For every woman who feels like she's had to scale back her personal ambitions since becoming a mother, gold medal cyclist Kristin Armstrong has a message: Don't give up on your dreams. She retired after winning gold in Beijing to start a family; son Lucas arrived in 2010, but then she decided to compete again in the London Olympics. She won a gold medal at last. The decision to start training again wasn't easy. "I struggled with that a lot," she told a newspaper. "At the beginning I felt selfish, I felt like, 'Well, I'm not supposed to be thinking of myself anymore. It's all supposed to be for my kid.'" She faced physical challenges of getting back into competition shape after giving birth, as well. When she started racing in the spring of 2011, she was still breast-feeding; she would nurse her son, then race, then breast-feed again after the race. Her days revolved around Lucas and training. "I feel like I'm able to do what I love to do and still manage a family and have that balance," Armstrong said. "That you have a family or a child doesn't mean that you have to stop going after what you dream of individually." Armstrong makes balance look easy, whether it's on her bike or as an athlete-mom. But she points out that you can't have it all without making some sacrifices. For example, don't expect a neat home--her husband, Joe Savola, who she describes as her support system and her "protector", says he's had to give up on trying to keep everything orderly at home and just accept that their living room has become Lucas's playroom. For Armstrong, she's sacrificed time with friends who had kids around the same age--there just wasn't time. Now, she says, "That sounds like fun to me." As she heads home to Boise, Idaho, she's ready to do regular mom stuff. It was difficult for Armstrong to make the decision to participate in the London Olympics because she _ . A) was too old to train racing B) had to give her family much consideration C) faced big physical challenges D) could not get support from her family
B
(Question)
Eight-year-old Jesse Abrogate was playing in the sea late one evening in July 2001 when a 7-foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse's uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to the store. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road. Jesse's uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this didn't kill it, the shark's jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down onto its stomach, and pull out the boy's arm. At the Baptist hospital in Pensacola, Dr Lan Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse's arm. "It was a complicated operation," he said, "but we were lucky. If the arm hadn't been recovered in time, we wouldn't have been able to do the operation at all. What I means is that if they hadn't found the shark, well then we wouldn't have had a chance." According to local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. "Jesse was just unlucky" he says, "Evening is the shark's feeding time. And Jesse was in the area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in the area where swimming is allowed." When reporters asked Jesse's uncle how he had had the courage to fight a shark , he replied, "I was mad and you do some strange things when you're mad." What was the boy doing when the accident happened? A) Feeding a hungry shark B) Jumping into a rough sea C) Dragging a boy to the shore D) Swimming in a dangerous area
(Answer)
D
It was Saturday when the entire summer world was bright and fresh. Tom looked at the fence, which was long and high, feeling all enthusiasm leaving him. He dipped his brush into the whitewash before moving it along the top board of the fence. He knew other boys would arrive soon with all minds of interesting plans for this day. As walking past him, they would tease him for having to work on a beautiful Saturday--which burnt him like fire. He, putting his hands into his pockets and taking out all he owned with the expectation of letting someone paint, found nothing that could buy half an hour of freedom. At this dark and hopeless moment, a wonderful idea occurred to him, pouring a great bright light into his mind. He took up his brush and continued to work pleasantly with calm and quietness. Presently, Ben Rogers came in sight--munching an apple and making joyful noises like the sound of a riverboat as he walked along. Tom went on whitewashing, paying no attention to the steamboat. "Hello!" Ben said, "I'm going swimming, but you can't go, can you?" No answer. Tom moved his brush gently along the fence and surveyed the result. Ben came nearer. Tom's mouth watered for Ben's apple while he kept painting the fence. Ben said, "That's a lot of work, isn't it?" Tom turned suddenly saying "Here you are! Ben! I didn't notice you." "I'm going swimming," Ben said. "Don't you wish you could go? Or would you rather work?" Tom said, "Work? What do you mean 'work'?" "Isn't that work?" Tom continued painting and answered carelessly, "Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. All I know is it suits Tom Sawyer." "Do you mean that you enjoy it?" "I don't see why I oughtn't to enjoy it." "Does a boy have a chance to paint a fence frequently" said Tom. Ben stopped munching his apple. Tom moved his brush back and forth--stepped back to note the effect--added a little paint here and there. Ben watched every move, getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. After a short time, he said, "Tom, let me whitewash a little." Tom... By using "Tom continued painting and answered carelessly", the author shows Tom _ when he was talking to Ben. A) made mistakes B) damaged things C) was natural D) wasn't concentrating
D