Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees in their years of glory. From the time Mantle began to play professionally in 1951 to his last year in 1968, baseball was the most popular game in the United States. For many people, Mantle symbolized the hope, prosperity, and confidence of America at that time.
Mantle was a fast and powerful player, a “switch-hitter” who could bat both right-handed and left-handed. He won game after game, one World Series championship after another, for his team. He was a wonderful athlete, but this alone cannot explain America’s fascination with him.
Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.
But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.
It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.
The word “accelerated” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.delayed
B.worsened
C.bettered
D.quickened

Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees in their years of glory. From the time Mantle began to play professionally in 1951 to his last year in 1968, baseball was the most popular game in the United States. For many people, Mantle symbolized the hope, prosperity, and confidence of America at that time.
Mantle was a fast and powerful player, a “switch-hitter” who could bat both right-handed and left-handed. He won game after game, one World Series championship after another, for his team. He was a wonderful athlete, but this alone cannot explain America’s fascination with him.
Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.
But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.
It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.
We can see from paragraph 5 that after his father’s death, Mantle ______.
A.forgot his father’s dream
B.suffered a lot of pain
C.led a happier life
D.played even better

We can see from the passage that in the countryside of Britain ______.
A.none of the areas faces the sea
B.only a few farms are publicly owned
C.most beautiful areas are not well preserved
D.it is difficult to travel from one farm to another

The word “enclosed” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.rotated
B.embraced
C.blocked
D.surrounded

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an activity of relaxation in the countryside of Britain?
A.Going swimming
B.Picking fruit
C.Going for a walk
D.Riding a bicycle

What does the word “they” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Those who dream of living in the country
B.Those who go to fruit farms in summer
C.Those who go to the country for a picnic
D.Those who commute to work in towns

Which of the following threatens the countryside in Britain?
A.Protests against the building work
B.Modern farming practices
C.Plants and wildlife
D.The green belt around cities

The phrase “associated with” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.supported by
B.referred to
C.separated from
D.related to

The phrase “reach to the horizon” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.are limited
B.are endless
C.are horizontal
D.are varied

According to the passage, some Americans choose to live in the country because ______.
A.their children enjoy country life
B.they enjoy the safe, clean, attractive environment there
C.hospitals, schools and shops are conveniently located there
D.life there may be easier for them