It does not matter who wins. We are told that from day one. Usually, that statement is followed by some remark about being a loser. If we do not care who wins, then why do we compete? Fun, experience, the chance to meet new people --- these are the reasons we try to outdo each other.
People will compete over anything. Every Christmas, my neighbors and I have a little Christmas light competition. It is heaven for the electric company, but I think we give Will Rogers Airport a scare. It is bright enough to land a plane in our front yards. I admit that last year my neighbors won, but only because they bought every strand of lights Wal-Mart had before I could get there.
Personal competitions are great, but we get a little carried away. I cannot stand to see coaches shout at kids playing sports. Who cares if someone messes up and the other team advances?
I’m tired of people competing just to win. It happens not only in sports, but in music competitions, too. People auditioning（试音）for chair placement in certain bands can get really unfriendly. This year I did not audition for a certain band, but I went to auditions anyway. This was the first time I actually had the opportunity to comprehend the whole picture.
Other times I’ve been the person who was nervous and anxious. This time, I sat back and observed everyone else. I came to the realization that the people who aren’t so good are terrified of the good people, and the good people are scared stiff that the bad people have taken lessons and can now show them up. Unless a person is on the outside looking in, I don’t think anyone realizes this.
Maybe competing is human nature, but we shouldn’t let it influence our judgment. Being disrespectful to opponents（对手）, letting competition become our life, and becoming so involved that we close ourselves off from friends and family is not the meaning of competition.
A little competition is healthy, so it shouldn’t hurt anyone. If it does, someone somewhere needs to back off, find the good thing hidden inside, and try it again. Winning isn’t everything, and losing isn’t the end of the world.
1.The author mentions his competition with his neighbors to __________.
A. make excuses for his failure
B. express his concern about the airport
C. imply his neighbor cheated in the competition
D. show people really care about the result of competition
2.The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refers to ________.
A. the rules of competition
B. competitors’ effort to win
C. the influence of competition on life
D. the negative attitude to competition
3.From the passage, we can learn that _______.
A. the author failed the audition
B. competitors may be unfriendly to each other
C. it is coaches who always mess up the match
D. those who observe opponents calmly always win
4.Which of the following opinions does the author probably accept?
A. Competition for the job is fierce.
B. Winning or losing is none of people’s concern.
C. Competition is healthy, but it can get out of hand.
D. The disadvantages of competition outweigh the benefits.
My name is Pablo. I think I’m a lucky guy. I have a good family, and we live in a nice neighborhood in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. People travel here from many countries for their vacations. We have beautiful beaches, hotels, restaurants, shopping and sports.
However, in my beautiful hometown, there are also very poor neighborhoods. These areas are crowded and have a lot of crime. Life is terrible for many of the children in these areas. Some don’t really have a childhood because they’re homeless and live on the streets. They don’t have education. They don’t have enough food. Many use drugs or have diseases or mental problems.
Last year, I came back to Puerto Vallarta from my university in Mexico City. I spent one year as a volunteer with an organization called Outreach International. They have several programs. I volunteered for one program to help street children.
I worked in a home for street children (all boys, at this one). At this home, the boys have a place to sleep and three meals daily. The home keeps the boys off the streets. It shows them another way of life. As a volunteer, I helped to prepare meals. I taught games---such as basketball, football and art. I helped the kids with their homework. These kids can be fun. They have a lot of energy, but they’re also really tough. Their hardships on the streets make them strong and not always “sweet little children.”
At this boys’ home, I met two other volunteers---Brian from Canada and Greg from Australia. In many ways, we were very similar. We were the same age, came from good homes and had a good education. They were both college students, like me. We became very good friends. Now, we email each other.
It was the best---and most difficult---year of my life. I learned a lot that year.
1.What do we learn about the author?
A. He loves travelling.
B. He enjoys his work as a volunteer.
C. He is now working for Outreach International.
D. He has made friends with the homeless children.
2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. Street Crime.
B. The author’s childhood experience.
C. The author’s hometown.
D. The terrible life of the homeless children.
3.According to the author, what makes the street children really tough?
A. Drugs. B. Too much energy.
C. Hard life. D. Pressure from school.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. My Special Year B. A Sweet Home
C. Outreach International D. Street Children
“Cooking With Kids creates fun and food for the family. Kate Heyhoe gives simple practical tips on how to bring the family together for mealtime magic.”
—Linda Gassenheimer, award-winning author of Dinner in Minutes
“I have just helped my four year old granddaughter Jessica to make stuffed eggs. What fun it is to cook with a new generation and what a joy now to have a brilliant new book like Cooking With Kids to pass on a passion for life and its healthy pleasures to a child!”
—Graham Kerr, International Culinary Consultant
“Like millions of moms, I want to prepare delicious, nutritious meals for my family, and after working all day in the restaurant, I also want to spend quality time with my sons. Cooking together is the natural solution. But in the kitchen, you need the proper tools to do the job well; Cooking With Kids is just the tool to get you started.”
—Chef Mary Sue Milliken, TV hostess, cookbook author
“In Cooking With Kids, Kate Heyhoe brings kids into the kitchen and teaches them not only great tasting recipes but cooking fundamentals such as how to hold a knife, set a table and how to survive in a supermarket. With families’ busy schedules, this book is a wonderful sourcebook for family interaction.”
—Emily Luchetti, executive pastry chef
“Seize the moment, and a copy of this delightful cooking guide, then call the children to the kitchen to experience the joy of an often neglected pleasure of family life---cooking food together.”
—Marcel Desaulniers, author of Death by Chocolate
“In Cooking with Kids, Kate Heyhoe takes your hand and leads you through the kitchen on a most delightful tour. The book is packed with easy-to-understand guidance and simple, tasty recipes that will delight kids of any age, and that includes every inner child who never learned the secrets of the kitchen. ”
—Michele Anna Jordan, author of Home Cooking
1.Who is the author of Cooking with Kids?
A. Kate Heyhoe. B. Emily Luchetti.
C. Graham Kerr. D. Marcel Desaulniers.
2. What do we learn about Cooking with Kids?
A. It is an award-winning book.
B. It is very popular among chefs.
C. It is written for kids with talents for cooking.
D. It helps develop cooking skills and family relationship.
3.What’s the main purpose of the passage?
A. To share opinions on cooking.
B. To teach children how to cook.
C. To recommend a cooking book.
D. To introduce some famous chefs.
I Was Forced to Find My Gifts
I was a pretty typical 17-year-old with a strong interest in painting when something happened. One Sunday, I went to an old swimming hole and dove in. I something under the water head-on and broke a couple of vertebrae（椎骨）of my neck.
For five months I stayed at the hospital, feeling like a to my family. My self-image was instantly . I was described with terms like “disabled” or “crippled.” I was angry and
after I failed so many times at some task---dropping something on the floor and trying to get it back up again.
Near the end of my stay in the hospital, my doctor almost forcibly tied a to my hand. He had seen my paintings I’d done before and me to paint. Fortunately, I found that I
had this artistic ability left. It was like a big weight had been . At least I could do something worthwhile again, and it became a part of my recovery.
After I left the hospital, I stayed at home, feeling desperately . It seemed like I was cut off from . No one can get along love and acceptance. So that fall, I started at the University of Texas, majoring in graphic design.
One day a man happened to see one of my paintings. He had a great for it and asked if I ever did art shows. So I was given a(n) . Much to my surprise, I found that people liked my paintings and would pay for them. That was about 11 years ago. Today, 1,500 have carried my work.
It was the art that provided the for me to get up every morning and do something,
sitting in front of the television. Society has such expectations of the disabled person, so it’s very easy to get sucked into a dependency routine --- you know, the “give me” kind of attitude. And that’s what I take the most in --- the fact that what I’m doing today is well received all over.
1.A. saw B. hit C. touched D. picked
2.A. burden B. failure C. joke D. patient
3.A. improved B. created C. changed D. judged
4.A. helpless B. careless C. nervous D. tired
5.A. difficult B. special C. simple D. important
6.A. bandage B. towel C. rope D. paintbrush
7.A. allowed B. taught C. ordered D. encouraged
8.A. already B. still C. even D. always
9.A. gained B. carried C. lifted D. measured
10.A. vital B. strange C. boring D. different
11.A. lonely B. weak C. frightened D. guilty
12.A. success B. classmates C. society D. treatment
13.A. in B. for C. behind D. without
14.A. sympathy B. fondness C. talent D. responsibility
15.A. exhibition B. challenge C. permission D. message
16.A. hospitals B. galleries C. schools D. families
17.A. imagination B. chance C. motivation D. curiosity
18.A. instead of B. apart from C. due to D. but for
19.A. high B. low C. enough D. unrealistic
20.A. power B. pride C. comfort D. advantage
I will never forget my experience in Africa, _______ has a great effect on my life.
A. where B. which C. when D. that
--- Sorry indeed, I ________ to your wedding if I had been in Beijing.
--- Forget it. I know you were out on business.
A. attended B. had attended
C. would attend D. would have attended
