Short and shy, Ben saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis, cricket---anything with a round ball, I was useless,” he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.

The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits(成就). Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.

Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy. John Ridway was one of the few who didn’t say, “You’re completely crazy,” Saunders says.

In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a close encounter(遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.

Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.

This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.

1. The turning point in Saunders’ life came when________.

A. he started to play ball games

B. he got a mountain bike at age 15

C. he ran his first marathon at age 18

D. he started to receive Ridgway’s training

2. We can learn from the text that Ridgway_________.

A. dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy

B. built up his body together with Saunders

C. hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D. won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

3. What do we know about Saunders?

A. He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B. He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C. He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

D. He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

4. The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means______.

A. excited　 B. convinced　 C. delighted　 D. fascinated

5. It can be inferred that Saunders’ journey to the North Pole _______.

A. was accompanied by his old playmates

B. set a record in the North Pole expedition

C. was supported by other Antarctic explorers

D. made him well-known in the 1960s

Sixty miles _______ in a single night, so they were exhausted.

A. is covered　　　 　B. was covered　　　

C. are covered　　　　 D. has covered

—Do you have anything to say for yourself?

　 —Yes, there’s one point　 we must insist on.

　 A. why　　　　 B. where　　　　 C. how　　　　 D./

$100 a month could hardly ____ the cost of his life in such a big city in this country.

A、spend　 B、take　 C、cover　 D、meet

But for the party, he ___ of hunger 30 years ago.
A. would have died 　 B. would die 　　　 C. must have died 　　　 D. must die

Only in this way ______ do it well.

A.    must we B. we could C. can we D. we can

As he works in a remote area, he visits his parents only ______ .

A. occasionally B. anxiously　　 C. practically　　　 D. urgently

　　 he met with the difficulty did he realize the importance of group work.

A.Even though　　　　　　　　 B.Never until　

C.Only before　　 D.Ever since

—Will somebody go and get Dr. white?

　　—He’s already been ____.

　　A. asked for B. sent for C. called for D. looked for

The population of our country is now more than three times _______it was before liberation.

A.that　　　　　 B.what　　　　　 C.which　　　　　　　　 D.as?