Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.
He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.
One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.
Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.
“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.
“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.
“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”
“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.
“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”
“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.
“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”
The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”
【小题1】Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?

A．He was worried he would lose the match.

B．He thought it was unfair for Charlie.

C．He didn’t care about money.

D．He preferred chicken to money.

【小题2】According to the text, what does the underlined word “self - assured” probably mean?

A．ignorant

B．selfless

C．confident

D．sincere

【小题3】It can be inferred from the text that         .

A．Mr. Hogan was not good at playing golf

B．Charlie did well in other sports before playing golf

C．Mr. Hogan didn’t try his best to play

D．Charlie Boswell was born blind

【小题4】What would be the result of the match?

A．Charlie won.	B．Hogan won.
C．Neither of them won.	D．Not mentioned.

【小题5】Which of the following can best describe Charlie?

A．Competitive and generous	B．Energetic and reliable
C．Careful and considerate	D．Confident and smart

People often view the “last” moments of an event positively simply because they signal the end of an experience, say experts.

University of Michigan researchers found that even if an experience is painful or negative, but ends on a good note, people will consider it to be positive.

“Endings are powerful,” said Ed O’Brien, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan.

O’Brien and colleague Phoebe Ellsworth, the Frank Murphy Distinguished Professor of Law and Psychology, conducted a chocolate tasting experiment with 52 college students to test the theory.

Volunteers could taste five different Hershey’s Kisses chocolates—milk, dark, cream, caramel and almond – but did not know in advance how many pieces they would eat or the type. Participants rated how much they enjoyed the chocolate and described each flavor so that the researchers could record the order in which the randomly (随机的) selected treats were eaten.

Volunteers were assigned to the “next” or the “last ” condition by chance.

In the “next” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your next chocolate” before offering each chocolate, including the fifth.

For the “last” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your last chocolate” before offering  the fifth chocolate.

These participants rated the fifth chocolate more enjoyable than volunteers in the “next” condition.

As predicted, participants who knew they were eating the final chocolate of a taste test enjoyed it more.

In fact, when asked to pick their favorite chocolate, the majority of “last” participants chose the fifth – even though the flavor of the fifth was randomly chosen.

They also rated the overall experience as more enjoyable than volunteers who thought they were just eating one more chocolate in a series.

O’Brien says these findings may have far-reaching implications. For example, the last book or film in a series or the last speaker in a symposium (研讨会) may receive unwarranted praise.

The last job applicant, meanwhile, may look more qualified.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about the experiment?

A．The majority of “last” participants chose the almond flavor as their favorite.

B．Some participants enjoyed the experiment more because the last flavor tasted better.

C．The result would be different if researchers had used another brand of chocolate.

D．Some participants didn’t know it was their last chocolate when offered the fifth one.

2.What does the underlined word “unwarranted” in the second-to-last paragraph mean?

A．Fake.             B．Unwanted.         C．Unreasonable.      D．Insincere.

3.Which of the following is the best title for the article?

A．“Last” is the best.

B．Why “last” matters most.

C．It is the last step that is the hardest.

D．He who laughs last laughs best.

 

 

第二部分       阅读理解(共两节，满分50分)  

第一节    阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)

Mickey’s Goal

Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.

       With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing（回响）across the playground, Mickey

turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted （沸腾）. O’ Donnel

had scored!m

       Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome（综合症）and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.

       The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal

       Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.

 1．What was the score of the soccer matchm

       A．Two to two, equal to both the teams.        

B．Three to one in Mickey’s team’s favor.

       C．Two to one in the opposite team’s favor. 

D．Everybody won because of Mickey’s goal.

2．What did the author worry about when Mickey scored and hugged his son?

       A．The result of the match would fail his son. 

B．His son would shout at Mickey for his goal.

       C．Mickey would again hug the opposing players.

       D．His son would understand Mickey’s wrong goal.

3．It can be inferred from the passage that________.

       A．both teams liked and respected Mickey. 

B．both teams were thankful to Mickey for his goal.

       C．Mickey didn’t mind though his goal was wrong

       D．Mickey was a kind-hearted boy and hoped everybody won.

4．The purpose of the author in writing the passage is _______.

       A．to tell a joke to make readers laugh.  

B．to suggest we should not mind losing .

       C．to show enjoying a game is more than winning a game

       D．to present his son’s fine qualities of understanding others

 

It was eleven o'clock that night when Mr. Pontellier returned from his night out. He was in an excellent humor, in high spirits, and very talkative. His entrance awoke his wife, who was in bed and fast asleep when he came in. He talked to her while he undressed, telling her anecdotes and bits of news and gossip that he had gathered during the day. She was overcome with sleep, and answered him with little half utterances.

　　He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, showed so little interest in things which concerned him and valued so little his conversation.

　　Mr. Pontellier had forgotten the candies and peanuts that he had promised the boys. Still, he loved them very much and went into the room where they slept to take a look at them and make sure that they were resting comfortably. The result of his investigation was far from satisfactory. He turned and shifted the youngsters about in bed. One of them began to kick and talk about a basket full of crabs.

　　Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after. Then he lit his cigar and went and sat near the open door to smoke it.

　　Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever. He had gone to bed perfectly well, she said, and nothing had made him sick. Mr. Pontellier was too well familiar with fever symptoms to be mistaken. He assured her the child was burning with fever at that moment in the next room.

　　He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it? He himself had his hands full with his business. He could not be in two places at once; making a living for his family on the street, and staying home to see that no harm done to them. He talked in a dull, repeated and insistent way.

　　Mrs. Pontellier sprang out of bed and went into the next room. She soon came back and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning her head down on the pillow. She said nothing, and refused to answer her husband when he questioned her. When his cigar was smoked out, he went to bed, and in half a minute was fast asleep.

　　Mrs. Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake. She began to cry a little, and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her nightdress. She went out on the porch, where she sat down and began to rock herself in the chair.

　　It was then past midnight. The cottages were all dark. There was no sound except the hooting of an old owl and the everlasting voice of the sea, which broke like a mournful lullaby (催眠曲) upon the night.

　　The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier's eyes that the damp sleeve of her nightdress no longer served to dry them. She went on crying there, not caring any longer to dry her face, her eyes, her arms.

　　She could not have told why she was crying. Such experiences as had just happened were not uncommon in her married life. They seemed never before to have weighed much against the abundance (充足) of her husband's kindness and a uniform devotion which had come to be self-understood.

　　An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with vague pain. It was like a shadow, like a mist passing across her soul's summer day. It was strange and unfamiliar; it was a mood. She did not sit there inwardly scolding her husband, expressing sadness about Fate, which had directed her footsteps to the path which they had taken. She was just having a good cry all to herself.

　　The mosquitoes succeeded in driving away a mood which might have held her there in the darkness half a night longer.

　　The following morning Mr. Pontellier was up in good time to take the carriage which was to convey him to the ship. He was returning to the city to his business, and they would not see him again at the Island till the coming Saturday. He had regained his calmness, which seemed to have been somewhat weakened the night before. He was eager to be gone, as he looked forward to a lively week in the financial center.

1.Mr.Pontellier comes back home from his night out in a/an ______state of mind.

A. excited                   B. confused                                   C. depressed            D. disappointed

2. The writer would most likely describe Mr. Pontellier’s conduct during the evening as ______.

A. impatient and generous                                                  B. enthusiastic and responsible

C. concerned and gentle                        D. inconsiderate and self-centered

3.In paragraphs 8 to 13, Mrs. Pontellier’s reactions to her husband’s behavior suggest that ______.

A. she accepts unquestioningly her role of taking care of the children

B. this is one of the times she has acknowledged her unhappiness with her husband

C. her relationship with her husband is not what has made her depressed

D. she is angry about something that happened before her husband left

 

Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.

He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.

One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.

Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.

“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.

“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.

“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”

“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.

“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”

“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.

“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”

The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”

1.Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?

    A．He was worried he would lose the match.

    B．He thought it was unfair for Charlie.

    C．He didn’t care about money.

    D．He preferred chicken to money.

2.According to the text, what does the underlined word “self - assured” probably mean?

    A．ignorant B．selfless C．confident    D．sincere

3.It can be inferred from the text that         .

    A．Mr. Hogan was not good at playing golf

    B．Charlie did well in other sports before playing golf

    C．Mr. Hogan didn’t try his best to play

    D．Charlie Boswell was born blind

4.What would be the result of the match?

    A．Charlie won.         B．Hogan won.

    C．Neither of them won. D．Not mentioned.

5.Which of the following can best describe Charlie?

    A．Competitive and generous B．Energetic and reliable

    C．Careful and considerate      D．Confident and smart