Growing roots

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs．He didn’t look like any doctor I’d   1   known．When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t   2   lives, he was planting trees．

The good doctor had some interesting theories   3  planting trees．He believed in “No pains, no gains”．He never  4   his new trees, which was 5   many people．Once I  6  why．He answered that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you water them, each following tree generation will grow  7   ．So you have to make things   8   for them．He talked about how watering trees  9  shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in  10  of water．I took him to mean that deep roots were to be  11  ．I planted a couple of trees a few years back and I took good care of them．Two years of devotion has  12  trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot．Whenever a cold wind blows, they  13  and tremble their branches．Funny things about those trees of Dr. Gibbs’．The lack of water seemed to  14  them in ways comfort and ease never  15  ．

  I used to pray for my sons that their lives will be  16  ．But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my  17  ．I know my children are going to meet 18  , and I’m praying they will be strong．The prayer for comfort is  19  met．What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the winds blow, we won’t be  20  away．

1．A．even                         B．ever                 C．never                      D．hardly

2．A．taking                B．making            C．enjoying                  D．saving

3．A．dealing                     B．covering          C．concerning              D．considering

4．A．watered                    B．spoiled             C．loved                     D．cared

5．A．against                     B．beyond            C．within                     D．from

6．A．wondered                 B．asked               C．wandered                D．guessed

7．A．weaker and weaker                    B．stronger and stronger

     C．taller and taller                       D．happier and happier

8．A．easy                  B．comfortable             C．tough                            D．wonderful

9．A．made for           B．made out                 C．brought down         D．brought up

10．A．charge             B．favor                      C．case                       D．search

11．A．treasured          B．challenged               C．respected                D．liked

12．A．resulted in        B．resulted from           C．grown up                D．grown into

13．A．dance              B．shake                      C．spread                    D．stretch

14．A．harm               B．raise                       C．benefit                    D．hurt

15．A．could               B．might               C．should                    D．must

16．A．hard                B．sweet                            C．rewarding               D．easy

17．A．mind               B．thought                   C．idea                       D．prayer

18．A．hardship          B．tragedy                   C．disaster                   D．needs

19．A．never               B．seldom                    C．always                    D．often

20．A．given              B．turned                     C．let                          D．swept

It was an afternoon in the winter, some friends and I were talking at a restaurant. We talked and soon swimming became the   36  . Suddenly I hit upon an idea．“Wouldn’t it be _37_ if we went swimming? Others went swimming in winter, and _38_ couldn’t we? Besides, we could be _39_ if we did．” I told them about this and they all said it was a good idea indeed．

Early in the morning, three days _40_, we four were standing at the bus stop, with bags in our hands, _41_ for a bus to take us to the _42_． The sky was clear, the sun was shining, but all the same, it was very cold． _43_ our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us _44_． We all felt that we should go back, but no one wanted to _45_．

We soon reached the sands． There was nobody there, but we were not to be discouraged． _46_ we were proud that we were the _47_ ones that dared to challenge(向……挑战) the weather． Besides, the sun could keep us warm． So we _48_ ourselves quickly．

But things were not going to be so nice as we thought． The sea wind was blowing, we felt _49_ cold and we shook from head to feet． At last, we decided to _50_ the sea water． We put our feet in first, only to take them back _51_．The water was unbelievably cold．The I   52  that we should all jump in at the same time． We all went back ten steps． I gave the order and we all rushed forward．We jumped．I shall never   53  the feeling I had when I was in the water. I got up and rushed against to the seaside. So _54_ my friends．We put on our clothes as quickly as possible and went home．

We four did not go to school the next three days, for we all _55_ a bad cold． We missed the lessons, but we got this unforgettable experience．

1.A． topic                   B． object           C． center               D． opinion

2.A． lucky   B． interesting     C． surprising                      D． happy

3.A． how    B． what         C． why         D． that

4.A． ill      B． worse        C． better                         D． stronger

5.A． past    B． later                          C． before         D． since

6.A． meeting  B． asking       C． looking                        D． waiting

7.A． sands   B． pool                               C． river             D． lake

8.A． Though B． Only                           C． Since          D． Even

9.A． warm   B． cold                         C． cool           D． hot

10.A． talk about B． speak out    C． think over                    D． shout at

11.A． Instead B． Therefore      C． Particularly                     D． Lately

12.A． lucky    B． only                       C． happy          D． younger

13.A． enjoyed  B． helped                     C． changed        D． dressed

14.A． a little   B． such                       C． a few          D． very

15.A． dive into B． put down                   C． take off           D． walk into

16.A． quickly  B． carefully                    C． finally         D． bravely

17.A． announced B． promised   C． suggested                    D． told

18.A． forget   B． remember                   C． tell            D． believe

19.A． do      B． did         C． had                          D． was

20.A． felt     B． became                     C． caught         D． turned

E
For a while, my neighborhood was taken over by an army of joggers. They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. "Come on!" My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. "You'll feel great."
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army, I'm not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet will be a real pounding ruining down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn't kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn't my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, "I love being out there with just my thoughts." Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn't just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn't fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don't jog any more, and I don't think I ever will. I'm walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I'm getting exercise, and I'm enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I've found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.
72. From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer's neighborhood ____.
A. jogging became very popular         B. people jogged only during the daytime
C. Alex organized an army of joggers   D. jogging provided a chance to get together
73. What was the writer's attitude towards jogging in the beginning?
A. He felt it was worth a try.                  B. He was very fond of it.
C. He was strongly against it.                         D. He thought it must be painful.
74. Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?
A. He disliked doing exercise outside.      B. He found it neither healthy nor interesting.
C. He was afraid of having a heart attack.  D. He was worried about being left alone.
75. From the writer's experience, we can conclude that ____.
A. not everyone enjoys jogging     
B. he is the only person who hates jogging
C. nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit
D. jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport

For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers. They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You’ll feel great.”
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army, I’m not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet need a real pounding（追击）running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.
【小题1】From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______.

For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers. They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You’ll feel great.”

   Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army, I’m not alone in my opinion.

   First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet need a real pounding（追击）running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.

   Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.

    And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?

   I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.

1.From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______.

A. jogging became very popular

B. people jogged only during the daytime

C. Alex organized an army of joggers

D. jogging provided a chance to get together

2.The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to _____.

A. heart attacks     B. Back problems

C. famous joggers   D. physical weaknesses

3.What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?

A. He felt it was worth a try.

B. He was very fond of it.

C. He was strongly against it.

D. He thought it must be painful.

4.Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?

A. He disliked doing exercise outside.

B. He found it neither healthy nor interesting.

C. He was afraid of having a heart attack.

D. He was worried about being left alone.

5. From the writer’s experience, we can conclude that______.

A. not everyone enjoys jogging

B. he is the only person who hates jogging

C. nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit

D. jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport.