I have a friend named Monty who owns a horse ranch (牧场). One day, he told me a story.
“There was a young man who was the son of a horse ______. His father had to go from their house to ranch, training horses.”
“One day, the boy*s teacher asked the students to ______ a paper about what they wanted to be and do when they grew up. That night the boy finished a, seven-page paper ______ his dream of owning a horse ranch. He even drew a ______ of a 4, 000-square-foot house. But he ______ got a red F on the first page. The boy with the dream asked his teacher, ‘Why did I receive an F?’ The teacher said. This is a (n) ______ dream for a young boy like you. Owning a horse ranch needs a lot of ______. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher ______, ‘If you rewrite this paper with a more realistic dream, I will give you a more realistic ______.”’
“The boy went home and asked his father what he should do. His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make your own ______.”’
“Finally, the boy ______ the same paper, making no change at all. He said, ‘You ______ keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”’
Monty then looked at me and said, “I tell you this story ______ you are sitting in ray 4, 000- square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch.” He continued, “Two summers ago, the ______ teacher brought 30 kids to camp out on ray ranch for a week. When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was a dream ______. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. ______ you had not given yours up.’’’
Don’t let anyone steal your dream.______ your heart, no matter what. You can achieve ______ you want in life if you have the ______ to dream it, the intelligence to make a realistic plan, and the ______ to see that plan through to the end.
1.A. keeper B. farmer C. driver D. trainer
2.A. copy B. write C. check D. recite
3.A. describing B. spreading C. realizing D. predicting
4.A. conclusion B. line C. circle D. picture
5.A. also B. just C. really D. still
6.A. unrealistic B. strange C. funny D. common
7.A. knowledge B. practice C. money D. creation
8.A. requested B. warned C. repeated D. added
9.A. opinion B. grade C. impression D. suggestion
10.A. decision B. promise C. standard D. living
11.A. set down B. gave out C. handed in D. tore up
12.A. must B. can C. should D. dare
13.A. when B. although C. until D. because
14.A. particular B. devoted C. experienced D. same
15.A. stealer B. maker C. holder D. leader
16.A. Hopefully B. Fortunately C. Surprisingly D. Sadly
17.A. Follow B. Search C. Take D. Feel
18.A. nothing B. however C. anything D. wherever
19.A. energy B. patience C. wisdom D. courage
20.A. lime B. will C. skill D. chance
With the summer holiday just around the comer, it seems like everybody is busy planning their vacations. Here are some lips that can help you enjoy your holiday without emptying your pocket:
Travel off-season
Go to your desired destination while the demand is low and take advantage of huge discounts. During the peak season, the hotel and flight prices increase quickly, and you’ll likely spend more of your vacation time standing in line due to the rush of tourists. 1.
Eat like a local
Why eat at big chain restaurants when you can experience something new? 2. During your family trip, try new food where the locals eat. This will not just save money, but also provide you with a new and different experience. For smaller meals and snacks, avoid restaurants and try street food or other takeout.
3.
Websites can help you find discount hotel rooms. Look for places that do not charge extra for children if they use the existing bedding. Stay with the locals. If you and your family are going to 8tay for a longer period，renting a small apartment is a good choice.
Choose local transportation
4. Instead, take buses, railways or subways, which are always cheaper. If you are planning to stay for a while, you can consider renting a car. Hiring a car is much easier than carrying your bags everywhere if you are moving around a lot.
Don’t hesitate to bargain
Tourist-heavy places are known for overcharging for just about everything. Clothes, travel goodies, souvenirs, etc. are very expensive at these places. 5. Bargain hard to get the best price.
A. Save on hotels.
B. Surf the Internet while traveling.
C. So it’s best to find out when the off-season starts.
D. Therefore, avoid buying anything there.
E. Planning your meals is another way to reduce your travel costs.
F. For this reason, you shouldn’t feel ashamed to ask for bargains.
G. As a tourist, avoid taking taxis whenever possible, since they are expensive.
In Modem society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity; others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affaire. In their single-minded pursuit (追求) of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players，they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that wound mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both arc afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (化解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.
1.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A. Competition helps to set up one’s self-respect.
B. People hold different opinions on competition.
C. Failures are necessary experience in competition.
D. Competition is harmful to one’s development.
2.Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A. It pushes society forward. B. It builds up a sense of duty.
C. It encourages individual efforts. D. It improves personal abilities.
3.What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with “a desire to fail”？
A. One’s success in competition calls for great efforts.
B. One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.
C. One’s success relies largely on his firm belief of winning.
D. One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.
4.Which point of view may t)ie author agree with?
A. Competition- damages friendship among people.
B. Performance in competition determines one’s value.
C. Fear of failure should l>c removed in competition.
D. Winning should be a mailer of life and death.
In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school. It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well. To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school，it’s still important to find where their classrooms are. Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year. And, most schools also have a freshman speech for parents and students before the first year begins. Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school. This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join different clubs and sports. Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school. If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interests, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc. These clubs allow students from different grades. By joining an activity, students can find new friendship, not to mention improving their chant.es in future college applications. The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.
1.According to the text, most students feel when entering the high school.
A. unhappy B. nervous
C. disappointed D. lonely
2.Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?
A. There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs.
B. The school clubs in high school mainly welcome sports fans.
C. Summer activities usually begin before high school starts.
D. The school office can help new students join school clubs.
3.When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?
A. Before-the eighth grade year starts.
B. Right after the high school year starts.
C. At the end of the last year in the middle school.
D. At the beginning of the new term in high school.
4.What is the purpose of the text?
A. To describe the colorful high school life.
B. To offer advice to new high school students.
C. To give information on college applications.
D. To share useful experience in high school.
After a year at sea, 16-year-old Laura Dekker can finally say, “Mission accomplished!” Last month, she finished a daring trip around the world aboard her 38-foot boat, Guppy. Dekker, who is from the Netherlands, traveled more than 30,000 miles all by herself. She is the youngest person ever to sail around the globe alone.
Dekker had wanted to lake on this challenge when she was even younger. She first tried to set sail at the age of 13, but a court in the Netherlands stopped her. They said that she was too young to make such a risky trip by herself. But Dekker insisted she had the navigation skills and patience of an adult sailor.
She finally took off on January 20, 2011. During her trip, Dekker battled loneliness, storms, and worries about pirates. But she also got to surf, scuba dive, and started a new hobby: playing the flute. Although Dekker didn’t spend all of her time at sea—she stopped at ports along the way—she did spend her 16lh birthday on the open ocean. To celebrate, she ale doughnuts for breakfast.
But Dekker didn’t sail into the record books. Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council no longer recognize records for “youngest” sailors. They dropped the category in 2009 to discourage children from attempting such dangerous feats (壮举) But that didn’t stop Dekker，who was born on a yacht during a seven-year world voyage undertaken by her parents.
Dekker doesn’t mind that she won’t hold an official record. She says it was a personal goal, and she is happy she achieved it.
“I am not disappointed at all that Guinness World Record won’t recognize my attempt.” Dekker wrote on her website. “I did not start on my trip to achieve any record…I did it just for myself.”
1.Dekker wasn’t allowed to sail at the age of 13 because .
A. people were concerned about her safety
B. she didn’t learn any sailing skills well
C. she had to continue her study at school
D. she didn’t have enough patience for long trips
2.What does the underlined word “accomplished” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Failed. B. Completed.
C. Continued. D. Started.
3.In 2009 records for youngest sailors were canceled in order to .
A. set a higher sailing standard for teen sailors
B. stop children entering Guinness World Records
C. encourage parents to sail with their children
D. prevent children making dangerous attempts
4.What could be the best title for this passage?
A. A New Guinness World Record in Sailing
B. A New Sailing Standard for Teen Sailors
C. A Teen Girl Sailing Alone Around the World
D. The Youngest Sailor in Guinness World Records
LOST AND FOUND | ROOMMATES |
FOUND: Cal, 6 months old, black and white marking. Found near Linden and South U. Steve, 800-4661. | FEMALE ROOMMATE WANTING Own room near campus. Available December 1. Rent $ 80 per month until March 1. $ 129 Thereafter. Call Jill for details. 800-7839 |
LOST: Gold wire rim glasses in brown case. Campus area. Reward. Call Gregg 800-2896 | Need person to assume lease for own bedroom in apt. Near campus, $ 92/mo. Starling Jan. 1. Call 800-6157 after 5 pm |
FOR SALE | HELP WANTED |
MOVING: Must sell. TV b/w 12, $ 50; AM/FM transistor radio A/C or battery, %15; cassette tape recorder, $ 10； music records, Call John or Pat, 800-0739 after 5 pm or weekends | BABYSITTER—MY HOME If you are available a few hours during the day, some evenings and occasional weekends to care for 2 school-age children, please call Gayle Moore days at 800-1111，evenings and weekends at 800-4964 |
USED FUR COATS and JACKETS Good condition. $ 50- $ 125. Cull 800-0436 after 12 noon | WAITRESS WANTED： 10 am-2 pm or 10: 30 am-5 pm. Apply in person, 207S. Main Curtis Restaurant |
1.What was lost in campus area according to the LOST AND FOUND ads?
A. A cat. B. A radio.
C. A cassette tape recorder. D. A pair of glasses.
2.You will have to call if you want to buy a radio.
A. 800-0436 B. 800-0739
C. 800-4964 D. 800-4661
3.Which of the following ads will you answer if you want a job of taking care of children?
A. LOST AND FOUND B. ROOMMATES
C. HELP WANTED D. FOR SALE
