I had just delivered a memorized speech, and I was about to learn how the judges decided my performance. The audience leaned forward and a period of silence fell across the room. I felt the drum rolled in my heart.
The third-place winner was announced. The name was not mine. Then the second-place winner, still not me. At last, the moment of truth came. I was about to either enjoy the warmth of victory or regret the months’ preparation. My heart felt closer to the latter.
Losing is a part of life, and I have dealt with it on more than one occasion. However, it was an indescribable feeling to drive a 200-mile round trip get up very early on a freezing Saturday morning, and yet still finish fourth out of four competitors in my group. After Lincoln lost the 1858 Illinois Senate race, he said, “I felt like the 12-year-old boy who kicked his toe. I was too big to cry and it hurt too bad to laugh.” Oh yeah, I could relate.
I had spent many hours in front of a computer and in libraries doing research for the Lincoln Bicentennial Speech Contest. After not placing in the first year of the contest, I really wanted to compete again. Lincoln had many failures, but he never allowed them to defeat his spirit or ambition, so I was not going to give upon a second contest! I reworked my speech for the following year, but again I did not place.
I couldn’t accept the fact that I failed twice in something that I had worked so hard on, until I thought about my hero. Never mind the lost prize money and praise. Through learning stories about Lincoln, I discovered that I can fail successfully.
1.How did the author feel after finishing his speech?
A.Excited B.Relaxed
C.Nervous D.Confident
2.What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 3?
A.He was disappointed with his preparations.
B.He hurt his toes on the way to the library.
C.He got up late on the day of the contest.
D.He was bottom of his group.
3.What made the author decide to enter the second contest?
A.The warmth of the victory. B.The inspiration from Lincoln.
C.His eagerness for the prize money. D.His desire to show himself on the stage.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Learn to fail successfully B.Never mind others’ judgments
C.Lincoln—my hero D.Losing—an indescribable feeling
YMCA (also called the Y for short) is now offering free summer membership for high school students. If you’re starting grade 9-12 in the fall, you can take advantage of free membership at some YMCA locations this summer with the Get Summer program.
What you get
Y membership from June 1 through August 31, including access to:
* 26 Y locations in the Twin Cities. Rochester and Hudson, WI—with just a single registration(注册)
* Gyms, where you can play basketball, volleyball and more
* Indoor and outdoor pools
* Fitness Centers featuring weights and other workout equipment
* Group Exercise classes that help you build strength, speed and flexibility
* Nutritious meals
* Leadership development, service learning opportunities, and career readiness Check out where to find and how to use all these benefits in the Member Guide.
Getting started
Before you can start using the Y, you need to attend an orientation(定向) meeting.
* Give a tour of your Y
* Review the Membership Code of Conduct
* Learn about schedules and programs available for the summer
The fine print
There are 400 free membership cards max per branch available this summer, so be sure to sign up early. If you’re currently a Y member, or have been a Y member within the last 60 days, you’re not qualified to get free Get Summer membership. Visit our online join center or your local branch to purchase youth membership.
Thank you
The Y would like to thank the Schulze Family Foundation for their generous contribution to help us provide a safe environment for young people to engage in programs that promote healthy living, and build character and leadership.
1.What can we know about the Get Summer program?
A.It is only provided in Rochester. B.It provides telephone registration.
C.It is free for everyone. D.It lasts for three months.
2.What can you get as a member of the Y?
A.Access to meet celebrities(名人). B.Opportunities to swim indoors.
C.Enjoyment from playing football. D.Personal classes to develop leadership.
3.If Charlie is a Y member now, she ________.
A.needs to buy youth membership to attend the summer program
B.may take part in the summer program for free
C.can share a youth membership with another Y member
D.can join the summer program at a discount
假定你是李华，你的加拿大笔友 Peter来信询问你每周参加体育锻炼的情况，请你根据下列表格内容，用英语给他写封回信。
时间 | 周一至周五 | 周末 |
锻炼的时间 | after school on weekdays | on Saturday/Sunday mornings |
锻炼的项目 | Run 1.5 km or play basketball | go cycling or climb the hill |
锻炼的地点 | In the playground | in the countryside |
锻炼的益处 | relax myself， be good for our health |
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头语已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
How glad I’m to hear from you!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
When Jack was eight years old, a terrible storm hit his hometown, Island Puerto Rico. He felt worried about his ________. It was around Christmas. Jack said he was ________ that some of the kids would not get toys, and he wanted to donate (捐赠) ________ own toys. However, he knew it wouldn’t be enough. So, ________ the help of his family, he organized an activity to collect toys. He ________ collected 300 toys and sent them to the kids.
After Jack sent the ________ to the kids, he also wanted to do ________ more. He found many homeless(无家可归的) dogs on the island, so he felt ________. Then he told his mother that he ________ his birthday money to do something for the ________. So he bought a lot of dog food. Jack kept thinking of more ________. He collected food for people in need there. He also ________ that some local families lost their houses, and then he designed a T-shirt to raise money for one of the ________ families.
The news about Jack’s ________ deed spread around quickly. A company ________ him $10,000 worth of kids clothes to donate to Island Puerto Rico. Jack ________ the clothes to 200 kids.
Jack’s latest activity includes ________ schoolbags for the kids because they ________ schoolbags.
“Giving is the best thing to do, “he says. “I love seeing the joy and ________ on people’s faces. ________ I just keep on helping others.
1.A.pool B.farm C.factory D.hometown
2.A.worried B.excited C.satisfied D.interested
3.A.my B.her C.his D.their
4.A.with B.of C.at D.On
5.A.suddenly B.finally C.coldly D.badly
6.A.food B.water C.books D.toys
7.A.nothing B.everything C.something D.anything
8.A.happy B.comfortable C.shy D.sad
9.A.waste B.hide C.lose D.use
10.A.cats B.dogs C.pigs D.monkeys
11.A.ideas B.titles C.skills D.drinks
12.A.agreed B.found C.promised D.wrote
13.A.close B.rich C.homeless D.old
14.A.bad B.dark C.dirty D.good
15.A.threw B.refused C.gave D.returned
16.A.lent B.sent C.explained D.announced
17.A.collecting B.mending C.checking D.washing
18.A.produce B.burn C.need D.rent
19.A.smiles B.changes C.fear D.anger
20.A.So B.Or C.For D.But
The secret powers of time
Do you think about the past? 1. Or do you worry about the future? Professor Philip Zimbardo describes three types (类型) of people.
● Past types.
You sometimes miss “the good old days”. 2.. You worry about making changes or new things trying You spend a lot of time with your family.
● Present types.
3.. You like doing fun things with fun people. You don’t have a healthy lifestyle(生活方式). You avoid doing difficult or boring things.
● 4..
You spend most of your time working, saving and planning for a better future. You eat well and exercise regularly. You don’t mind waiting for the good things in life. 5.. But they often don’t enjoy their free time because they are busy thinking about the next things.
According to Zimbardo’s research, everybody is sometimes the other types. However, we should try to have an equal balance of all three to be happy and successful.
A.Future types
B.Did you make friends
C.Do you enjoy the present time
D.You enjoy remembering your past
E.Many people dreamed to be teachers
F.The most important thing is to feel good at present
G.Future people are usually more successful in work
A few years ago, David, a top manager, thought his life wasn’t moving forward. So he started to set himself 30-day challenges. The idea was simple: think of something you want to add to your life-or to give up-and try it every day for 30 days.
David began with easy projects like going to work by bike, not watching TV and giving up sugar. Then he tried more difficult ones, like writing a novel in 30 days. David learned that if you do something for 30 days. It can become a habit. If you stop doing something for 30 days, you can break the habit. As he did harder challenges, he got more confident. He learned that he could do something if he really wanted to do it. After doing the challenges for a few months, he had enough confidence to climb the highest mountain in Africa.
David gave an online talk about how the challenges changed his life. More than 5 million people around the world have watched his talk and the 30-day challenge quickly became very popular.
1.What was David a few years ago?
A.A doctor. B.A teacher. C.A manager. D.A soldier.
2.What is one of David’s more difficult projects?
A.Going to work by bike. B.Not watching TV.
C.Giving up sugar. D.Writing a novel
3.How did David feel as he did harder challenges?
A.More confident. B.More careful
C.Less lucky. D.Less comfortable.
4.How many people have watched David’s online talk?
A.About 5 hundred. B.About 5 thousand.
C.Over 5 million. D.Over 5 billion.
5.What would be the best title for the text?
A.A working report. B.The 30-day challenge
C.An important notice. D.The life in Africa
