It was the men's skating finals of the Winter Olympics when l was 16. Someday I'd be in
the Olympics. In fact, it was my dream.
That night I lay on our living room floor excitedly watching the battle between the
Brians: American Brian Boitano facing Brian Orser in Canada. Both of them had been world
champions. Both of them deserved to win. Naturally l was for Brian Boitano,a northern
Californian like me. We had skated on the same ice. I held my breath in amazement. Boitano
performed successfully. The gold medal! I jumped in the air when his score went up.
But what happened next is what I'll never forget. Brian Boitano sat in front of the camera
with his coach, surrounded by a group of journalists. He was talking about his career and his
medal, talking to the whole world. A terrible sinking feeling went through me. I could never
be in the Olympics, I thought. I could not talk in public like that. Just the idea of a press
conference terrified me.
I loved skating partly because I didn't have to talk. I could express myself with my jumps
and dances better. I didn't have to stand up and give a speech like some teachers expected. I
could feel the blood rush to my face if I thought a teacher was going to call me. I stared at my
shoes. 1 was sure I'd make a fool of myself.
The next day l was at the rink(溜冰场)as usual.1 was practising a combination of jumps
that had once seemed impossible. 1 worked very hard the next few years - on the ice and
especially off. After journalists talked to me and although my heart pounded every time I
spoke to them, I got to know them. They became familiar faces. And they got to know me.
So when my big moment came four years after Brian's, I was ready.
Sometimes I think my biggest accomplishment was not winning the gold but talking to the
press afterwards. When you do the thing you fear most, you put an end to fear.
Fear can stop you dead in your tracks. Fear can kill a dream. What are you afraid of?
What scares you more than anything else? This year, walk right up to it and conquer it, step
by step.
21. What information can we get from the second paragraph?
A. The author lived a hard life.
B. The author comes from Canada.
C. The author once skated with Orser.
D. The author wished Boitano to win the match.
22. What is one of the reasons why the author liked skating according to the passage?
A. She could build up her body to be healthier.
B. It could help her to get closer to her idol.
C. She could better express herself with body language.
D. The possibility of her being a world champion was great.
23. What the author felt the most satisfied with is that .
A. she lived up to her coach's expectations
B. she became a world champion as planned
C. she managed to overcome her inner fear eventually
D. she handled the balance between her career and life
24. What does the author mainly want to tell us?
A. Face a fear bravely. B.Practice makes perfect.
C. Bad times make a good man. D.Failure is the mother of success.
DCCA
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025