Question

Back in January, I was watching a college football game and came to a realization: As a high school senior, pretty soon, I’ll be the same age as some of the top athletes in the world.

This realization was both confusing and comforting. Until this point, I’d always thought of top athletes in another generation. I had no real connection to people in the news or playing sports on TV because they were so much older. But pretty soon, people of my age will be the ones dominating (支配) the news.

The comfort came in understanding that as I prepare to graduate from Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, I’m not that far off from entering the real world, and I will have a chance to make a name for myself.

Right now, I’m at the end of one of life stages, with many more to come. As seniors, many in my class developed superiority complexes. We’d see baby­faced ninth­graders and think, “Ugh, those annoying freshmen.” Or we’d hear juniors complain about starting the college application process and say to each other, “Those juniors have no idea what they’re talking about.” Of course, last year’s seniors said the same thing about last year’s juniors, repeating a timeless cycle.

Psychologist and author Thomas Armstrong writes that life is made up of 12 stages. He stresses that no stage is more important than another, and each has its own unique gifts. There is no highest point in life, no impressive ending when you are above everybody else. At the same time, there is no lowest point in life; at no point is a human worthless and below others. Just as an infant isn’t below everyone else, our elders aren’t above everyone else.

1.What can we know about the author?

A. He’ll finish his high school studies about one year later.

B. Reflecting on the past is a part of his daily routine.

C. Football is a particular favorite with him.

D. He dreams of being an excellent athlete.

2.Why did the author find his realization comforting?

A. The top athletes are the same age as him.

B. There is a possibility that he can be famous.

C. He will be admitted to his dream university.

D. He’s made full preparations for entering society.

3.What does the underlined phrase “superiority complexes” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A. A habit of making complaints.

B. A habit of following in others’ footsteps.

C. A feeling that you are better than others.

D. A feeling that others are unapproachable.

4.What message is conveyed in the last paragraph?

A. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed.

B. Life is never smooth, full of ups and downs.

C. One should try to reach his greatest potential.

D. Everyone has their own value and position in life.

Answer

1. A

2. B

3. C

4. D

【解析】

这是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章主要讲了作者在观看足球比赛时意识到自己和一些优秀的运动员同岁，并由此引发了其对高中生活和人生的感悟。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的“As a high school senior”和第四段As seniors, many in my class developed superiority complexes.可知，作者是一名高中毕业班的学生，因此会在大约一年后完成自己的高中学业。故选A。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段的内容，尤其是“I will have a chance to make a name for myself”可知，作者觉得自己的感悟中令人欣慰的部分是他很快就会步入真正的世界，也将有机会让自己出名。make a name“出名，成名”。故选B。

3.词义猜测题。根据第四段中的“We’d see baby­faced ninth­graders and think ... repeating a timeless cycle.”可知，该段主要讲的是作为毕业班的学生，作者的很多同学会在新生面前自以为是，或者嘲笑那些抱怨大学申请过程(复杂)的低年级学生，即高年级学生会在低年级学生面前产生一种优越感，故画线词的意思应为“优越感”。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“at no point is a human worthless and below others. Just as an infant isn’t below everyone else, our elders aren’t above everyone else”可知，在任何时候人都是有价值的，不低于他人，亦不高于他人，即每个人在生活中都有自己的价值和位置。故选D。