Marjorie Gestring was a springboard(跳板) diver from the United States who won the gold medal in 3-meter springboard diving at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany at the age of 13. With the cancellationof the Olympics in 1940 and 1944 because of World War II, Gestring did not get a chance to defend her title, and her comeback attempt for the 1948 Summer Olympics failed.

Bob Mathias

17-year-old American Bob Mathias won the decathlon(十项全能运动) only four months after taking up the sport.He is the youngest athlete in Olympic history to win a men's track and field event. By the time Mathias retired from decathlon competition in 1952, he had nine victories in nine competitions.He had won two gold medals separately in 1948 and 1952.In 1954 a film about his early life called The Bob Mathias Story was made, in which he and his wife played themselves.

FMingxia

FMingxia was born on August 16, 1978 in Wuhan, Hubei Province.At an early age, her father taught her to swim at a nearby river.She started exercising gymnastics at age 5, soon turning to diving.FMingxia left home at age 9 to train in Beijing.In the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, FMingxia became China's youngest Olympic champion ever when she won the 10-meter platform gold at the age of 13.

Ian Thorpe

Ian Thorpe was born on 13 October, 1982.He is a former Australian freestyle swimmer.At the age of 14, he became the youngest male ever to represent Australia.Ian Thorpe, 17 years old, won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle by breaking his own world record in Sydney 2000.He has won five Olympic gold medals.

21. How many times has Marjorie Gestring taken part in the Olympic Games?

A. Three B. Two C. Four D. Five

22. How long had FMingxia practised diving in Beijing before she won the 10-meter platform gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics?

A. About ten years. B. About nine years.

C. About five years. D. About three years.

23. What is the passage mainly about ?

A. How to train young Olympic athletes.

B. The history of the Olympic Games.

C. Some young Olympic champions.

D. How to prepare for the Olympic Games.

B

My divorce was now final and I needed to find a new home for me and my six-year-old son, Dash. A few days earlier I’d seen an ad. I was willing to try anything, so I contacted the owner, a woman named Camille. When she e-mailed me back I discovered she wasn’t renting a house at all. She was renting the attic (阁楼) apartment. I left her a message calling off our meeting.

But Camille called me back and insisted I come over. So here I was. I pulled the car to a stop and looked up at the tiny cottage. The house was small as it was. The attic window looked too tiny to let much light in. We couldn’t live in a dark, depressing place. I could make do(凑合) with almost anything. But Dash needs a good home, a place he really feels safe.

No sense in wasting her time or mine. I knocked. The woman who opened the door was small and bright-eyed. She was much older than I’d guessed, but I could see she had the energy of someone half her age. She looked so sympathetic that I found myself wanting to keep talking to her."We have to leave our home,"I explained."My marriage ended. I only have a few days to find something else, but I want it to be right."

Camille nodded."You’re a good mother. Yonever know the miracles that awaityoaround the corner." Camille walked me to the door and wished me well. I got back in the car and snapped out of it. I drove off slowly, hoping to make the feeling last. I turned down a side street I didn’t recognize. I glanced out of the side window. Just up ahead was a cottage with a sign out in front: for rent.

I pulled over. I found the owners had just bought the house themselves and were decorating it, hoping to find the perfect renters. They took me on a tour of the house that was like a copy of my list: a big bedroom for Dash, a backyard with trees, and a great school nearby. The house was meant for us!

Camille was right. Miracles await us, just around the corner.

24. How did the author feel after receiving Camille’s e-mail?

A.Disappointed. B.Excited. C.Anxious. D.Content.

25. Why must the author find a good place?

A.To begin a new life. B.To give Dash a good education.

C.For her son’s sake. D.For her and her son’s safety.

26. What does the underlined part"snapped out of it"probably mean?

A. Say something in an impatient voice. B. Stop feeling unhappy or depressed.

C. Make a sharp noise suddenly. D. Lose control of one’s feelings.

27. What message does the passage mainly convey?

A.Never lose hope. B.No pains, no gains.

C.Every little bit helps. D.Well begun is half done.

C

Doessolvingamathproblemgiveyouaheadache?Do youfeelnervouswhenyositamath exam?Formoststudents,mathcanbetoughbutscientistshaveprovedthatmathproblemscan actuallytrigger physicalpain.

Scientistscametohisconclusionwithanin-depthexperiment,whichwaspublishedinthe PublicLibraryofScienceOnejournal.Theybeganbyfindingouthowmuchparticipantsfear math.Thoseinvolvedwereaskedaseriesofquestionssuchashowtheyfeelwhentheyreceivea math textbook or when theywalk into a math lesson.

Basedontheiranswers,participantsweredividedintogroups.Onegroupwasmadeupof people who wereparticularlyafraid of math andparticipants in theother groupwere more comfortable with the subject.

Bothgroupswerethengiveneithermathtasksorwordtasks.Whenamathtaskwasgoingto comenext,ayellowcirclewouldappearbutwhenawordtaskwassoontocome,abluesquare would be shown.