The final event in the Olympics is the marathon. It is also usually the most exciting. As the leader comes into the stadium to run the last few meters of the 42-kilometer race, the crowd rises to its feet to shout and cheer. The name of the race comes from a battle(战争) in Ancient Greece. According to the story, a soldier ran from the battle field, Marathon, to Athens, to bring the news of a Greek victory against the Persians. He died just after arriving.
The marathon has been an Olympic event since the modern games started in 1896. At first the distance was 40 kilometers—the distance between Marathon and Athens. In 1908, however, at the London Olympics, it was changed. The King of England wanted the runners to leave from his castle in Windsor and arrive in a new stadium in central London. The distance was 26 miles—about 42 kilometers. In fact, the 1908 marathon ended dramatically(戏剧性地). When the leader, an Italian, entered the stadium he turned the wrong way and fell onto the ground. Officials picked him up and helped him to the finishing line, just as the second runner, an American, entered the stadium. The Americans protested(抗议) and in the end the American runner was declared(宣布) the winner. Since then, there have been many more exciting marathons.
In fact, you don’t have to wait for the Olympic Games to run or watch a marathon, as there are marathons in over sixty countries and hundreds of cities around the world today. One of the most famous marathons is in New York, and is watched by two million people around the streets and across the bridges of the city, and past New York’s famous landmarks. But perhaps one of the most beautiful and unique marathons ever is the Great Wall Marathon, which most competitors find is the toughest course to run.
The marathon is the final Olympic event because it is thought to be the hardest. But experts believe that most people—even people who are not very good at sport—can run a marathon, if they train for it.
1. What did the crowd do when the leader came into the stadium?| A．They stood up quietly. | B．They shouted with excitement. |
| C．They carried him to the line. | D．They cried sadly. |
| A．By following time order. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By following space order. | D．By giving reasons. |
| A．The name of the race comes from a battle in Greece. |
| B．The Marathons have the same length all the time. |
| C．The Great Wall Marathon is the easiest course to run. |
| D．People not good at sport cannot run a marathon unless trained. |
| A．The Marathon in London in 1908. |
| B．The Great Wall Marathon. |
| C．The Marathon in New York. |
| D．The Marathon in 1896. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】There’s a new “Papa” Hemingway in the island city where legendary author Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote for most of the 1930s.
More than 100 men competed for the title of “man who most resembles author and former Key West resident Ernest Hemingway” this weekend in Florida—and only one man succeeded. Jon Auvil caught the keen eye of the judges, who awarded him the winner in the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe’s Bar on Saturday. Auvil beat out 124 other men for the title, according to theAssociated Press.
Some of the look-alike hopefuls showed up in wool fisherman’s sweaters—while other contestants wore sportsmen’s clothes. Yet Auvil—a lawyer—wore a cream-colored sweater; it was apparently that touch that helped him take the crown.
The Hemingway Look-Alike Contest participants were judged by the winners of previous contests at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, the Duval Street saloon where Hemingway and his friends frequently gathered.
Crowds of audience cheered enthusiastically for their favorites as they paraded on stage at the bar and took turns speaking. Most participants tried toemulatethe author in his later years, including full beards, as well as the way he behaves, dresses, and speaks.
In addition to appearance, Auvil said he shared other features with Ernest Hemingway including a love of fishing. He has also tried his hand at writing fiction and a bit of nonfiction. “Of course, every man wants to write like Hemingway,” Auvil said. “He represents a lot—romance, masculinity (男子气概), sports, love of the sea, love of a woman, love of children...and life.”
Hemingway, the Nobel Prize-winning author, wrote famous classics includingFor Whom the Bell TollsandTo Have and Have Notwhile living in Key West. The event also included theconclusion of the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition directed by Ernest’s granddaughter,an author.
1. What made Jon Auvil win the contest?| A．His life experience. | B．His passion for writing. |
| C．His unique personality. | D．His special appearance. |
| A．The past winners. | B．The audience present. |
| C．Some famous writers. | D．Hemingway’s granddaughter. |
| A．Challenge. | B．Respect. | C．Copy. | D．Appreciate. |
| A．Being like Hemingway means a lot. | B．Hemingway loved fishing best. |
| C．He suffered much before winning. | D．He writes as well as Hemingway. |
Course 1: General English
General English is designed to develop students’ basic communication skills in speaking and pronunciation, reading, listening, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Tuesday to Friday: 9:00 am to 11:00 am, $ 288 per week.
Course 2: Academic English
Academic English is for students who want to take the IELTS exam or for those who need to use English in a professional area. Monday to Friday: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $ 320 per week.
Course 3: High School ESL
Why not make the most of your time studying in Australia with the help from TIES? We have High School ESL classes each week specifically designed for international students. Tuesday to Friday: 8:00 am to 11:00 am, $ 25 per hour.
Course 4: Night Classes
Do you want to improve your English and get the best possible results in your GRE test? We have two night classes each week designed to meet your needs. Tuesday and Thursday evenings: 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm, $ 60 per day.
Course 5: One on One
If you are interested in some One on One lessons with TIES teachers, we can design a course to meet your needs. One on One lessons can improve your English language skills more quickly and help students who want to take TOEFL. Tuesday to Friday: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $ 80 per hour.
1. If you are an English beginner, you’d better choose .
| A．General English | B．High School ESL |
| C．Night Classes | D．Academic English |
| A．Course 1. | B．Course 2. |
| C．Course 3. | D．Course 4. |
| A．$ 200. | B．$ 300. |
| C．$ 500. | D．$ 600. |
| A．Its lessons are given in the morning. |
| B．It’s especially designed for English beginners. |
| C．It’s more expensive than the other courses. |
| D．Its lessons are designed to only improve writing skills. |
【推荐3】My parents love tennis and they’re members of a tennis club. My older brother was really good at it and they supported him—taking him to lessons all the time. So when I announced I wanted to be a tennis champion when I grew up, I just intended for them to notice me. My mother laughed. She knew I couldn't possibly be serious, for I was just a 4-year-old kid!
Later, I joined the club’s junior coaching group and eventually took part in my first proper contest, believing that my team would do well. We won, which was fantastic, but I wasn’t so successful. I didn’t even want to be in the team photo because I didn't feel I deserved to be. When my coach asked what happened in my final match, I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe I’d lost. I thought I was the better player. But every time I attacked, the other player defended well. I couldn’t explain the result.
After that, I decided to listen more carefully to my coach because he had lots of tips. I realised that I need the right attitude to be a winner. On the court I have a plan but sometimes the other guy will do something unexpected so I’ll change it. If I lose a point, I do my best to forget it and find a way to win the next one.
At tournaments, it’s impossible to avoid players who explode in anger. Lots of players can be negative, including myself sometimes. Once I felt angry and nearly broke my racket! But my coach has helped me develop ways to control those feelings. After all, the judges have a hard job and you just have to accept their decisions.
My coach demands that I train in the gym to make sure I'm strong right to the end of a tournament. I’m getting good results; my shots are more accurate and there’s a chance that I could be a champion one day with hard work.
1. The author said that he was going to be a tennis champion in order to________.| A．please his parents | B．annoy his older brother |
| C．get parents’ attention | D．persuade people that he was serious |
| A．Confused. | B．Nervous. |
| C．Excited. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．Don’t keep thinking about his mistakes. | B．Respect the other players. |
| C．Don’t let the other players surprise him. | D．Follow his game plan. |
| A．He found it difficult to deal with judges’ decisions. |
| B．He broke his racket once when he was angry. |
| C．He stayed away from players who behaved badly. |
| D．He tried to keep calm during the game. |
【推荐1】Interested in getting ahead over the summer? Then stay on course by taking advantage of Alvernia’s Summer Session. It lets you get ahead with a large selection of undergraduate and graduate courses. You can attend the class in classrooms or online, or you can take mixed courses if you like. We offer several flexible sessions at all three locations in the summer to help move you closer toward graduation. All courses are officially recognized and credits you earn are transferable. You don’t have to be admitted to Alvernia to take classes this summer. Our Summer Session is open to all Alvernia students and to students from other colleges and high schools, as well as adult professionals and lifelong learners.
And if you’re taking a course with us, you’ll have full access to the library, gym, cafes, and computer labs. Alvernia’s Summer Session is a perfect option for students who:
●Want to lighten their course load for coming terms.
●Stay on track to complete their degree on time.
●Plan to earn additional credits now to graduate a term early.
●Had trouble with a course during a past term and need to retake it.
●Just want to take a course for fun.
To find out what financial aid options might be available to you, contact the Office of Student Financial Planning by emailing financialaid@alvernia.edu or calling 610-796-8356.
We offer several flexible sessions to help fit your busy lifestyle. You can take classes and also enjoy your summer!(See courses for specific dates by visiting http://www.alvernia.edu/financialaid.)
1. What do we know about Alvernia’s Summer Session?| A．It’s open to students only. | B．It offers courses in three forms. |
| C．It includes high school courses. | D．It provides financial aid to all the learners. |
| A．You will not fail an exam. | B．You may face no course load. |
| C．You may finish your studies a term early. | D．You can be admitted to Alvernia. |
| A．Check the course schedule. | B．Get financial aid information. |
| C．Apply for courses free of charge. | D．Register for Alvernia’s Summer Session. |
【推荐2】Amazon wants to be able to answer the troublesome question: Did I leave the stove on? The latest home security tool by Ring, a home security company owned by Amazon, is the Always Home Cam, a flying drone that can help homeowners check their apartments whenever they’re not in.
The Always Home Cam is a lightweight, self-docking, flying indoor camera that can take a predetermined path set by its user. When used with Ring’s proprietary home alarms systems like the Ring Alarm, the Always Home Cam will take flight and check the house for any potential disturbances. The drone unit can also be controlled remotely and manually. After a flight, the Always Home Cam automatically returns to its station itself for charging. It only records while in flight, too.
You can ask it to fly to check the stove while you’re out, or to see if you left the windows open. It’s also great for checking on naughty pets. The drone has obstacle avoidance technology built-in, and hidden propellers(螺旋桨) to mitigate any damage to household furnishing in the event of a collision. Amazon says the drone will automatically take flight if there’s movement in the house to show you what’s going on.
The device was one of several that Amazon unveiled Thursday as part of its annual appliance event. Due to the pandemic, this year’s version was held online instead of at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters.
The indoor flying camera, called the Ring Always Home Cam, still needs approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, but Amazon said it expects to sell it next year at $250. It will also launch a camera and alarm system for cars next year under its Ring brand.
Critics have raised privacy concerns about Ring, which is best known for its doorbell cameras, citing the company’s close relationship with police departments. Amazon said the drone only records when it is in the air, and that it makes a sound when it flies so any people in the house knows its recording.
1. What’s the main idea of the text?| A．The Always Home Cam can ensure your safety. |
| B．Always Home Cam can guard your house while you out. |
| C．Critics raised privacy concerns about the Always Home Cam. |
| D．New devices were unveiled on Amazon’ annual appliance event. |
| A．It can take a path set by computer. | B．It can record when you are out. |
| C．It can get charged by itself. | D．It can take flight at any time. |
| A．It was unveiled at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters. |
| B．It will be sold at $250 next year. |
| C．It can lessen damage to furniture for its obstacle avoidance technology. |
| D．It records in the air, not found by anyone. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
【推荐3】Children experience advertising in many forms — on TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, movies, the Internet, text messages, social media and more. And advertising works on children. For example, the more TV a child watches, the more toys that child is likely to want and ask for. This is why it's important for children to learn that advertisements are trying to make people purchase something. And advertisers always aim to make their products look good, perhaps even better than they really are.
Advertising affects children in different ways. How children think of advertising can depend on several things, including their age, what they know or have experienced.
At 0-2 years, children can't tell the difference between advertising and actual programs.
At 3-6 years, children can recognize advertisements and tell them from programs, but they don't understand that ads are trying to sell something. And they are likely to think of advertisements as being funny.
At 7-11 years, when children go to primary school, they can understand that advertisements are trying to sell them something, remember advertising messages and recognize some advertising techniques (策略) like advertisements overstating (夸大) how good products are. However, they might not always understand that products aren't as good as advertisements say they are, or that advertisers might not be telling them any of the products' bad points.
To limit the effects of advertising on school-age children, the most important thing parents can do is talk about advertisements and encourage their children to think about what they're trying to do.
It's a good idea to focus on the advertisements that a child sees most often. For example, parents can get their children thinking and developing a questioning attitude. In other words, what's the product in this advertisement? What is it for? Who is it for?
They can also ask their children about the techniques that are being used to sell a product. This can help them work out how an advertisement makes its product look good.
1. What does the underlined word "purchase" in Paragraph I mean?| A．Watch. | B．Say. |
| C．Buy. | D．Discuss. |
| A．They are pretty funny. | B．They are trying to sell toys. |
| C．They are being shown in many ways. | D．They are no different from other programs. |
| A．2. | B．3. |
| C．5. | D．8. |
| A．By guiding them to see through advertisements. |
| B．By teaching them how to run advertisements. |
| C．By buying advertised products and comparing them. |
| D．By talking about the most successful advertisements. |
