While watching the Olympics the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.

The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to complete. It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important.

I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong. I'm not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.

I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out.

But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.

No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout "Come on, you can do it! " and he did.

A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.

Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to Sydney.

In a competition where athletes remove their silver medals feeling they have somehow been cheated out of gold, or when they act so proudly in front of their competitors, it is nice to watch an underdog.

1.From the passage we can learn that the young man         .

A．made his turn to start back pitifully

B．was skillful in freestyle in the game

C．swam faster than the average swimmer

D．was not capable enough to win the medal

2.The crowd changed their attitudes because ________.

A．they felt sorry for the young man

B．they were moved by the young man

C．they wanted to show their sympathy

D．they meant to please the young man

3.According to the passage, "it is nice to watch an underdog" probably means _______.

A．it’s amusing to watch a man with awful swimming skills

B．it’s amazing to watch an ordinary man challenging himself

C．it’s cheerful for athletes to act proudly before their competitors

D．it’s brave enough for some athletes to remove the silver medals

4.What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Compete for Gold!                      B．Try again!

C．Break a Record!                        D．Go for it!

 

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

Never would I forget the other night when I came across an unforgettable sight while watching the Olympics. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a   36    of determination and courage.

The   37   was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. Two of them, however, were disqualified(取消資格) due to   38   starts. That left only one to   39   . That would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race   40   . I watched the man dive off the   41   and knew right away that something was   42   . Now I’m not an expert swimmer but I do know a good dive from a poor one, and this man was far from being a medal winner. When he   43   , it was clear that the man was not out for gold. I listened to the crowd begin to   44    at this poor man that was clearly having a   45   time. Finally he   46   his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few all-out strokes(劃水) and you could   47   he was worn out.

__48___in those few awkward strokes, the crowd had ____49____. No longer were they laughing, but beginning to ____50____. Some ____51___began to stand and yell things like, “Come on, you can do it!” and, “Go for it!” He did. A clear minute slower than the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his   52   . The crowd went    53   . You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other   54   .

A man that gave his all -- knowing that he had no chance, but competed because of the   55   of the games.

1.A. taste               B. show                    C. sense                          D. member

2.A. program         B. sport                    C. event                          D. accident

3.A. straight                B. false                   C. eager                          D. right

4.A. compete        B. match                  C. win                              D. succeed

5.A. against                     B. for              C. to                      D. with

6.A. banks                       B. blocks                  C. benches                     D. boards

7.A. new                B. funny                   C. wrong                         D. terrible

8.A. recovered     B. resurfaced         C. renewed                    D. returned

9.A. stare               B. point                    C. laugh                           D. glare

10.A. happy                    B. hard                     C. good                           D. long

11.A. miss         B. made                    C. catch                           D. carry

12.A. forget                    B. believe      C. admit                          D. tell

13.A. But                B. So               C. Or                      D. Thus

14.A. moved                   B. left                       C. changed                     D. stopped

15.A. cheer                    B. chat                     C. quarrel              D. debate

16.A. ever                       B. still                       C. even                           D. never

17.A. duty                       B. turn                     C. action                         D. race

18.A. bad               B. wrong                  C. hungry              D. wild

19.A. audience     B. athletes     C. judges               D. experts

20.A. spirit                      B. progress             C. skill                              D. secret

 

While watching a swimming competition one night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.
The event started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to complete. In fact, it is difficult enough, not having anyone to race against.
I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was obvious that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.
I listened to the crowd beginning to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes (劃水) and you could tell he was exhausted.
But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.
No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.
This young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in swimming history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.
Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to the competition.
In a competition, we usually watch the brilliant athletes competing for medals, but it is nice to watch an underdog.
【小題1】From the passage we learn that the young man _____.

A．made his turn to start back pitifully

B．was skillful at freestyle swimming

C．swam faster than the average swimmer

D．seemed unlikely to win a gold medal

【小題2】The crowd changed their attitude because _____.

A．they felt sorry for the young man

B．they wanted to show their interest

C．they were moved by the young man

D．they meant to please the young man

【小題3】According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means ____.

A．it’s amusing to watch a skillful swimmer swimming

B．it’s amazing to watch a good loser challenging himself

C．it’s good for athletes to act proudly

D．it’s difficult for some athletes to remove medals

【小題4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Go for it！

B．Try again!

C．Compete for gold!

D．Break a record!

While watching a swimming competition one night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.

The event started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to complete. In fact, it is difficult enough, not having anyone to race against.

I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was obvious that the man was not out for gold — his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.

I listened to the crowd beginning to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes (劃水) and you could tell he was exhausted.

But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.

No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.

This young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in swimming history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.

Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to the competition.

In a competition, we usually watch the brilliant athletes competing for medals, but it is nice to watch an underdog.

1.From the passage we learn that the young man _____.

A．made his turn to start back pitifully

B．was skillful at freestyle swimming

C．swam faster than the average swimmer

D．seemed unlikely to win a gold medal

2.The crowd changed their attitude because _____.

A．they felt sorry for the young man

B．they wanted to show their interest

C．they were moved by the young man

D．they meant to please the young man

3.According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means ____.

A．it’s amusing to watch a skillful swimmer swimming

B．it’s amazing to watch a good loser challenging himself

C．it’s good for athletes to act proudly

D．it’s difficult for some athletes to remove medals

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Go for it！         B．Try again!          C．Compete for gold!   D．Break a record!

 

Unlike many surfers who sought the perfect wave, my interests always lay beneath the sea' s surface in a world I could only imagine and dream of．When I was twelve, I made my first adventures in the deep．Later I would learn how to dive, expanding my world of exploration many times over．
Perhaps the greatest turning point in my life came when I was in high school and I wrote a letter to the famous Scripps Oceanographic Institution, asking how I might learn more about the sea．A kind scientist answered my letter and told me how to apply to Scripps for a summer scholarship, which I received．During one of their courses that summer, I met Dr．Robert Norris, a marine geologist．He loved the sea almost as much as I did．Soon he suggested I consider his school, the University of California, for my study．One year later I became a member of the freshman class．
Now my love affair with the sea became a serious endeavor（艱苦的努力）．If I wanted to be an undersea explorer, I needed to learn as much as I could about the laws of the physical world that controlled the environment I wanted to enter．The undersea world is not our natural world．It is unforgiving to those who make mistakes．At its greatest depths the water temperature is near freezing, the pressure is eight tons per square inch, and it is totally dark．It is easy to get lost in such a world．I needed to learn a lot about geography, navigation, geology, biology, and many other things．
I decided another important thing for me to do was to join the U．S．Navy．If I was going to be an undersea explorer, I would have to lead men and women on dangerous adventures where they might get hurt, and I didn't want that to happen．
In the Navy I learned discipline, organization, and how to motivate and lead people on adventures so that we could explore the wonders of the deep．
Finally, the time came to put all that I had learned to use, to go forth with a team of men and women and explore an adventure I am still on and hope to be on for many years to come．
【小題1】What happened to the author at the age of twelve?

A．He dreamed about undersea exploration．

B．He began to swim under the deep water．

C．He surfed on big waves for the first time．

D．He learned to dive off the cliffs．

【小題2】In college, the author took many different types of courses because he

A．was told it was easy to get lost in exploration

B．was advised to take them by Dr．Robert Norris

C．thought they were needed to fully understand the ocean

D．believed it would help him succeed in the Navy

【小題3】The author joined the Navy to ______．

A．develop his leadership skills

B．get along with people under stress

C．learn about the dangers of the ocean

D．gather specific information about ocean life

【小題4】Which word can best describe the author?

A．Imaginative．

B．Optimistic．

C．Independent．

D．Ambitious．