Over the past decades, experts have done a considerable amount of research to explore different ways to encourage children’s learning. Especially, there has been a common focus on how physical activity, separated from the learning activities, can improve children’s learning. However, there has been less of a focus aimed the potential of integrating physical activity into the learning activities.
The main purpose of the Basket Mathematics study conducted at five Danish primary and elementary schools by researchers from the University of Copenhagen therefore was to develop a learning activity that integrates basketball and mathematics and examine how it might affect children’s motivation for mathematics.
756 children from 40 different classes at Copenhagen area schools participated in the project, where about half of them－once a week for six weeks－had Basketball Mathematics during gym class, while the other half played basketball without mathematics.
“During classes with Basketball Mathematics, the children had to collect numbers and perform calculations associated with various basketball exercises. An example could be counting how many times they could sink a basket from three meters away vs at a one-meter distance, and adding up the numbers. Both the math and basketball elements could be adjusted to suit the children’s levels, as well as being adjusted for whether it was addition, multiplication or some other operations that needed to be practiced,” explains Linn Damsgaard, a leading researcher.
The results showed that children’s motivation for math integrated with basketball was 16% higher compared to classroom math learning. Children also experienced a 14% increase in self-determination compared with classroom teaching. Meanwhile Basketball Mathematics improved their math confidence.
“We are planning to do research to examine whether the Basketball Mathematics model can strengthen performance in mathematics. Once we have the final results, we hope that they will inspire school teachers and principals to prioritize more physical activity and movement in such subjects. Eventually, we hope to succeed in putting these tools into school system and teacher education,” says Associate Professor Jacob Wienecke.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To show the advantage of the study. | B．To explain the reason for the study. |
| C．To conduct a review of past research. | D．To introduce a way to raise math grades. |
| A．All kids didn’t play basketball. | B．Kids were divided into 40 groups. |
| C．It studied kids’math performance. | D．It tailored activities to different kids. |
| A．More motivation for exercise. | B．More confidence in basketball. |
| C．A gain in desire to learn math. | D．A rise in determination to learn. |
| A．Make math learning easier. | B．Inspire students’ math confidence. |
| C．Build physical activity into teaching. | D．Notice the benefits of physical exercise. |
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【推荐1】For eight years, American Alex Honnold dreamed about climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any safety equipment. But whenever Honnold went to the park and looked up at El Capitan, he became frightened.
That changed last Saturday. Honnold, a world-class rock climber, reached the top of the great rock wall in about four hours. He used only his hands and feet. He is the first person ever to climb the 914-meter high granite wall alone and without ropes or safety equipment to catch him if he fell.
Honnold began preparing for his historic climb two years ago. He climbed El Capitan while wearing safety equipment countless times. He tried to memorize every hole he had to hold and the positions of his body. He repeated the climb again and again, until he felt sure enough to try the so-called “free solo” climb.
The most difficult part of the trip is about 700 meters off the ground. At that point, the very small holds in the rock are only big enough for a thumb to fit. But Honnold said the climb was more mentally difficult than physically difficult. “Each year I would show up and it would seem just much too daunting,” he said.
Observers say Honnold’s climb has pushed the limits in a sport that requires a high level of physical ability, risk-taking and mental strength.
The climb up El Capitan once took climbers several days to complete with the aid of ropes, safety equipment and a partner. But in the past 20 years, speed climbers working with a partner and using ropes have set records in reaching the top.
In January 2015, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson became the first to “free climb” the Dawn Wall, a very steep climb to the top of El Capitan, They used ropes only to catch them if they fell. They reached the top in 19 days.
Honnold has an extreme ability to control fear and his body for a long period of time.
1. What’s the most difficult part of Honnold’s free-solo climb according to himself?| A．Mental difficulty. |
| B．Physical difficulty. |
| C．No safety equipment and no partner. |
| D．The very small holds about 700 meters off the ground. |
| A．impressive | B．attractive |
| C．high | D．frightening |
| A．They sang high praise of it. |
| B．They thought it was meaningless. |
| C．They criticized him for its danger. |
| D．They thought it took too much time. |
| A．El Capitan is Conquered by Humanbeing |
| B．Climber Reaches the Top of El Capitan Without Ropes |
| C．Climber Overcomes His Fear to Land on El Capitan |
| D．No One Dares the Bare-handed Climbing Except Honnold |
【推荐2】Professional rock climber Emily Harrington has made history after successfully free climbing Yosemite National Park's El Capitan last Wednesday.
Harrington, 34, became the fourth person—and the first woman—to ever scale the 3,000-foot El Capitan without the help of a rope or other equipment. “The people before me who have achieved this are kind of like some of my heroes in rock climbing,” she said, “so it feels pretty special to join that group.”
But Harrington's climb was not without injury—at one point, she slid and was left with a serious wound on her forehead that required her to take a break. “I took a fall and I couldn't get my feet out and my head actually hit the wall,” she recalled, “I got this wound on my forehead. I rested a little bit longer, bandaged (包扎) it up, and then tried again,” Harrington said，adding that although she “kind of didn't really want to try again,” she powered through because “ I felt like I should try again.”
After 21 hours and 13 minutes, Harrington scaled all of El Capitan, achieving a feat (壮举) she failed to finish twice last year. “That was my life dream. I achieved it,” she said.
Harrington said she's hopeful that her journey has inspired others. “I hope that as a result of my story more people will get to experience climbing, or at least try.”
Harrington previously scaled Mt. Qomolangma, the tallest mountain in the world. As a former member of the USA climbing team, Harrington has competed in five U. S. sport climbing championships and two North American championships.
1. What do we learn about Harrington's conquering El Capitan?| A．She took no tools to help her. |
| B．She climbed up the mountain freely. |
| C．She was the first person to climb El Capitan. |
| D．She got the fourth place in the competition. |
| A．Remove. | B．Mount. |
| C．Measure. | D．Weigh. |
| A．The risk of the climbing. | B．Harrington's determination. |
| C．The meaning of failure. | D．Harrington's expert skills. |
| A．Harrington's achievements. | B．US sport climbing events. |
| C．The climbing team's arrangements. | D．The secret to Harrington's success. |
| A．A travel journal. | B．A story book. |
| C．A news report. | D．A science magazine. |
【推荐3】4 Key Strategies for Running to Lose Weight
As one of the most active exercises out there, running is an extremely efficient way to burn calories and lose weight. A 150-pound person will burn approximately 100 calories per mile when running.
1. Healthy Eating is the First Step
If you want to lose weight by running, keep in mind that you’ll only lose pounds if you burn more calories than you consume. To lose a pound, you have to burn, through exercise or life functions, about 3500 calories.
2. Follow a training schedule
Sticking to a training schedule is a simple way to stay motivated to run.
3. Run regularly
If you don’t want to follow a schedule, you still need to have some consistency with your running because you won’t lose weight by running once a week. It’s best to get some activity every day.
4.
Incorporating speed work or interval training (running at a very fast speed for short intervals of time) into your running routine can also help your weight loss efforts. Speed work burns a great amount of calories in a short period of time. You’ll also increase your muscle mass, causing you to burn more calories throughout the day.
| A．Keep it challenging |
| B．Eat for Performance |
| C．You’ll know exactly what you need to do every day and each run builds on the next. |
| D．So you’ll need to combine running with a healthy diet. |
| E．If you’re hoping to use running to lose weight, here’s some advice on how to be successful. |
| F．Here are ways to improve your running motivation. |
| G．But if that’s not possible, try to shoot for at least 3-4 times per week. |
【推荐1】A graduation gift has a special meaning for people, particularly as the years pass. What is the best gift to give a graduate? It should encourage their dreams.
1. Life success
Let’s have a quick look at life success and why dreams and goals are so important. Life success lies in the dreams we have and the goals we set and achieve. Researchers found that concrete (具体的) dreams and goals, and your ability to carry out a plan to achieve them, play a big part in your life success.
2.
The best graduation gift should encourage a graduate’s dreams with one eye on the past and the other on the future. In practical terms, it should have emotional meaning, usefulness and convenience so that it can be easily carried with the young person.
3.Thank-you notes
| A．A dream gift |
| B．A useful book |
| C．Books can act as the ideal graduation gift. |
| D．For the graduate receiving gifts — don’t forget the thank-you notes! |
| E．After receiving a graduation gift encouraging your dreams, you can be more successful. |
| F．This guide offers ideas for the ideal gift to encourage a graduate’s hopes and dreams. |
| G．So, that is why encouraging and supporting a graduate’s dreams and goals should be a big part of any graduation gift. |
【推荐2】According to Hina Talib, gratitude is like a secret ingredient to happiness and it gives children the ability to see hope during difficult times.
Help kids show heartfelt appreciation
Hina Talib says that gratitude is heartfelt only when it has accomplished four key goals, 1) Whether expressing gratitude helps children notice desirable experiences, relationships and gifts, including things they already have; 2) Whether it helps them think about why they have received these things, what it takes for someone to give them, or what leads to them receiving the things; 3) Whether it connects their positive feelings with the people; 4) Whether it encourages acts of appreciation toward givers and the others.
Acknowledge your child’s gratitude
Build gratitude routines
Journaling is a great way to help kids identify and express what they’re grateful for. For older children, Hina Talib recommends a three -good-thing approach: Every night, help them write down three things that went well, made them smile, or they were grateful for that day. Note a few details and how they made them feel.Younger kids can try filling a gratitude box with little notes as a reminder of practising gratitude.
Parents who have trained themselves to express their own gratitude will likely see kids do the same. It can be as simple as sharing what they’re looking forward to each morning or explaining why they’re leaving a card for the mail carrier. From these conversations, children can learn to be grateful for daily things.
| A．Be a model for gratitude |
| B．Practise pay-it-forward gratitude |
| C．When is the best time to talk about it |
| D．Whatever you choose to do, keep it simple and interesting |
| E．Are you ready to build an attitude of gratitude in your child |
| F．If you see your kid doing something nice for a friend, call it out |
| G．Working through all these four goals will help your child express true gratitude |
【推荐3】A company has just launched(发起) what it calls “the world’s first free standardized English test” recently. Anyone can take the test for free. The new exam is called the EFSET, which is short for Education First Standardized English Test. The company, Education First, is known by the letters EF.
It is reported that there are two billion English language learners worldwide. Many of them are interested in attending an American college or university. To do so, foreign students need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language—better known as TOEFL. However, many foreigners are not rich enough to take the TOEFL. In addition, test-takers often have to travel overnight to reach an official testing site. The World Bank says an average Cambodian worker earns only about $1,000 per year. The cost of taking the TOEFL is about 17.5 percent of the average worker’s yearly wage.
It is not just individuals who find the test pricey. Some governments also find it too expensive. What’s more, not everyone needs official results from the TOEFL or IELTS—the International English Language Testing System. In the future, it’s likely that the government may use the EFSET to test millions of employees and students.
Experts believe that the EFSET meets the highest value in language testing. It uses special computer software that makes the questions easier or harder, depending on one’s performance. The EFSET measures all the English learners’ levels while the IELTS and TOEFL only measure learners’ levels from intermediate(中等的) to advanced. The EFSET is unique in the sense that it gives free online access to anyone interested in measuring their English level.
There is a 50-minute and a two-hour version of the test, which its developers are calling the EFSET Plus. Both versions test only reading and listening skills. It’s hopeful that speaking and writing skills will be tested in the future. The IELTS and the TOEFL still use humans to rate the speaking and writing sections. It’s a huge deal for students who are in areas where they can’t get to the TOEFL or the IELTS. However, it is too early to know whether the EFSET results are acceptable for colleges and universities in America.
1. Why do many foreign students take the TOEFL?| A．To learn English well. | B．To be admitted to key universities. |
| C．To receive further education in America. | D．To find good jobs and earn much money. |
| A．The cost of taking the TOEFL is very high. |
| B．Only rich people can take the TOEFL. |
| C．There are many official testing sites for the TOEFL around the world. |
| D．Few of the students in Cambodia can afford to take the TOEFL. |
| A．It is similar to the TOEFL and the IELTS. |
| B．Everybody with different English levels can take it for free. |
| C．It tests the skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking. |
| D．American universities accept the EFSET results for admission. |
【推荐1】In the amazing natural environment, some birds capture our imaginations. We point to swans as an example of true love since they mate for life. We admire eagles for their power to fly at high altitudes. Owls have been associated with wisdom since the ancient Greeks used an owl for the symbol of Athena, goddess of wisdom. White storks (白鹳), too, deserve high praises, which have been featured in legends since ancient times.
Storks are migratory (迁徙的) creatures which winter in tropical Africa. In spring they make the exhausting trip back to Central Europe, arriving from the end of February to mid-April at the previous year’s nesting site. The Germans and Dutch often constructed high platforms on their roofs for storks to build nests on because they believed storks brought good luck. Germans also believe storks found babies in caves and delivered them to new parents. The parents would let the storks know they wanted a baby by leaving candy on a windowsill (窗台).
A romantic stork story has touched people around the world, especially people in Croatia. In 1993, a retired man named Vokic came upon a wounded female stork near a small Croatian village. Vokic took her home, named her Malena, fed her and kept her company. They even watched TV together. In 2002, Malena acquired a mate named Klepetan. Every fall for 19 years, Klepetan would migrate to South Africa and then return to Malena in Croatia each spring. People would anxiously await the news of Klepetan’s return. Over the years the long-legged couple raised 66 chicks. Vokic built nests for them and helped out with the chicks. Sadly, Malena passed away in 2021, and Croatians mourned. Vokic’s hope is that Klepetan will return this year and perhaps find a new mate.
Malena and Klepetan’s story makes it appear that storks are monogamous (一夫一妻的), but that isn’t always true. They can change mates after migration. Whether storks mate for life or not, they are beloved by many.
1. Why does the writer mention another three types of birds before white storks?| A．To advise readers to protect the birds. |
| B．To help readers to remember the names. |
| C．To guide readers to understand the following. |
| D．To encourage readers to create the imaginations. |
| A．Babies. | B．Germans. | C．Candies. | D．Caves. |
| A．To have a baby. | B．To feed the stork. | C．To catch the bird. | D．To win good luck. |
| A．Vokic is good at keeping storks. |
| B．White storks are monogamous birds. |
| C．Croatia is suitable for storks raising chicks. |
| D．Man and storks are in a harmonious community. |
【推荐2】With the coming of online book buying, many have predicted that the book-stores will disappear eventually. To the book lovers, nothing beats walking through a bookshop, looking at all the covers, picking up large heavy books and turning them over. The smell of ink on paper, and conversations with strangers about authors are amazing for them. And we’re grateful that there’re beautiful bookstores still out there.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid
Designed for the music director Max Glucksmann, this building was opened as a show-stopping theater called Teatro Gran Splendid in Buenos Aires in 1919. After nearly a century of hosting tango (探戈舞) masters, the great space was rented by a firm, Grupo Ilhsa, in 2000. The former theater now serves as the group’s flagship bookstore; more than 1 million people visit it annually.
The Book Barge
The Book Barge is a 60-foot canal boat bookshop. Inspired by the Slow Food movement, Henshaw says, “We hope to promote a less hurried and busy lifestyle filled with leisure and pleasure here, through cups of tea, conversations, culture and of course, an extremely good Book Barge purchase.”
La Caverne aux Livres
At La Caverne aux Livres in north of Paris, an old postal train station and several mail-sorting train cars have become home to a ranging collection of used books for sale. Visitors often spend hours looking through the broad selection there, surrounded by an atmosphere of old letters and dreams of faraway places.
Selexyz Dominicanen
For those who regard bookstores with great respect, welcome to Swlexyz Dominicanen: a 13th-century Dominican church in Maastricht, Holland. Later, the big space of the church was used to store bicycles. Several years ago, the church was changed to a bookstore. This glorious (哥特式的) building was redecorated by a design firm; the result is nothing short of a miracle.
1. What do the book lovers care about most according to Paragraph 1?| A．Finding the latest books online. |
| B．Reading the newly published books. |
| C．Communicating with different readers. |
| D．Getting certain experiences in bookstores. |
| A．Reminding people of an enjoyable life. |
| B．Teaching people local culture. |
| C．Providing relaxation for people. |
| D．Offering pleasant entertainments. |
| A．They both have a long history. | B．They were both used as theaters. |
| C．They both lie in Holland. | D．They both have a gothic style. |
| A．El Ateneo Grand Splendid. | B．The Book Barge. |
| C．La Caverne aux Livres. | D．Selexyz Dominicanen. |
| A．To encourage people to read. |
| B．To introduce four bookstores. |
| C．To appeal to people to buy books in these bookstores. |
| D．To call on readers to pick the most outstanding bookstores. |
Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship in health. A 10-year Australian study found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the danger for obesity among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties(关系) could improve brain health as we age.
“In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t well realized,” said Rebecca, a professor at the University of North Carolina. “Friendship has a bigger effect on our psychological (心理的) health than family relationships.”
While many friendship studies are about the close relationships of women, some research shows that it can do good to men too. In a six-year study of 736 middle-aged men, having friendships reduces the risk of heart attack. Only smoking was as important a danger factor (因素) as having little social support.
The exact reason why friendship has such a big effect isn’t clear. While friends can send a sick person to the hospital or pick up medicine, the advantages go well beyond physical help. Friendship clearly has a big psychological effect. “People with stronger friendships feel like there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen, a doctor. “The message of these studies is that friends make your life better.”
1. The three studies in paragraph 2 show that .
| A．old people need friends the most |
| B．friends can help us lose weight |
| C．social ties have something to do with health |
| D．having more friends makes us healthier |
| A．Friendship is more important to women than to men. |
| B．What people need most is a friend’s care. |
| C．Friendship is more important than family relationship |
| D．The value of friendship hasn’t been fully understood. |
| A．the cause of heart attack |
| B．the danger of having no friends |
| C．smoking is bad for men |
| D．friends’ influence on habits |
| A．fatness | B．unhappiness |
| C．excitement | D．health |
