1 . FOUR UNUSUAL SPORTS
What sports are you into? Football? Tennis? Swimming? If you’re looking for a change, you might like to try one of these.
Octopush
Octopush (or underwater hockey as it’s also known) is a form of hockey that’s played in a swimming pool. Participants, wearing a mask and snorkel—a breath device consisting of a bent tube fitting into a swimmer’s mouth and extending above the surface, try to move a puck (水球) across the bottom of a pool. The sport has become popular in countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. An ability to hold your breath for long periods of time is a definite plus.
Zoobombing
Zoo bombing involves riding a children’s bike down a steep hill. The sport originated in the US city of Portland in Oregon in 2002. Participants carry their bikes on the MAX Light Rail and go to the Washington Park station next to Oregon Zoo (which is why it’s called “zoo bombing”). From there, they take a lift to the surface, and then ride the mini-bikes down the hills in the area.
Office Chair Racing
Office Chair Racing consists of racing down a hill in office chairs that can reach speeds of up to 30kph. Strict rules are in place for competitors: they’re allowed to fit in-line skate wheels and handles to their chairs, but no motors. “We check each chair carefully in advance,” one of the organisers explained. The participants race in pairs wearing protective padding as they launch themselves from a higher end. Prizes are given to the fastest competitors and also for the best-designed chairs.
Horse Boarding
Horse Boarding involves being towed behind a horse at 35mph on an off-road skateboard. Professional stuntman Daniel Fowler Prime invented the sport after he strung a rope between his off-road “mountain board” and a horse. Participants stand on aboard while holding on to a rope, attempting to maintain their balance as the horse gallops ahead. “The horse rider and the horse have to work together because if they don’t, the horse goes flying,” Daniel explained.
So, which sport would you like to try?
1. What do you need to do if you want to play Octopush?| A．To play it by the side of the shore. |
| B．To swim on the surface of the water. |
| C．To hold your breath for long periods of time. |
| D．To wear a mask and underwater breathing tube. |
| A．They both originated in the US. |
| B．They both set strict rules for competitors. |
| C．They both need participants’ cooperation. |
| D．They both require participants to start from a higher position. |
| A．Every chess master was once a beginner. |
| B．The bigger they come, the harder they fall. |
| C．Never let your feet run faster than your shoes. |
| D．One doesn’t have to play well, it’s enough to play better than your opponent. |
| A．Stay with friends. | B．Watch a match on TV. | C．Play basketball. |
| A．Boring. | B．Exciting. | C．Interesting. |
| A．Snowboarding. | B．Snowkiting. | C．Climbing. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词;
删除：把多余的词用(\)划掉;
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：
1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Dear Chris,
It is 3 months that I last wrote to you. Hopefully, everything is going good.
In order to increase the courage to speak in front of a crowd and improve our English, I’m planning to sign up for a singing contest and sing the English song. However, I have difficult in choosing a proper song, which need to be easy to learn. Could you recommend one to me? Beside, is there anything I should pay attention to while prepared for the contest?
I’d appreciate if you could offer me with some advice. Looking forward to your early reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
| A．Football. | B．Tennis. | C．Basketball. |
1. When is the deadline for the poetry contest?
| A．January 30. | B．February 18. | C．February 28. |
| A．10 years old. | B．13 years old. | C．15 years old. |
| A．A golden cup. |
| B．Their poem published on the website. |
| C．A signed book of poetry by a famous poet. |
8 . On a hot July day in Fairfax, Virginia, the couple team Christopher Pei and Zhang Guifeng are training their students while observing their emotions before their USA Wushu Kungfu Federation National Team Trials (选拔赛).
“They are so nervous because they are experiencing competition anxiety," says Pei, co — founder of US Wushu Academy. "The anxiety allows me only an hour of sleep every night during the competition.”
Wushu is a sport that combines elements of performance and martial arts. The USAWKF National Team Trials happen every two years. Coaches and students get up at 7 am each day to practice for the trials. For 30 years Pei and Zhang have been working in Wushu education.
Pei, who is in his 60s, moved to the United States from China with his family in 1972. “When we moved to Vestal, New York, I did not know any English and started learning English from alphabets," Pei says. "So I figured it might be a better idea to start learning Wushu in case I got into a fight and could protect myself." He later realized Wushu is composed of two Chinese characters, "zhi" (it) and "ge" (戈) which means to stop fighting.
The couple opened (heir first academy in Virginia in 1988. Students start as kindergartners and many continue all the way to college.
Chinese culture emphasizes mastering both literacy and martial arts in order to become a complete person. Zhang believes Wushu helps youth develop concentration because its two main principles include focus and respect. "Many parents who grew up in the U.S. as second- or third-generation Chinese need their children to not only learn traditional Chinese culture but also the correct way to become a better person," Pei says.
They devote six days of the week to Wushu education. Sunday is the only day when their attention is not on their students. ''Learning Wushu is difficult, Pei says. "But the students don't easily give up.”
1. How does Christopher Pei feel during the USAWKF National Team Trials?| A．Disappointed. | B．Inspired. | C．Relieved. | D．Stressed. |
| A．To win fights. | B．To defend himself. |
| C．To become a better person. | D．To make the National Team. |
| A．Chinese born and raised in the US | B．young people lacking literacy skills |
| C．coaches of the USAWKF National Team | D．Kindergartners interested in Chinese culture |
| A．A novel. | B．A diary. | C．A newspaper. | D．A guidebook. |
| A．At 6: 00. | B．At 8: 00. | C．At 10: 00. |
1. Who has influenced the man most in sports?
| A．His mother. | B．His best friend. | C．His PE teacher. |
| A．They’re surprising. | B．They’re satisfying. | C．They’re off the point. |
| A．Teaching students to be good losers. |
| B．Encouraging students to train hard. |
| C．Making students love all sports activities. |
