Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!

　　　At mile 3, I passed a sign: "GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!"

　　　By mile17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.

　　　By mile 21, I was starving!

　　　As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.

　　　I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.

　　　Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a "marathon winner".

　　　4．A month before the marathon, the author ______.

　　　A．lost hope

　　　B．felt scared

　　　C．was well trained

　　　D．made up his mind to run

　　　5．Why did the author mention the P.E. class in his 7th year?

　　　A． To acknowledge the support of his teacher.

　　　B．To amuse the readers with a funny story.

　　　C．To show he was not talented in sports.

　　　D．To share a precious memory.

　　　6．How was the author's first marathon?

　　　A．He made it.

　　　B．He quit halfway.

　　　C．He got the first prize.

　　　D．He walked to the end.

　　　7．What does the story mainly tell us?

　　　A．One is never too old to learn.

　　　B．. Failure is the mother of success.

　　　C．A winner is one with a great effort of will.

　　　D．A man owes his success to his family support.

　　　Do you always agree to do things that you are unwilling to do? Are you the type of person who always says "yes"? I've come to learn that it is very important to learn to say NO! It's okay. People are still going to like you. They may even respect you more because they know you are honest.

　　　I'm not saying to say "no" to someone who really needs your help. I'm talking about refusing that meeting that you really do not want to attend or that birthday party that you don't want to be a guest at.

　　　Think for a moment how you feel when you say YES to something that you really don't want to do. If you're like I once was，you can't sleep at night and you think about it too much. It weighs on your mind. You try to find ways out. Whatever you're saying to yourself，if you really wanted to go，you wouldn't have all of these thoughts.

　　　So，why not just say NO from the beginning? Maybe you feel like if you don't show up at the meeting (by the way，it is not the one you must attend) your boss isn't going to like you or your co-workers won't respect you. Maybe you feel as if your mom，dad or sisters won't love you as much if you don't do everything for them that they ask every occasion.

　　　If these people are your true friends，family members，or a good boss，they will like or love you the same no matter what. People treat you the way you teach them to, and if you're someone who always says "yes", then that's what they're expecting.

　　　You need to do what is right for you. Of course we do have real obligations in life to fulfill，but we do not have to do everything others want us to do.

　　　8．Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?

　　　A．We should try to do what our friends ask us to do.

　　　B．We should help others in need.

　　　C．Always saying "no" means you are brave.

　　　D．Always saying "yes" means you are dishonest.

　　　9．What does the underlined word '' It" in Paragraph 3 refer to?

　　　A．Saying "yes".

　　　B．A friend's birthday party.

　　　C．Something you're unwilling to do.

　　　D．Something you think difficult to do.

　　　10．The writer believes that if you say "no" to your family members，you'll ______.

　　　A．upset them

B．disappoint them