The American expression“shoo-in”means someone or something that seems sure to win a race or competition．

    Before a big football game，supporters of e ach team are certain to argue about which side will win．

    Sometimes，however, one team appears so much stronger than the others that everyone agrees it will win．The stronger team is a shoo-in．There is no way that it can lose．

    The expression shoo-in comes from horse racing．It comes from the word “shoo''．That’s not the shoe we wear on our foot．It's another word，S-H-O-O．“To shoo”is an expression hundreds of years old that means to urge a person or animal to move in a desired direction．

Many years ago，dishonest riders sometimes agreed secretly to control their horses so that one chosen horse would win the race．All but one of the riders would hold back thei horses．The chosen rider would shoo his horse ahead of the others，and win the race.

    The other riders would secretly bet large amounts of money that the chosen horse would win．

    The public soon learned about such races．They began to call the winner of such a race a“shoo-in"．

    These days，people use shoo-in to describe any athlete or competitor that seems certain to win，even without cheating．American runner Edw in Moses won more than one hundred races before he ran the hurdles race in the nineteen-eighty-four Olympic Games．Everyone said Moses was a shoo-in and that he could not lose．And they were right．He won the gold medal．

36．One of the dishonest riders was sure to win the race because          

  A．the other riders had agreed to fail in the race

  B．he used to be best at riding

  C．the public had confidence in him

  D．he could control his horse easily

37．The reason why American runner Edwin Moses was regarded as a“shoo-in”is     

  A．owing to his honest character

  B．due to his great effort shown in more than one hundred races

  C．that he won over l00 competitions before the l984 Olympic Games

  D．that the old meaning of“shoo-in''had changed

38．Which of the following statements is NOT true?

  A．“Shoo-in'’originated in the word“shoo'’．

  B．The public did not know they were being cheated．

  C．Some riders bet a lot of money on the chosen horse．

  D．US runner Moses deserved a shoo-in．

39．The main idea of the passage is that“shoo-in’’          

A．is used to admire a person who seems to be sure to win a race

B．is a word used to describe a dishonest person

C．is used for any athlete or competitor that seems too clever to be cheated

D．is used for anyone or anything that is certain of winning a game

40．This passage can best be titled           

  A．Be Sure to Win    B．Shoo-in，a Sure Winner

  C．Winner in a Competition  D．The Birth of Shoo-in

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
As China’s women’s gymnastics team enjoyed the glory of winning the country’s first team Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games，the young gymnasts took the opportunity to remind the world that they are old enough to compete．
Weeks before the Beijing Games, some international media raised questions about the ages of some of the members of China’s gymnastics team, particularly He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan. They said the girls might be younger than 16, the minimum age for the Olympics. But the Chinese Gymnastics Association quickly provided copies of the gymnasts’ ID cards and passports, proving they are indeed old enough to compete.
In the final, He Kexin gave a clean performance on her favorite uneven bars（高低杠）, earning the second highest score after falling from the bars during qualification. “Although I fell down in the qualification, I became more confident today to make up for my mistake and I finally made it.”She said. It was a great moment for head coach Lu Shanzhen. “Our team made history today and proved to the world that we are the best.” the coach said, “The gold medal is not only for the gymnastics team，but also for the whole Chinese delegation at the Beijing Games.”
The coach owed the team’s success to a series of reforms. The Chinese team used to train a 1ot, but competed less, which led to poor results in international competitions. To improve their ability to compete and to strengthen their psychological power, the Chinese team sent more team members to compete abroad, so they could bring a competitive spirit back to the team. All six gymnasts in the Olympic team final were selected from fierce competition, and they proved themselves today.
1. Before the Beijing Games started，some international media doubted whether ________.
A. Chinese women gymnasts could win the team gold medal
B. He Kexin would fall from the bars during qualification
C. Chinese women gymnasts could make history at the Beijing Games
D. some Chinese women gymnasts were old enough for the Games
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The international media’s doubts proved to be true.
B. He Kexin’s fall in the qualification had no bad effect on her performance in the final competition.
C. Chinese women gymnasts’ success at the Beijing Games proved that the reforms did work.
D. Each team is made up of 6 members to compete for the team gold medal in women gymnastics.
3. In the opinion of Lu Shanzhen, the key to achieving success for athletes is to________.
A. practice harder than ever                    B. experience more competitions abroad
C. have strong psychological power                    D. have a competitive spirit
4. The main purpose of the text is to________.
A. tell a story     B. provide evidence           C. give a report            D. compare opinions 

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）

As China’s women’s gymnastics team enjoyed the glory of winning the country’s first team Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games，the young gymnasts took the opportunity to remind the world that they are old enough to compete．

Weeks before the Beijing Games, some international media raised questions about the ages of some of the members of China’s gymnastics team, particularly He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan. They said the girls might be younger than 16, the minimum age for the Olympics. But the Chinese Gymnastics Association quickly provided copies of the gymnasts’ ID cards and passports, proving they are indeed old enough to compete.

In the final, He Kexin gave a clean performance on her favorite uneven bars（高低杠）, earning the second highest score after falling from the bars during qualification. “Although I fell down in the qualification, I became more confident today to make up for my mistake and I finally made it.”She said. It was a great moment for head coach Lu Shanzhen. “Our team made history today and proved to the world that we are the best.” the coach said, “The gold medal is not only for the gymnastics team，but also for the whole Chinese delegation at the Beijing Games.”

The coach owed the team’s success to a series of reforms. The Chinese team used to train a 1ot, but competed less, which led to poor results in international competitions. To improve their ability to compete and to strengthen their psychological power, the Chinese team sent more team members to compete abroad, so they could bring a competitive spirit back to the team. All six gymnasts in the Olympic team final were selected from fierce competition, and they proved themselves today. _O%M

56. Before the Beijing Games started，some international media doubted whether ________.

A. Chinese women gymnasts could win the team gold medal

   B. He Kexin would fall from the bars during qualification

C. Chinese women gymnasts could make history at the Beijing Games

D. some Chinese women gymnasts were old enough for the Games

57. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The international media’s doubts proved to be true.

B. He Kexin’s fall in the qualification had no bad effect on her performance in the final competition.

C. Chinese women gymnasts’ success at the Beijing Games proved that the reforms did work.

D. Each team is made up of 6 members to compete for the team gold medal in women gymnastics.

58. In the opinion of Lu Shanzhen, the key to achieving success for athletes is to________.

A. practice harder than ever                     B. experience more competitions abroad

C. have strong psychological power                     D. have a competitive spirit

59. The main purpose of the text is to________.

A. tell a story      B. provide evidence            C. give a report            D. compare opinions 

Breathe, wave and smile. Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement.
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in purple cap and gown.
Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(效忠宣誓).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, “Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever.”
Then came the core (核心) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.
【小题1】What’s the article mainly about?