I have been playing basketball since I've been in the 6th grade. I first started out in the summer before 6th grade when I played for the Park District Traveling Basketball Team. This is where I first learned how to play basketball and found out I wasn't very good at it. This is the main reason why I liked football more than basketball, because I was naturally good at football and didn't have to work as hard. But I was always encouraged to never give up, I kept at it and kept working on my basketball skill so I could be good enough to play for my high school basketball team. I played for my high school basketball team during high school.
During those years in high school, I really began to practice hard on improving my basketball skills. My main goal was to get an athletics scholarship to college and get a free education. I indeed achieved this goal and was awarded a two year basketball scholarship at Parkland Junior College. There in my two years I was truly better than I was when I first started out playing basketball, which I know was because of the hard work I put into improving my skills all throughout my life.
After having two good seasons at Parkland on and off the playground I graduated. The final step I had in mind was to come to Northern Illinois University and make the basketball team. Many doubted me and said I wasn't good enough to make the team, but instead of listening to them, giving up or stopping working hard like I've been doing all my life, I worked the hardest. I've worked over the summer. And all the hard work paid off and I am now a member of the Northern Illinois University Basketball Team.
【小题1】Why did the author prefer football to basketball?
| A．His physical condition decided it. | B．He was more skilled at football. |
| C．He was encouraged to like football. | D．He has been playing football for a long time. |
【小题2】For what purpose did the author spend so much time practising basketball in high school?
| A．To be the team leader. | B．To go to a good college. |
| C．To pay no school fees in college. | D．To prove he was good at basketball. |
【小题3】What does the underlined expression in paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Be ignored. | B．Be employed. | C．Be useless. | D．Be rewarded. |
【小题4】What does the story tell us?
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Time is money. |
| C．It's never too old to learn. | D．Failure is the mother of success. |
