It seems that the Englishmen just cannot live without sports of some kind. A famous French humourist once said that this is because the English insist on behaving like children all their lives. Wherever you go in this country, you will see both children and grown-ups knocking a ball about with a stick or something, as if in Britain men shall always remain boys and women girls! Still, it can never be bad to get exercise, can it?
Taking all amateur (业余) and professional sports in Britain into consideration, there can be no doubt that football is at the top of the list. It is called soccer in the United States. The game originated (起源于) in Britain and was played in the Middle Ages or even earlier, though as an organized game, or "association football", it dates only from the beginning of the 19th century.
The next is rugby, which is called "football" in the United States. It is a kind of football played by two teams of fifteen players than eleven. In rugby, an oval-shaped ball is used which can be handled as well as kicked. It is a pretty rough game.
In summer, cricket is the most popular sport. In fact, it has sometimes been called the English national game. Most foreigners find the game rather slow or even boring, but it enjoys great popularity among the British.
Tennis rates high on the list, too. It was introduced into England from France in the 15th century, but it was from England that it spread to practically every country in the world Table tennis, or "ping-pong", surely is not played on a great scale as it is in China or Japan. Basketball and volleyball were introduced into Britain during the late 19th century from America and are gaining popularity. Horse-back riding, swimming, rowing and golf all attract a lot of people.
41．The main purpose of Paragraph 1 is to tell us that the English ___________.
A．are all sports lovers B．behave like children
C．like to kick a ball around D．can remain young all their lives
42．According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about football and rugby?
A．They differ in the shape of the ball.
B．They are played by different numbers of players.
C．They both can be handled.
D．They both can be kicked.
43．The game that was never played in Britain until the late 19th century is _________.
A．basketball B．tennis C．rugby D．football
完形填空（共20小题; 每小题1.5分, 满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。
Learning to accept
I learned how to accept life as it is from my father. ____, he did not teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was ____ and ill.
My father was _____ a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness ____ all that away. Now he can no longer walk, and he must sit in a chair all day. Even talking is _____. One night, I went to visit him with my sisters, we started _____ about life, and I told them about one of my ______. I said that we must always give things up _______ we grow---our youth, our beauty, our friends--- but it always ____ that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father _____ up. He said, “But, Peter, I gave up _____! What did I gain?” I thought and thought, but I could not think of anything to say. _____, he answered his own question, “ I ______ the love of my family.” I looked at my sisters, and saw tears in their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness.
I was also _____ by his words. After that, when I began to fell irritated (愤怒的) at someone, I _____ remember his words and become ______. If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of live for others, then I should be _____ to give up my small irritations. In this ______, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.
Sometimes I ____ what other things I could learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though, I am grateful for this one _____.
21. A. Afterwards B. Therefore C. However D. Meanwhile
22. A. tired B. weak C. poor D. slow
23. A. already B. still C. only D. once
24. A. took B. threw C. sent D. put
25. A. impossible B. difficult C. stressful D. hopeless
26. A. worrying B. caring C. talking D. asking
27. A. worrying B. caring C. talking D. asking
28. A. as B. since C. before D. till
29. A. suggests B. promises C. seems D. requires
30. A. spoke B. turned C. summed D. opened
31. A. something B. anything C. nothing D. everything
32. A. surprisingly B. Immediately C. Naturally D. Certainly
33. A. had B. accepted C. gained D. enjoyed
34. A. touched B. astonished C. attracted D. warned
35. A. should B. could C. would D. might
36. A. quiet B. calm C. relaxed D. happy
37. A. ready B. likely C. free D. able
38. A. case B. form C. method D. way
39. A. doubt B. wonder C. know D. guess
40 .A. award B. gift C. lesson D. word
______ the room, the nurse found the tape-recorder ______ .
A. Entering; stealing B. Entering; gone
C. To have entered; being stone D. Having entered; to be stolen
The women kept her eyes _____ on her baby for quite some time.
A. to fix B. fixed C. fixing D. being fixed
____ is known to all, China will be an _____ and powerful country in 20 or 30 years’ time.
A. That; advancing B. What; advanced
C. As; advanced D. It; advanced
You can’t take the lift because it is _______.
A. in order B. in order to C. out of order D. on order
