1 . There’s no doubt that football is the global sport. Though basketball, tennis, and other sports are popular too, nothing comes close to football. Being played in every country in the world, football provides dozens of superstars. The numbers are greater when compared to any other sport, and this drives the popularity of football up. Have you ever wondered when the sport started and became popular?

Football has its origin (起源) in China and has a history of more than 2,000 years. However, modern football originally appeared in Britain in the 19th century. Folk football matches had been played before in many cities and towns, but never on a professional level.

Football became a winter sport game played in different schools. The rules were carried out by each school, and this made it difficult for players to play an official game with each other. It all changed in 1849 at the University of Cambridge that invented a set of standard rules known as the Cambridge rules of football. From that moment, a new star sport was born.

By the early 20th century, football had spread all across Europe. In 1904, FIFA was set up. There are seven original members, including France, Denmark and Spain, FIFA became the governing body for many associations in Europe.

England’s international success improved the popularity of the sport in the country. The league (联赛) in Britain was set up in 1992. From the 1990s, it became a truly impressive piece of football organization, becoming the world’s top football league in the process.

Football is obviously the most popular sport in the world. It is impossible for any other sport to take its place, especially with leagues spending billions of pounds every year to stay in the focus.

2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The frightening day of our diving test was here. Our parents thought we were lucky to have an Olympic-size swimming pool at the school. My mom stressed that the swimming pool was one of the best in our city. But I didn’t feel happy about it at all. Instead, I felt afraid of the swimming pool. It was mainly because I was terribly shy.

I was so shy that I always sat at the back of the room in class so I’d not be called upon to read. As for the present physical education class each Monday morning, I would work my way to the back of the line forming at the diving board so I would not have to practice the dives.

Now, it was another Monday morning - the morning of our diving test. My blood ran cold when the teacher Ms. Robbins announced that we would be graded for our final on the most difficult dive- the jackknife. And she added, “This diving test is important. The one who fails has to spare time in the following Monday mornings to practice diving in this swimming pool and attend this test again.”

My body kept shaking with fear as the line to the scary diving board shortened. As I watched, each student seemed to perform the challenging dive effortlessly. And shortly I would have to attempt something that I had never even practiced before.

Then I remembered someone telling me that when you picture yourself doing a skill over and over, it’s just as effective as physically practicing that skill. So I watched carefully as each classmate jumped at the end of the board once, added a jump for height, folded their body in half to reach for their toes, and finally straightened out like an arrow for going into the water. After carefully watching for a while, I was actually in a state of surprise, because all of a sudden I realized that it was possible for me to perform these four steps of diving.

Eventually all classmates except me finished jumping. The teacher announced that it was my turn.

注意：1. 续与词数应为150左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

With my heart knocking wildly, I walked down the diving board towards its end.

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Knowing I failed, I climbed out of the pool, embarrassed.

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4 . Have you tried to run or walk for exercise and then given up? If you answered yes, you should try a new kind of exercise: aquatic (水中的) exercise. Aquatic exercise is like exercise on land, but you do it in a swimming pool. More and more people are trying aquatic exercise now.

Aquatic exercise feels easier than exercising on land. Why? You weigh about 90% less in the pool. It is better for your knees than running or walking. Water is about 1,000 times thicker and heavier than air. To move through the water, your body has to work four times as hard. As a result, you can burn more calories (卡路里).

In fact, most people say they feel more relaxed in the water. They stop thinking about the things that make them worried. They feel in control of their bodies. The cool, quiet environment makes them feel good.

But what if you are afraid of the water? No problem! There is nothing to worry about. Aquatic exercise is safe and easy to learn. It doesn’t require any special skills. You don’t even need to know how to swim. Aquatic exercise is for everyone.

5 . Outdoor Football @ Braywick

Tue, Mar 8, 9: 00 P. M.

A friendly kick about, open to all levels. Different players each week. Newcomers welcome.

We book the pitch (球场) when we hit the minimum of 8 “yes” RSVPs (回复), which we need to do by the day before.

The cost is £ 4 to £ 6 each, depending on how many sign up (£ 50 for the pitch, divided by the number of players)

DONT BE LATE! We need to be there, changed and ready for kick - off at 9: 00 P. M. If the game is ever cancelled, we will let those who have already RSVP “yes” know.

LOCATION: Toby Carvery Stafferton Lodge

PLEASE BRING:

• Suitable boots for the outdoor 3G pitches. Artificial grass (AG) football boots are strongly recommended as the best option for the surface.

• Some cash — up to £ 6, as explained above.

RSVPTERMS AND CONDITIONS!

• When you RSVP “Yes”, we book a spot on the pitch for you. The organizer is charged for the pitch unless they cancel it at least 48 hours before the game.

• If you change your RSVP to “No” less than 48 hours before play or you are a “No Show” and nobody is able to take your spot, you will be asked to pay the price as if you took part.

BRINGING GUESTS:

You are more than welcome to bring 1 or 2 friends to play (but only if you add “+1” or “+2” to your RSVP, so that we don’t end up with too many players).