Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis Cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless, “he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15^th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.

The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits(成就).Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.

Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many peiole dismissed his dream as fantasy. “John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ‘You are completely crazy,’”Saunders says.

In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter(遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.

Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.

This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.

1.The turning point in Saunders’life came when _____

A. he started to play ball games

B. he got a mountain bike at age 15

C. he ran his first marathon at age 18

D. he started to receive Ridgway’s training

2.We can learn from the text that Ridgway _______.

A. dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy

B. built up his body together with Saunders

C. hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D. won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

3.What do we know about Saunders?

A. He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B. He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C. He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

D. He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

4.The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means_____.

A.  Excited   B. Convinced   C. Delighted    D. Fascinated

5.It can be inferred tat Saunders’ journey to the North Pole ______.

A. was accompanied by his old playmates

B. set a record in the North Pole expedition

C. was supported by other Arctic explorers

D. made him well-known in the 1960s

阅读下面短文，撑握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

One summer day my father sent me to buy wire for our farm. At 16, I liked 1better than driving our truck, 2this time I was not happy. My father had told me I’d have to ask for credit(赊账) at the store.

Sixteen is a 3age, when a young man wants respect, not charity. It was 1976, and the ugly 4of racial discrimination was 5a fact of life. I’d seen my friends ask for credit and then stand, head down, while the store owner 6whether they were “good for it.” I knew black youths just like me who were 7like thieves by the store clerk each time they went into a grocery.

My family was 8. We paid our debts. But before harvest, cash was short. Would the store owner 9us ?

At Davis’s store, Buck Davis stood behind the cash desk, talking to a farmer. I nodded 10I passed him on my way to the hardware shelves. When I brought my 11to the cash desk, I said 12, “I need to put this on credit.”

The farmer gave me an amused, distrustful 13. But Buck’s face didn’t change. “Sure,” he said 14. “Your daddy is 15good for it.” He  16to the other man. “This here is one of James Williams’s sons.”

The farmer nodded in a neighborly 17. I was filled with pride. James William’s son. Those three words had opened a door to an adult’s respect and trust.

That day I discovered that the good name my parents had  18brought our whole family the respect of our neighbors. Everyone knew what to 19from a Williams: a decent person who kept his word and respected himself 20much to do wrong.

1.A. something   B. nothing    C. anything    D. everything

2.A. and         B. so         C. but         D. for

3.A. prideful    B. wonderful  C. respectful  D. colorful

4.A. intention   B. shadow     C. habit       D. faith

5.A. thus        B. just       C. still       D. ever

6.A. guessed     B. suspected   C. questioned   D. figured

7.A. watched     B. caught     C. dismissed   D. accused

8.A. generous    B. honest     C. friendly    D. modest

9.A. blame       B. excuse     C. charge      D. trust

10.A. until       B. as         C. once        D. since

11.A. purchases   B. sales      C. orders      D. favorites

12.A. casually    B. confidently   C. cheerfully   D. carefully

13.A. look    B. stare   C. response   D. comment

14.A. patiently   B. eagerly    C. easily   D. proudly

15.A generally    B. never   C. sometimes   D. always

16.A. pointed     B. replied   C. turned   D introduced

17.A. sense   B. way   C. degree   D. mood

18.A. earned   B. deserved   C. given    D. used

19.A. receive   B. expect   C. collect   D. require

20.A. very     B. so     C. how     D. too

 A clean environment can help the city bid for the Olympics, which ____ will promote its economic development.

A. in nature    B. in return   C. in turn   D. in fact

 After he retired from office, Rogers ____ painting for a while, but soon lost interest.

A. took up  B. saved up   C. kept up    D. drew up

 Police are now searching for a woman who is reported to ____ since the flood hit the area last Friday.

A. have been missing   B. have got lost   C. be missing   D. get lost

 I just wonder ____ that makes him so excited.

A. why it does   B. what he does   C. how it is   D. what it is

 How can you expect to learn anything ____ you never listen?

A. in case   B. even if   C. unless   D. when

 –May I smoke here ?

- If you ____, choose a seat in the smoking section.

A. should   B.could   C. may   D. must

 Five people won the “China’s Green Figure”award, a title ____ to ordinary people their contributions to environmental protection.

A.being given   B. is given   C. given   D. was given

 Although the causes of cancer ____, we do not yet have any practical way to prevent it.

A. are being uncovered   B. have been uncovering  

C. are uncovering        D. have uncovered