When US teenager Jake Olson isn’t playing football or golf for his high school, he’s often offering inspiration(灵感)through his new book about his own life.
These activities might be too much for the average 16-year-old to deal with, but Jake is blind. When people ask him how he can possibly play golf without being able to see the ball, he says he is thankful for his father’s guidance.
It seems apparent that his early experience playing sports as a person with sight and muscle(肌肉) memory— repeating behaviors over and over until they become second nature — have also enabled Jake to hit the ball quite well.
Jake was born with a rare kind of eye cancer that took away the vision from his left eye when he was a baby and eventually his right eye, in 2009, when he was 12 years old. Rather than letting the disease hold him back, Jake used his loss of sight and his faith as sources of motivation(动力).“If I was going to sit on the couch all day, feeling sorry for myself, I wasn’t going to do anything. I decided that I was going to go out and persevere (坚持不懈).” he said.
It was with that mind-set that the student from Orange Lutheran High School in California was able to write his first book, Open Your Eyes: 10 Uncommon Lessons to Discover a Happier Life. “It’s about opening the readers’ eyes to their true talent in life and making sure that they use all the abilities that they have,” Jake said.
Jake’s father, Brian Olson, said the family is impressed with what he has done with his life, including showing people that they can get through hardships. “Your darkest hour can soon become your brightest, and with every setback, there’s a setup,” Jake said. “In every one of us, there’s more potential than we can ever imagine, and it really is a choice.”
1.We can learn from the article that Jake Olson ▲ .
A. was born with blindness
B. has great muscle memory
C. was going to sit on the couch all day
D. is trying to find the cure for his disease
2.According to the article, Jake’s family members ▲ .
A. have pity on him deeply
B. once gave up hope on him
C. encouraged him to write the book
D. admire his efforts and determination(决心)
3.The purpose of the book Open Your Eyes: 10 Uncommon Lessons to Discover a Happier Life is to ▲ .
A. explain what “a happier life” means
B. ask people to get on well with disabled people
B.help people get better life through his experiences
C. encourage people to discover and use the potential
4.The underlined word “setback” is closest in meaning to ▲ .
A. failure B. fight C. idea D. success
On Thursday October 3, Adam Harper decided to stop drinking coffee. Adam is a MBA student at Harvard University. He studies long hours, gets very little sleep, so he drinks a lot of coffee—anywhere from five to six cups a day. Recently, Adam felt that drinking thus much coffee was making it hard for him to sleep at all. He also began having problems with his concentration(注意力), and complained of stomachaches. Adam’s doctor made this suggestions: stop drinking coffee altogether.
When Adam got up on October 3, he began his day without his morning coffee. By 11:00 a.m., Adam was in a terrible mood. He was tired and had a headache. At 11:30, he had a meeting with his student advisor. In the meeting, he found it almost impossible to continue. What was going on?
Caffeine, a chemical found in coffee, was most likely the reason for how Adam felt. Caffeine is a stimulant that boosts(增加) energy levels and improves concentration- but only for a short time. Lowering caffeine consumption(减少摄取咖啡因) often makes a drop in blood pressure and the result is a “coffee headache”. People who stop drinking coffee often say they feel tired and moody, and find it hard to focus.
The good news is that these feeling usually pass after four and five days. During this time, doctors suggested taking some aspirin for the headache. So, if Adam can wait, in less than a week, he may be feeling much better.
1.We learn from the reading Adam ▲ .
A. does researches on caffeine
B. can never be feeling better
C. still drinks 5 to 6 cups of coffee a day
D. had some problems because of coffee
2.How may people feel when they stop drinking coffee?
A. healthier B. uneasy C. energetic D. awaken
3.The good news shows that ▲ .
A. coffee can never cause headaches
B. aspirin can stop us thinking coffee
C. more and more people will give up coffee
D. Adam will be better if he stops drinking coffee
School news (June 8th, Friday)
School trip: Students in Junior Two had a great time during the school trip last Friday. They went to Ocean Park by bus. The teachers were very happy because the students cleaned the bus after the trip. They had a good time there.
Japanese visitors: Thirteen visitors from Japan arrived at our school on June 4th. They visited our school and enjoyed the weekend party with teachers and students.
Basketball world: The school basketball match will be held tomorrow. Both Team Five and Team One hope to be the champion(冠军). Who do you think will win?
Talent show: There will be a talent show in our school on June 15th. Lots of students will show their talents by singing, dancing and playing the instruments at the central hall.
1.The players in Team Five and Team One will take part in the ▲ .
A. talent show B. school trip
C. basketball match D. weekend party
2.According to the news, the talent show will be on ▲ .
A. Monday B. Friday C. Wednesday D. Thursday
3.From the news we know that ▲ .
A. Thirteen visitors from Japan arrived at our school on Monday, June 4th.
B. On June 10th, the students can have a basketball match.
C. The students didn’t clean the bus after the trip.
D. The students can’t sing at the talent show.
I lived in a poor family with my wonderful mother. She often told me that no matter how poor a person was, he could still afford a dream.
My dream was athletics. When I was sixteen, I started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and_______anything that moved on the field.I was also________: my high school coach was John, who believed in me and taught me how to believe in myself. He taught me the difference ________having a dream and remaining true to that dream. One unusual________with Coach John changed my life forever.
A friend helped me to find a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket for a new bike, new clothes and the________of saving for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to_______up summer baseball and that meant I would have to tell John I wouldn't be playing.
When I told John, he was_______as I expected him to be. "You have your whole life to work," he said. "You don't have too many playing days in your life. You can't afford to waste them." I stood before him with my head________, trying to think of the________that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his disappointment in me.
"How much are you going to make at this job, son?" he asked. "3.5 dollars an hour," I replied.
"Well," he asked, "Is $ 3.5 an hour the price of a dream?"
That simple question made me understand the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I decided myself to play sports that summer and within the year I was taken on by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was_______ a $ 20 000 agreement. Two years later, I bought my mother the house of my dream!
1.A. kick B. hit C. pass D. play
2.A. right B. shy C. lucky D. comfortable
3.A. between B. to C. about D. in
4.A. accident B. interview C. problem D. experience
5.A. idea B. start C. view D. purpose
6.A. put B. take C. pick D. give
7.A. sad B. happy C. frightened D. helpful
8.A. up B. off C. on D. down
9.A. answers B. excuses C. words D. ways
10.A. got B. paid C. offered D. presented
—Excuse me, could you tell me ▲ ?
—Two. Tom will go with me.
A. who you will go with B. how many tickets did you book
C. how many tickets you have booked D. when you are leaving for Shanghai
—Let’s watch the popular TV show called Running man after dinner, shall we?
— ▲ It’s getting to the end.
A. You’re welcome. B. That’s all right.
C. I’m afraid not. D. Never mind.
