2015届黄石二中、鄂南高中、鄂州高中三校高三上学期英语试题

2015届黄石二中、鄂南高中、鄂州高中三校高三上学期

期中联考英语试卷

命题人：鄂州高中夏鄂华彭梅芳审题人：黄石二中张艳

第一部分：听力（共两节，满分30分）

第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）

听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

1.Why doesn't the man wear his yellow shirt?

A. It’s missing .

B. Two buttons are off it.

C. He doesn’t like it.

2. How is the woman going to work?

A. By bus.

B. By bike.

C. By taxi.

3. Where is the leather sofa now?

A. In the bedroom.

B. In the living room.

C. In the dining room.

4. What are the speakers mainly talking about?

A. A classmate.

B. A message.

C. A teacher

5. Where does the conversation probably take place?

A. In a shop.

B. In a hotel.

C. In a restaurant.

第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）

听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题。从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间，每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第6段材料，回答第6至7题。

6. When will the students arrive at the museum?

A. At about 8:00 a.m.

B. At about 9:00 a.m.

C. At about 10:00 a.m.

7. How does the woman feel about the trip?

A.Expectant.

B. Worried.

C. Bored.

听第7段材料，回答第8至9题。

8. What do we know about the woman?

A. She is a teacher.

B. She earns a lot from her job.

C. She is happy to help people.

9. What does the woman do on weekends?

A.She works as a teacher.

B. She reads stories to children.

C. She takes care of children at home.

听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。

10. Where will the speakers meet tomorrow?

A. At the head office.

B. At the Hotel Nikko.

C. At Darling Harbour Station.

11. What will the speakers do tomorrow morning?

A. Visit the harbour.

B. Have a meeting.

C. Go to the Opera House.

12. What can we learn about the man?

A. He has never been to Australia before.

B. He knows the woman well.

C. He doesn't enjoy his flight.

听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。

13. Why does the man choose the woman' college?

A.He wants to live in this city.

B. He is influenced by his friend.

C. He can be taught by famous teachers.

14. What worries the man most about this course?

A. He has to work hard.

B. He is not good at maths.

C. He doesn't know how to control a class.

15. What is the man going to do?

A. Take a train.

B. E-mail the woman.

C. Go into training.

16. What do we know about the man?

A. He knows little about the course.

B. He is always confident.

C. He wants to be a teacher.

听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。

17. What is one of the purposes of this speech?

A.To persuade parents to call the helpline.

B. To tell people how to teach the children.

C. To invite people to become the volunteers.

18. How does the call center help the parents?

A. It provides them with babysitters.

B. It offers them some advice.

C. It gives them training courses.

19. What do the volunteers need to do?

A. Visit the parents in their homes.

B. Work at least four hours a week.

C. Go to a call center on weekdays.

20. How many call centers does the helpline have in England?

A. 8.

B. 6.

C. 2.

第二部分：词汇知识运用（共两节，满分30分）

第一节：多项选择（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

从A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

21. Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared at the Sochi Olympic opening ceremony, China’s strong support for the Olympics and Russia’s efforts to host the Games.

A. declaring

B. announcing

C. sponsoring

D. signaling

22. Since the earth’s resources are getting fewer and fewer, recycling industry certainly big benefits in the near future.

A. promises

B. attempts

C. demands

D. invests

23. Words mean more than what is on paper. It takes the human voice to fill them with shades of deeper meaning.

A. set off

B. set up

C. set down

D. set aside

24. Judging the voice not by appearance but by the voice itself makes the TV show from numerous amusement programs.

A. hold out

B. stand out

C. stretch out

D. turn out

25. We went through the report but what disappointed us was that the detailed information we wanted wasn’t proved anywhere.

A. thoroughly

B. absolutely

C. entirely

D. completely

26. I am about the new model, and I firmly believe that there will be a good market for it.

A. concerned

B. doubtful

C. confident

D. particular

27. My schedule is very now, but I’ll spare some time to give you a hand.

A. flexible

B. short

C. regular

D. tight

28. Nowadays, many people walk and cycle to work the government calling for living a low-carbon lifestyle to deal with global warming.

A. in response to

B. in relation to

C. in addition to

D. in charge of

29. When asked how he came up with the excellent idea, he said one of his childhood experiences was the original to begin his story.

A. application

B. evaluation

C. creation

D. inspiration

30. It is really important for parents to reach a between what they want and what their kids desire.

A. conclusion

B. compromise

C. communication

D. permission

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

At the airport, I looked closely at the face of my son, Daniel, his backpack by his side. We were saying good-bye. In a few hours he would be flying to France to 31 a different life . It was a transitional（过渡期的）time in Daniel’s life. I wanted to leave him some words of 32 . But nothing came from my 33 and this was not the first time I had let such a moment 34 .

When Daniel was five, I took him to the school-bus stop on his first day of kindergarten. He looked at me -- as he did now. ―What is it going to be like, Dad? Will I be okay? ‖ And then he walked up the 35 of the bus and disappeared inside. And the bus 36 . And I had said nothing.

A decade or so later, a similar 37 played itself out. I drove him to college. I tried to think of something to say to give him 38 and confidence as he started this new life. Again, words 39 me.

Now, as I stood before him, I thought of those 40 opportunities. How many times have we all let such moments pass?

My father and I loved each other. Yet, I always 41 never hearing him put his 42 into words and never having the memory of that moment. Now, I could feel my palms（手掌）43 and my throat tighten. Why is it so 44 to tell a son something from the heart?

My mouth turned dry, and I knew I would be able to get out only a few words 45 . “Daniel," I said, "if I could have picked, I would have picked you." That’s all I could say. I wasn’t sure he understood what I 46 . Then he came toward me and threw his arms around me. For a moment, the world and all its people vanished（消失）, and there was just Daniel and me. He was saying something, 47 my eyes misted（视线模糊）over, an d I couldn’t understand what he was saying. All I was 48 of was the stubble（胡子茬）on his chin as his face pressed 49 mine. And then, the moment ended. What I had said to Daniel was clumsy. It was nothing. And yet, it was 50 .

31. A. experience B. spend C. enjoy D. shape

32. A. consultation B. significance C. necessity D. difference

33. A. head B. lips C. thoughts D. mind

34. A. fly B. remain C. pass D. last

35. A. windows B. chairs C. handles D. steps

36. A. pulled up B. pulled down C. drove away D. drove up

37. A. sign B. scene C. scenery D. sight

38. A. interest B. opinion C. courage D. influence

39. A. failed B. discouraged C. struck D. troubled

40. A. valuable B. embarrassing C. obvious D. lost

41. A. wondered B. regretted C. tried D. minded

42. A. feelings B. views C. actions D. attitudes

43. A. freeze B. hurt C. sweat D. burn

44. A. important B. essential C. complex D. hard

45. A. approximately B. obviously C. clearly D. carefully

46. A. counted B. meant C. valued D. care

47. A. but B. and C. instead D. so

48. A. sensitive B. convinced C. aware D. tired

49. A. by B. against C. on D. with

50. A. none B. all C. anything D. everything

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从没篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

Every September in China, people love to talk about the overprotective parents following their children around everywhere during university enrollment.

Now, with more than 420,000 youngsters in the UK starting their new college school year, what is their first day like? BBC’s Sean Coughlan described it in a recent report.

According to Coughlan, at the very beginning it is not hard to spot something familiar to Chinese – a stream of parents arriving with their sons and daughters at the student village. Mothers, fathers and a teenager – now most likely taller than they are – stand together like the three might have done on the first day of primary school.

“The approach road to the student village is a long traffic jam of family cars, stuffed full with boxes, pillows and nervous families,”he writes. “The door closes on a student’s room and parents and children go their separate ways. For many families, if childhood has a final m oment, this is it.‖

But saying goodbye to parents is not the only similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China. In both cases, new arrivals most want to know about their Internet connections. “It’s their most urgent concern,”notes Coughlan.

Eve n on their first day, university in the UK won’t be an entirely lonely experience for some new students. ―Before they arrive they have been using social networking to get to know their future roommates,‖ writes Coughlan.

Still, the first night is something no UK university student ever forgets. There are people they meet and then spend three years avoiding and people who become their friends for the rest of their lives. First week stories are all about over-partying, bad cooking and misguided clothing, Coughlan says.

As he concludes: ―These new students are entering their own soap opera of romance, friendship and ambition. It’s a huge adventure that they’ve worked for years to achieve.‖

51. What is the author’s purpose in writing the article?

A. To introduce how UK students prepare for college.

B. To show different challenges that college freshmen face in the UK and China.

C. To describe how UK colleges welcome newcomers.

D. To inform us about what the first day of college is like in the UK.

52. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A. On the first day of college, UK freshmen don’t know each other.

B. When the new semester begins, most UK freshmen drive to college by themselves.

C. For many freshmen, when they say goodbye to their parents, they are also saying goodbye to

their childhood.

D. Most British parents stay around their children’s colleges for a few days at the beginning of

the semester.

53. A similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China is that ______.

A. the approach roads to their colleges are packed with cars filled with nervous families

B. they have contacted their future roommates through social networking sites

C. once they get to the campus, they want to make sure that they have access to the Internet

D. they spend their first week getting to know their roommates and partying

54. From the article, we can conclude that Sean Coughlan’s report is ______.

A. descriptive

B. critical

C. sympathetic

D. bitter

B

It’s not so surprising that US First Lady Michelle Obama has called Modern Family her favorite TV series. September saw the fun, heartwarming sitcom take home the Best Comedy Series award at the 2013 Emmys. This is the fourth year in a row that the series has won that title. The show features three families who move in and out of each other’s lives. The first one is a typical American family: the working dad Phil, stay-at-home mom Claire and their three children.

The second family is made up of Jay, his young Hispanic wife and her son Manny. Jay, 65, is the father of Claire. He is 30 years older than his wife and everyone mistakes the two for being father and daughter.

The third family is made up of a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron, and their adopted daughter Lily. Mitchell is Jay’s son.

On Sept 25, the show started its fifth season, in which Claire makes a big change – she returns to work. The other big storylines include Jay’s stepson Manny starting high school and Mitchell and Cameron looking for a primary school for Lily. Will things go right for the three families?

Modern Family has no spies, aliens or vampires (吸血鬼); it’s just about ordinary people. So what has made it such a hit?

According to the Los Angeles Times, its ―presentation of contemporary US society‖ contributes to its success. The show presents what a typical ―nuclear family‖ is like in the US: two parents, a big house and two or three children. When there’s a fight between their kids, Phil wants to be the ―cool dad‖ while traditional mom Claire lives by the saying ―an eye for an eye‖. She always forces Phil to punish the troublemaker.

The show also touches upon developments in interracial relations in the US by focusing on Hispanic communities. This makes sense, as ―by 2040, America will no longer be a majority-white country, with the fastest growth rate among Hispanics…‖ BBC pointed out.

In addition, according to BBC, 40 percent of Americans say they have a gay friend or relative. By including Mitchell and Cameron, Modern Family reflects the changing status of gay people in the US.

“The US is a melting pot …so the family has come to reflect that diversity.”commented The Hartman Group, a US research firm.

55. Which of the following is TRUE about the characters in Modern Family?

A. There are always fights between Phil and Claire because of their different ways of raising

kids.

B. Jay, Claire and Mitchell make up a typical American family.

C. Mitchell and Cameron are a gay couple and they adopted a boy.

D. Jay and his wife are often not thought of as a couple because their ages are so far apart.

56. What’s new in Modern Family’s fifth season?

A. Lily is entering kindergarten.

B. Jay’s grandson Manny starts high school.

C. Phil loses his job.

D. Claire goes back to work.

57. Why is Modern Family so popular?

A. It reflects current US society.

B. It present s what a typical ―nuclear family‖ is like in the US.

C. It includes developments in interracial relations in the US.

D. It reflects the changing status of gay people in the US.

58. Which of the following best shows the structure of the article?

C

Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves – all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph.

1. Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956)

Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery.

Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous.

Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized (麻醉) his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein. He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart.

2. Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005)

Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that gastritis was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid. But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori.

So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting each morning – he indeed had gastritis.

3. Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011)

This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer.

Steinman knew he couldn’t yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity.

With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies. Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.

59. What’s the main purpose of the article?

A. To introduce a few Nobel prize winners who did experiments on themselves.

B. To list difficulties that scientists went through in order to make important discoveries.

C. To explain why some scientists chose to experiment on themselves.

D. To introduce some dangerous experiments that Nobel prize winners did on themselves.

60. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A. Forssmann’s experiment ended in failure.

B. Forssmann had the pipe pushed all the way into his heart.

C. Barry Marshall succeeded by drinking some Helicobacter pylori.

D. Barry Marshall’s experiment on himself confirmed that most doctors’ belief about gastritis

was correct.

61. The underlined word ―gastritis‖ in Paragraph 5 probably means ______.

A. a kind of bacteria

B. a kind of stomach disease

C. a new type of therapy

D. a large amount of stomach acid

62. From the text, we can conclude that Ralph Steinman ______.

A. discovered a new type of cancer cell called the dendritic cell

B. tried different therapies containing the dendritic cell on himself

C. had his request to experiment on patients denied

D. believed that he was better than doctors at treating cancer

D

Most nutrition education isn’t very effective. People know that an apple is better than a Snickers bar, but they often eat the Snickers bar anyway. After conducting hundreds of studies on the psychology of how and why we eat, I’ve seen that it’s good to understan d nutrition, but it’s much better to change your eating environment. Doing so can help you make better choices without even thinking about it.

Part 1

We all know children can be stubbornly habitual in what they want to eat. If kids had French fries yesterday, they want them again today. We came up with a simple way to interrupt this default. Instead of asking kids what they want, what if we ask them about someone they admire?

We studied this with elementary school–aged children one summer. We treated 22 kids to apple slices or fries at a fast-food restaurant. The first week, 20 of them ordered French fries, and two ordered apple slices. But the next week, we asked, ―What would Batman eat : apple slices or F rench fries?‖ After they answered for Batman, we asked them what they wanted. This time, the number of kids who ordered apple slices jumped from two to ten— almost half of them.

If you ask yourself before deciding between the salad and the cheesy bacon fries, ―What would my role model choose?‖you’ll be a l ot less tempted. Thinking about what a well-liked person would do makes us less indulgent.

Part 2

If we knew what a skinny person’s kitchen looked like, we could set up our own kitchens in a similar way. Once we got into people’s homes,we took pictures of everything: their dishes, sinks, refrigerator shelves, counters, snacks, pet-food dishes, tables, lighting — even random items held up by magnets on

their refrigerators. Then we spent eight months coding these kitchens to see what thin people do differently.

We wondered if big kitchens turn us into big people. But it turns out that kitchen size isn’t the problem. It’s what you see in the kitchen. The average woman who kept potato chips on the counter weighed eight pounds more than her neighbor who didn’t.―In sight, in stomach.‖ We eat what we see, not what we don’t.

63. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined part ―less i ndulgent‖?

A. self-confident

B. self-controlled

C. self-estimated

D. self-centered

64. What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?

A. To give advice on how to become slim.

B. To warn people that nutrition education is important for our daily life.

C. To tell us that someone children admire may influence their eating habits.

D. To introduce some innovative ways to help us eat healthier.

65. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Changing your eating environment is more effective than understanding nutrition in order

to eat healthier.

B. The role model way has no effect on children at all when they choose what to eat.

C. Setting up our kitchens just like the slim person’s will help us eat healthier.

D. It is not the size of the kitchen but what we see in the kitchen that turns us into big people.

66. What is the best title for part 2?

A. The Slim Person’s Kitchen

B. How to decorate your Kitchen

C. Kitchen size makes a difference

D. Big kitchens are more popular

E

If you remember taking class notes in longhand(速记), there’s a good chance you also remember more about a variety of topics than today’s students do. A study investigated whether taking notes by hand helps you learn better than taking notes on a laptop. It was no contest.

Study authors and psychologists Pam A. Mueller of Princeton University and Daniel M. Oppenheimer of the University of California– Los Angeles conducted three separate experiments involving a total of 327 students. All students got the same lectures, but some used laptops, and others took notes by hand.

When it came to learning the concepts, the handwriters won. When it came to retrieving facts, the groups were comparable, except when given time to go home and look at their notes, at which point the handwriters did better.

“Even when allowed to review note s after a week’s delay, participants who had taken notes with laptops performed worse on tests of both factual content and conceptual（概念的）understanding,‖ the study states.

Learning suffered not because of ―multitasking‖ or the distraction available to students using Wi-Fi–enabled laptops. In the lab, scientists allowed no extraneous（不相干的）activity. Students who paid attention and took deep notes on their laptop still didn’t learn as well—in fact, the study suggests the thoroughness of their notes contributes to the problem.

Laptop users tend to record long, verbatim quotes, which they type mindlessly. Handwriters are more selective. Th ey ―wrote significantly fewer words than those who typed,‖according to the study. By processing and selecting the more important information, they studied more efficiently, said researchers.

Here’s what’s a bit frightening: When the laptop students were instructed to cut down or eliminate the verbatim note taking, they couldn’t. The study adds to a ton of evidence that for learning, writing is better

and that the hand has a ―unique relationship with the brain when it comes to composing thoughts and ideas.‖

Of course, the chance of persuading students to put away their laptops is probably zero. Many of them can’t write longhand, a forgotten subject in many American schools, itself a source of controversy.

So are we stuck with traditional classrooms and learning techniques if we want the brightest pupils? Perhaps not: Another possibility, some have suggested, is apps that permit handwriting on tablets, a compromise that students might accept.

67. The reason why taking notes by hand is considerably better than taking notes on a laptop may be

that_______.

A. longhand note takers engage in more processing than laptop note takers

B. students using laptops paid attention and took deep notes

C. handwriters have a tendency to use long verbatim quotes

D. laptop users are more selective when taking notes

68. What’s the meaning of the underlined word ―verbatim‖?

A. 板书的

B. 冗长的

C. 完全照字面的

D. 重要的

69. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. The experiments show that there are advantages of longhand over laptop note taking.

B. In many American schools, longhand has always been popular with the students.

C. When allowed to review notes after a week’s delay, participants who had taken notes with

laptops performed equivalently to longhand note takers.

D. There is a good chance that many students will put away their laptops and take class notes in longhand.

70. The passage is most likely to be taken from _____.

A. National Geography

B. The Economist

C. Psychological Science

D. Wall Street Journal

第四部分：书面表达（共两节，满分50分）

第一节：完成句子（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）

阅读下列各小题，根据括号内的汉语提示，用句末括号内的英语单词完成句子，并将答案写在答题卡上的相应题号后。

71. Currently an agreement _______________ between the Libyan rebels and the government to

restore Libyan’s oil exports. (reach)

目前利比亚反对派和政府已经达成了协议，以恢复该国石油出口。

72. In the 1880s, a family in Shaoxing gave birth to three sons, _______________ later became a famous writer known as Lu Xun. (old)

在十九世纪八十年代，绍兴的一个家庭生了三个儿子，其中长子后来成为了著名作家鲁迅。73.According to a _______________ theory, the universe began with a ―big bang‖ that threw matter in all directions. (accept)

根据一种广泛接受的理论：宇宙起源于一次大爆炸，这次大爆炸将物质投射到四面八方。74. The apple brought by the vicious Queen looked rosy and tempting, but _______________ a

little bit of it was sure to die. (eat)

邪恶的王后带来的苹果看起来又红又诱人，但是无论谁吃下一小块，就一定会死。

75.In the film Dearest, Tian Peng, a three-year-old boy, was kidnapped by a human trafficker. It was

three years ________________ by his parents. (find)

在电影《亲爱的》中，一个三岁男孩田鹏被人贩子诱拐了。三年之后他才被父母找到。

76.We have realized that there is no point _______________ environment pollution, and we should do what we can to help improve the environment. (complain)

我们已经认识到抱怨环境污染是没有意义的，我们应该尽我们的能力帮助改善环境。

77. It was not until the third week ________________, so some children nearly lost their patience.

(hold)

是直到第三周才举行比赛，所以有些孩子几乎失去耐心。

78.Under no circumstances _______________ the great sufferings Japan brought to us in World

War II. (forget)

我们绝不会忘记二战中日本带给我们的巨大灾难。

79.Today as a senior high school student, I find myself unable to deal with most things in my life. I

_______________ my parents for everything during my childhood！(rely)

如今作为一名高中生，我发现自己没有能力处理生活中的大多数事情。在童年时期我不应该什么事都依赖父母的！

80.Blanketed with heavy haze, this northern city of China looks __________ a construction site. (be)

被严重的雾霾所覆盖，这座位于中国北方的城市看起来仿佛是建筑工地一样。

第二节：短文写作(共1题；满分30分)

请根据以下提示，并结合事例，用英语写一篇短文。

As the French scientist Louis Pasteur put it, chance favors only the prepared mind. If we have a strong desire for success, we must make full preparations for it.

注意：①无须写标题，不得照抄英语提示语；

②除诗歌外，文体不限；

③文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称；

④词数为120左右。

2015届高三三校联考英语答案

听力

1-5 BACAB 6-10 CACBB 11-15 CAACA 16-20 CCBBA

多项选择：

21-25 DACBA 26-30 CDADB

完形填空：

31-35 ABBCD 36-40 CBCAD 41-45 BACDC 46-50 BACBD

阅读理解：

51-54 DCCA 55-58 DDAB 59-62 ACBB 63-66 BDBA 67-70 ACAC

完成句子：

71.has been reached

72.the eldest/oldest of whom; and the eldest son

73.widely accepted

74.whoever ate/anyone who ate

75.before he was found

76.(in) complaining about

77.that the match/game was held

78.will we forget

79.shouldn’t have relied o n

80.as if it were

书面表达：

One possible version:

As the saying goes, chance favors only the prepared mind. I learned this from one of my experiences that I went through during Senior One school life.

When news came that I was not chosen as a member of the volleyball team of our school for my poor performance in the tryout, I was so frustrated that I almost decided to give up playing volleyball. However, my best friend Miranda analyzed my problems, pointing out that my laziness and poor preparation accounted for my failure. From then on, I devoted my spare time to practicing playing and consulting my teacher about skills every day. When another chance of trying out arrived, I got fully prepared and tried my utmost, as a result of which I was selected and became one of the most important players on our school team.

From this story, I am definitely convinced that we are able to seize an opportunity as long as we get well prepared, and that the better prepared we are, the more likely we are to achieve our goals.