Mrs. Obama spoke to the graduates of Martin Luther King Jr. High School on Saturday in her only high school commencement（毕业典礼）speech this year. The ceremony took place in the gymnasium of Tennessee State University.
The first lady told the 170 graduates that she spent too much of her time in college focusing on academe achievements. While her success in college and law school led to a good job, she said, she ended up focusing on public service. “My message to you today is that don’t waste a minute living someone else’s dream,” she said. “It takes a lot of real work to discover what brings you joy and you won’t find what you love simply by checking mailboxes or surfing the net.”
She said MLK reminded her of her own high school experience in Chicago. “My No.1 goal was to go to a high school that would push me and challenge me,” she said. “I wanted to go somewhere that would celebrate achievement. Unfortunately, schools like this don’t exist for every kid.” she said. “You are blessed.”
The first lady told graduates that failure may be a part of their college lives and careers, and that how they respond determines what they will become. “That’s when you find out what you’re really made of in those hard times,” she said. “But you can only do that if you’re willing to put yourself in a position where you might fail.” Overcoming difficulties has been the mark of many great people, she said, “Oprah was demoted（降职）from her first job as a news reporter, and now she doesn’t even need a last name,” she said of media giant Oprah Winfrey “And then there’s this guy Barack Obama, I could take up a whole afternoon talking about his failures. He lost his first race for Congress”, the first lady joked, “and now he gets to call himself my husband.”
1.When choosing her high school, Mrs. Obama ________.
A. was willing to meet challenges
B. was pushed to make a choice
C. failed to find an ideal school
D. wanted to study law
2.By mentioning Oprah’s example, Mrs. Obama wanted to tell graduates _______.
A. to start as a news reporter
B. to work hard to get promoted
C. to be brave enough to risk failing
D. not to waste time doing what they dislike
3.What do we know about Mrs. Obama from the text?
A. This was the first time she gave a speech to graduates.
B. She complained about her school life in her speech.
C. She is a graduate of Tennessee State University.
D. She is enthusiastic about public service.
4.Where can you probably find this text?
A. In a politics book.
B. On a news website.
C. In a graduation paper.
D. On Mrs. Obama’s blog.
Jumping across cities
Forget about expensive gyms; the new sport in cities is free-running. Since it started in a Paris suburb around 1995, free-running has attracted lots of fans in cities around the world. Instead of walking normally, free-runners jump over or around anything―cars, buildings, trees, or streetlights―in their way.
One of the sport’s inventors told our reporter how free-running started.
It was boring where we lived. There was nothing for us to do after school. We had done playground games like football and basketball when we were kids but we wanted something new and exciting. We started learning how to jump and run between buildings―and we loved it. Walking is a waste of time. Free-runners have to use their imaginations. Everything―a tree, a streetlight―is part of our outdoor gym. We’re like children because we have never stopped playing in the street.
The sport’s website has lots of rules, for example, don’t break people’s windows, don’t jump on flowerbeds and don’t be rude to people who want you to stop. Safety is also very important. You must start with the easy moves―you have to do thousands of small practice jumps before you try anything difficult. If you made only one mistake, you might hurt yourself badly.
A local person said, “It’s good that young people have something to do. But when they jump off buildings like cats, they sometimes frighten other people.”
Don’t try this at home: the basics of free-running
Blind Jump: a jump where you can’t see the landing spot.
Tic-tac: run and put your foot on a small step, go forward and jump over the next thing.
Basic Jump: run and jump, land on two feet while bending your knees. To finish roll into head-over-heels.
Cat Jump: run towards a wall, put both hands on the top of the wall and jump through your arms.
1.Free-running started __________.
A. about twenty years ago B. with the help of schools
C. in big cities of America D. among famous sportsmen
2.Free-runners shouldn’t ____________.
A. use their imaginations B. start with the easy moves
C. jump on flowerbeds D. run between buildings
3.According to the passage, free-running is a（n）__________sport.
A. ancient B. expensive
C. safe D. exciting
4.The purpose of this passage is to ___________.
A. explain the importance of outdoor activities
B. introduce some information about free-running
C. warn children not to join in dangerous sports
D. advise people to do more exercise at home first
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Once upon a time there lived a poor man named Malcolm who hunted for his food. One warm spring day, Malcolm had been for many hours, and he was hot and tired and hungry. He hadn’t even a mouse. When he came upon a big tree, he sat down under its to rest. Suddenly he found a big ostrich (鸵鸟) egg beside the tree. He the egg and carried it back to his hut (小屋).
The egg was so white and round, pure and beautiful that he couldn’t eating it. So he put the egg on the table and went to sleep.
The next morning when he woke up, he was to find bread and soup on his table. He was so hungry, so he tore off a piece and ate it. “I’ve never anything so delicious,” he said aloud. Then he heard a voice answer, “It’s bread and soup I’ve made for you.”
He turned to find a beautiful woman standing beside the ostrich egg, was cracked wide open. “Malcolm, you are a kind and generous man, and I will make you for the rest of your life. me and I will always make delicious food for you.”
“How can this be? An ostrich egg’s cannot speak or cook or marry me,” he said.
“I will make you happy, Malcolm,” she said, “You must only this: you will never call me the daughter of an ostrich egg.”
“I promise,” Malcolm said.
And so they got married. For many years they lived great happiness. His wife brought him , goats and made him a chief. But one day, Malcolm got so that he was not with what he had. He quarreled with his . He said his wife was the daughter of an ostrich egg… And he was alone again, living in his hut, his old clothes. There were no cattle, no goats and no wife.
He understood that he had been to let greed (贪婪) and anger get the better of him and to break his promise to his wife.
1.A. boating B. fishing C. hunting D. swimming
2.A. caught B. removed C. bitten D. held
3.A. way B. fur C. poster D. shade
4.A. took up B. picked up C. put up D. added up
5.A. wait B. help C. imagine D. expect
6.A. exciting B. secure C. amazed D. lively
7.A. smelt B. looked C. sounded D. tasted
8.A. which B. whose C. who D. that
9.A. intelligent B. happy C. attractive D. popular
10.A. Follow B. Accept C. Admit D. Marry
11.A. sister B. daughter C. mother D. son
12.A. doubt B. respond C. select D. promise
13.A. in B. at C. under D. beyond
14.A. sheep B. pigs C. cattle D. chicken
15.A. puzzled B. greedy C. magical D. upset
16.A. satisfied B. surprised C. popular D. certain
17.A. daughter B. mother C. wife D. grandfather
18.A. in peace B. in a flash C. in danger D. in a way
19.A. wearing B. having C. preparing D. replacing
20.A. informal B. artificial C. severe D. mistaken
After the long journey, the three of them went back home, _________.
A. hungry and tiredly B. hungrily and tiredly
C. hungry and tired D. hungrily and tired
— Are you going to the football game?
— No, the tickets are ______expensive for me.
A. very much B. too far
C. too much D. much too
You may use the room as you like ____ you clean it up afterwards.
A. so far as B. as if
C. so long as D. even if
