In October 2010, I left my hometown and family in Virginia and moved to Iowa so I could be coached by Liang Chow. I’d been dreaming of an Olympic gold medal since I was eight—— but gradually, that dream seemed like a million miles away.
On January 2, 2012, while Mom was visiting me in Iowa, I told her, “I don’t like gymnastics anymore. I want to try dancing, or become a singer. I can get a job in Virginia. I just want to come home.”
Mom’s eyes narrowed and her expression turned to stone. “You’re breaking my heart Brie.” She said. “you’ve been doing gymnastics for ten years, and now you want to quit? Have you lost your mind?”
I hadn’t lost my mind, but I had lost my fire. It’s an entirely different thing to push toward that dream when you feel alone.
“I’m not trying to break your heart, Mom,” I said. “I just don’t want to do it anymore.”
“I know you miss home. But you’ve signed a contract that says you will represent your country to the best of your ability. You’ve got a responsibility to your teammates. And now you just want to walk away? I will not let you be dishonorable. If you don’t like gymnastics, then at the very least, you will finish the season.”
The next afternoon as I dragged myself into Chow’s gym. I thought of the efforts Mom had made in order to pay for my training. I thought of my two sisters: Arielle, who gave up ballroom dancing, and Joyelle, who stopped ice skating so that our single mom could afford to keep me in gymnastics.
For now, here’s what you need to know: Exactly 210 days before I ever attempted my first vault（跳跃）in the London Summer Olympics, my leap of faith came this close to ending in a crash of disaster.
1. The author wanted to give up gymnastics because .
A. she thought she loved music more
B. she was overcome with homesickness
C. an Olympic gold was beyond her reach
D. the training for the Olympics was too hard
2.How did the author’s mother feel on hearing her words?
A. Heart-broken. B. Sympathetic.
C. Helpless. D. Calm.
3.We can infer from the passage that the author .
A. was born into an athletic family
B. realized her Olympic dream
C. changed her mind in the end
D. had a bad childhood
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. A Dream Come True B. My Leap of Faith
C. My Mother D. A Quitter
5.Who will be interested in the passage?
A. A medical student who will graduate from university.
B. A healthcare professional who will give a lecture on cancer.
C. A marketing professional who is looking for customers.
D. A gymnastic player who wants to give up competition.
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Part Ⅰ:
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1.What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. To raise the interest of readers.
B. To show the structure of the passage.
C. To list the function of fluent English.
D. To give a clue of the advertisement.
2.Which choice can be filled in the blank of Paragraph 2?
A. We have all the languages you want!
B. Enjoy English, enjoy your beautiful life!
C. Want to be an English teacher, follow me!
D. Top English City, your smart choice!
3.According to the passage, which following course can one person choose at a time?
A. Standard Spoken English and Basic Studies.
B. Basic Business English and Intermediate Spoken English.
C. TOEFL Super Studies and Standard Spoken English.
D. TOEFL Super Studies and Intermediate Business English.
4.Which following word can replace the underlined word “Qualifications”?
A. Requirements. B. Knowledge.
C. Vocabulary. D. Learning skills.
5. In which section of a newspaper can you read the Passage?
A. Sports section. B. Family section.
C. Advertisement section. D. Entertainment section.
For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing.
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organizations will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression“give someone the cold shoulder”probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone. Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
“Out in the cold”means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise —— he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.
1.There are expressions related to cold that are mentioned in the passage.
A. 3 B. 4 C. 6 D. 7
2.When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “ ”.
A. I give him the cold shoulder
B. I think he is a cold-blooded man
C. I think he is a cold fish
D. I’m likely to get cold feet
3.If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say .
A. she is a cold-blooded killer
B. she gets cold feet
C. she is a cold fish
D. she is out in the cold
4.We can use the expression “ ” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy.
A. cold-blooded B. cold shoulder
C. cold feet D. cold-hearted
5.The topic of this passage is about .
A. the relationship between cold and our body
B. some expressions about friendship
C. some expressions connected with cold
D. how cold weather comes into being
When you consider what subject to study in college, chances are 1.you and your parents will think what you can make out of it 2. graduation. You will likely ask the question：“Can I find a well-paid job or find simply a job with a degree in this in the future？”
This consideration also influences students when they come to choose 3. science and humanities（人文学科） at college. People generally believe that the humanities, 4. include literature, history, cultural studies and philosophy, do not prepare students for a specific profession. Science subjects, 5., are considered professional courses that produce scientists, engineers and economists.
“I’ve decided to take finance as 6. college major. My parents and I think this subject will help me get a good job or start a business, ”said Huachen Yueru, 17, 7. science student at Wuxi No. 1 Senior High School.
Even 8. who choose a liberal arts college often pick the humanities that they think will best help them find a job later.
We recently treated our now-adult son and his girlfriend to a seafood feast near Cocoa Beach, Florida. Our server, a grandmotherly woman skilled in the art of , flew around the table treating customers. She remembered their special tastes, likes and dislikes-all of which she’d learned after only the brief .
At the end of the meal, she presented the bill, and then went to the growing crowd of other dinners. My husband paid with a credit card, added her , and we were off.
“Mr Goldsmith!” our waitress ran out of the dinning room waving a receipt at him, “Thank you.”
He looked at her as though he didn’t understand. We’ve all seen that universal of confusion.
“What did you give her?” I asked in a whisper, ____ if he had done something unreasonable or made a calculation error.
“Wow, Dad,” our son said, sounding like a 10-year-old. “I’ve never seen a waitress anyone out of the restaurant to say ‘thank you’ for the tip.”
“She gave us great service. I just thought she deserved a little what I usually give.”
It wasn’t until later, when I accidentally heard our son retelling the story of the waitress, that I realized she had given my family something a “thank you”. She showed our son the importance of acknowledging hard work and the rewarding sound of “thank you”. Her show of thanks helped a dad earn a bit more from a loving son. And it reminded me just why I this thoughtful, caring man.
1.A. painting B. smiling C. cooking D. serving
2.A. argument B. discussion C. conversation D. debate
3.A. attend to B. look for C. care about D. find out
4.A. advice B. suggestion C. tip D. prize
5.A. feeling B. look C. attitude D. face
6.A. wondering B. knowing C. saying D. answering
7.A. help B. keep C. drive D. follow
8.A. except B. below C. above D. within
9.A. excellent B. skilled C. generous D. grateful
10.A. rather than B. more than C. less than D. no more than
11.A. respect B. sympathy C. thanks D. satisfactory
12.A. trained B. refused C. left D. married
The Romany are thought _______ from India.
A. to have come B. to come
C. to coming D. to be coming
