I remember the exact moment I learned the principle(原则) of preparing for luck.
I was on the wrestling(摔跤) team, Now, if there’s one thing I can tell you about any sport, it is that wresting is probably the sport that has the least luck. There are only two people out on the mat(垫子), so you cannot blame(指责) it on your teammates or your coach(教练). And guess what? There is no weather because we do the whole thing indoors, so you can’t say, “It was raining” or “It was snowing.” So we should say wrestling is the sport with the least luck.
On our team there were two world champions; one of them had been a world champion five times. We also had five people who were national champions. One of them was a guy by the name of John.
John had never been beaten in any high school wrestling competition that I could remember, as he was a national champion. There was nobody local who could touch him.
One day, we went for a match with our biggest opponent（对手）. John went out on the mat, and about a minute and 30 seconds into the match he tried to make a special move. He rolled over, and his opponent caught him halfway through his roll. He was pinned(压住)! The match was over.
I remember on the way home, one of our teammates tried to comfort John by saying, “Oh, he just got lucky.” And John said, “That’s so silly. The opportunity presented itself, and he just took advantage it.”
We used to have this big sign in our wrestling room that the coach had put there. “Luck is what happens when opportunity meets preparation.”
John’s opponent was prepared to make use of this opportunity. The possibility of beating John was not strong and he knew it. But he waited for the right opportunity, and he defeated and pinned a national champion.
In other words, the real message is “Be prepared!” It’s not just finding the opportunity, you have to be prepared to take it.
1.The author thinks that if you want to win in the wrestling, ________
A. you must have the best luck
B. you must prepare for it well
C. you should know your opponent
D. you must become a national champion
2.The phrase “on the wrestling team” can be replaced by “________”
A. a leader of the wrestling team
B. a person working for the wrestling team
C. a member of the wrestling team
D. the coach of the wrestling team
3.Why did one of the author’s teammates comfort John?
A. Because John was beaten easily
B. Because John’s opponent was much stronger than him
C. Because John looked very unhappy after the match
D. Because failure is the mother of success
4.From this passage, we can infer that ________
A. John’s opponent had more luck than him
B. wrestling is an outdoor sport
C. wrestling is the sport with the most luck
D. John didn’t prepare so well as his opponent
5.What’s the best title for this passage?
A. A Wrestling Match B. Catch the Opportunity
C. To be Lucky, be Prepared D. A Sport with the Least Luck
At present, more and more people are crazy about travelling. Why do people travel? “The world is so big that I want to have a look.” many people would say. But travelling abroad now means much more than that for the growing number of Chinese tourists. Of course it offers us good opportunities to meet people from other countries, learn about their culture and customs.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), more than 1 billion people travelled to another country in 2012. In 2012, Chinese people travelled abroad 30 percent more than in 2011. In 2014, the number of outbound tourists has reached over 100 million for the first time. Compared with 2013, it has increased by 19.49%. Chinese has ranked first as the main source of the world tourism according to the report. The prosperity (繁荣) of the tourism industry can also bring both our country and foreign countries great economic benefits. Chinese people usually travel abroad in large tourist groups and visit several countries in one trip.
Chinese people don’t just travel for sightseeing. The China International Travel Service Company said that all their tour trips sold out a month before Christmas Day. Stores offered discounts (打折) during that time, so shopping in Europe and the United States is popular among Chinese travellers.
In December, China is going through a very cold winter. So many people like to go to some countries in Southeast Asia because the weather there is quite pleasant.
The improvement of living standards means more Chinese can travel abroad. But many of them don’t have a sense of public manners. A report by Living Social website in March 2012 even listed Chinese as the world’s second worst tourists.
If you want to change that bad name, remember to avoid the following: littering, spitting, snatching bus seats, line-jumping, taking off shoes in public, talking loudly and smoking in non-smoking areas. Besides, we should learn some necessary manners of foreign countries.
1.Which of the followings is not the reason why Chinese people travel abroad?
A. To have a look at the word B. To shop abroad
C. To bring foreign countries great economic benefits D. To learn about foreign culture and customs
2.How do Chinese people usually travel abroad?
A. In small groups and visit one country in one trip
B. In large groups and visit several countries in one trip
C. In small groups and visit several countries in one trip
D. In large groups and visit one country in one trip
3.The underlined word “outbound” in the passage probably means _______
A. outside the station B. going out
C. going towards D. going abroad
4.Which of the following is right according to the passage?
A. Chinese has ranked second as the main source of the world tourism according to the report
B. A report by Living Social website in March 2012 even listed Chinese as the world’s worst tourists
C. Chinese people like to travel before Christmas because of the cold winter in China
D. People choose to some countries in Southeast Asia in winter because of the nice weather there
5.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Many of Chinese people behaved badly when traveling abroad
B. In 2013, the number of outbound tourists is larger than that in 2014
C. Chinese people won the bad name because too many Chinese people buy discount things before Christmas
D. We have to change names when we travel abroad
1.The above reading is more probably ___________.
A. a poster B. a book report
C. a rain check for a book sale D. a ticket for a big sale
2.It’s clear that the 36st book sale begins on ___________.
A. October 5, 2012 B. October 4, 2012
C. January 31, 2013 D. February 1, 2013
3.If you want to get some cheapest books, you’d better get to the Needham Public Library _____
A. at 9: 00 am on Oct.4 B. before 4: 00 pm on Oct.4
C. at 9: 00 am on Oct.5 D. between 1: 00 and 4: 00 on Oct.5
4.The reading tells us at 2: 00 pm on Oct.5 you need to pay only ______ for a book with a hardcover.
A. 50 cents B. 25 cents C. 1 dollar D. 8 dollars
5.Which of the following is the best way to get some information for the next book sale?
A. To visit the ongoing book sale when the library is open.
B. To telephone the manager of the library.
C. To send an e-mail to booksale@needhamlibrary.org.
D. To mark your calendars right now.
For much of my childhood, my mother filled the evening hours doing something for someone else. Sometimes she knitted (编织) hats for babies, and at other times she cooked chicken soup for sick neighbors. Therefore, I wasn't ________when one evening my mother announced she'd start a new project.
"I'm going to telephone neighboring________every night," said my mother.
"Every night? But you don't even________these people. "
"Doesn't matter," she said. "What's important is that I want to listen."
I was sixteen years old and couldn't figure out why my mother was willing to spend her evenings talking to strangers. She had friends and my two elder sisters to call________she felt lonely.
My________didn't affect my mother's project. That evening after supper, she settled on the sofa with the phone and began making phone calls.
For a while, I listened as she asked the lady on the phone about her day, what she had eaten for dinner, and asked if she had _________that the beautiful roses had come out in a neighboring park. When she finished the call, I said, "What do you________whether she had cookie or cream pie for dessert?"
My mother replied, "I'm the_______ person she talked to today."
It took me nearly thirty years to understand the________of what she was doing. Now, as my mother is nearing sixty, I find myself thinking about those nightly________she used to make.
I am often the only person who telephones my mother, and sometimes I'm the only person she speaks to all day. I ask her what she cooked for dinner, but mostly I just_______ as she describes a walk she took, or how her dog Lucky stole a piece of cheese from the kitchen.
I_______ that my mother's calls were lifelines (生命之线 ) that kept lonely seniors connected to the world. Somehow, she managed to work full-time and _______a family while improving the lives of others.
That kind of _______needs commitment (奉献，投入) and organizational skills that I do not have. While she freed several seniors from________, I struggle to call just one － my mother.
1.A. interested B. satisfied C. surprised D. excited
2.A. teenagers B. children C. juniors D. seniors
3.A. meet B. know C. pass D. find
4.A. because B. if C. though D. until
5.A. doubt B. advice C. answer D. praise
6.A. decided B. felt C. noticed D. imagined
7.A. hate B. love C. mean D. care
8.A. only B. early C. first D. last
9.A. difficulty B. importance C. possibility D. difference
10.A. visits B. orders C. calls D. cries
11.A. think B. listen C. talk D. write
12.A. realize B. explain C. express D. recognize
13.A. protect B. start C. affect D. support
14.A. service B. experience C. promise D. tradition
15.A. hopelessness B. illness C. loneliness D. helplessness
-What were you and the policeman talking about?
-He asked me _____________.
A. Why I am staying there B. What I had seen
C. How could he get through the building D. Whether could I help him
–The books are usually quite expensive when they first come out, but they ________be rather cheap sometimes
A. must B. can C. should D. need
