I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (责任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.

　　 Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?

　　A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

　　B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

　　C. Because he often sang while cooking.

　　D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.

　　 Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?

　　A. Wamer Brothers.                        B. His manager.

　　C. His father.                                 D. A businesswoman.

　  What made the writer proud of himself?

　　A. His ability to live independently.

　　B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

　　C. His courage in the face of rejections.

D. His hard work in his early days.

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 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 tool”

1.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.

2.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.

3.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.

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

A. Self-confidence.　　B. Devotion.　　C. Hard work.　　D. Courage.

One weekend afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting．I was looking forward to a quiet   36   of the splendid artwork．

         A young  37  viewing the paintings ahead of me  38  nonstop between themselves．I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking．I admired the man's   39   for putting up with her  40   stream of words．  41   by their noise, I moved on．

         I met them several times as I moved   42   the various rooms of art．Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away  43   .

         I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a   44   when the couple approached the   45  ．Before they left, the man   46   into his pocket and pulled out a white object．He   47   it into a long stick and then   48   his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket．

         "He's a   49   man, " the clerk at the counter said．" Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age．During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change．So, as before, he and his wife come in   50   there is a new art show．"

         "But what does he get out of the art?" I asked．"He can't see．"

         "Can't see! You're   51  ．He sees a lot．More than you and I do," the clerk said．"His wife   52      each painting so he can see it in his head．"

         I learned something about patience,   53   and love that day．I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without   54   and the courage of a'' husband who would not  55   blindness to change his life．And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, their arms intertwined．

1.A．view        　　B．touch                     C．wander       　　　　D．stare

2.A．lady    　　 B．couple  　         C．man            　　　　D．clerk

3.A．yelled           B．argued    C．screamed    　　      D．chatted

4.A．attempt         B．independence   C．patience    　　        D．wisdom

5.A．constant        B．vivid         　　C．casual            D．vague

6.A．Adopted        B．Adapted           C．Disturbed   　　       D．Conducted

7.A．from            B．to             　　C．towards    　    D．through

8.A．anxiously       B．quickly    C．urgently    　　        D．sensibly

9.A．comment              B．purchase  C．decision  　　　        D．profit

10.A．exit          B．entrance    　　C．front   　　　 D．queue

11.A．plugged              B．reached    　　C．held    　　　           D．bent

12.A．lengthened          B．made          　　C．brought    　　          D．broadened

13.A．led           B．found         　　C．tapped    　　  D．forced

14.A．generous             B．rough     C．smart         　　　　D．brave

15.A．wherever 　 B．whatever 　　C．whenever         D．whichever

16.A．unique        B．silly    　　      C．equal            D．wrong

17.A．decorates   B．draws       C．shoves            　　D．describes

18.A．kindness      B．pride       C．courage         D．enthusiasm

19.A．sight          B．support             C．expectation    D．confidence

20.A．get        　　　　B．allow         　　C．hope 　　　　D．cause

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.

—You seemed to be impressed by his skill.

—Not exactly so.It was his courage 　　　his skill that really impressed me.

A.rather than　　　　　　　　　B.as well as

C.but also　　　　　　　　　　　D.together with