1 . With the cold weather drawing nearer, few people will choose swimming as a daily or usual activity.
Good for your brain.
Swimming is one of the best activities you can do all year round, which benefits your body and your mind. Swimming has been found to increase blood flow to the brain, which leads to more oxygen.
Work your muscles.
Every time you swim, it is like doing a mini-resistance workout. Each kicks and pull works your muscles more than you could imagine, especially your arms, shoulders and gluteus — the muscles that are inactive all day when you’re sitting at your desk.
Lift your spirits.
While swimming is an individual sport, it is also very social. You can meet people from all walks of life when swimming. Have a chat in the lap pool, join a swimming club or get involved in social water sports to get to know people in your community. Besides, the great thing about swimming is that you can do it — rain or shine. Although your backyard pool, the river or beach cools down over winter, most inside swimming pools run heated pools year round, so you’ve got no excuse to stop swimming.
| A．Benefit your body. |
| B．Meet new people. |
| C．These chemicals can control your thought and action. |
| D．Swimming also works your abs (腹肌) and will reduce your waist line. |
| E．Exercise gives off chemicals in your body called endorphins (内啡肽). |
| F．And that means you’re experiencing better memory and sharp mind. |
| G．However, swimming in winter is of great benefit in cold days. |
2 . Are you preparing for a big test? If so, you may want to go playing some basketball in between hitting the books. Doctors are starting to find more and more information that suggests a connection between exercise and brain development. Judy Cameron, a scientist at Oregon Health and Science University, studies brain development. According to her research, it seems that exercise can make blood vessels (血管), including those in the brain, stronger and more fully developed. Dr Cameron is sure that this allows people who exercise to think better. As she says, “while we already know that exercise is good for the heart, exercise can actually cause physical changes in the brain.”
The effects of exercise on brain development can even be seen in babies. Babies who do activities that require a lot of movement and physical activity show greater brain development than babies who are less physically active. Even a little movement can show big results. Margaret Barnes, a scientist, also believes in the importance of exercise. She thinks that many learning disabilities that children have in primary school or high school can result from a lack of movement as babies. “Babies need movement that encourages and excites their five senses. They need to set up a connection between motion and memory. In this way, as they get older, children will begin to connect physical activity with higher learning，” says Margaret.
Older people can develop their brains as well. Cornell University studied a group of seniors who have a shortterm memory increase of up to 40 percent after exercising just three hours a week. The exercise does not have to be very difficult, but it does have to increase the heart rate. Also, just like the motion for babies exercise for older people should not be too simple. Learning some new skills or actions, such as with yoga or taichi helps to open up memory paths in the brain that may not have been used for a long time. For most people, any type of physical activity that increases the heart rate is helpful. The main aim is to increase the brain’s flow of blood. And your brain can benefit from as little as two to three hours of exercise a week.
1. What is the connection between exercise and brain development?| A．Exercise helps make our blood vessels. |
| B．Physical exercise helps us think better. |
| C．Exercise prevents us having brain diseases. |
| D．More physical exercises enlarge our brains. |
| A．Whether they are excited or not depends on movements. |
| B．A lack of movement results from their learning disabilities. |
| C．The more frequently they move, the cleverer they become. |
| D．The more activities they do, the greater their brains develop. |
| A．It helps them memorise quicker. |
| B．It decreases the heart rate. |
| C．It includes learning new actions. |
| D．It can be done in groups. |
| A．3 hours per week. | B．4.2 hours per week. |
| C．1 hour per day. | D．40 hours per month. |
3 . Most people make a donation (捐赠)if they want to help those in need. But Eddie Izzard, a 47-year-old British man, did something completely different. He decided to raise money by running 1,100 miles. And he managed to raise more than £200,000!
It would take most people at least two years if they were crazy enough to try and mil such a distance. But Eddie Izzard? It took him just 51 days. In less than two months, he ran 43 marathons!
When asked how he felt, he said that he was planning to “sleep for a week”. He thanked the people who had come to support him and joined him on his journey.
And how long did he have to train for all this? Well, amazingly, only five weeks—he wasn’t even particularly fit when he decided to put himself in for this journey.
And what a journey it was! He lost several of his toenails (脚趾甲)and had blisters (水泡)all over his feet. He had to take ice baths for his legs at the end of each day to help stop his legs inflating (肿胀)lo twice the size of an elephant.
Ever experts are impressed with what he has achieved. Andy Dixon, editor of Runners World, says, “Covering 26 miles in a day at whatever speed for 43 runs, it’s demanding. A 5-hour marathon is a fairly decent pace. It’s a great achievement.”
So how did he do it? Well, he ran slowly at first. Ten hours a day to begin with and, as he got fitter, he got faster. In the end he was finishing in just over five hours. But fitness alone was not enough. What was more important was the fact that Eddie Izzard wanted to make a difference to other peopled lives. What Eddie Izzard did was so special that the documentary of his run has been made into an inspiring film: Believe! “You’ve got to believe you can be something else. That’s why I keep going.” Eddie says in the film.
1. Eddie Izzard rail 1,100 miles to ________.| A．keep fit | B．win the prize | C．collect money | D．express thanks |
| A．painful | B．exciting | C．dangerous | D．pleasant |
| A．Fitness leads to Eddie’s success. |
| B．Eddie’s story has been made into a film. |
| C．It took Eddie 51 days to prepare for the running. |
| D．Eddie finished the running with the expert’s help. |
| A．Smart and helpful. | B．Inspiring and honest. |
| C．Patient and hard-working. | D．Caring and strong-willed. |
4 . A giant digital torchbearer (火炬手) , thousands of dancers and performers and gymnasts all combined to put on a high-tech opening ceremony which impressed the world as the 19th Asian Games officially opened on Saturday night.
A vivid and colourful ceremony at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium mixed the old and the new - the rich 5, 000-year history and profound culture of this eastern region of China with an amazing electronic show.
The lighting of the main torch (主火炬) was the highlight (高潮) of the two-hour ceremony. An innovative process began with a Transformer-like (类似变形金刚的) digital figure - made up of over 100 million virtual sparks (虚拟火花) , each representing a participant of the online torch relay -running through the streets of Hangzhou before crossing the Qiantangjiang River before entering the stadium to light the main torch along with Tokyo 2020 Olympic swimming champion Wang Shun.
On the field, representatives of the record-breaking 12, 417 athletes marched in with a hearty welcome from the home crowd and the Chinese delegation (代表团) was led by world champion swimmer Qin Haiyang and women’s basketball star Yang Liwei.
Bigger and better will be the underlying (基础的) theme during the Games with the largest field of competitors in the event’s history competing in a record 481 medal events.
1. Where was the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games officially held?| A．At the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium. | B．In the eastern region of China |
| C．In the streets of Hangzhou | D．In Tokyo |
| A．One night. | B．One day. | C．One week. | D．Two hours. |
| A．A giant digital torchbearer. |
| B．A Transformer-like digital figure. |
| C．A Transformer-like digital figure and Tokyo 2020 Olympic swimming champion Wang Shun |
| D．world champion swimmer Qin Haiyang and women’s basketball star Yang Liwei. |
| A．Faster, Higher | B．Bigger and better |
| C．Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together | D．Stronger, Together |
1. 活动内容； 2. 活动意义； 3. 请他一起观看比赛。
注意： 1.词数 100 左右； 2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.结束语已为你写好。
参考词汇：端午节 the Dragon Boat Festival;龙舟赛 the Dragon Boat Race
Dear Peter,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
6 . Is It a Healthy Interest?
The Guinness Book of World Records describes Ranulph Fiennes as the world’s greatest living explorer. His journeys include the first polar circumnavigation (极地环行) and the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic continent on foot. So when he suffered a heart attack, it came as something of a surprise.
Exercise is highly beneficial as it reduces both the pulse (脉搏) rate and the blood pressure so reducing stress on the heart as it brings blood round the body. It also helps to keep the artery (动脉) walls more elastic (有弹性的).
But can you push yourself too much? On the subject of exercise, it is good to take several parts of “moderate” exercise a week，which is a little more than quick walking. “We need to be careful when we’re doing extreme sports,” says expert Len Almond. “Extreme stress can make almost impossible demands on the body’s ability to recover. The stress of extreme sports forces biochemical changes in the body, and the physical response to that kind of activity will be too extreme.”
We all know how the Olympics began. The man who ran 26 miles from the town of Marathon to Athens with news of a victory died as soon as he arrived，and the cause of his sudden death might be the heart attack. Further research was done by scientists. They studied cyclists (自行车运动员) on a race that covers 230km with a height change of 5,500m. They were interested in one particular enzyme (酶), high concentrations of which are found in those who have suffered a heart attack. The scientists found that levels of this chemical increased in most of the cyclists who completed the race. The largest increases were seen in the fastest cyclists who had trained the hardest.
Most of us will never put our bodies to such extreme sports. But if, when you hear about someone like Fiennes，you ask whether exercise is worth it. I advise you to consider your own condition. Personally, I agree with the saying: “Run not to add years to your life but to add life to your years.”
1. According to the passage, taking exercise can_______ .| A．speed up the heart rate | B．increase stress on the heart |
| C．reduce the blood pressure | D．keep the artery walls straight |
| A．Our bodies can easily deal with physical stress. |
| B．Playing extreme sports is harmful to the human body. |
| C．We need a long period of recovery after extreme sports. |
| D．There is more to learn about the effect of physical stress. |
| A．To suggest a different area of research. |
| B．To support the activity of taking part in sports. |
| C．To explain the effect of a height change on cyclists. |
| D．To prove that extreme sports may cause heart attacks. |
| A．helps you have a regular life | B．adds years to your life |
| C．should be done in moderation | D．will be worth the effort |
It was the final part of the 2016 World Triathlon
The Brownlee brothers have been doing triathlons since they were children. “
Watched by millions, the ending to the race has divided opinions: should the brothers have been
1. 时间与地点： 5月6日，学校操场；
2. 活动目的；
3. 活动内容。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇： 拔河比赛 tug of war 跳绳 rope skipping 踩气球比赛 balloon racing
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 . The M3 Challenge is a contest that gives high schoolers the chance to experience working as a team to deal with a practical problem within limited time. The challenge is meant to give high schoolers a sense of the kinds of problems faced by professional mathematicians working in the real world. Students who are gifted at coding (编程) might consider this competition since extra credit awards are available for teams who include outstanding code as part of their solution.
High school juniors and seniors from anywhere in the U. S. are welcome to participate in the M3 Challenge. Teams of students must consist of three to five people and at least one teacher-coach. Another cool thing? The M3 Challenge is. entirely online until the final round, and there are no participation fees !.
At the end of the M3 Challenge, six teams are identified and invited to present their work in New York City. The finalist teams are also eligible to receive cash awards, which are as follows:
◆ M3 Challenge Champions (Summa Cum Laude Team Prize) $ 20,000
◆ M3 Challenge Runner Up (Magna Cum Laude Team Prize) $ 15,000
◆ M3 Challenge Third Place (Cum Laude Team Prize) $ 10,000
◆ M3 Challenge Finalist (Meritorious Team Prize) $ 5,000 (3 teams)
In addition to these top prizes, there are also awards in the amount of $ 1,500 and $ 1,000 for semi-finalist and honorable mention teams respectively. Finally, Challenge finalists, semi-finalists, and honorable mention teams may be invited to submit applications for summer internships in STEM.
1. What's the purpose of the M3 Challenge?| A．To promote coding. |
| B．To select math professionals. |
| C．To solve difficult math problems. |
| D．To enrich high schoolers' knowledge. |
| A．Having only one coach in a team. |
| B．Coming from a remote U. S. state. |
| C．Including eight students in a team. |
| D．Failing to pay the participation fees. |
| A．$ 1,000. | B．$ 1,500. | C．$ 5,000. | D．$ 10,000. |
Figure skating(花样滑冰), as we know, got its start in the mid-19th century, when an American
Figure skating became an Olympic sport before there were Winter Games. Events for pairs and singles first
Ice dance is performed by one male and one female, too. But
A group of nine judges scores the quality of each figure skating performance,
