【推荐1】There are many ways to travel within a city. We can walk, cycle or take a bus. But no matter which way we travel, we have to follow the route the city planners made for us.

Parkour (跑酷) practitioners, however, see the city in a completely different way. To them, there are no fixed routes. There are no walls and no stairs — since they jump, climb, roll and crawl to move across, through, over and under anything that they find in their path. The city is their playground.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has noticed that this activity is attracting more and more people to it — there are 100,000 people taking part in parkour today in the UK alone, according to The Guardian — and how it is helpful for people to be much stronger: It trains coordination (协调) and balance. So, the organization is thinking about recognizing parkour as a new sport and adding it to the 2024 Olympics.

However, parkour practitioners themselves don’t seem to be happy with the idea. They see parkour as “a lifestyle”, wrote the website Next Sport Star. “It’s a competition against the conditions rather than just a sport.”

Indeed, many do parkour just to “escape the daily routine and experience the city in different ways”, wrote reporter Oli Mould on The Conversation. They see parkour as a way to express themselves through relaxing moves and creative routes while freeing themselves from the pressure.

It’s great that the FIG wants to develop a new sport and stay close to a new cultural form. But it would be greater if they knew that not everything in life is a competition.

1. How do the parkour practitioners travel within the city?

A．By following fixed routes.

B．By cycling.

C．By using their own ways.

D．By taking a bus.

2. What does FIG think of parkour?

A．It is a dangerous sport.

B．It should be an Olympic sport.

C．It is becoming a normal sport.

D．It can become a healthy sport.

3. What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?

A．Parkour is a lifestyle in the practitioners’ eyes.

B．Parkour is a daily routine for the reporter.

C．Parkour is already an Olympic sport.

D．Parkour should follow the designed ways.

4. What is the writer’s attitude toward parkour?

A．Negative.	B．Unconcerned.
C．Worried.	D．Objective.

【推荐3】Many of us make it our New Year decision to get more active—but you don’t have to spend a fortune in gyms.     1     But by switching that plan for these following ideas, you can increase your activity and bank balance.

Run it. Going for a jog costs nothing and is one of the easiest ways to build up your body. If running seems like a task, why not try an app to add to pleasure? I love RockMyRun. It understands your personal pace and then matches your music’s beat to it.     2    

Follow fitness influencers. Instagram is full of fitness influencers competing for likes and followers. They often post free short videos showing how they are done.     3     It will save your fees for guidance from a personal trainer, which costs on average £ 30 to 65 an hour.

Weight to go.     4     You can use them to increase your resistance training—zero gym required. Tins   of beans or tomatoes can be used as smaller weights, while 2 litre drink bottles offer heavier resistance.

    5     It may be slightly cold, but there are hundreds of nonprofit community outdoor gyms across the country. With everything from cross-trainers to leg presses, they cater for various training workouts. Find your nearest outdoor gym at tgogc. com.

A．Free outdoor gyms.

B．Great various workouts.

C．It is free to download on Android and iOS.

D．Generally, gyms cost on average £ 40. 53 a month.

E．Heavy kitchen items can be used as hand weightlifting equipment.

F．It is necessary for most people to invest in some hand-held weights.

G．Make the most of their efforts by repeating these at home, or in the gym.

【推荐1】When you choose a friend, you should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability.

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries, to think of ways to be helpful. He is, also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, good friends will be honest to each other and accept each other.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favour, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I’ve found a friend!

1. If you have fair weather friends, what will happen to you?

A．You will become rich.	B．You can be sure that you get real friends.
C．You can get everything when you need help.	D．You will be refused when you get into trouble.

2. Which is the most important the writer thinks in choosing a friend?

A．Reliability.

B．Honesty.

C．Understanding.

D．A sense of humour.

3. What does the underlined word “down” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．cloudy

B．unusual

C．unhappy

D．pleased

4. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．the qualities of a friend	B．where to choose friends
C．how to get along with friends	D．the importance of having a friend

【推荐2】Most adults firmly believe that as kids reach their teens, they start to take crazy risks that get them in trouble. Do teenagers simply love taking all risks much more than adults? A recent study suggests otherwise.

Scientists designed a simple experiment involving 33 teenagers and three other age groups. In the experiment, the researchers tried to distinguish between two very different kinds of risk-taking. The first they called a tendency to take known risks (when the probability of winning is clear) and the second they called a tendency to take unknown risks (when the possibility of success is uncertain).

The study offered participants the opportunity to play two kinds of games. They had the chance to win money, with one game offering a known risk and the other offering an unknown risk. On each round of the game, each participant had to choose between taking a sure $5 and known or unknown risks of winning a lot more. If on one particular round they had picked the $5 for sure choice, then they got $ 5. But if on that round they had chosen to take a risk, the rules of the game will determine whether or not they had won. If they did win, they went home with between $8 and $125. And, of course, if they lost, they went home with nothing.

What the scientists found was really quite surprising. It turned out that the average teenager was very irresolute when risks were known---more careful than college students or parent-aged adults, and as careful as grandparent-aged adults. This means that when the risks were known, teenagers were not risky in their behavior at all. Only when the risks were unclear did teenagers choose them more often than other groups.

So, what does all of this mean? The research suggests that adults should probably focus more energy on trying to educate teenagers about risks than limiting them. Teenagers who understand the risks associated with a decision are more likely to be careful in their behavior.

1. How was this experiment carried out?

A．By dividing the teens into three groups.

B．By comparing the reactions to different risks.

C．By giving equal amount of awards to the participants.

D．By observing the emotional changes of the teenagers.

2. What does the underlined word “irresolute” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．brave.

B．intelligent.

C．independent.

D．hesitant.

3. According to the study, parents should focus on _______.

A．guaranteeing children to be cautious

B．setting age limits on risky activities

C．respecting teens to make their own choices

D．guiding teens to analyze risks

【推荐3】Cheating is considered to be a major problem in colleges and universities. Colleges and universities across the US have decided to do more than talk about the rise in student cheating.

We frequently hear about “the good old days”, when Americans were better, happier, and more honest. But were they more honest? Maybe yes, a long time ago when life was very different from what it is today.

School children used to know the story of how Abraham Lincoln walked five miles to return a penny he’d overcharged a customer. It’s the kind of story we think of as myth. But in the case of Lincoln, the story is true — unlike the story of George Washington and the cherry tree. Washington’s first biographer invented the tale of little George saying to his father, “I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my ax.” What is important in both stories, however, is that honesty was seen as an important part of the American character.

And these are just two stories out of many. Students in the last century usually didn’t read “fan” stories. They read stories that taught moral values. Such stories pointed out quite clearly that children who lied, cheated, or stole came to bad ends.

Parents may have further reinforced those values. It’s difficult to know. We do know that children didn’t hear their parents talk of cheating the government on income taxes — there weren’t any. The vast majority of Americans still believe that honesty is an important part of the American character. For that reason, there are numerous watch-dog committees at all levels of society.

Although signs of dishonesty in school, business, and government seem much more numerous in recent years than in the past, could it be that we are getting better at revealing such dishonesty? There is some evidence that dishonesty may ebb and flow (起伏). When times are hard, incidents of theft and cheating usually go up. And when times get better such incidents tend to go down.

Cheating in school also tends to ebb and flow. But it doesn’t seem linked to the economy. Many educators feel that as students gain confidence in themselves and their abilities, they are less likely to cheat. Surprisingly, some efforts to prevent cheating may actually encourage cheating — a person may feel “they don’t trust me anyway,” and be tempted to “beat the system.” Distrust can be contagious (传染的). But, so can trust!

1. Why does the author mention the two stories of Lincoln and Washington?

A．To show Lincoln is more admired than Washington.

B．To introduce the topic to be discussed.

C．To compare them with the presidents today.

D．To prove honesty used to be very important in American character.

2. What lesson do all the stories try to convey?

A．Those who do something evil will have to answer for it.

B．Those who steal will be put to prison.

C．Those who cheat will be sentenced.

D．Those who don’t behave themselves will die young.

3. What may be a main reason for dishonesty in society?

A．Family life.	B．Fun stories.
C．Economic condition.	D．School education.

4. The underlined sentence ‘some efforts to prevent cheating …..’ means________.

A．Distrust will result in dishonesty sometimes.

B．The measures to stop cheating in schools are badly taken.

C．Dishonesty is a long-time discouragement.

D．There will never be an effective way to stop cheating.

【推荐1】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.

2. What does the underlined word "scale"in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Remove.	B．Mount.
C．Measure.	D．Weigh.

3. What does the writer want to impress on the readers in Paragraph 4?

A．The risk of the climbing.	B．Harrington's determination.
C．The meaning of failure.	D．Harrington's expert skills.

4. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．Harrington's achievements.	B．US sport climbing events.
C．The climbing team's arrangements.	D．The secret to Harrington's success.

5. Where is this passage probably taken from?

A．A travel journal.	B．A story book.
C．A news report.	D．A science magazine.