(A)

　　When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb(全身麻木). She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours. Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, at age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.

　　On that fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on - hour after hour - while millions watched on national

　　television.

　　Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn't much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had... until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.

　　Still thawing(使变暖和) her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, "Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it." It was not tiredness or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.

　　Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it ! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing(超出) the men's record by two hours! (Words: 229; Time: 5')

　　1. Why didn't Florence swim across the Catalina Channel for the first time?

　　A. Because she was too tired to go on swimming.

　　B. Because the fog was so thick that she lost heart at the sea.

　　C. Because she couldn't see her goal: the land.

　　D. Because the sea water was too cold to bear.

　　2. What does "She never had..." mean?

　　A. She had never been so desperate.

　　B. She had never thought of giving it up.

　　C. She had never seen such thick fog.

　　D. She had never swum across the strait before.

　　3. Which of the following is NOT true?

　　A. Florence Chadwick took less time to swim across the Catalina Channel than any men.

　　B. Florence Chadwick succeeded in swimming across the Catalina Channel in September , 1952.

　　C. People had to use guns to drive away some flesh-eating fish in the sea.

　　D. No women but Florence Chadwick were able to swim across the English Channel in both directions.

　　4. Which of the following is the best title?

　　A. Keep your goals in sight

　　B. The first woman to swim across the Catalina Channel

　　C. The fog defeated her

　　D. Set a goal for yourself

　　(B)

　　A person, like a commodity(商品) ,needs packaging. But going too far is absolutely undesirable. A little exaggeration, however, does no harm when it shows the person's unique qualities to their advantages. To show personal attractiveness in a casual and natural way, it is important for one to have a clear knowledge of oneself. A skilled packager knows how to add art to nature without any signs of embellishment (装饰), so that the person so packaged is not a commodity but a human being, lively and lovely.

　　A young person, especially a female, shining with beauty and full of life, has all the favor granted by God. Any attempt to make up would be self-defeating. Youth, however, comes and goes in a flash. Packaging for the middle-aged is primarily to hide the marks made by years. If you still enjoy life enough to keep self-confidence and work at pioneering work, you are unique in your natural qualities, and your attractiveness and grace will remain. Elderly people are beautiful if their river of life has been, through plains, mountains and jungles, running its course as it should. You have really lived your life, which now arrives at a self-satisfied stage of quietness and calmness with no interest in fame or wealth. There is no need to make use of hair dyeing. The snowcapped mountain is itself a beautiful scene of fairyland. Let your looks change from young to old in step with the natural ageing process so as to keep in harmony(和谐) with nature, for harmony itself is beauty, while the other way round will only end in unpleasantness. To be in the company of the elderly is like reading a thick book of deluxe ( better quality ) edition, which attracts one so much that one is unwilling to part with it.

　　As long as one finds where one stands, one knows how to package oneself, just as a commodity sets up its brand by the right packaging.(Words: 333; Time: 6')

　　5. It can be concluded from the text that________.

　　A. people should be packed at all ages

　　B. people should be packed in a special way

　　C. elderly people also care about packing

　　D. proper packing makes people attractive

　　6. According to the author, if you want to keep in harmony with nature, you should________.

　　A. dye your hair

　　B. make up at a young age

　　C. follow the ageing process

　　D. give up fame and wealth

　　7. For the middle-aged, attractiveness________.

　　A. hardly existsB. is the strongest

　　C. comes from the inside

　　D. comes from the appearance

　　8. The underlined sentence means that elderly people________.

　　A. are usually packed like a finely-made book

　　B. experience a lot and have rich knowledge of life

　　C. do a lot of traveling and can give you much information

　　D. enjoy reading thick books of beautiful nature and fairylands

　　key:

　　1. C。 细节题。根据第四自然段我们知道, Florence Chadwick第一次失败是因为她看不到陆地。

　　2. B。词义推测题。根据上下文They urged her not to quit. 以及With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.我们可以推测她当初并没有想到过放弃,只不过后来情况发生了变化。

　　3. D。事实确认题。 原文Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.的意思是:她是第一个从两个方向游过英吉利海峡的妇女。但并不等于说以后就没有妇女能从两个方向游过英吉利海峡。故D项错误。

　　4. A。短文给我们的人生启示是:如果我们能看清前面的目标,我们就能成功。故A项(看清楚心中的目标)最佳。B、C为细节,不具有概括性,不能作为标题。D项(为自己制订目标),显然与短文主题不符。

　　5. D。推测题。根据文中第一段第三句话可知,适当的包装会使人更具魅力。

　　6. C。细节题。根据第二段中Let your looks change from young to old in step with the natural ageing process so as to keep in harmony with nature, for harmony itself is beauty,...可知,要与自然保持和谐,就要遵循自然的衰老过程。

　　7. C。句意理解题。根据文中第二段第五句可知,保持自信和进行开拓性的工作都是一个人内在的美,中年人的魅力正在于此。

　　8. B。句意理解题。作者把老年人比作是一本精装版的厚书(a thick book of deluxe edition)是想说明老年人阅历丰富,知识渊博。

　　(文/高利平；英语通高三版2004年第5期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)