It is 2023 now. Neil Jones is 59 years old. He used to be a tiler (砖瓦匠). At that time, he lived a poor life. 13 years ago, he won a life-changing £2.4 million in the national lottery (彩票).  

The money allowed Jones to leave their job comfortably. Not long after he got the money, he went to the pool hall (台球厅). There he had a good time. His interest in the game led him to buy a good pool table for his home. Because of COVID-19, he had to stay at home. That provided him with the time to refine his pool skills at home. He quickly became a good player. “Winning the lottery allowed me to put those hours in. If I didn’t win, I wouldn’t have been able to buy the table, I wouldn’t have had the time — I’d still be working.”

Although he narrowly missed out on his first England trial in 2021, Jones was given another chance in early 2023. After a wonderful match, he was not only chosen to represent (代表) England in the European Championships in Malta, but also became the captain (队长) of the team.

From a simple act of buying a pool table to the captaincy of the England B1 team, Neil Jones’ journey shows us that dreams can come true if we are willing to chase them with all our heart.

1.When did Jones win the lottery?

A In 2023.

B In 2010.

C In 2013.

D In 2019.

解析：选B。B 数字计算题。根据第一段的“13 years ago, he won a life-changing £2.4 million in the national lottery.”可知，他在（2023-13=）2010年圣诞节前的国家彩票中赢得了240万英镑。故选B。

2.What does the underlined word “refine” mean?

A Battle.

B Shake.

C Mix.

D Improve.

解析：选D。D词义猜测题。根据划线单词后面的“He rapidly became a regular player for his county.”可知，这笔意外之财让琼斯得以舒适地退休，新冠肺炎疫情封锁的到来为他提供了宝贵的时间，他迅速晋升，成为本县的主力队员，因此这些时间让他在家中提升了台球技巧。故选D。

3.What can we know from the second paragraph?

A Winning the lottery helped Jones a lot.

B Jones gave up his love for pool.

C Jones had difficulties practicing pool.

D Jones got much help from his family.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第二段最后两句“Winning the lottery allowed me to put those hours in. If I didn’t win, I wouldn’t have been able to buy the table, I wouldn’t have had the time — I’d still be working.”可知，中奖让琼斯可以投入这些时间在台球练习上，如果他没有中奖，就买不到台球桌，就不能练习了，可能现在他仍然会做瓦工，因此他认为中奖对他的台球事业帮助很大。故选A。

4.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A Jones’ childhood.

B Jones’ achievements.

C Jones’ dream.

D Jones’ skills.

解析：选B。B段落大意题。该段主要描述了琼斯在台球上的成就：进入英格兰国家队并担任队长。故选B。

5.What can be learned from the passage?

A No one can call back yesterday.

B Facts speak louder than words.

C God helps those who help themselves.

D Where there is a will, there is a way.

解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据最后一段的“dreams can come true if we are willing to chase them with all our heart.”可知，如果我们愿意全心全意地追逐梦想，梦想就会成真，因此“有志者，事竟成”符合文意。故选D。