. A．apparently B．still C．sadly D．quickly
9. A．however B．instead C．nevertheless D．therefore
10. A．change B．pretend C．determine D．agree
11. A．sweat B．sense C．promise D．gift
12. A．clearer B．fresher C．sweeter D．purer
13. A．simple B．innocent C．worthless D．meaningless
14. A．Whether B．If C．Whatever D．Whichever
15. A．pretended B．lovely C．abnormal D．natural
16. A．devotion B．comfort C．imagination D．appreciation
17. A．Unfortunately B．Frankly C．Strangely D．Possibly
18. A．other than B．rather than C．better than D．more than
19. A．persuade B．teach C．improve D．advise
20. A．In a word B．Otherwise C．Thus D．After all
— Are you going to live with us this summer, Auntie Rosemary?
— ______, dear.
A．I don’t expect so B．Don’t mention it C．Never mind D．It doesn’t matter
Washington ______ get very hot and sticky in summertime. July and August are usually the warmest months.
A．must B．can C．should D．might
As is known to all language learners, newly learnt words will soon be forgotten unless ______ used in everyday communication.
A．exactly B．finally C．gradually D．frequently
This approach, ______ more expensive than the basic one, provides us with considerably more usage flexibility.
A．as B．since C．while D．if
