山西省临汾市2014年高考考前适应性训练考试（三） 英语试题
第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分60分）
第一节 (共15小题；每小题3分，满分45分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上讲该选项涂黑。
A
You must know what BYD stands for? Yes, Build Your Dream. Have you built your dream and spare no effort to achieve it? Here is an inspiring story from http://www.naijamotiveation.com
Eddie Arcaro dreamed of becoming the world’s greatest jockey（赛马骑师）. But after watching him ride a horse for five minutes, reality reflected a rough contradiction. He was awkward and clumsy, and in his early years in the saddle he couldn’t do one thing right.
In his first 100 races he never even came close to winning. Still, he got right back on and trained again. Even as a schoolboy, Arcaro had set his own track in life. Because he was only a little over five feet tall (1.5 meters) and weighed barely 80 pounds (36kg), the other students picked on him. So he skipped school, hanging out at the local race track where a trainer let him ride horses.
His father reluctantly agreed to let him pursue a career as a jockey. The trainer had told him so. “Send him back to school,” he said. “He’ll never be a rider.” In spite of that, Arcaro was determined not just to ride, but to become the world’s greatest jockey. But first someone would have to give him a chance.
He finally got to ride in a real race. Before it was over, he’d lost his whip and his cap and had almost fallen off the saddle. By the time he finished the race, the other horses were on their way to the stables（马厩）. He’d come in dead last. Nevertheless, Arcaro went from track to track, looking for any opportunity to ride.
Finally, a trainer who pitied him took him in and gave him a chance. One hundred losses later, he was still giving him chances. He saw something in this unlucky jockey, something he couldn’t define.
There were many brushes with death and several broken bones. Every time he would return to the saddle. Then Arcaro began to win. In thirty years of riding, he won 4, 779 races, becoming the only jockey in history to win the Kentucky Derby five times. By the time he retired in 1962 he was a millionaire and a legend in his own lifetime.
21. The underlined phrase “picked on” in the passage probably means __________________.
A. paid attention to B. made fun of C. offered help to D. took special care of
22. The trainer who believed in Arcaro gave him chances because _________________.
A. Arcaro had shown great talents in horse racing
B. he thought all that Arcaro needed was a bit of luck
C. he had sympathy for Arcaro for his unfortunate experiences
D. he was impressed by the way Arcaro stuck to his dream
