In a small village lived Wang Ming, a 16-year-old boy from a poor family. He had a dream to become a great runner.

Wang Ming wasn’t the fastest, nor the smartest in the school. But he had one silent power. For two years, he kept training every morning. And he took part in every local race but always came second or third. His friends laughed at him and said he was wasting his time. Yet, he kept running day after day.

One rainy day, Wang Ming fell over and hurt his foot. Tired and depressed, he sat under a tree, crying sadly. An old farmer asked why. After hearing his story, the farmer pointed to a bamboo forest. “Do you know how long it takes bamboo to grow? For five years, nothing shows above the ground. But during that time, the roots (根) are growing strong. Then, it shoots up nearly 80 feet tall before you know it. That’s the power of never giving up, son. You should be like bamboo.”

One year later came a big race. Wang Ming crossed the finishing line first and won the following races. He finally achieved his dream to be a top runner.

Years later, Wang Ming met the farmer again. “Your words saved me from giving up.” he said. The farmer replied, “I only reminded you. You always have the power.”

1.1. What did Wang Ming want to be?

A A runner.

B A farmer.

C A worker.

D

解析：选A。考点类型：细节理解题 解析：答案定位文章第一段 “He had a dream to become a great runner.”，这句话直接交代王明的梦想是成为一名赛跑运动员。B 选项农民是文中老者的身份，不是王明的理想；C 选项工人，全文没有提到。因此选 A。

2.2. What happened to Wang Ming after his friends laughed at him?

A He was angry.

B He kept running.

C He gave up running.

D

解析：选B。考点类型：细节理解题 解析：定位第二段 “His friends laughed at him and said he was wasting his time. Yet, he kept running day after day.”。句中 yet 表示转折，尽管朋友嘲笑，他依旧日复一日坚持跑步。文中完全没有提到王明生气，排除 A；C “放弃跑步” 和原文内容完全相反。故选 B。

3.3. What does the underlined word “depressed” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A Upset.

B Scared.

C Nervous.

D

解析：选A。考点类型：词义猜测题 解析：depressed 出现在第三段，前文交代王明雨天摔倒伤到脚，后文写他坐在树下 sadly（伤心地）哭泣。结合受伤受挫的处境，可以判断这个词描写低落难过的心情。 A. upset 沮丧、难过；B. scared 害怕的；C. nervous 紧张的。害怕、紧张不符合此时摔倒受挫伤心的情绪，只有 upset 和 depressed 同义。故选 A。

4.4. Why did the farmer tell Wang Ming the story of bamboo?

A To explain how fast bamboo grows.

B To remind him to learn from bamboo.

C To show how strong bamboo roots are.

D

解析：选B。考点类型：推理判断题 解析：老农讲完竹子生长的事例之后，直接给出建议 “You should be like bamboo.”，可以看出讲故事的目的是劝诫王明向竹子学习，厚积根基，不要轻易放弃。 A “解释竹子生长速度”，讲竹子生长只是故事素材，不是最终目的；C “展示竹子根很强大”，只是故事里面的客观内容，不是老者想要传达给男孩的道理。A、C 都是故事本身信息，不是讲故事的意图。故选 B。

5.5. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A Never give up.

B Never laugh at others.

C Never too late to learn.

D

解析：选A。考点类型：主旨大意题 解析：整篇文章讲述王明遭受挫折依旧坚持，竹子的故事核心就是永不放弃，结尾也再次点出不要放弃，全文围绕 “永不放弃” 这一主题展开。 B “不要嘲笑别人” 只是文中一个细小情节，不是文章中心；C“活到老，学到老”，整篇短文没有涉及学习相关内容，属于无关选项。故选 A。