A Leap to Honor
Leaping on a narrow balance beam(平衡木) is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13-year-old gymnast, is an expert at it.
To perfect her skills, Lola for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.
That’s especially impressive, she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift constantly. She often sees double and can’t how far away things are.
When she was little, her mom that even though she couldn’t see , she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the right away and gymnastics became her favorite.
Though learning gymnastics has been more for her than for some of her tournaments, she has never quit. She doesn’t let her stop her from doing anything that she wants to.
She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even closes her eyes. “You have to your mind that it’ll take you where you want to go.” says Lola.
To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most for anyone because it’s four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn’t fall the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10---- her highest score yet.
Lola doesn’t want to be differently from the other girls on her team. At the competitions, the judges don’t know about her vision . She doesn’t tell them, because she doesn’t think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her attitude.
Lola never thinks about . She is presently at Level 7 while the highest is Level 10 in gymnastics. Her is to reach Level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she’s learned to other kids she grew up.
Lola is of all her hard work and success. She says it’s helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics, too. Her for others is “just believe yourself”.
A．runs B．teaches C．trains D．dances
A．since B．unless C．after D．though
A．tell B．guess C．assume D．predict
A．suspected B．remembered C．imagined D．noticed
A．deeply B．well C．ahead D．closely
A．task B．sport C．event D．show
A．boring B．enjoyable C．different D．unsatisfactory
A．talent B．quality C．nature D．condition
A．doubt B．advantage C．challenge D．program
A．examine B．express C．open D．trust
A．fearful B．harmful C．unfair D．inconvenient
A．to B．on C．off D．against
A．greeted B．treated C．served D．paid
A．pains B．stresses C．injuries D．problems
A．positive B．friendly C．flexible D．caution
A．defending B．quitting C．winning D．bargaining
A．standard B．range C．view D．goal
A．until B．as C．when D．before
A．proud B．tired C．ashamed D．confident
A．plan B．advice C．reward D．responsibility
The moment I stepped off the plane after a writer’s conference, my youngest son Jeremy greeted me and cried out, “Poster paper, Mama! I need poster paper. We’re having a at school.”
Being a housewife and writer, I felt like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep up with the needs of my . Back at home, Jeremy kept reminding me of the poster paper, but I just couldn’t a minute for it. Gradually though, he began to speak more , almost he were talking to himself. Maybe he’ll just forget it, I thought hopefully. So I put Jeremy’s request at the of my long list of things to do.
My third day home I managed to take fifteen minutes to type an article when a small fell across my paper. I knew who it would be before I . Jeremy stood quietly watching me. Oh, Lord, please don’t let him say it again. I knew what he wanted but I needed to . I smiled at Jeremy and kept typing. He for a few more minutes, then turned and walked away. I almost didn’t hear his . “Competition is over tomorrow, anyway.” The small figure walking out of my room, a silent voice spoke urgently to my heart, “Get him that paper-now!”
“Let’s go to get the paper, Jeremy.” He stopped, and looked at me in “You’re going to the store just for me?” I . Suddenly, a look of shot across his face, erasing the disbelief. I don’t think I’ll ever that moment. Later that day, he worked silently on the all afternoon. And a few weeks later, a large yellow envelope came. Inside it was the Certificate of Award. So was I that I didn’t turned away from his to get him some poster paper.
A．race B．class C．ceremony D．competition
A．colleagues B．family C．neighbors D．relatives
A．spare B．wait C．spend D．lose
A．slowly B．softly C．confidently D．loudly
A．as soon as B．as long as C．as though D．even if
A．bottom B．top C．beginning D．corner
A．letter B．foot C．image D．shadow
A．woke up B．stood up C．got up D．looked up
A．rest B．type C．learn D．exercise
A．widely B．happily C．weakly D．politely
A．watched B．searched C．hesitated D．complained
A．comment B．footsteps C．warning D．advice
A．fell over B．sat down C．turned around D．walked away
A．peace B．astonishment C．relief D．silence
A．doubted B．argued C．apologized D．nodded
A．surprise B．sadness C．disappointment D．excitement
A．enjoy B．remember C．forget D．value
A．story B．question C．poster D．composition
A．grateful B．generous C．forgetful D．selfless
A．opinion B．request C．promise D．gift
Air travel makes some people very nervous. The crowds, the noise and flying itself can cause . But there are classes people can take to help them the fear of flying. And there is training for service dogs that suffer the same problem.
Service dogs almost never the side of the people they care for. You will see them working on buses, trains and other public systems. But the busy environment found at an airport can even the best trained working dog.
People with disabilities depend on their dogs. They want the animals to safely them through security areas. They also need the dogs to remain on duty on the airplane, even when the flying is not . This takes special . The Air Hollywood K9 Flight School is one place where such help can be found.
The school has a piece of equipment that provides the sights, sounds and even the feel of an airplane in flight. Dog trainers say training is based on a simple rule: preparation. Dogs need to be exposed gradually and to the environment, to loud noises, to sounds and other dogs so that when this experience happens to them on a daily basis, they're able to act in a way that they're used to acting and that they don't get .
Dog owners who the training at Air Hollywood K9 Flight School say they now feel much more at ease about future . Their dogs also seem ready for takeoff.
A．trouble B．unease C．accidents D．diseases
A．defeat B．describe C．sense D．record
A．professional B．varied C．free D．similar
A．approach B．bark C．leave D．take
A．association B．running C．transport D．society
A．trouble B．attract C．interrupt D．instruct
A．follow B．guide C．train D．land
A．nervously B．stressfully C．calmly D．enthusiastically
A．speedy B．relaxing C．dangerous D．smooth
A．interest B．attention C．training D．procedure
A．previous B．cooperative C．academic D．successful
A．repeatedly B．abruptly C．occasionally D．instantly
A．bored B．excitable C．energetic D．fragile
A．attended B．inquired C．overlooked D．recommended
A．career B．flights C．security D．generations
A group of wild ducks was flying in formation, heading south for the winter. They formed a beautiful V in the sky, and were admired by everyone who saw them from below.
One day, Wally, one of the wild ducks in the formation, spotted something on the ground. It was a barnyard with a group of _ ducks who lived on the farm. They were waddling (蹒跚而行)around on the ground, quacking （嘎嘎叫）merrily and eating _ that was thrown on the ground for them every day. Wally liked what he saw. "It surely would be nice to have some of that corn," he thought to himself. "And all this flying is very tiring. I'd like to just __ around for a while."
So after thinking it over a while, Wally left the formation of wild ducks, made a sharp __ , and _ for the barnyard. He landed _ the tame ducks, and began to waddle around and quack _ . He also started eating corn. The formation of wild ducks continued their journey South, but Wally didn't care. "I'll __ them when they come back North in a few months," he said to himself.
Several months went by and __ enough, Wally looked up and spotted the flock of wild ducks in formation, heading north. They looked beautiful up there. And Wally was tired of the _ . It was muddy and _ he waddled, there was nothing but duck too. "It's time to leave." said Wally.
So Wally _ his wings continuously and tried to fly. But he had gained some _ _ from all his corn-eating, and he hadn't exercised his wings much either. He finally _ the ground, but he was flying too _ and slammed (猛击) into the side of the barn. He fell to the ground with a thud （重击）and said to himself, "Oh, well, I'll just wait until they fly __ in a few months. Then I'll rejoin them and become a wild duck again."
When the group flew overhead once more, Wally again tried to _ himself out of the barnyard. But he simply didn't have the strength. Every winter and every spring, he saw his wild duck friends flying overhead, and they would _ to him. But his attempts to leave were all __Eventually Wally no longer paid any attention to the wild ducks flying overhead. He hardly even noticed them. He had _ , become a barnyard duck.
A．tame B．ugly C．beautiful D．wild
A．food B．grain C．corn D．vegetable
A．rest B．waddle C．walk D．fly
A．turn B．dive C．land D．circle
A．hurried B．looked C．searched D．headed
A．between B．among C．behind D．within
A．loudly B．sadly C．merrily D．eagerly
A．see B．recognize C．leave D．rejoin
A．strange B．unlucky C．sure D．natural
A．barnyard B．corn C．waddling D．quacking
A．every day B．every time C．everywhere D．nowhere
A．flapped B．spread C．removed D．closed
A．strength B．skills C．friends D．weight
A．got off B．got to C．got up D．got back
A．slowly B．fast C．high D．low
A．back B．south C．north D．overhead
A．lift B．arise C．struggle D．rise
A．call out B．come back C．come over D．call back
A．in return B．in need C．in vain D．in place
A．after all B．above all C．therefore D．however
In an early stage，in Americans’eyes，Ebola was only a disease characterized by fever in Africa． then a man from west Africa died from Ebola at a hospital in Dallas，Texas．And two nurses for him became infected with the virus，which made the US government issue new guidelines(指南)to health workers．
Top American have repeatedly said that most people have little chance of being infected．Experts have that Ebola can only be spread through with an infected person’s body fluid-like blood．But it many Americans are what they have heard．
A recent survey found more than 80 percent of Americans believe that Ebola can be spread in many ，including air forced through the nose or mouth．The Harvard School of Public Health the findings．The study also showed that most adults fear there will be a(n) of Ebola in the United States soon．
survey found that more than 70 percent of Americans would support calls to travel to and from Ebola-affected parts of Africa．
Thomas Frieden heads the U.S．Centers for Disease Control and Prevention．When asked whether officials had considered a travel ban，Mr．Frieden had to say：“We won’t be able to check travelers for when they leave or when they arrive. We won’t be able , as we do ,to take a detailed history to see if they were when they arrive. When they arrive, we wouldn’t be able to impose quarantine（强加隔离）as we now can if they have contact.”
Last week , President Barack Obama urged Americans not to what he called “ panic or fear “.
This week，the administration announced that all travelers arriving in the United States from some African nations are required to pass through one of five airports．
A．Just B．So C．But D．even
A．arranging B．standing C．searching D．caring
A．protect B．attend C．inspect D．accompany
A．physicists B．doctors C．officials D．officers
A．stated B．suggested C．considered D．regretted
A．stay B．contact C．communication D．struggle
A．proves B．happens C．says D．appears
A．studying B．discussing C．questioning D．determining
A．ways B．areas C．organs D．bodies
A．released B．received C．admitted D．rejected
A．set B．income C．decrease D．outbreak
A．The other B．Another C．One D．The same
A．forbid B．expect C．require D．allow
A．foreign B．royal C．African D．federal
A．that B．this C．nothing D．those
A．change B．money C．fever D．crime
A．immediately B．occasionally C．presently D．regularly
A．examined B．searched C．explored D．exposed
A．distant B．high-risk C．common D．slight
A．look forward to B．pay attention to C．give in to D．add up to
Isn't it amazing how one person，sharing one idea，at the right time and place can change the course of your life's history？This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14，I was a high school dropout (辍学学生) with learning disabilities.
One day I met an old man，a bum (流浪汉)．He asked me if I was running away from home，because I looked so ____.Then he told me he had something grand to show me and ____ with me. We walked to the downtown library.
The bum first brought a couple of old ____ and then started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said，“There are two things I want to ____ you. Number one is to never ____ a book by its cover，for a cover can fool you”．
He followed with，“I'll bet (打赌) you think I'm a bum，don't you？”
“Yes，I ____ so，sir.”
“Well，young man，I've got a little ____ for you. I am one of the ____ men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. But a year ago，my wife ____，and since then I have been deeply reflecting on（思考）life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life，one of ____ was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. For the past year，I have been going from city to city doing just that. So，you see，don't ever judge a book by its cover，for a cover can fool you.
“Number two is to learn how to read. For there is only one thing that people can't ____ away from you，your wisdom.” He ____ my right hand and put it upon the books he'd ____ from the shelves，the writings of Plato and Aristotle's everlasting（永恒）____ from ancient times. His ____ request was for me to never forget what he taught me.
A．tired B．young C．familiar D．old
A．share B．remain C．agree D．talk
A．drinks B．stories C．novels D．books
A．teach B．remind C．scold D．confuse
A．read B．open C．judge D．start
A．guess B．hope C．did D．wanted
A．enjoyment B．shock C．surprise D．pleasure
A．strongest B．healthiest C．happiest D．wealthiest
A．died away B．passed away C．went out D．gave out
A．them B．that C．where D．which
A．take B．run C．get D．work
A．shook B．grabbed C．examined D．checked
A．bought B．sold C．lent D．pulled
A．artists B．treasure C．classics D．words
A．parting B．strict C．supportive D．special
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