In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition . Some value it highly . believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity . Others say that competition is bad ; that it sets one person against another ; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people .

I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied (依赖)on how well they performed at tennis and other skills .For them , playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs . In their single-minded pursuit ( 追求)of success , the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten .

However . while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed , others take an opposite attitude .In a culture which ualues only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players , they strongly blame competition . Among the most vocal  are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society . Teaching these young people . I often observe in them a desire to fail . They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success . By not trying , they always have an excuse : “I may have lost . but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try . “What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot . Such a loss would be a measure of their worth . Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves . Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others . Both are afraid of not being valued . Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition .

71．What does this passage mainly talk about ?

       A．Competition helps to set up self-respect .

       B．Opinions about competition are different among people

       C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development .

       D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition

72．Why do some people favor competition according to the passage ?

       A．It pushes society forward .                   B．It builds up a sense of duty .

       C．It improves personal abilities .               D．It encourages individual efforts

73．The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means         .

       A．those who try their best to win

       B．those who value competition most highly

       C．those who are against competition most strongly

       D．those who rely on others most for success

74．What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail” ?

       A．One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others’ .

       B．One’s success in competition needs great efforts .

       C．One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills .

       D．One’s success is based on how hard he has tried .

75．Which point of view may the author agree to ?

       A．Every effort should be paid back .

       B．Competition should be encouraged .

       C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter .

       D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition

“Tear them apart！”“Kill the fool！”“Murder the referee (裁判)！”

These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events.  At the time they are made，they may seem innocent enough.  But let’s not kid ourselves.  They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed.  Volumes have been written about the way words affect us.  It has been shown that words having certain connotations (含义) may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior.  I see the term “opponent” as one of those words.  Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.

The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent” is “adversary”；“enemy” ；“one who opposes your interests”.  Thus，when a player meets an opponent，he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy.  At such times，winning may dominate one’s intellect，and every action，no matter how gross，may be considered justifiable.  I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player’s request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough.  The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed，“Are they wet enough now？”

In the heat of battle，players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way.  I have also witnessed a player reacting to his opponent’s international and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play.  Off the court，they are good friends.  Does that make any sense？It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.

Therefore，I believe it is time we elevated (提升) the game to the level where it belongs thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world.  Replacing the term “opponent” with “associate” could be an ideal way to start.

The dictionary meaning of the term “associate” is “colleague”；“friend”；“companion”．Reflect a moment!  You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “associate” rather than “opponent”．

66. Which of the following statements best expresses the author’s view?

A．Aggressive behavior in sports can have serious consequences.

B. The words people use can influence their behavior.

C．Unpleasant words in sports are often used by foreign athletes.

D．Unfair judgments by referees will lead to violence on the sports field.

67．Harsh words are spoken during games because the players______ .

A. are too eager to win

B. are usually short-tempered and easily offended

C. cannot afford to be polite in a fierce competition

D. treat their rivals as enemies

68．What did the handball player do when he was not allowed a time out to change his gloves?

A. He refused to continue the game.

B. He angrily hit the referee with a ball.

C. He claimed that the referee was unfair.

D. He wet his gloves by rubbing them across his T-shirt.

69．According to the passage，players in a game may______ .

A. deliberately throw the ball at anyone illegally blocking their way

B. keep on screaming and shouting throughout the game

C. lie down on the ground as an act of protest

D. kick the ball across the court with force

70．The author hopes to have the current situation in sports improved by_______ .

A. calling on players to use clean language on the court

B. raising the referee’s sense of responsibility

C. changing the attitude of players on the sports field

D. regulating the relationship between players and referees

Industrial pollution is not only a problem for the countries of Europe and North America but also an extremely serious problem in some developing countries. For these countries, economic growth is a very important aim. They want to introduce industries, and so they put few controls on the industries which cause pollution.

Cubatao, an industrial town of 85 000 people in Brazil, is an example of the connection between industrial development and pollution. In 1954, Cubatao had no industry. Today it has more than twenty large factories, which produce many pollutants(污染物). The people of the town are suffering from the poisonous matter in their environment and the bad effects can be clearly seen. Birth shortcomings are extremely common. Among children and adults, lung problems are sometimes twelve times more common in Cubatao than in other places.

It is true that Brazil, like many other countries, has laws against pollution, but these laws are not enforced strictly enough. It is cheaper for companies to take no notice of the laws and pay the fines(罚款) than to buy the expensive equipment that will reduce the pollution. It is clear, therefore, that economic growth is more important to the government than to the health of the workers. However, the responsibility(责任) does not completely lie with the Brazilian government. The example of Cubatao shows that international companies are not acting in a responsible way either. A number of the factories in the town are owned by large companies from France, Italy, and the U. S. They are doing things in Brazil that they would not be able to do at home. If they caused the same amount of pollution at home, they would be severely(严厉地) punished or even put out of business.

Why don’t developing countries have strict pollution controls?

A. The new industries they want to introduce do not cause much pollution.

B. Pollution is not a serious problem for developing countries.

C. They don’t realize the balance of nature will be destroyed by some pollutants.

D. If they put stricter controls on industry, fewer companies would build new plants in developing countries.

What is the author’s purpose in taking Cubatao as an example?

A. To show that industry can develop very fast in developing countries.

B. To show that the pollution problem in Brazil is extremely serious. 

C. To show that industrial growth can cause pollution problems for developing countries.

D. To show that pollution is killing many people and destroying the whole economy of Brazil.

How is the health of the population of Cubatao?

A. There are more heart diseases among people who live near chemical factories.

B. More people suffer from lung diseases because of poisonous matter.

C. Their health is affected by pollutants the same way as that of other Brazilians.

D. Babies there are found not as bright as those who live in other places.

Why do some foreign companies like to set up their plants in Brazil?

A. The investment(投资) environment in Brazil is suitable for them.

B. They will not be severely punished if they cause pollution in Brazil.

C. They can make much money because they do not have to pay Brazilian workers much.

D. They can act in an irresponsible(不负责任的) way in Brazil because there are no pollution laws there.

Parents should stop blaming themselves because there’s not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager (十几岁的孩子) problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.

I’ve seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I called round．Sprawling himself (懒散地躺) on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick glance at me. His mother was ashamed．“I don't know what to do with him these days,” she said．“He’s forgotten all the manners we taught him.”

He hasn't forgotten them. He' s just decided that he' s not going to use them. She confessed (坦白) that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.

Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, “I don’t like your dress; it’s ugly.” One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home.

“Where did we go wrong?” her parents are now very sad．Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents.

71．This text is most probably written by ______.

A．a specialist in teenager studies             B．a headmaster of a middle school

C．a parent with teenage children              D．a doctor for mental health problems

72．The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to ______.

A．the change from good to bad that ' s seen in a child

B．die way that parents often blame themselves

C．the opinion that a child has of his parents

D．the advice that parents want their children to follow

73．The boy on the sofa would most probably be described as ______.

A．lazy                   B．quiet                  C．unusual              D．rude

74．From the second example we can infer that the parents of the two daughters ______.

A．pay no attention to them                      B．are too busy to look after them

C．have come to hate them                     D．feel helpless to do much about them

75．What is the author' a opinion about the sudden change in teenage children?

A．Parents have no choice but to try to accept it.

B．Parents should pay still sore attention to the change.

C．Parents should work more closely with school teachers.

D．Parents are at fault for the change in their children.

Studies show that laughter is something that makes you feel calm or relaxed for both physical and psychological wounds though it may seem futile to laugh in the face of pain and fear.

When Dan Rather interviewed comedian Bill Cosby just one week after his son, Ennis, was killed, Cosby said, “I think it is time for me to tell people that we have to laugh. You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, you can survive it.”

Call it a flashlight for dark times: laughter just seems to adjust attitude better than anything else. Inspirational speaker Steve Rizzo recalls a TV interview with an injured firefighter a few days after 9.11．The man had fallen more than 30 stories in one of the towers and had broken a leg. Everyone was crying, and the reporter asked, “How is it that you’ve come out of this alive?” He looked at her and without missing a beat, said, “Look, lady, I’m from New York and I’m a firefighter; that’ all you need to know.”

“Everyone laughed and though the laughter was only a couple of seconds,” says Rizzo. “Sometimes that’s all you need to catch your second breath. Laughter gives you that couple of seconds. You’re sending a message to your brain, and the message is: If you can still laugh even a little among the pain, you are going to be OK.”

Of course, there is a difference between laughing off a serious situation and laughing off the fear that results. The firefighter was doing the latter, states Rizzo, the author of Becoming a Humorous Being, and so should we. “If there is anything we have learnt from 9.11, it’s how precious life really is,” she says. “We have to send a message that our spirit won’t die. One important thing that unites us is our ability to laugh.”　

60．The writer uses the examples of the comedian and the firefighter to show　　　　　　 .

　 A．laughter is a good way to get rid of pain and fear

　 B．laughter is the best way to cure psychological wounds

　 C．it is your attitude that decides whether you can survive the pain or not

　 D．laughing off a serious situation is different from laughing off the fear that results

61．We can infer from the passage that Steve Rizzo is　　　　　　　　　　　 .

　 A．a reporter B．a soldier　　 C．a firefighter　　 D．a doctor

62．The underlined word futile in the first paragraph means　　　　　　　 .

　 A．hopeless　　　　　　 B．useless

C．careless　　　　　　 D．worthless 　

63．From the passage, we can know that Americans are　　　　　　　　 .

　 A．really inspired after 9.11　　　　　　　　　　 B．hardly united after 9.11

C．nearly surprised by 9.11　　　　　　 D．greatly hurt by 9.11