1 . Benefits of Sports

Doing sports is a physical, mental and social adventure. It’s a great way for children to take a break from studies and release extra energy. It also helps them lead fuller and happier lives as regular sports have proven beneficial to overall well-being.

The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious. Regardless of your fitness level when you start playing sports, you’ll notice an increase in your overall fitness once you’re involved.     1     Basketball players focus on strength training; football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs. The training process helps promote physical fitness and performances in competitions.

    2     Playing sports also contributes to mental health, helping to increase confidence and self-worth. A pat on the back, a high five from a teammate, or a handshake after a match really boosts a child’s confidence. Words of praise and encouragement from the coach, parents and other players raise self-worth.     3     So after a game, it’s a better idea to ask “Did you enjoy the game?” rather than “Did you win?”

Children who participate in sports might also benefit from the social aspect, feeling part of a group, building up responsibility and leadership.     4     Teamwork involves both being dependable as a teammate and learning to rely on your teammates to achieve a positive outcome. Teamwork breeds responsibility and challenges you to be responsible for your actions. Being part of a team gives you an opportunity to be a leader.

Discipline is another social advantage. Most organized sports require a strict training and practice schedule. As a student-athlete, you need to balance studies and athletics.     5    

There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to get involved in. Are you ready to go? Pick one and get moving!

A．It’s not just your body that benefits from sports.

B．Therefore, playing sports is going to make you more fit.

C．But remember, a child’s self-worth should not be distinguished by victory or loss.

D．If you play group sports, you’ll be part of a team that takes direction from a coach.

E．Nearly every sport requires physical activities and the competitive skills.

F．Among these, learning how to function as part of a team is the most important advantage.

G．Only with strict discipline can you be successful both in the classroom and in the sports field.

2 . Human bodies were actually designed for walking, a wonderful form of exercise at no cost. It’s kind to our bodies and great for our waistlines.     1    

Probably you already love to walk, but you’re getting bored of tracing the same old route day after day, or maybe you’re new to walking and aren’t sure how to get started.    2     Ask yourself, what do you want to get out of walking aside from the health benefits? Do you want to meet other people? See new places? Get out into the countryside or explore a new city? Knowing your goals will help you decide on the type of walk you want to do.

Call up your friends and schedule walks with them if socializing is your aim.     3     Many malls have groups that come every day, or every weekend, to “walk the mall”. These groups are always happy to include one more walker!

    4     Many large cities have incredible gardens and parks that include quiet walking trails getting you off the beaten path. Thanks to the Rails to Trails program, railways across the country are being transformed into scenic walking paths that are a perfect way to seek calmness.

From the benefits to your heart to your overall happiness, walking is just plain good for you.     5       It’s a fantastic way to get to know a place by the power of your own two feet.

A．This month, pick up a map and start walking.

B．Ask your friends where they like to walk and just go there.

C．You may as well consider heading to a new city for a change.

D．Either way, it’s time to accept the idea of walking with a purpose.

E．Recently, science has proved that walking is good for your body shape.

F．And best of all, it’s a great way to see new things and meet new people!

G．If you’re after walking alone, ask about local hikes that get you away from the crowd.

3 . Fitness Magazine recently ran an article titled “Five Reasons to Thank Your Workout Partner.” One reason was: “You’ll actually show up if you know someone is waiting for you at the gym, ” while another read: “    1    ”   With a workout partner, you will increase your training effort as there is a subtle (微妙) competition.

So, how do you find a workout partner?

First of all, decide what you want from that person.     2     Or do you just want to be physically fit, able to move with strength and flexibility? Think about the exercises you would like to do with your workout partner.

You might think about posting what you are looking for on social media, but it probably won’t result in a useful response.     3     If you plan on working out in a gym, that person must belong to the same gym.

My partner posted her request on the notice board of a local park. Her notice included what kind of training she wanted to do, how many days a week and how many hours she wanted to spend on each session, and her age. It also listed her favorite sports and activities, and provided her phone number.     4    

You and your partner will probably have different skills.     5     Over time, both of you will benefit—your partner will be able to lift more weights and you will become more physically fit. The core (核心) of your relationship is that you will always be there to help each other.

A．Your first meeting may be a little awkward.

B．A workout partner usually needs to live close by.

C．You’ll work harder if you train with someone else.

D．Do you want to be a better athlete in your favorite sport?

E．How can you write a good “seeking training partner” notice?

F．Just accept your differences and learn to work with each other.

G．Any notice for a training partner should include such information.

4 . World’s loneliest marathon

Many of us know about Russia’s Lake Baikal from our textbooks, or by listening to Chinese singer Li Jian’s hit song, Lake Baikal. But over the past decade, the world’s deepest freshwater lake has been in the spotlight for an extreme sport.

Each March since 2005, about 150 people from around the world sign up for the     Baikal Ice Marathon. They come to explore the lake’s breathtaking beauty and challenge themselves in unpredictable conditions.

The 26-mile (41.84-kilometers) journey starts on the lake’s eastern shore. In March, the ice is a meter thick and iron-hard. Runners cross this frozen surface, finishing on the western side of the lake.

Known as the “blue eye of Siberia”, Lake Baikal has exceptionally clear waters. This means its ice is almost perfectly transparent. “Seen from above, a runner on the ice looks as if he or she is jogging through space,” The New York Times noted.

The landscape might be beautiful, but it’s also harsh. Strong winds blast across the lake and frostbite can occur within half an hour. Runners say the cold climate is what draws them. They want to test their limits.

“When you are in such an environment, you don’t have cars around you, you don’t have the noise around. I think these extreme races allow you to be alone with nature,” Alicja Barahona, a 64-year-old runner from the US, told ABC News.

The location offers some strange and unique characteristics for this marathon. The finish line is visible from the start, but the endless white offers no progress markers. The race also ends with little fanfare (喧闹). Tourists crowding the ice are mostly addicted to snapping selfies (自拍) and just ignore the runners.

For some runners, the absence of spectators (观众) makes the race more challenging, because it’s lonely. They must fight with themselves. “You are alone on Baikal. It is your race. You are alone with yourself. All you need to do is to defeat yourself,” Veronique Messina, a French runner, told the Telegraph.

1. What can we know about the Baikal Ice Marathon from the article?

A．It takes runners from the northern end to the southern end of the lake.

B．It involves extreme weather and beautiful scenery.

C．It attracts more and more participants each year.

D．It is about 26 kilometers in length.

2. In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “harsh” probably means _______.

A．interesting	B．mysterious
C．severe	D．safe

3. How does the Baikal Ice Marathon differ from other marathons?

A．Only men are allowed to run in this race.

B．The runners can see the finish line from the start.

C．The runners are often distracted by tourists.

D．There are many progress markers on the ice.

4. What is the most challenging part of the race for Messina?

A．Loneliness.	B．The long distance.
C．The cold climate.	D．Noisy surroundings.

5 . One major reason Americans don’t get enough exercise is that they feel they don’t have enough time. It can be difficult to squeeze in the 75 minutes of aerobic (有氧的) exercise per week that federal guidelines recommend.    1    .

In a new analysis of 14 studies, researchers tracked deaths among more than 232,000 people from the U.S., Denmark, the U.K. and China over at least five years, and compared the findings with people’s self-reports about how much they ran. People who said they ran any amount were less likely to die than those who didn’t run at all.    2     This was true even for those who didn’t log a great deal of time. The analysis divided people into groups, with 50 minutes or less per week representing the group that ran the least―but still ran. ‘‘Regardless of how much you run, you can expect such benefits,” says Zeljko Pedisic, one of the authors of the new analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The analysis is the latest to illustrate the benefits of running on the human body. It’s what we evolved (进化) to do.     3     But as leisure-time exercise, running keeps us healthy. “One of the best ways to avoid having to see a doctor,” Zeljko says, “is to stay physically active.”

    4     Running is good at guarding against cancer partly because it uses up blood sugar, starving the cancer cells that rely on it for fuel. And it protects you in other ways not necessarily measured in the latest research: by decreasing inflammation (炎症), for example, which is at the root of many diseases, and stimulating the production of a protein that improves brain health.

    5     Neither were how often people ran and the pace they kept. As long as you’re running, more isn’t always better, especially given that the risk of injury increases with repetition.

A．People may no longer hunt wild animals for their next meal.

B．The physical demands of running affect our body in a beneficial way.

C．Some people run to prevent disease, and others run because it makes them feel better.

D．Runners were 27% less likely to die for any reason, compared with nonrunners.

E．But researchers point out, to infer something like that, they need the whole population measured.

F．But new research suggests people may be able to get life-lengthening benefits by running for far less time.

G．The good news is that running more than 50 minutes per week wasn’t linked to additional protections against dying.

6 . 假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。你的英国好友 Jim 从书上看到了中国学生做 “课间操”的图片，向你询问有关情况。请你给他回复邮件，介绍相关信息，内容包括：
1） 课间操的基本情况(时间、次数…)；
2） 你们做课间操的感受。
注意：1. 词数不少于 50；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。提示词：课间操 exercise between classes
Dear Jim,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

7 . 根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Personalized Exercise

As the start of every year, many of us promise ourselves that a certain number of times a week we will go to the gym or attend an exercise class. But finally many of us just struggle to fit exercise into our lives, or start off well and then give up. Why do we have a good plan at the beginning and fail to achieve it in the end? How can we deal with the problem?     1    

It is important to determine your motivation first. Are you mainly interested in de-stressing or in getting fitter? If your goal is relaxation, then ask yourself if you want to do it energetically.     2     If you have a calmer style, you can do something quite different. You could choose solitary exercise, such as walking the dog or doing some gardening.     3     There are quite a lot of them, such as walking and running groups, dance classes, etc. On your own, you could go horse riding or swimming, or just download fitness exercise programs and do it at home.

    4     If you have free time at the weekend, you could book some time with a personal trainer, who can come to your house, or you could meet him at the gym. If your life is not as regular, you could choose the next couple of minutes you have to try an exercise DVD, or put your running shoes on and run for any length of time.

As you see, everything counts when you are doing exercise. Whatever your lifestyle is, you will be able to have something that suits you.     5    Just sit down with a cup of tea, read this article again, and have a think about your options. Then finish the tea, get up, get going, and don’t stop.

A．Good exercise is necessary for physical health.

B．The key could be to find the right type of exercise.

C．If it is fitness you are after, group activities will be suitable.

D．You’d better create a personalized plan to get you into shape.

E．In this case, a type of exercise based on boxing may be right for you.

F．In other words, you can always find personalized exercise by yourself.

G．For people who are extremely busy, it is easier to fit exercise into daily lives.

8 . Running for a Dream

I will never forget that November day．It was hotter than normal．This was the ________ my father and I had waited so long for，because we had been working towards this race for three years．Dozens of familiar faces from church and school flashed across my view．They had come ________me．I saw worry and ________on my father's face．Then the race began!

For the first two and a half miles．I felt________．I had never before been so ready for something．The weeks leading up to the race were filled with controlled________and a strict diet．My friends hadn't seen me in weeks，but they understood the _______required to make my dream a reality．As in all of my races，I didn't _______ out in the front，I loved the pleasure of passing people as my strength overtook their premature speed．

Then without warning，my strength began to decrease．Neck and neck with one of my greatest competitors，I ________see the finish line．I had begun the final dash into_______when my knees became weak and my legs gave way．Nothing I could do would make them _______ weight．

I watched as runners rushed by me．________ I knew my dreams of victory were destroyed．I had to finish the race．However，my legs hurt badly．With all of the ________ left in me，I got on my hands and knees and crawled （爬），inch by inch，across the finish line．Voices，both ________ and familiar，cheered me on．They gave me the courage to keep ________until the very end．

The doctors were there in seconds，but my eyes searched the crowd for him．There was only one person I wanted to ________to．I whispered，"I'm so sorry，Dad，I'm so sorry I ________you．"He looked at me，saying，"You could never disappoint me．Sometimes these things just ________．All that matters is that you did your best．"

"But we worked so ________．What about our dream？"He reached over for my hand and said，"Don't you know that you are my dream and it has come true？"

It wasn't long before my running shoes were back on，marking a________path for my journey，I learned that all of the miles，the tears，the sweat，and the pain my dad and I experienced together were not for a________．What I realized，though，was that to him，I was the greatest prize he had ever won．

1.

A．dream

B．weather

C．result

D．day

2.

A．for

B．to

C．across

D．over

3.

A．coldness

B．astonishment

C．excitement

D．amusement

4.

A．proud

B．great

C．nervous

D．afraid

5.

A．programs

B．studies

C．instructions

D．practices

6.

A．sacrifice

B．potential

C．patience

D．attention

7.

A．look

B．move

C．start

D．come

8.

A．should

B．could

C．must

D．need

9.

A．relief

B．spirit

C．pleasure

D．glory

10.

A．give

B．feel

C．hold

D．add

11.

A．Where

B．Because

C．If

D．Although

12.

A．trust

B．emotion

C．strength

D．confidence

13.

A．loud

B．foreign

C．soft

D．firm

14.

A．going

B．running

C．fighting

D．training

15.

A．refer

B．talk

C．listen

D．agree

16.

A．frightened

B．disturbed

C．disappointed

D．bored

17.

A．develop

B．change

C．follow

D．happen

18.

A．late

B．hard

C．closely

D．quickly

19.

A．new

B．near

C．rough

D．narrow

20.

A．wish

B．duty

C．rank

D．race

9 . For the rest of March, a disease will sweep across the US. It will keep kids home from school.    1    Employees will suddenly lose their ability to concentrate.
The disease, known as “March Madness”, refers to the yearly 65-team US men’s college basketball tournament(锦标赛).    2    Teams compete against each other in a single-elimination(单局淘汰) tournament that eventually crowns a national champion.
    3    The fun comes partly from guessing the winners for every game. Friends compete against friends. Husbands against wives. Colleagues against bosses.
Big-name schools are usually favored to advance into the tournament. But each year there are dark horses from little-known universities. This adds to the madness. Watching a team from a school with 3,000 students beat a team from a school with 30,000, for many Americans, is an exciting experience. Two years ago, the little-known George Mason University was one of the final teams.    4    
College basketball players are not paid, so the game is more about making a name for their university and themselves.    5    About $4 billion will be spent gambling on the event. According to Media Life magazine, the event will bring in $500 million in advertising income this year, topping the post-season income of every US professional league, including that of the NBA.

A．Nearly 20 million Americans will find themselves prisoners of basketball festival Madness.

B．The players will go all out for the games.

C．But that doesn’t mean money isn’t involved.

D．College students will ignore piles of homework.

E．People are willing to spend more money on watching it.

F．It begins on March 15 and lasts through the beginning of April.

G．Many people had never even heard of the university before the tournament.