A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was “not athletic”.
The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels, I can now call myself a “marathon winner”.
1. A month before the marathon, the author _________.| A．was well trained | B．made up his mind to run |
| C．felt scared | D．lost hope |
| A．To show he was not talented in sports. | B．To amuse the readers with a funny story. |
| C．To thank his teacher for the support . | D．To share a precious memory. |
| A．He got the first prize. | B．He quit halfway. |
| C．He made it. | D．He walked to the end. |
| A．Many heads are better than one | B．Failure is the mother of success |
| C．Victory belongs to the most persevering (不屈不挠的) | D．One is never too old to learn |
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【推荐1】Roger Federer, who recently became the oldest man to hold the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis at the age 36, will bring a 12-match winning streak (连胜) to the BNP Paribas Open, which starts this week at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Federer, a five-time winner of the hard-court event and a 20-time Grand Slam singles champion, on Tuesday was seeded No. 1 in a field that has been given up by injuries to several excellent players. Among those missing are world No. 2 Rafael Nadal (hip injury), Stan Wawrinka (knee), who lost to Federer in the 2017 final, David Goffin (eye) and Andy Murray (hip surgery).
Federer, who has spent 305 weeks of his career at the top the Assn of Tennis Professional world rankings, must reach the semifinals (半决赛) at Indian Wells to keep his No. 1 status. If he exits sooner than that, Nadal would regain the top spot. Federer has a first-round bye (轮空) and a seemingly easy projected route to the quarterfinals, where he likely would face No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem of Austria.
Five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic, who had a small medical intervention (干预) on his troublesome right elbow earlier this year, was seeded 10th in the tournament. Djokovic has played only four matches this year because of his elbow problems and hasn’t played a tournament since he lost to Hyeon Chung of South Korea in the round of 16 at the Australian Open in January.
Maria Sharapova of Russia will face Naomi Osaka of Japan on Wednesday with their match scheduled for not before 5:00 p.m.
On Thursday, Serena Williams will play Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will play Heather Watson of the United Kingdom during the evening session (7 p.m. start).
1. Why does Federer have a seemingly easy projected route to the quarterfinals?| A．Because he is seeded No. 1 |
| B．Because many excellent players are missing. |
| C．Because he is well enough to beat any player. |
| D．Because he has a first-round bye. |
| A．Rafael Nadal. | B．Novak Djokovic. |
| C．Dominic Thiem. | D．Maria Sharapova. |
| A．He was seeded 10th in the tournament. | B．He has played fewest matches. |
| C．He lost to Hyeon Chung. | D．He has elbow problems. |
| A．Because he is seeded No. 1. |
| B．Because will bring a 12-match winning streak. |
| C．Because he is the oldest to hold the No. 1 ranking and was seeded No. 1. |
| D．Because the author believes he can beat anyone in the tournament. |
KL HOP-ON HOP-OFF gives you an easy city tour that has 22 stops, which cover more than 40 attractions. All buses are equipped with 9 different languages to choose from and a friendly customer service officer will help you on the bus. KL HOP-ON HOP-OFF City Tour offers you a convenient way to discover Kuala Lumpur where tourists can either stay on the bus for the full tour circuit (线路), or get on or get off at any of the attractions.
2. The interval (间隔) between buses is around 20 to 30 minutes.
3. We operate 365 days per year including school holidays and public holidays.
4. Tickets can be bought from the bus itself, authorized (授权的) agents, authorized hotels and KL Hop-On Hop-Off counters.
5. Our counters are located at Jalan Bukit Bintang (main counter at stop number 6), Malaysian Tourism Centre at Jalan Ampang, at KL Sentral (arrival hall) and at Central Market.
6. We have 24-hour and 48-hour tickets to choose from.
7. Children below 5 years old do not have to pay any fees.
8. A child below the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
9. The Do’s & Don’ts:
◆ No littering on the bus
◆ No food and drink allowed inside the bus
◆ Visitors are not allowed to exchange tickets
◆ Visitors are welcome to take pictures
◆ Please use electronic devices (设备) with care
◆ No smoking allowed
10. Advice:
◆ Please avoid changing from one bus to another on during peak (高峰) hours usually from 4 PM to 6 PM. During that time you could take a rest and walk around the attractions.
◆ The weather is unpredictable in Kuala Lumpur. Delays may occur because of bad weather.
◆ Please buy vouchers only from authorized agents.
Ticket
Ticket Type: STANDARD ADULT TICKET
Price: RM45.00 Validity: 24 Hours
Price: RM79.00 Validity: 48 Hours
Ticket Type: CHILD, STUDENT & DISABLE TICKET
Price: RM24.00 Validity: 24 Hours
Price: RM43.00 Validity: 48 Hours
For 5 to 12 years old
1. Which of the following is TRUE about the KL HOP-ON HOP-OFF bus service?
during the time of their tickets’ validity.
| A．The bus service is free of charge for foreign tourists. |
| B．The customer service officers can speak nine languages. |
| C．The bus service is not available during school holidays and public holidays. |
| D．Passengers don’t have to pay again when boarding other HOP-ON HOP-OFF buses |
| A．RM114 | B．RM158 |
| C．RM201 | D．RM244. Which of the |
| A．Taking the buses at rush hour or in bad weather. |
| B．Exchanging tickets with other passengers. |
| C．Using a personal electronic device on the bus. |
| D．Taking a pet with you. |
| A．students | B．tourists |
| C．local people | D．foreign families |
| A．bus | B．ticket |
| C．food and drink | D．electronic device |
【推荐3】Of the seven stadiums Qatar built for the World Cup, one will be fully taken apart after the event and could be shipped to countries that need it. That’s what the host has said about Stadium 974, a seaside structure with more than 40, 000 seats partially built from steel and recycled shipping containers.
Stadium 974, named after the number of containers used to build it, is the only stadium that Qatar has constructed for the World Cup that isn’t air conditioned. It hosts only evening matches when temperatures are cooler.
“The idea is to avoid building ‘a white elephant’, a stadium that is left unused after the competition ends,” says Fenwick Iribarren Architects, which designed Stadium 974 and two other World Cup stadiums.
Qatar has said the stadium could be repurposed to build a stadium of the same size elsewhere, but it has not detailed where the stadium will go after the tournament or even when it will be taken down.
“Where its components go matters because whether Stadium 974 has a lower CO2 footprint than a permanent one comes down to how many times it is rebuilt, and how far it is transported,” says Karim Elgendy, who previously worked as a climate consultant for the World Cup.
Elgendy estimates that if the stadium is reused only once, its emissions (排放) will be lower than a permanent one as long as it is shipped fewer than 7,000 kilometers away. If it’s repurposed more than once, it can be shipped farther and still be less polluting than a permanent stadium.
“The energy required for taking it apart and shipping the building components will obviously need to be estimated,” Elgendy says. “But it is unlikely to outweigh the emissions produced in the construction of a new stadium.”
1. What can we know about Stadium 974?| A．It can be fully taken apart and rebuilt. |
| B．It hosts all the evening competitions. |
| C．It is completely built from recycled steel. |
| D．It just needs to be air conditioned in the day. |
| A．An extremely huge building. |
| B．A very expensive but useless thing. |
| C．A creatively repurposed shipping container. |
| D．An ugly but environmentally friendly stadium, |
| A．More than 7,500 kilometers. | B．Fewer than 6,000 kilometers. |
| C．Within 7,000 kilometers. | D．Around 14,000 kilometers. |
| A．Culture. | B．Economy. | C．Politics. | D．Environment. |
【推荐1】In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, there's a famous saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get." The surprise is part of the fun. Now blind box toys are bringing the magic of surprise to online shopping.
A blind box toy is hidden inside uniform packaging(包装) but invisible from the outside. You don't know what will be inside，although the toys typically come from pop culture，ranging from movies to comics and cartoons, Blind boxes have caught on since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014.According to a 2019Tmall report，the mini-series of Labubu blind box, designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung，was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55,000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. Most customers for blind boxes are young people aged 18 to 35.
According to The Paper， blind box toys are popular in part because of their cute appearances. The typically cute cartoon figurines(小塑像) come in very small sizes，making them suitable for display almost anywhere.
Even if blind boxes are not their top choice for decorations, the mystery(神秘) and uncertainty of the process also attracts people. It's the main reason why people buy blind boxes one after another.
“Fear of the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process,”said Miss Cao，24，who lives and works in Shenyang，“Until you open all the boxes，you cannot know what it is inside.”
Opening a blind box is a delightful little surprise for our mundane daily lives，something small but fun to wait for each day，week or month. When people open this simple little box，they may be disappointed，but the uncertainty is part of the fun. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better outcome.
When someone re-makes Forrest Gump，don't be surprised if he says，“Life is like a blind box.”
1. What feature of blind boxes attracts people?| A．They often get toys designed by famous artists. |
| B．They don 't know what they've got until they open them. |
| C．They can learn about pop culture from the packaging. |
| D．They can experience the excitement of online shopping. |
| A．They are cute and fashionable. |
| B．They are perfect for decorations. |
| C．She enjoys the mystery of the unknown. |
| D．She likes the simple way they are packaged. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Exciting. | C．Boring. | D．Hopeless. |
| A．The cultural effects of blind boxes. |
| B．The origin of blind boxes. |
| C．The problems with blind boxes. |
| D．The popularity of blind boxes. |
【推荐2】Twelve-year-old Lydia Denton was recently named the winner of CITGO's Fueling Education Student Challenge, where she earned $20,000 after creating the Beat the Heat Car Seat, which is a portable device placed in the car seat that not only senses weight over five pounds but monitors temperature when the baby is in the seat.
The soon-to-be seventh grader says she became inspired to make the invention after watching the news that babies were being left in hot cars, often by accident.“At first, I thought about raising money for the families, but that wouldn't fix the problem: I wanted to invent something that could prevent the deaths from happening.”
Lydia's device is started when it senses the weight of the child and the temperature setting reaches over 100 F (38℃). At that point, an alarm goes off and a warning is sent via SMS to the parents. If the parents don't reset the device within 60 seconds, a built-in GPS chip sends a message to local authorities with the vehicle's location. After many rounds of testing with her local 911, Lydia is proud to say that Beat the Heat Car Seat is a success.
Though many newer vehicles come with warning systems and smart seat systems, Lydia's goal was to create a device that would reach more people and that could also transfer from car seat to car seat as the child grew. She decided to use her prize money to continue making improvements on the device, which would sell for only about $40.
Lydia is now working with an instructor who is helping her with production and teaching her about business. Lydia hopes that her work will inspire more kids of her age to make their ideas come true. “Don't think that you have to accept things in the world. If there is something that bothers you, think of ways to make it better!”
1. Why did Lydia make the invention?| A．To win 20,000-dollar prize. |
| B．To raise money for unlucky families. |
| C．To help stop babies dying in hot cars. |
| D．To guarantee babies' safety in a car crash. |
| A．How it works. | B．What it consists of. |
| C．Why it raises the alarm. | D．How parents respond to it. |
| A．It will be much stronger. | B．It will be more affordable. |
| C．It will be less problematic. | D．It will be more effective on older kids. |
| A．No competition, no progress. |
| B．It's never too late to go into business. |
| C．One should be open to any suggestion. |
| D．Creative thinking is the key to success. |
【推荐3】Nenad Sestan was working in his office one afternoon in 2016, when he heard his lab members whispering with excitement over a microscope. He realized something beyond their expectations was happening.
The researchers, at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, had found electrical activity in brains taken from dead pigs. With that shocking result, Sestan realized what had started as a side project to find ways to better preserve brain tissue for research had changed into a discovery that could redefine our understanding of life and death.
The excitement soon turned to concern, when the researchers thought they saw widespread, consistent electrical activity which can indicate consciousness( 意识 ). Sestan brought in a neurologist, who determined the readout was actually an error, but the possibility had frightened them.
Sestan kept his cool and immediately did two things: he shut down the experiment and contacted the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as a Yale bioethicist(生物伦理学家). Over the next few months, experts discussed the potential ethical implications, such as whether the brains could become conscious and whether physicians needed to reconsider the definition of brain death.
They submitted the work to Nature. But before the final paper was published, Sestan met sharp criticism from the press. Some even suggested that the researchers were engineering immortality(永生), or maintaining a room full of living brains in jars. Neither he nor his team wanted to discuss the results until the paper was out, but as their inboxes filled with concerns and anger from animal rights activists and futurists, Sestan became depressed. He felt all they could do, however, was to hold off on correcting public misunderstandings until the expert review process had run its course.
Since the paper was published in April, 2019, the team has been so busy fielding questions from the media and scientists that it hasn’t performed any further experiments. Sestan wants to focus on his original questions and explore how long the brains can be maintained and whether the technology can preserve other organs.
“We want to get outside opinion before we do anything,” Sestan says. “When you explore uncharted territory, you have to be extremely thoughtful.”
1. What happened in the lab at Yale School of Medicine in 2016?| A．A better method was found to maintain brain tissue. |
| B．Researchers discovered how to redefine brain death. |
| C．Brains from dead pigs were accidentally discovered alive. |
| D．Researchers arrived at the expected results of the experiment. |
| A．He needed assistance with the final paper. |
| B．He spotted a major mistake in the final result. |
| C．He was frightened by the possibility of failure. |
| D．He was concerned about the related moral issues. |
| A．The press were strongly opposed to the experiment. |
| B．Some people supported the research on immortality. |
| C．Nobody wanted to discuss the final result in advance. |
| D．The public took a positive attitude towards the experiment. |
| A．Responsible and reliable. | B．Cooperative and creative. |
| C．Determined and inspiring. | D．Professional and cautious. |
【推荐1】I have always been a design enthusiast and painting something never fails to fill me up with joy. Once I took my brother’s old shoes and started my creation on them on a casual afternoon. He had almost decided to throw them away, but that was when I picked them up, thinking to give it a shot with the pictures. When my brother saw the final piece, he decided to wear the shoes again.
The concept, Upcycling Is A Fun Process, occurred to me that day. I understood that if I can give a makeover to certain things, they’ll be of use again and there is nothing better than returning the use to something while protecting nature.
I shared my work online and started making notebooks, bookmarks, and name signs. Gradually I sharpened my skills. For almost a year, I have been trying my hand at upcycling things such as shoes, bags, T-shirts and so on, for many people. I make over things in different ways to suit the needs of their future owners; that is what I put before everything else in most of my works.
I see upcycling as an opportunity to give a makeover to old stuff, restore its value, reduce waste and have lots of fun. I want to normalize upcycling, especially in a world where “ring out the old, ring in the new” is so common with fast fashion trends, fast food, and our boredom with most material things.
With respect to art and upcycling, I soon start working on jeans to give them a new look. Most of us throw away our old jeans just because they’re behind the times. But they can be something that is all the rage. I’m aiming to take those pitiful pairs of pants and turn them into something worth keeping and in style. Such practices are always beneficial as they help with sustainable development. After all, we have limited resources and must use them wisely.
1. What gave the author the idea of upcycling old things?| A．Her design talent. | B．A cheer from her brother. |
| C．A painting experience. | D．Her concern over the environment. |
| A．Improving her skill. | B．Tailoring every object. |
| C．Keeping original value. | D．Avoiding material waste. |
| A．To stress the value of old things. | B．To criticize the craze for new trends. |
| C．To show difficulties with her work. | D．To explain the necessity of upcycling. |
| A．On-trend. | B．Wear-resistant. | C．Eco-friendly. | D．Good-looking. |
【推荐2】I got this strange idea in my eight grade: to run for the president of the student Union. It is not a surprising decision for most outgoing, popular people. But I was neither. In fact I tended to daydream, read books that were not on the required list, and sit at the far corner of the cafeteria with the only two friends I had, Denise and Janice.
However, Claire, my enemy, motivated me to sign up to run against her. Denise decided we should form a group of advisors to get me elected. We met every day, right after school,reviewing every student. We tried to figure out why our schoolmates might want to vote, in their own interests for me or(more likely) against Claire.
We created cascades, a term we learned from Denise’s sister. In other words, we looked for students who were most likely to influence a group of other students. Those are the people that one of us approached first. My narrow victory was a surprise to many including, frankly, the three of us.
That’s how I got my first taste of the power of the so-called Collective Intelligence and it turned out to be the best method of succeeding in various work.
When a group commits to supporting each other by meeting regularly and obeying the negotiated rules, remarkable things happen. We tend to bring to bring the the the best out other, as thousands have learned around the world. When individuals become tight-knit teams, we become happier and higher-performing with and for each other. It is never too late for us to start our own advising group of no more than seven members around a strong sweet spot of common interest—which will help us achieve something different and more meaningful over the years.
1. What can we know about the author according to the first paragraph?| A．She has a lot of friends. | B．She loves reading. |
| C．She enjoys public debating. | D．She is very realistic. |
| A．Boards of advisors | B．Committees of teachers. |
| C．Teams of important schoolmates. | D．Groups of devoted friends. |
| A．commit to supporting others | B．meet friends as regularly as possible |
| C．do something different and meaningful | D．make best use of collective intelligence |
| A．A Sure Path to Great Success | B．A Secret to Win the Election |
| C．Clever Ways to Defeat Your Enemies | D．Effective Methods of Making Friends |
【推荐3】Growing up, I always dreamt of becoming a published writer one day. However, a manuscript(手稿)I wrote in 1989 was repeatedly rejected by different publishers. That was a failed attempt during my teenage years. “Just a waste of time,” once remarked my dad. But through my love for writing and reading works of non-fiction writers, I explored this road as much as I could.
After my grandmother passed on in East London, my hometown, I went to stay with my mother in Johannesburg. In the City of Gold I stepped through the doors of newspaper houses, submitting stories. On many occasions the written content was considered-disorganised. Editors frequently asked, “Do you have an academic background in journalism?” I was not formally trained in journalism, but I never gave up.
I started out in 2004 by commenting on controversial issues. My views appeared in the “Letters” section of major newspapers across South Africa and Zimbabwe. During this period of laying the foundation for my future career, I worked as a full-time security guard.
Whenever I was off-duty, research became my favourite hobby. So, it was at the Johannesburg City Library that I found an invaluable book which helped me to become familiar with how to put together a feature story in terms of constructing the introduction, the body and the conclusion.
In 2008 I worked on a bigger scale(规模)when I contributed my first feature article to a provincial newspaper in Pietermaritzburg. In that very same year I sold three more opinion pieces to a newspaper in East London.
Writing a weekly column(专栏)themed Devil’s Advocate for Khanyisa Weekly in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, was my biggest achievement in 2021.
Today I’m a widely published author of various feature articles. And I can claim with pleasure that I have no less than 800 stories under my belt.
1. What happened to the author’s manuscript in 1989?| A．It remained unfinished. |
| B．It became a complete failure. |
| C．It won praise from his dad. |
| D．It was published in small numbers. |
| A．Valueless. | B．Organised. | C．Enjoyable. | D．Controversial. |
| A．A library book. |
| B．His training in journalism. |
| C．Working for major newspapers. |
| D．His experience as a security guard. |
| A．Luck. | B．Talent. | C．Pressure. | D．Determination. |
