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"

21. What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

　A. Difficulties influenced his career.        B. Specialists offered him medical advice.

　C. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.   D. Training helped him defeat his disease.

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

　A. Her daily happenings.                            B. Her training schedule.

　C. Her achievements.                                 D. Her sports career.

23.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. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.  D. Activities that turn one's attention away.

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

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

The Netherlands on Monday introduced its first-ever " intelligent bicycle" , fitted with electronic devices to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad country.

 Developed for the government by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the intelligent bicycle, runs on electricity. A commercial-available bicycle is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1,700 to 3,200 euros per bicycle.

The devices on the bike are linked through an onboard computer

with a vibrating (震动的) warning system fitted in the bicycle's

saddle and handlebars to warn cyclists of the coming danger.

The saddle vibrates when other cyclists approach from behind, while, the handlebars do the same when barriers appear ahead．

"Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed," said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project. "The onboard system technology has already been at work in the car industry," he said.

''More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances," Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told AFP．"This type of bicycle is truly needed in the Netherlands because it will help us bring down the number of elderly people who are injured every year and allow them to continue to enjoy cycling," she said.

In the Netherlands, bicycles outnumber the population of 17 million by at least one million and there are some 25,000 km of bicycle path in the country. Those statistics are set to grow as more and more people take to two-wheeled transport, leading to an increased risk of injury.

Last year, 184 cyclists died in the country, of which 124, or 67% , were older than 65, according to the Central Statistics Office. The year before, 200 cyclists died, the majority of victims also being elderly．

The current model weighs 25 kilograms but researchers are working on making the onboard systems smaller.

25. The "intelligent bicycle" is aimed to ______.

  A. protect the environment                         B. help reduce traffic pressure

  C. improve safety for elderly cyclists                D. popularize the use of bicycles

26. Which part of the intelligent bicycle will vibrate when other cyclists approach it from behind?

  A. The wheels．                            B. The saddle．

  C. The handlebars．                        D. The onboard computer．

27. We can learn from the passage that ______.

  A. the elderly ride bicycles wherever they go

  B. the elderly are planning to give up cycling

  C. the accident rate among elderly cyclists is high

  D. the number of elderly cyclists is decreasing

Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy. His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989 undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, one of the most successful movies of all time. Following that big success, James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become an explorer. 
    In 2012, James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench, known as Challenger Deep. And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film (纪录片), named James Cameron's Deep-sea Challenger 3D. 
    In James Cameron's fantasy films, such as Avatar and The Abyss, the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger. But on his dive into Challenger Deep, the reality proved far different: white, deserted and dull. 
    "I felt like I had gone to another planet," Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean，nearly 7 miles below the surface．"I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big, black and unexplored place." 
    Cameron captured(获取) the moon-like landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean. 
    James Cameron's Deep-sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron's journey. It is a film about determination, danger and the ocean's greatest depths. The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron's world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet. 
     It's an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautiful planet still has a lot to explore. 
28. When did James Cameron become interested in the ocean?
  A. When he began to explore the deep sea alone. 
  B. After his films The Abyss and Titanic. 
  C. After he achieved great success in movies. 
  D. When he was in his childhood. 
29. What is the unexplored ocean like?
  A. Colorful and dangerous.           B. White and attractive. 
  C. Boring and deserted.              D. Small and dull. 
30. What can we know about James Cameron's Deep-sea Challenger 3D?
  A. It tells us about James’ journey into Challenger Deep. 

  B. It is a story about Cameron’s film-making dream. 
  C. It is a film about the exploration of ocean creatures. 
  D. It aims to attract more people to explore the deep sea. 
31. What is the best title for this passage?
  A. The great dream of a film director.
  B. A film director exploring deep sea.
  C. The first person to make films about the deep sea.
  D. James Cameron and his documentary film.

Imagine a stranger walking past you on a cold, rainy day. "Lovely weather, isn't it?" the stranger says. Do you laugh, or even smile? If not, you may not have a dry sense of humor.

British people, and particularly the English, are well-known for our dry sense of humor. We often say the opposite of what we mean in order to be funny, and tell jokes in a tone of voice that makes it sound like we are being completely serious. As US writer Julian Tan put it on the HuffPost Students blog: "It is as if it is 'Opposite Day' every day in Britain."

If the people of Britain are known for having a "stiff upper lip" and not showing emotion, then our dry sense of humor shows this through jokes. Often it will take a long time or several beers, to get a British person to tell you what they actually think about something and get behind the wall of humorous sarcasm (讽刺) that they have in front of them.

English comedian Ricky Gervais put it like this: "We play jokes on our friends. We use sarcasm as a shield (护盾) and a weapon. We avoid being serious until it's absolutely necessary."

It can be annoying and confusing if you haven't been raised with these types of jokes: "Why did he just say such a ridiculous thing? Is he making fun of me?" But it is also true that understanding this type of humor is a good way to make friends with people in the UK, even if you don't find it funny.

It's important to remember that the person telling the joke may actually be making fun of himself or herself, not you. One of the characteristics of British humor is "its strong theme of self-deprecation" (making fun of oneself), according to Tan. So don't worry – often, English people, and British people in general, just want to make fun of themselves!

32. According to the passage, we can know that someone with a dry sense of humor can _______.

A. not use sarcasm as a shield and a weapon.

B. say funny things in a serious way

C. pretend to play jokes on their friends

D. not make friends with people in the UK

33. Which of the following words best describes British humor according to Julian Tan?

A. Annoying.                         B. Opposite.             

C. Ridiculous.                       D. Funny.  

34. The underlined phrase "stiff upper lip" in Paragraph 3 refers to a quality of ________.

  A. taking a positive attitude                B. communicating feelings   

  C. remaining calm                        D. focusing attention

35. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. British people's humor is often misunderstood

B. British people are famous for being emotional

C. it’s a tradition for British people to make fun of each other

D. it doesn't take a long time to make friends with British people

36. The passage is mainly about _________.

A. why British people like laughing at themselves

B. some tips on how to make British people laugh

C. the importance of humor in British culture

D. what British humor is like

   Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. We go fishing, sit in the garden, have a picnic, live in the suburbs or go to the seaside. The most popular leisure activity in Britain is going for a walk. When joggers jog, they don't run the streets. Every one of them tend to go to the park or the river.       

    But despite this, our children are growing up nature deprived (剥夺). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.
       The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD -- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (多动症). Those whose accommodation had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 40% .

      ADHD is one of the great problems of modern childhood. One study after another indicates that
contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.

       The life of old people is measurably better when they have access to nature. The increasing concern for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.

     We need the wild world. It is essential to our well-being, our health and our happiness.

37. According to the author, people enjoy ______to seek nature.
    A. sitting in the garden              B. jogging on the street
    C. shopping in the supermarket       D. running in the gym
38. From the second paragraph, we can see that______.
    A. adults deprive the children of their rights to approach nature
    B. children probably spend less time in nature nowadays
    C. climbing trees will certainly do good to the children
    D. children tend to be happier as a result of their material satisfaction
39. In what way do people benefit from their contact with nature?
    A. Children with ADHD can be cured.
    B. Children's performance at school is greatly improved.

    C. Problems with crime and violent behavior will easily be solved.
    D. A garden nearby improves the quality of old people's life.

40. What is the main idea of this passage?
    A. Nature treats children with ADHD.       B. Access to nature improves our life.
    C. Getting close to nature reduces crime.     D. Man can't live without natural areas.