We live in a very competitive world. Everybody seems to be competing with someone at some level. Each week we spend hours playing or watching others compete in sporting activities all over the world. We cannot help being impressed by the level of excellence that these people achieve.

In sport and business, competition encourages excellence in performance. Where there is no competition, improvement in performance is less likely. Some level of competition is a have-to in all aspects of life.

The following story makes this point.

As two friends are hiking in the forest they come across a huge, ferocious and obviously hungry bear. Its next meal has just come into sight, and they are it! The first friend calculates that the bear will catch them in 27.3 seconds. At that point, she panics, realizing there is no escape. She faces her friend, with the fear of death in her eyes. To her amazement, she observes that her friend is not scared at all. On the contrary, her friend is quickly but calmly taking off her hiking boots and putting on running shoes. “What do you think you’re doing?” the first hiker says to her companion. “You’ll never be able to run faster than that bear”. “That’s true,” says the companion, “but all I have to do is escape, faster than you.”

We all compete when the motivation is strong enough. However, competition is not the real purpose of life. Fulfilling the measure of our creation can only be achieved individually.

Most of time, we are not in competition with any other person, so we do not have to compare ourselves with others. There is only one person that can fulfill our role and that is us. This means that others cannot beat us to the finish line because there is no race. This is not to say that others do not have a similar role to us, but it is never the same. This is important to understand if we are going to enjoy life. Every human being is unique and cannot be cloned. In this, I am not referring to the body, only to the spirit, soul, or the essence of a person.

1.The first four paragraphs tell us that competition       .

A．is necessary though harmful               B．only exists in sports and business

C．is a fight against oneself                   D．is unavoidable and beneficial

2.Why is the story of two friends told in the passage?

A．To advise friends to be loyal even in competition.

B．To expose the weak side of friendship when tested.

C．To support the author’s own argument on competition.

D．To persuade people to beat others, even friends.

3.From the last two paragraphs we learn that       .

A．there is more to life than just competition

B．we don’t have to compete since we are all different

C．we have to beat others in order to survive

D．competition plays an important role in social development

4.As a whole the passage advises the readers to       .

A．realize we are living in a world of competition

B．face competition in a balanced state of mind

C．have a strong sense of being a possible winner

D．value friendship however fierce competition may be

Have you ever thought of such questions as “Why do I have to study math?”or “I am not interested in history at all. My dream is to be an actor. Should I give history up?”
Maybe you are right. After you leave school, it’s not necessary for you to understand everything. But please remember that at school,besides getting knowledge, you should pay attention to some other important things.
First, try to find what you are most interested in. At school, you study many subjects. Try to find what you like and what you don’t like. This may be helpful to you in the future.
Second, maybe you don’t like math and you want to drop it. But the logical thinking ability from math can help you solve some problems.At school, you should practice your brain by thinking.
Third, you should believe in yourself. Maybe you learn French at school, but you don’t need to speak French at all.But learning French can prove that you have the ability of learning languages. Suppose you go to France one day and find a good job well. At school I learned French well, and now I must be able to learn German. But if you have no confidence, what will happen?
Try to challenge yourself as often as possible. I think many of us like playing computer games. When we fail in a game, we always want to try it again. Why? Because it is hard for us to get the highest mark. If we want to challenge ourselves, we must face more difficult things and make greater progress.
【小题1】At school you should             .

How to Be a Winner

Sir Steven Redgrave  

Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals  

“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes （糖尿病） . Believing my career （职业生涯）was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it----the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”  

Karen Pickering  

Swimming World Champion  

“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success―you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. “Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”  

Kirsten Best  

Poet ＆ Writer  

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological （心理的） tool.”  

 　　60. What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

　　A. Difficulties influenced his career.

　　B. Specialists offered him medical advice.

　　C. Training helped him defeat his disease.

　　D. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

　　61. What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

　　A. Her training schedule.

　　B. Her daily happenings.

　　C. Her achievements.

　　D. Her sports career.

　　62.What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

　　A. Ways that help one to focus.

　　B. Words that help one to feel less tense.

　　C. Activities that turn one's attention away.

　　D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

　　63. According to the passage ,what do the three people have in common?

　　A. Courage.

　　B. Devotion.

　　C. Hard work.

　　D. Self-confidence.

“Your honor(法官大人)！Let me say a few words for myself. What they have told you is just not true. I was not trying to kill anyone, and it was hardly possible to try to kill three strong young men at the same time. I didn't have anything to tell people that night and was quite alone. I didn't know them and needn't hate them. I was attacked by them, and I knocked one of them down. It's true, but I was made to do it, or I might be killed by them. I did this not because I hated the white men as they said. I just had to do so. While I was beaten in the dark street by the three men, a policeman came, caught me and took me here. I know why I was beaten. I have just moved into a house next to these three white men. I have felt that I am not welcome and I have tried to be quiet. I think, as an American, I have the right to choose where to live. I am guilty. What makes me guilty is my color opposite to theirs and I can't enjoy justice(公正). Yes, I'm not guilty. This is all I want to say. Thank you, your honor.”

1.Why did he speak for himself?

A．He wanted to live in the house next to the whites.

B．He wanted to have the right to choose where to live.

C．He wanted to show he was not guilty.

D．He wanted to show he didn't hate the whites.

2.The speaker was caught because________.

A．the policeman wanted to save him

B．he was black and was fighting with the whites

C．he killed the three men in a dark street

D．he lived in a house next to the whites

3.What's the right order of the story?

a. The speaker said something for himself.

b. The three men said something.

c. The speaker knocked down one of the three men.

d. The speaker was beaten by the three men.

e. He was caught by the policeman.

f. The speaker moved into a house near the whites.

A．a­b­f­d­c­e           B．b­a­f­c­d­e            C．f­d­c­e­b­a            D．f­c­d­e­a­b

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I am a high school student. A few days before one of my very good friend told me that he was going to stop school. He said that he wanted to start his own’s business. I tried my best to get him to change his mind and failed. I realized it was difficult of me to change his mind. He is not doing so good in his studied. The process are more important than the result. Now there are only 90 days being left before the test. I am not sure that his decision is right or wrong. I needed your advice.