Some people would go through anything just to achieve their dream. Kasia Siwosz is proof. For the final year student on the university women’s tennis team, the road to Berkeley, University of California was met with poor advice and misinformation from her home country and two unsuccessful stops along the way that fell short of expectations.
Born in Poland, Siwosz began playing tennis at seven years old and developed the skills that helped her earn a top-50 ranking among the ITF Junior division(國(guó)際網(wǎng)球聯(lián)會(huì)青少年賽). Siwosz wanted to do more with her life than just play tennis, which led her to seek chances that would also allow her to obtain a top education. While most who grow up in the U.S. are naturally accustomed to the American tradition of collegiate(大學(xué)的) sports, such a custom is not as familiar in a country like Poland. “There’s no collegiate sports in Poland and no culture of sports and academic(學(xué)術(shù)的) study there. You can only do one, not both,” Siwosz said.
Her desire to have a quality education led her to America to follow her dream. While Siwosz was talented enough to begin her collegiate tennis career, she could only attend community college because she missed the deadline to apply to four-year schools, mainly due to misinformation provided in her home country of Poland.
When she had earned all her credits and was able to transfer(轉(zhuǎn)學(xué)), Siwosz made the decision to attend Baylor in Texas. Her friends from Poland put in a good word for the university, saying that it was a good fit because there were many international players at Baylor. “I thought it would be a good idea, but it really wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Siwosz said. “I wasn’t happy at Baylor. The level of tennis was high, but the academic standards were no match and I just wanted more.”
After one year at Baylor, Siwosz’s luck finally began to change when she made the decision to transfer to Berkeley, which was due in large part to Lee, a former Berkeley student. Lee, who is a keen tennis player himself, met Siwosz four years ago in Texas. “I knew she was unhappy there,” he said. “I saw the opportunity for her to come here.” Siwosz visited Lee in Berkeley. “I ended up loving this place and this school,” Siwosz said. “I came here a lot over the summer, I gave it a shot and I ended up with a Berkeley education and a spot on one of the best college tennis teams in the country.”

1. 1.

   What does “two unsuccessful stops” (Paragraph 1) refer to?

   1. A.
      Poland and the U.S
   2. B.
      Baylor and Berkeley
   3. C.
      The community college and Baylor
   4. D.
      The ITF Junior division and the Berkeley tennis team
2. 2.

   Why did Siwosz want to leave her homeland for America?

   1. A.
      Poland had no culture of sports
   2. B.
      Berkeley had always been her dream university
   3. C.
      She wanted to play tennis and have a good education
   4. D.
      She wanted to improve her tennis skills and get a higher ranking
3. 3.

   Why did she leave Baylor?

   1. A.
      The level of tennis there was not high
   2. B.
      It was not suitable for international students
   3. C.
      She couldn’t get along with her friends there
   4. D.
      She was not satisfied with the education level there
4. 4.

   The phrase “gave it a shot” (Paragraph 5) is closest in meaning to ______

   1. A.
      had a try
   2. B.
      shot a tennis ball
   3. C.
      took a picture
   4. D.
      waved goodbye
5. 5.

   What is the main idea of the passage?

   1. A.
      How Siwosz left Poland
   2. B.
      How Siwosz realized her dream
   3. C.
      How Siwosz became a top tennis player
   4. D.
      How Siwosz transferred from Baylor to Berkeley

My friend Robert started a new job this week and he’s been in the training class for two days. The employer has a very strict dress code—dark blue shirts and pants.
On the first day, an older gentleman in his class did not have the proper clothes and he was strictly told that he would be fired if he didn’t have the right clothes the next day. He explained, “Sir, I had been told about this, but because of my larger size, it’s sometimes difficult to find the right clothing for a price I can afford.”
Last night, Robert and I decided that this old man shouldn’t lose the chance of work simply because he couldn’t afford the clothes. I had some cash on hand and Robert took it with him this morning just in case it was needed.
When training started this morning, the trainer was ready to fire the older gentleman. “You have 10 minutes to be in proper clothes,” he was told. At this point, Robert spoke up and asked if he could have 10 minutes to get him the clothes. He then ran out to the store and bought the proper-sized pants and a shirt; he returned with both and gave them to the older man.
The older gentleman began to cry and told him that he couldn’t accept such a gift from a stranger. Robert told him he had to because he had lost the receipt(收據(jù)) and couldn’t return them—a little white lie. The pants were a perfect fit, the shirt was a bit tight but he was able to keep his job.
“My wife and I tried to gather together some money last night, but we didn’t have enough to buy the clothes,” he told Robert. “It’s unbelievable to me that a person would do such a thing for only knowing me a day!”
More unbelievable is how good it has made Robert and me feel to do this.
【小題1】If the older man did not have the proper clothes, he would _____.

My friend Robert started a new job this week and he’s been in the training class for two days. The employer has a very strict dress code—dark blue shirts and pants.
On the first day, an older gentleman in his class did not have the proper clothes and he was strictly told that he would be fired if he didn’t have the right clothes the next day. He explained, “Sir, I had been told about this, but because of my larger size, it’s sometimes difficult to find the right clothing for a price I can afford.”
Last night, Robert and I decided that this old man shouldn’t lose the chance of work simply because he couldn’t afford the clothes. I had some cash on hand and Robert took it with him this morning just in case it was needed.
When training started this morning, the trainer was ready to fire the older gentleman. “You have 10 minutes to be in proper clothes,” he was told. At this point, Robert spoke up and asked if he could have 10 minutes to get him the clothes. He then ran out to the store and bought the proper-sized pants and a shirt; he returned with both and gave them to the older man.
The older gentleman began to cry and told him that he couldn’t accept such a gift from a stranger. Robert told him he had to because he had lost the receipt(收據(jù)) and couldn’t return them—a little white lie. The pants were a perfect fit, the shirt was a bit tight but he was able to keep his job.
“My wife and I tried to gather together some money last night, but we didn’t have enough to buy the clothes,” he told Robert. “It’s unbelievable to me that a person would do such a thing for only knowing me a day!”
More unbelievable is how good it has made Robert and me feel to do this.

1. 1.

   If the older man did not have the proper clothes, he would _____.

   1. A.
      be punished
   2. B.
      be offered another job
   3. C.
      put off the training class
   4. D.
      lose his job
2. 2.

   The money which was paid for the clothes was _____.

   1. A.
      the trainer’s
   2. B.
      the older man’s
   3. C.
      the writer’s
   4. D.
      Robert’s
3. 3.

   How did Robert persuade the older man to accept the clothes?

   1. A.
      He told the older man that he would lose his job if he did not take them.
   2. B.
      He told a lie that the clothes didn’t fit himself.
   3. C.
      He told the older man that he could save money and return it later.
   4. D.
      He told the older man that he had no way to send them back.
4. 4.

   What might be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Proper clothes for a stranger
   2. B.
      Fight against strict rules
   3. C.
      A strange employer
   4. D.
      An unbelievable thing