根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Tired of your quiet routine? 1 and taking up an extreme sport?
You can ride a bicycle, right? In that case you’re half way to becoming a mountain biker. All you have to do is take your bike off the road and try some rough areas. 2 and became an Olympic sport in 1996. In the London 2012 Olympic Games athletes had to navigate(导航)a 4.7-kilometre track in less than two hours.
Not challenging enough? Skydivers(花样跳伞运动员) jump from aircraft at an altitude of 1,000 to 4,000 metres. 3 . Dilys Price from Cardiff went on her first jump at the age of 54. The minute she came down she wanted to go up again. ＂I was hooked, ＂said Dilys.
It seems that there’s no lack of imagination when it comes to risking life to look cool and get the heart pounding. Surfing, diving, rock climbing… How about turning one of your chores into a daredevil(冒失鬼) pursuit? 4 ! Pressing your shirt on top of a mountain could be dangerous, depending on the mountain. Extreme ironing is said to have been created in the 1990s in the English town of Leicester by a man who saw a pile of wrinkled clothes and felt bored. That was Phil Shaw who also won the only Extreme Ironing World Championships ever held, in Germany in 2002. 5 . Shaw says, ＂Sometimes they look confused; sometimes they laugh. It’s fun to see how people respond to it.＂
A. Extreme ironing isn’t for timid people
B. Some people have invented base jumping
C. You can see people and cars, which is amazing
D. How about leaving your computer games behind
E. You have to be fit but there’s no age limit with this sport
F. Mountain biking was developed in California in the 1970s
G. For him, the thrill of this sport comes from looking at the audience’s faces
D
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness with me. When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and ＂too serious＂ about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: ＂Let’s start with a train whistle today.＂ We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changed into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair (失望) and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had remarkable friends. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: ＂Yes, I must tell...＂ We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist (心理学家), who will only fill up the healing (愈合的) silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
1. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to __________.
A. become serious about her study B. go to her friend’s house regularly
C. learn from her classmates at school D. share poems and stories with her friend
2. In Paragraph 2, ＂We gave London to each other＂ probably means __________.
A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us
B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C. our unpleasant feelings about London disappeared
D. we parted with each other in London
3.According to Paragraph 3, the author and her friend __________.
A. call each other regularly B. have similar personalities
C. enjoy writing to each other D. dream of meeting each other
4. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to __________.
A. ask for professional help B. be left alone
C. stay with her best friend D. break the silence
C
Life can be so wonderful, full of adventure and joy. It can also be full of challenges, setbacks(挫折)and heartbreaks. Whatever our circumstances, we generally still have dreams, hopes and desires — that little something more we want for ourselves and our loved ones. Yet knowing we can have more can also create a problem, because when we go to change the way we do things, up come the old patterns and pitfalls(陷阱)that stopped us from seeking what we wanted in the first place.
This tension between what we feel we can have and what we’re seemingly able to have is the niggling(烦人的) suffering, the anxiety we feel. This is where we usually think it’s easier to just give up. But we’re never meant to let go of the part of us that knows we can have more. The intelligence behind that knowing is us — the real us. It’s the part that believes in life and its possibilities. If you drop that, you begin to feel a little ＂dead＂ inside because you’re dropping ＂you＂.
So, if we have this capability but somehow life seems to keep us stuck, how do we break these patterns?
Decide on a new course and make one decision at a time. This is good advice for a new adventure or just getting through today’s challenges.
While, deep down, we know we can do it, our mind — or the minds of those close to us — usually says we can’t. That isn’t a reason to stop, it’s just the mind, that little man or woman on your shoulder, trying to talk you out of something again. It has done it many times before. It’s all about starting simple and doing it now.
Decide and act before overthinking. When you do this you may feel a little, or large, release from the jail of your mind and you’ll be on your way.
1. It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that we should ___________.
A. slow down and live a simple life B. be careful when we choose to change
C. stick to our dreams under any circumstances D. be content with what we already have
2. What is the key to breaking the old patterns?
A. To focus on every detail. B. To decide and take immediate action.
C. To listen to those close to us. D. To think twice before we act.
3. Which of the following best explains the underlined part in the last paragraph?
A. Punishment for your action. B. Realization of your dreams.
C. Freedom from your tension. D. Reduction of your expectations.
4.What does the author intend to tell us?
A. It’s easier than we think to get what we want.
B. It’s important to learn to accept sufferings in life.
C. It’s impractical to change our way of thinking.
D. It’s harder than we expect to follow a new course.
B
You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams(1860—1935)
Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addans helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community(社区)by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson(1907—1964)
If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O’Connor(1930—present)
When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator(参议员) and, in 1981, the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks(1913—2005)
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rasa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgmery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. ＂The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,＂ said Parks.
1. What is Jane Addams noted for in history?
A. Her social work. B. Her lack of proper training in law.
C. Her efforts to win a prize. D. Her community background.
2. What is the reason for O’Connor’s being rejected by the law firm?
A. Her lack of proper training in law. B. Her little work experience in court.
C. The discrimination against women. D. The poor financial conditions.
3. Who made a great contribution to the civil-rights movement in the US?
A. Jane Addams. B. Rachel Carson. C. Sandra Day O’Connor. D. Rosa Parks.
4.What can we infer about the women mentioned in the text?
A. They are highly educated. B. They are truly creative.
C. They are pioneers. D. They are peace-lovers.
A
It took some time for spring to arrive but now it’s here that UK’s gardens are enjoying it. Many flowers that would usually be over by now are still at their best. Here are some of the best gardens right now.
Kew Gardens, London
The rock garden is one of the places to head for at Kew right now. It has waterfalls (瀑布) and streams over the land, and many plants and flower buds are all at their best. Equally those who cannot be missed are the flowering cherry(樱桃) trees.
Open daily: 9:30 am— 6:30 pm. Adults £16. Children free.
Wentworth Castle Gardens, near Barnsley
A yellow carpet surrounds Wentworth Castle at the moment, as the daffodils (水仙花) are still in full bloom. Another wonderful spot is the Victorian flower garden, created from an old bowling (保龄球) green in the 19th century.
Open daily: 10:00 am—5:00 pm. Adults £5.50. Children £2.95. Family £12.50.
Harlow Carr, Harrogate
The earlier bad weather means many daffodil(水仙) varieties were extremely late, but at Harlow Carr plenty of the plants can be found at the moment. The garden also has one of the longest streamside plantings in the country.
Open daily: 9:30 am—6:00 pm. Adults £8.50. Children £4.25. Family £20.70.
Bon Stewart, Newtownards
There are great smells as well as great sight at Bon Stewart: Lady Londonderry, who created the garden in the 1920s and 1930s, love plants with a sweet smell. So go up to Rhododendron (杜鹃花) Hill. It’s one of the best places here right now.
Open daily: 10:00 am—6:00 pm. Adults £6.63. Children £3.31. Family £16.00.
1.To enjoy great-smelling flowers, you might visit ___________.
A. Kew Gardens B. Harlow Carr
C. Bon Stewart D. Wentworth Castle Gardens
2.You can probably enjoy the flowers beside the stream in ___________.
A. Kew Gardens and Bon Stewart B. Harlow Carr and Kew Gardens
C. Bon Stewart and Harlow Carr D. Wentworth Castle Gardens and Bon Stewart
3.What can we learn about Wentworth Castle Gardens?
A. It offers a great place to play bowling. B. It is full of flowering cherry trees.
C. It provides the shortest visiting time in a day. D. A couple with a child will pay at least £13.95.
以下是一则来自某英语报纸的新闻报道，请你结合新闻内容和提示要点写一篇英语短文。
November 24,2001 Thursday
Wild animals play an important role in our environment. However, many human activities have put them in serious danger of extinction. By the year 2025, one fifth of the world’s animal species may be extinct.
提示要点：1.描述动物的现状；
2.应该采取的措施；
3.谈谈自己的看法。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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