A
This time last year I entered two longdistance massparticipation swimming events, including the Jubilee River 10 km swim. At the last minute, just before both swims, I decided to pull out. The reality is, I live in fear of coming last.
Last year, before the two events, I realized that I couldn't deal with coming last. I had looked at the swim times of those who had completed the previous year and calculated that, at my current swim pace, I would probably have come last in both. I just couldn't face it. But when next year came around, I decided to enter those same events again.
For a few months, I trained hard, but I didn't get any faster. Then it was June 5, the day of the Jubilee River 10 km. The event started at 9：30 a．m., and the swimmers were anxious and eager to start. As I swam along, the river was quiet and clean and everything was peaceful. The sun shone. Meadows (草地) rolled by and every now and then someone would wave at the scene unfolding in the water.
As the day wore on, somehow I didn't mind that, predictably, almost everyone was ahead. There were at least some swimmers still near me, and although we shared the same river we quietly occupied our own spaces. As I concentrated on doing my own thing, watching the sky, the bank, the other swimming caps passing or not passing, I realized I was enjoying myself.
In the end, four hours and 29 minutes after I'd started, I staggered (摇摇晃晃地走) out of the water and was greeted with a smile and a “well done” from the race organizer. I glanced back over my shoulder toward the water and noticed that there were a small handful of swimmers who were still to finish, behind me, out of a field of around 300 swimmers. But it didn't matter. I_was_just_relieved,_proud_and_happy_to_finish.
As I drove away, my thoughts turned to my next long race of the season and how much I was looking forward to it, my fears of coming last gently receding (渐渐远去)．
语篇解读：作者通过描述自己参加游泳比赛的经历告诉我们：最后一名并不可怕，关键是要学会享受比赛的过程。
1．The author intended to quit swimming mainly because ______.
A．she feared that she couldn't finish the two races
B．she was afraid that she would let family members down
C．she was unwilling to accept the possibility of finishing last
D．she wasn't fully prepared for the two races
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句可知，作者放弃比赛是因为害怕自己是最后一名。故选C项(她不愿接受成为最后一名的可能性)。
2．What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 5?
A．She took pride in leaving all the other swimmers behind.
B．She was proud that she was not the last one in the race.
C．She was glad to finish the race and had a sense of relief.
D．She was proud to be praised by the organizer.
解析：选C 句意理解题。根据画线前一句“But it didn't matter.”可知，relieved意为“减轻的；缓和的”，这和C项中的a sense of relief(解脱感)意思相符；proud and happy to finish在句中作伴随状语。该句意为“我只是松了一口气，为自己完成比赛感到骄傲和快乐”。故选C项。
3．It can be inferred from the end that the author is likely to ________.
A．participate in another race without any hesitation
B．analyze the reason why she failed in the race
C．lose confidence completely
D．decide whether she is suitable for the race
解析：选A 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“my thoughts turned to my next long race of the season and how much I was looking forward to it”可知，作者期望着参加下一次比赛，故选A项(毫不犹豫地参加另一次比赛)。
