【推荐1】The Olympic Games are the greatest festival of sport in the world. Every four years, a hundred or more countries send their best sportsmen to compete for the highest honors of the sport. As many as 6000 people take part in over 20 sports. For the winners, there are gold medals and glory. But there is honor, too, for all who compete, win or lose. That is the spirit of the Olympics—to take part is what matters.

The Olympic Games always start in bright color and action. The teams of all the nations parade in the opening ceremony and march round the track. The custom is for the Greek team to march in first. For it was in Greece that the Olympics began. The team of the country where the Games are being held—the host country—marches in last.

The runner with the Olympic torch then enters the stadium and lights the flame. A sportsman from the host country takes the Olympic oath(誓言)on behalf of all the competitors. The judges and officials also take an oath. After the sportsmen march out of the stadium, the host country puts on a wonderful display.

The competition begins the next day. There are usually more than twenty sports in the Games. The rule is that there must be at least fifteen. The main events are in track and field, but it is a few days before these sports start. Each day the competitors take part in a different sport—riding, shooting, swimming, and cross-country running. Points are gained for each event. Medals are awarded for the individual winners and for national teams.

More and more women are taking part in the games. They first competed in 1900, in tennis and golf, which are no longer held in the Olympics. Women’s swimming events were introduced in 1912, but it was not until 1928 that there were any track and field events for women. Now, they compete in all but half a dozen of the sports. In horse riding, shooting, and boat racing, they may compete in the same events as the men.

1. The spirit of the Olympics is to ________.

A．win a gold medal	B．be equal
C．gain glory	D．participate

2. From the passage, we can learn that ________.

A．the first team to march in the opening ceremony is the team of the host country

B．a sportsman represents all the athletes to take an oath after a wonderful display

C．medals are awarded for the individual winners and for national teams

D．women were allowed to take part in track and field events in 1912

3. Which of the following is NOT the Olympic event nowadays?

A．Tennis.

B．Shooting.

C．Riding.

D．Swimming.

4. Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Olympic Spirit.	B．Opening ceremony of the Olympics.
C．Rules for all Olympic events.	D．The birthplace of the Olympic Games.

【推荐2】Directions: Read the passage carefully. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

Boxing is a popular sport that many people seem to be fascinated by . Newspapers , magazines and sports programmes on TV frequently cover boxing matches . Professional boxers earn a lot of money , and successful boxers are treated as big heroes.

It seems to me that people , especially men ,find it appealing because it is an aggressive sport . When they watch a boxing match , they can identify with the winning boxer , and this gives them the feeling of being a winner themselves . It is a fact that many people have feeling of aggression from time to time , but they cannot show their aggression in their everyday   lives .     1    

However , there is a negative side to boxing .     2     Although boxers wear gloves during the fights , and amateur boxers even have to wear helmets , there have frequently been accident in both professional and amateur boxing , sometimes with dramatic consequences . Boxers have suffered from head injuries , and occasionally , fighters have even been killed as a result of being knocked out in the ring.     3     Sometimes even if a boxer has never been knocked out, he might have suffered severe brain damage without knowing it.

    4     I think it would be better if less time was given to aggressive sports on TV, and we welcomed more men and women from non-aggressive sports as our heroes and heroines in our society . I believe that the world is aggressive enough already ! Of course , people like competitive sports , and so do I , but I think that hitting other people in an aggressive way is not something that should be regarded as a sport.

A．Watching a boxing match gives them an outlet for this aggression .

B．I am personally not at all in favor of aggressive sports like boxing .

C．In my personal opinion, boxing can be so thrilling that many people dare not to have a try.

D．Professional boxers are much more at risk than their amateur counterparts.

E．Furthermore , studies have shown that there are often long-term effects of boxing

F．It is likely to threaten personal safety of people.

【推荐3】In every Summer Olympics since 1952, with two exceptions, the host country has won not only more golds but also more medals than it did in the previous summer games. Japan, who hosted this year's games, won far more medals than it got from the previous Summer Olympics in Rio in 2016. Brazil more than doubled its golds in 2016. In the 2008 games in Beijing, China harvested 37 more than it took home in 2004. Only Finland, in 1952, and the United States, in 1996, saw their medal counts drop at home. Why?

The biggest plus to competing at home is the positive energy from a supportive crowd, according to athletes. Briana Scurry, a former goal keeper for the US women's national soccer team, said playing in the US during the 1996 Summer Olympics helped her team beat China to win gold that year. "We had 76, 000 people at the final in Athens, Georgia, all cheering for us, while China had a much smaller cheering audience, "she said.

Another reason that can hurt athletes from other countries is travel. International 7

competitions often require long flights across multiple time zones, which can influence their sleep. Foreign athletes may also be unaccustomed to the food and training equipment available at the competition. Even the weather may throw off a competitor used to a different climate. The host countries have additional benefits to help their athletes succeed. Competitors from host countries have to meet lower qualification standards than their foreign competitors. That may contribute to the phenomenon of host countries sending much bigger teams to their Olympics than the previous summer games when they competed abroad.

Japan got yet another benefit this year thanks to a new policy adopted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2016, which allows the host countries to add several new sporting events to their games. It meant that baseball, softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing—all popular sports in Japan-were Olympic events in Tokyo. And Japanese athletes have already medaled in four of the six sports.

1. Which host country got fewer medals than it did in the previous Summer Olympics?

A．Japan.

B．China.

C．Brazil.

D．The US.

2. What is the biggest advantage for the home teams according to Briana Scurry?

A．Bigger supportive crowds.	B．Having shorter flights and better sleep.
C．Lower qualification standards.	D．Being more used to the food and climate.

3. What does the author most probably suggest in the last paragraph?

A．The newly added sports are popular all over the world.

B．Host countries may unfairly benefit from the new rule.

C．Host countries can select any sport for the competition.

D．The new rule adds an additional variety to the competition.

4. What is the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To explain the Olympics' new rules.	B．To show the problems of IOC's policy.
C．To review the host countries' performances.	D．To analyze the benefits for the host countries.

【推荐1】Changes have been taking place in Philadelphia since 1984. One by one, graffiti-covered walls have been changed into outdoor art. So far, more than 1,800 murals (壁画) have been painted. Philadelphia now has more murals than any other American city.

The walls that were once ugly with graffiti are now covered with beautiful pictures of historical heroes and modern art, thanks to the Mural Arts Programme (MAP). Its work makes schools and public places attractive. The programme began as part of Philadelphia’s Anti-Graffiti Network. Jane Golden is the MAP’s artistic director. “When people ask me what our programme is about,’’ she says, ”I answer them with one word: hope.“ Each year, the MAP offers the youth art programmes and workshops. Some one-time graffiti writers even help paint MAP murals.

Golden says that the MAP’s work is all about developing a sense of community. When a neighbourhood requests a mural, the MAP works with the people there to develop a message. Some messages, have been ”Safe Streets,“ ”Love And Carr,’’ and “Peace Walk.”

The MAP receives up to 50 requests for murals each week. Last year, the workers painted 140 murals.

“The making of a mural enters people’s collective memory as an extraordinary, pleasant moment in neighbourhood history,” says Golden, who began as a muralist in Los Angeles.

1. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Love, From Graffiti Writers to Muralists

B．MAP, a New Company in Philadelphia

C．Jane, an Excellent Mural Artist

D．Hope, One Wall at a Time

2. What is the MAP in Philadelphia aimed at?

A．Helping the young find jobs.	B．Protecting the neighbourhood.
C．Fighting against graffiti.	D．Attracting more visitors.

3. How does the MAP decide on messages for a mural?

A．By having discussions with people in the community.

B．By seeking advice from the city government.

C．By learning from the young graffiti writers.

D．By studying the history of the city.

4. Which of the following words best describes the work of the MAP?

A．Difficult.	B．Dangerous.
C．Experimental.	D．Successful.

【推荐2】The town of Paradise has suffered a camp fire, which lasted 17 days and caused a damage of $16. 5 billion. As a result, the beautifully named place lost its beauty.

Shane Grammer, a creative director for Disney's theme parks in Los Angeles, paid close attention to the news of the fire. He felt quite helpless when seeing the pictures shared by his childhood friend Shane Edwards in the town, in which Shane photographed his white chimney, the only part of his house left after the fire.

"I've got to paint that chimney," he said to Inside Edition. "I'm not trying to say anything. And it was an opportunity for me to express and be an artist, wasn't it?"

Grammer spent three hours spray-painting the image of a woman on the chimney, which is strikingly mysterious black and white, in the ruins. Perhaps it serves as a reminder of the beauty of life or just life itself. Then Grammer put the picture on Instagram. On seeing it, the victims of the fire could not contain themselves." Beautiful and impressive," one of them commented. And another said," You bring beauty and hope."

At this time, Grammer became aware that something deeper had been transformed by a purely artistic expression. "When the first mural moved so many people, I knew I had to come back up," he said to KRCR-TV. Grammer returned to Paradise eight times in three months, during which he completed 17 paintings of victims and other figures.

Today, Grammer's efforts have developed into a movement. He has also painted murals in dark places that seriously need some light around the world.

Ironically, the first painting, on the chimney in Paradise, existed for just several months, since the bulldozer is a merciless art critic. But Grammer couldn't be more pleased about it, which means the spirit of Paradise is rising again.

1. How did Grammer come up with the idea of painting the chimney?

A．From Disney's theme parks.

B．From his friend's description of the fire.

C．After learning about the news of the fire.

D．By looking at a picture of Shane Edward's remaining chimney after the fire.

2. What do Grammer's murals mean to people?

A．They are inspiring.	B．They are mysteries.
C．They are entertaining.	D．They are just artistic expressions.

3. What does the underlined part "something deeper" in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．People's words.	B．People's inner feelings.
C．The background situation.	D．The meaning of the mural.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Paradise is recovering from the disaster.

B．The people in Paradise are all happy now.

C．Grammer is not happy for the destruction of his mural.

D．The bulldozer was so cruel that it destroyed Grammer's mural.