When I was a girl of 10, I joined the school cross-country team and practiced twice a week, on the 1,8-km course I'd never really run before and I thought the course would be easy. It was a real shock I ran out of breathe(喘氣)within the first few minutes. I never realized how tiring running could be but I didn’t t think about give up.
Over time,I did get a little bit faster. However, I was really slow. In races, I would finish close to last. I'd always have to stop more than once, especially in the longer races, which were 2. 5 to 2. 8 km. After every race, I'd go home and cry. But 1 still didn't stop running, holding onto that picture of crossing the finishingline and finally doing well.  
Then one of my friends joined the team, too. She could run easily and even came in the 18^th in a big race! I felt so slow and my confidence(自信) was lower than ever. I became so nervous when I thought of the races that I wanted to give up badly.
Still. I refund to. Finally. 1 realized that the reason I was to nervous was that I was always worried that I wasn't ready for them. So a few weeks before the next 2. 8-km race. I practiced running almost 3 km every day. which helped me improve my pace(步伐).
When the time came for the big race, all that practicing really paid off. I stopped only once and my pace was so much better.
I realized that I’d finally gotten happiness with running. But the funny thing was. It didn't come from doing better, Instead, it came from the fact that I hid tried harder and never given up.
【小題1】 Before she took the 1.8-km course, the writer________.

A．knew a lot about it	B．wanted to be a great runner
C．practiced running every day	D．never thought running so tired

【小題2】The writer was nervous about the race because she_______.

A．had to stop to drink water	B．was worried she wasn’t ready
C．run slower than anyone else	D．could find no coach to help her

【小題3】The underlined phrase "paid off" probably mean “______”.

A．brought good results

B．coat a lot

C．saved much time

D．came to fail

【小題4】It can be inferred(推斷) from the passage that the writer______.

A．got angry with her friend	B．wasn't pleased with herself
C．was a person with a strong mind	D．had no Interest In running

Sugar—free beets（甜菜）that still taste sweet, tastier tomatoes and brighter-colored fruits and vegetables that stay ripe（熟的）longer are all foods that are being grown now. How can they
carry traits, such as being tastier, brighter, and riper? They are genetically engineered.
Genetic engineering（基因工程）is like making a change in a recipe. For example, when you make cakes, you mix together all of the usual ingredients. If you add an extra ingredient, like salt, the cakes will taste differently.
Genes are ingredients in the recipe for life. They carry the traits of living things. Your genes dictate what color hair and eyes you’ll have, how tall you’ll be, as well as many other traits. Genes carry traits for plants, too. By adding genes to a plant, you can sometimes create new traits. For example, adding a certain gene to a potato plant can make the potato plant distasteful to bugs（蟲子）. This makes some farmers happy because they don’t have to use chemicals to keep bugs away from their plants.
It sounds great, but some people are opposed to the idea of food that is genetically engineered. Ronnie Cummins, from the Campaign for Food Safety, is against it. He says that one of the major concerns is allergies（過敏）. Supermarkets don’t always label foods that are genetically engineered. A customer could unknowingly buy food that has an added gene from another plant that he or she is allergic to. It could be dangerous.
Gary Burton from Monsanto, a seed（種子）company that engineers food, disagrees. He says his company tests for allergies. Burton believes that genetic engineering is a valuable tool for making better food. The technology can help farmers use less insecticide（殺蟲劑）and grow healthier crops. Burton thinks there are many advantages.
But Cummins says that we just don’t know what will happen in the future if we keep adding genes to foods. We could mistakenly create a monster.
People have different opinions about genetic engineering. One side supports it and thinks it will only help us. The other side is opposed to playing with nature and fears health risks. Which side do you think is right?
【小題1】What could be a good thing about food that is genetically engineered?

A．It’s more expensive.

B．It could taste different.

C．It requires less insecticide.

D．It’s not labeled in the supermarket.

【小題2】In general, who does not support the idea of genetic food?

A．People from seed companies.

B．Farmers who use engineered seeds.

C．People from the Campaign for Food Safety.

D．Scientists who create genetically engineered food.

【小題3】It can be inferred that          .

A．growing genetic foods will make farmers richer

B．people will eat more genetic foods in the future

C．using fewer chemicals could make the food tastier

D．there could be unknown dangers about genetic foods

【小題4】What is the best title of this passage?

A．Future Farming

B．Genetic Engineering

C．Foods with a Difference

D．Genetically Engineered Fruits

When I was a girl of 10, I joined the school cross-country team and practiced twice a week, on the 1,8-km course I'd never really run before and I thought the course would be easy. It was a real shock I ran out of breathe(喘氣)within the first few minutes. I never realized how tiring running could be but I didn’t t think about give up.
Over time,I did get a little bit faster. However, I was really slow. In races, I would finish close to last. I'd always have to stop more than once, especially in the longer races, which were 2. 5 to 2. 8 km. After every race, I'd go home and cry. But 1 still didn't stop running, holding onto that picture of crossing the finishingline and finally doing well.  
Then one of my friends joined the team, too. She could run easily and even came in the 18^th in a big race! I felt so slow and my confidence(自信) was lower than ever. I became so nervous when I thought of the races that I wanted to give up badly.
Still. I refund to. Finally. 1 realized that the reason I was to nervous was that I was always worried that I wasn't ready for them. So a few weeks before the next 2. 8-km race. I practiced running almost 3 km every day. which helped me improve my pace(步伐).
When the time came for the big race, all that practicing really paid off. I stopped only once and my pace was so much better.
I realized that I’d finally gotten happiness with running. But the funny thing was. It didn't come from doing better, Instead, it came from the fact that I hid tried harder and never given up.
【小題1】 Before she took the 1.8-km course, the writer________.

A．knew a lot about it	B．wanted to be a great runner
C．practiced running every day	D．never thought running so tired

【小題2】The writer was nervous about the race because she_______.

A．had to stop to drink water	B．was worried she wasn’t ready
C．run slower than anyone else	D．could find no coach to help her

【小題3】The underlined phrase "paid off" probably mean “______”.

A．brought good results

B．coat a lot

C．saved much time

D．came to fail

【小題4】It can be inferred(推斷) from the passage that the writer______.

A．got angry with her friend	B．wasn't pleased with herself
C．was a person with a strong mind	D．had no Interest In running

There is no way that you cannot have any embarrassing moments. You can’t control everything that happens, so you’re going to be in an embarrassing situation one day. So how can you solve this problem? The answer is to control your actions and try not to get upset.
◆Remember that you'll probably laugh about it in a few days, so try to see the funny side of it right away.
◆If it is something so embarrassing that you feel you will never laugh about it, please remember that the ______________(1) will be over after some time.
◆Ask your friends to give you a break and not to make fun of you. If you’ve done the same for them, they’re more likely to agree to give you a break.
Always remember that you are not alone. Everyone has embarrassing moments. While you are sure that everyone is going to remember this moment forever, that fact is that they’ll probably forget it very soon. Most of us remember the moments in which we feel embarrassed, but very few of us remember other people’s embarrassing moments.
Most people have short memories. So while you may never forget the moment when your skirt was torn(撕裂) in gym class, most of the other people probably forget it at once. Although a short memory may not be a(n) ____________ (2) thing when you are trying to remember facts in a history test, it is useful when you are trying to forget life’s most embarrassing moments.
任務(wù)一：請(qǐng)根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，分別寫出（1）和（2）兩處所缺單詞。（每空限填一詞）
【小題1】(1) ________________      (2) _________________
任務(wù)二：根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，選擇正確答案
【小題2】 It can be inferred(推斷) from the passage that __________ when you fall down after making a speech.

A．everyone will remember the moment forever

B．you may never forget the moment

C．other people will feel embarrassed

D．you will not remember the moment

任務(wù)三：請(qǐng)把上文中畫線的句子譯成漢語
【小題3】 _____________________________________________.
任務(wù)四：請(qǐng)根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，回答下列問題
【小題4】 According to the passage, why does the writer say “you are not alone”?
______________________________________________.
【小題5】What’s the main idea of the passage?
It’s mainly about how to _______________________ when you are embarrassed.

Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks (平裝本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全書), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbooks, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.
【小題1】It can be inferred from the passage that ____.

A．Fewer and fewer people will buy books.

B．A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

C．Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

D．More people like TV programs about famous men.

【小題2】What does the sentence “Television has not killed reading, however.” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?

A．People only need reading, though.

B．Reading is still necessary today.

C．Reading is more fun than television.

D．Watching television doesn’t help reading.

【小題3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge.

B．Cinemas are the best choice in getting information.

C．Reading is cheap way of learning and having fun.

D．Newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself.