出自:信阳师范学院-大学英语3(专升本)
53. (阅读理解题)When Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer in rural Illinois, he and a certain judge in town once got to bantering with one another about horse trading. The upshot of the discussion was that they agreed that the next morning, at nine o.clock, they would meet in front of the general store and make a trade.
Each would bring a horse, unseen by anyone up to that hour. If either backed out of the deal, he would forfeit $25. The money from each man was held by the local banker.
The next morning, at the appointed hour, the Judge, came up the dirt road, leading the sorriest looking specimen of a horse ever seen in those parts of Illinois. The large crowd viewing the spectacle burst out laughing, already knowing that Abe Lincoln was bound to get the worst of the deal. A poorer horse just couldn.t exist anywhere and still be walking.
In a few minutes,however,Mr.Lincoln was seen approaching the general store carrying something quite large and bulky on his shoulders. As he drew nearer, the crowd saw what it was, and great shouts and laughter broke out. The shouts and laughter soon broke into a thunderous roar when Mr. Lincoln, looking carefully and seriously over the Judge.s animal, set down his sawhorse (锯木架), and exclaimed, "Well, Judge, this is the first time I ever got the worst of it in a horse trade. "
(1). (单选题) This passage concerns__________.(本题1.0分)
A、 the life of Abe Lincoln
B、 a horse trade made by Abe Lincoln
C、 a gambling in Illinois
D、 Abe Lincoln.s philosophy
54. (阅读理解题)Many people think that when they become rich and successful, happiness will naturally follow. Let me tell you that nothing is further from the truth. The world is full of very rich people who are as miserable as if they were living in hell. We have read stories about movie stars who committed suicide or died from drugs. Quite clearly, money is not the only answer to all problems. Wealth obtained through dishonest means does not bring happiness. Lottery winnings do not bring happiness. Gambling winnings do not bring happiness. To my mind, the secret to happiness lies in your successful work, in your contribution towards others’ happiness and in your wealth you have earned through your own honest effort. If you obtain wealth through luck or dishonest means, you will know that it is ill-earned money. If you get your money by taking advantage of others or by hurting others, you will not be happy with it. You will think you are a base person. Long-term happiness is based on honesty, productive work, contribution, and self-esteem. Happiness is not an end; it is a process. It is a continuous process of honest, productive work which makes a real contribution to others and makes you feel you are a useful, worthy person. As Dr. Wayne wrote, “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” There is no use saying “Someday when I achieve these goals, when I get a car, build a house and own my own business, then I will be really happy.” Life just does not work that way. If you wait for certain things to happen and depend on external circumstances of life to make you happy, you will always feel unfulfilled. There will always be something missing.
(1). (单选题) What does “nothing is further from the truth” mean?(本题1.0分)
A、 Something. is completely untrue.
B、 Something is completely true.
C、 We can find out the truth.
D、 We cannot find out the truth.
56. (阅读理解题)Not so long ago, most people didn’t know who Shelly Ann Francis Pryce was going to become. She was just an average high school athlete. There was every indication that she was just another American teenager without much of a future. However, one person wants to change this. Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly Ann as a track meet and was convinced that he had seen the beginning of true greatness. Her time were not exactly impressive, but even so, he seemed there was something trying to get out, something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking. He decided to offer Shelly Ann a place in his very strict training seasons. Their cooperation quickly produced results, and a few year later at Jamaica’s Olympic games in early 2008, Shelly Ann, who at that time only ranked number 70 in the world, beat Jamaica’s unchallenged queen of the sprint(短跑).
“Where did she come from?” asked an astonished sprinting world, before concluding that she must be one of those one-hit wonders that spring up from time to time, only to disappear again without signs. But Shelly Ann was to prove that she was anything but a one-hit wonder. At the Beijing Olympic she swept away any doubts about her ability to perform consistently by becoming the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold. She did it again one year on at the World Championship in Briton, becoming world champion with a time of 10.73--- the fourth record ever.
Shelly-Ann is a little woman with a big smile. She has a mental toughness that did not come about by chance. Her journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless. She grew up in one of Jamaica’s toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse, where she lived in a one-room apartment, sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers. Waterhouse, one of the poorest communities in Jamaica, is a really violent and overpopulated place. Several of Shelly-Ann.s friends and family were caught up in the killings; one of her cousins was shot dead only a few streets away from where she lived. Sometimes her family didn’t have enough to eat. She ran at the school championships barefooted because she couldn’t afford shoes. Her mother Maxime, one of a family of fourteen, had been an athlete herself as a young girl but, like so many other girls in Waterhouse, had to stop after she had her first baby. Maxime’s early entry into the adult world with its responsibilities gave her the determination to ensure that her kids would not end up in Waterhouse.s roundabout of poverty. One of the first things Maxime used to do with Shelly-Ann was taking her to the track, and she was ready to sacrifice everything.
It didn.t take long for Shelly-Ann to realize that sports could be her way out of Waterhouse. On a summer evening in Beijing in 2008, all those long, hard hours of work and commitment finally bore fruit. The barefoot kid who just a few years previously had been living in poverty, surrounded by criminals and violence, had written a new chapter in the history of sports.
But Shelly-Ann’s victory was far greater than that. The night she won Olympic gold in Beijing, the routine murders in Waterhouse and the drug wars in the neighbouring streets stopped. The dark cloud above one of the world’s toughest criminal neighbourhoods simply disappeared for a few days. “ I have so much fire burning for my country,”Shelly said. She plans to start a foundation for homeless children and wants to build a community centre in Waterhouse. She hopes to inspire the Jamaicans to lay down their weapons. She intends to fight to make it a woman’s as well as a man’s world.
As Muhammad Ali puts it, “ Champions aren.t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them. A desire, a dream, a vision.” One of the things Shelly-Ann can be proud of is her understanding of this truth.
(1). (单选题) Why did Stephen Francis decide to coach Shelly-Ann?( )(本题1.0分)
A、 He had a strong desire to free her family from trouble.
B、 He sensed a great potential in her despite her weaknesses.
C、 She had big problems maintaining her performance.
D、 She suffered a lot of defeats at the previous track meets.