Dear Guys, I'd like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That's when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me. One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly   agreed. Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn't have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I'm bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I'd be nervous at what I'm sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request. However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, and threw it as hard as I could. It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me. Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, and then picked up the ball again. If you'll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next. The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me. This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn't it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless. Seeing that you weren't going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet,... What the boys said before the writer's third attempt actually made the writer   _  . A) inspired B) encouraged C) awkward D) depressed
C

I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. "Mom, come here! There's a lady here my size!" The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, "It's okay." Then talked to the boy, "Hi, I'm Darry Kramer. How are you?" He studied me from head to toe, and asked, "Are you a little mommy?" "Yes, I have a son," I answered. "Why are you so little?" he asked. "It's the way I was born," I said. "Some people are little. Some are tall. I'm just not going to grow any bigger." After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy's hand and left. My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents. It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf  . Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up. I didn't realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids joked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs. But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality. I'm 47 now, and the stares have not _ as I've grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, "Look what else I have--a great family, nice friends." It's the children's questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect. Which is NOT true about the author according to the passage? A) She suffered lots of discrimination when growing up. B) She is grateful for what she has. C) She doesn't see herself different. D) She thinks people should be treated equally.
C

What could make Michael Jordon, one of the greatest basketball players in history, shed tears?  It was when he became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11. The hall is in Springfield, Massachusetts and honors the best basketball players, greatest coaches and other contributors to the game. "The game of basketball has been everything to me ," said Jordan, 46. "It is the place I have always gone when I needed to find comfort and peace." Jordan retired twice in his 15-year career, finishing with 32292 points, the third highest total points in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. His average of 30.12 points a game is the best in the League. "One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50," Jordan said. "Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion."   In other words, it was motivation that made Jordan such a success.. A great career did not mean a smooth one. His high school coach cut him from the team in favor of a taller player when Jordan was in 10thgrade. His college coach wouldn't allow him on the cover of Sports Illustration in 1981 with North Carolina's four other players because Jordan was a freshman. In his first NBA All-Star game, older NBA stars wouldn't throw him the ball because of jealousy. "That burned me up," Jordan said. "But _ don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." Who scored the highest total points in NBA history? A) Michael Jordon. B) Karl Malone. C) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. D) Kobe Bryant.

C