I got tired of living the life that everybody told me I “should” be living , so one day I decided to start living life on my own terms. Frustrated（挫败）with my job, I came home, put on my shoes, and just started running. It felt so good to be free. That first day I ended up running 30 miles without stopping. Yes, I had rediscovered my old passion ( 酷爱的事物) — and it felt so good I set a goal to support myself and my family from my running alone.
I trained hard every day. Since I wanted to be the best I could be, I knew I would have to set some clear goals for myself. A couple of my goals were: run a 135-mile ultra-marathon(超级马拉松) across Death Valley, win the Badwater Ultra-Marathon, and run a marathon to the South Pole.
I had no idea how I was going to achieve these goals, but they certainly encouraged me to work hard. Today, I am really grateful to say that I have achieved all of them. Shortly after completing these goals, I set another goal: to run fifty marathons, in fifty states, in fifty days. Nobody had done anything like this before. To be honest, I was not quite sure if I could. But there was only one way to find out…so I just started training and preparing to give it my best try.
I completed that goal one year ago, and it felt great! But for me, life is not all about achieving goals. Sure, it feels good to succeed, but the greatest reward for me was learning more about myself and what I was able to do.
Only by stepping out into the unknown and stretching(使倾注全力) ourselves can we really discover what our true potential(潜能) is。
1.Why did the author decide to become a runner?
A．He was out of work.
B．He wanted to treat his illness.
C．He wanted to live his dreams.
D．He suddenly found running interesting.
2.Which played an important role in the author’s success?
A．Setting goals B．Learning from others.
C．Being honest D．Keeping on reading .
3.According to Paragraph 3, before achieving the goals the author felt _____________
A．very grateful B．not quite confident
C．quite afraid D．not very satisfied
4.What does the underlined part “that goal” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A．Win the Badwater Ultra-Marathon.
B．Run a marathon to the South Pole.
C．Run fifty marathons, in fifty states, in fifty days.
D．Run a 135-mile ultra-marathon across Death Valley.
5.The author probably agrees that____________.
A．life means achieving goals
B．success is the greatest reward
C．sports help develop our potential
D．everyone may have great potential.
My name is Chelsea Chowderhead. A chowder is a kind of soup. I was laughed at because of my last name as soon as I started school. So when my family moved to South Carolina, I asked my dad if I could change my name.
“You shouldn’t change who you are. Let people get to know you first and your name later. When you meet someone new, ask them a good question, something you’re really interested in. Once people start talking about themselves, they don’t judge(评价) you.”
Two days later I headed to my new school for the first day of class. At lunch, I noticed that there were twin brothers who were talking to each other. I remembered my dad’s advice, so I decided to try.
I noticed that their lunchboxes were identical. “What’s it like being a twin?” I asked.
They looked surprised. Then one said, “No one has ever asked us that!”
“Most of the time it’s good,” the other said. “When you’re a twin you always have someone to talk to and have lunch with.”
In no time we were laughing and talking. Then one of the brothers said, “I’m Nicholas, and this is my brother, Nathaniel. What’s your name?”
I took a deep breath and said, “I’m Chelsea Chowderhead.”
“Chowder? Like the soup?” asked Nathaniel.
“Yes,” I replied, looking down.
“Hey, cool! Do you want to come over after school and play basketball with us?” Nathaniel asked. I nodded.
And that is how I became friends with the twin brothers.
1.Why did the writer want to change his name?
A．People made fun of it.
B．He wanted to make more friends.
C．It was hard to remember.
D．He wanted to be cool in the new school.
2.The writer’s father advised him to ____________.
A．move to a new class B．say hello to others
C．share his interests D．ask good questions
3.The underlined word “identical” in Paragraph 4 probably means _____________.
A．same B．beautiful C．big D．full
4.When the twin brothers asked his name, the writer felt ________________.
A．surprised B．angry C．nervous D．proud
5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．One can order a chowder in some restaurants.
B．The twins said hello to the writer first.
C．The twins also didn’t like the writer’s name.
D．At last the writer changed his name.
A few weeks ago, I was on vacation with my family in Malaysia. We visited lots of places. One of the hotels we stayed __1._ was near a China Town.
Everything was cheap there __2.__ we did a lot of shopping. I was looking for a watch for myself and __3._ for my girlfriend. There were many shops that were selling _4._ same watch —— but for different prices.
I finally found the best price, so I bought the watches while my sister and mom were buying other things from the shop. __5.__ it was time to pay, I realized I was 10 dollars short, so I suggested __6.__ (return) one of the watches. The _7.__ ( own) of the shop asked why and I explained I didn’t have enough money with me. She smiled and said, “You can take it, but promise me you’ll pay tomorrow!”
So I asked her what time she __8._ (be) there the next day and said, “Okay, I promise.”
Unfortunately we changed our hotel and the new one was much ___9.__ (far) away from China Town, but I still walked all the way to her shop and gave her the money. She smiled and said, “You’re a good person.”
It’s so beautiful when people ___10.__ you don’t know trust you.
Once a young man was in deep love with a girl. This man folded 1,000 pieces of paper cranes (纸鹤) as a gift to his girl. Although he was a small branch manager in a company, and his __1__ didn’t seem too bright, they were very __2__ together until one day, his girl told him she was going to Paris and would never come back. She also told him that she couldn’t see any future for both of them, “so let’s go our own __3__ from now on…” The young man was __4__, but he agreed.
When he regained his __5__, he worked hard day and night, just to make something out of himself. Finally with all the _6__ work, this man set up his own __7__.
One rainy day, while this man was __8__, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella in the rain, walking to somewhere. He __9__ that they were his ex-girlfriend’s (前女友)parents, so he drove slowly beside the couple, wanting them to find him in his expensive car and to know that he had his own company, car, etc.
To the man’s surprise, the couple were walking towards a cemetery (墓地). He got out of his car and followed them. And there he saw his ex-girlfriend —a photograph of her __10__ as sweetly as ever at him from her tombstone, and those precious paper cranes in a glass bottle! He walked over and asked the couple why this had happened. They explained that __11__ she did not leave for France at all. She fell ill with cancer. In her heart, she had believed that he would __12_ some day. She didn’t want her __13__ to be his barrier(障碍). Therefore, she chose to leave him. She asked her __14__ to put his paper cranes beside her, because if the day comes when fate brings him to her again he can take some of those back with him.
The man just cried __15__. He was heartbroken once again.
1. A．appearance B．salary C．future D．apartment
2. A．worried B．regret C．happy D．sensitive
3. A．futures B．ways C．goals D．courses
4. A．excited B．mad C．puzzling D．heartbroken
5. A．confidence B．position C．independence D．freedom
6. A．main B．beautiful C．hard D．heavy
7. A．office B．family C．studio D．company
8. A．running B．driving C．walking D．wandering
9. A．recognized B．noticed C．understood D．memorized
10. A．glaring B．talking C．smiling D．crying
11. A．fortunately B．recently C．difficultly D．actually
12. A．come B．make C．succeed D．suffer
13. A．illness B．heart C．cranes D．sadness
14. A．husband B．parents C．friends D．son
15. A．heatedly B．hardly C．excitedly D．sadly
根据中英文提示，完成下列句子，每空一词（共10题，满分20分,每题2分）
1.这是他第一次考试不及格。
It was the first time that he ____ ____ in the exam.
2.她让我打开窗户，让新鲜空气进来。
He _____ _____ ______ ______ the window and let some fresh air in.
3.有那么多工作要应付，这位老板好像工作上有麻烦了。
With so many jobs to deal with, the boss seemed to _____ _____ _____ his work.
4.我发现这帮人很难对付，我厌恶他们在大庭广众之下喧哗。
I find _____ hard _____ _____ _____ this pack of people. I hate them speaking loudly in public.
5.必须利用一切机会学好英语。
Every chance must ______ ______ ______ _____ to study English.
6.父亲总是问我学习的进展情况。
My father always asks me how I’m _____ ______ _____my study.
7.地理位置对方言的产生起了重要作用。
Geography _______ an important _______ _____ making dialects.
8.直到上星期天，他才意识到自己的错误。
He _____ ______ his mistake ______ last Sunday.
9.就是在昨天汤姆在公园里丢了他的表。
____ ____ yesterday ____ Tom lost his watch.
10.我深信你当时是故意捣乱, 目的是引起别人的注意。
I strongly believe that you were making trouble __________ _________ in order to attract others’ attention.
用括号内所给单词的适当形式填空（共10题，满分10分）
1.He arrived at his hometown, tired and _____ (dust), on Sunday night.
2.I was most _____ (grate) to John for his kindness of sending me the book immediately.
3.The teacher seems to _____ (like) the idea of testing children in such a narrow way to find out who is the most excellent.
4.The ______ (actually) price was lower than I had thought.
5.I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m _____ (gradual) getting used to looking after the animals.
6.From the changing ______ (express) on speakers’ faces and the tones of their voices, they can tell lies from truths.
7.They’ll trade with _____ (east) European countries.
8.I never know that encouragement is so ______ (power) that it can change a person.
9.When I travell with my friends, my parents are always ______ (concern) about me.
10.The mother looks at the door ______ (frequent), wishing the children’s coming.
