1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What does the speaker say about Mary Glen?

A．It is a lovely shop.

B．It is a holiday place.

C．It is a farmer’s market.

2. Where does the speaker suggest running?

A．Along the Evergreen Trail .

B．Along the Soli.

C．Along the River Dent.

3. What’s the purpose of the talk do you think?

A．To discuss a sport.

B．To do promotion.

C．To introduce the town of Soli.

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。

How well are we in tune with the rhythm of life? In our busy day-to-day lives, we don’t often stop to ask ourselves this question. At least I don’t. And it wasn’t until I joined a competitive sporting event that I learned a most important lesson: we must place our mind in harmony with the natural order of things to be successful.

Let me tell you what happened.

I decided to take part in an International Marathon in my hometown last year. Being an ambitious person, I hoped to finish it within 5 hours, accompanied by my friend with whom I had trained.

The big day finally arrived. “Ready... set... bang” And we were off.

At first, we kept a rapid pace and ran nonstop. At this pace, we finished the first 20 kilometers in 2 hours and I thought running a marathon was a piece of cake. Then my running mate began to slow down. I urged him to keep running at the same pace but he said no, he wanted to conserve his energy. I felt I had partnered with the wrong person, therefore, I sped up and left him behind in the dust.

A few kilometers later, I began to understand his strategy as my pace slowed to a jog then a walk. After that I was incapable of moving another step. I was ashamed as more and more people passed by me. More than once I thought “Maybe I should quit.” I started to doubt my ability to finish this race.

注意：1.续写词数应为120左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At this moment, my running mate caught up with me and patted me on the back.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I asked myself, what did this marathon mean to me?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

China’s taijiquan has become     1    (increasing) popular as a form of mind-body exercise and stress reduction, especially among young people. Song Fei,     2     was the former female champion of a fitness model     3    (compete) in Beijing, has been sharing the changes in her body and mind after learning taijiquan on lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu. Song Fei told that as pain started to develop in her legs, she thought it was time     4    (look) for some correctional treatment and taijiquan     5    (come) up in her search result. Besides     6    (practise) it each morning now, she also weaves(编入) elements of the Chinese martial art into her fitness courses.

“When I first started, it was quite boring and I had to practise     7     same set of movements for nearly two years. But it’s a process of reconnecting all     8    (part) of my body.” Gradually Song started to feel a sense     9     calmness. She explained that in the gym she would listen to music or think about other things while working out because each exercise was repetitive. Yet in taijiquan, each movement was flowing and she had to constantly stay     10    (focus).

4 . There is no age limit to work or do something you love. 102-year-old Jean Bailey, a resident of Elk Ridge Village Senior Living in Omaha, is constantly ________ this by teaching a fitness class four times a week for almost three years now.

Bailey mentioned that some of her ________ clients have arthritis(关节炎) that restricts their mobility, but they can ________ perform stretching exercises by following her instructions and get benefit from them. Bailey, who also uses a ________ frequently due to her leg pain, is a strict coach despite this. She explained she was ________ and called “mean” for being strict in her classes. “The girls seem to ________ what I’m going to do for them,” she added. “They know it’s beneficial.”

In 2020, 99-year-old Bailey started ________ classes. Despite being a senior, she wasn’t ________ by the younger ages of her peers(同行). Being someone who was keen on staying active and good at motivating people, she encouraged her students to bring chairs into the hallway and performed ________ exercises. Everyone enjoyed it greatly and the classes never stopped.

Bailey ________ 30-minute exercise classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, which begin at 9:45 am. Apart from helping them stay ________, the classes also have allowed the women attending to form beautiful ________. Bailey said, “One of us would do something for anybody. We really keep track of each other.”

One of these women is Phyllis Black, 87, who lives down the hall from Bailey. Black was ________ by Bailey with homemade cookies when she moved into Elk Ridge about three years ago. Bailey often treats the ________ with baked goods after the exercise sessions, especially on birthdays, as she believes all birthdays are significant at this age. Black said of Bailey, “She’s a very ________ neighbor, and she’s also a good friend.”

1.

A．promoting

B．identifying

C．proving

D．qualifying

2.

A．wise

B．regular

C．warm-hearted

D．skillful

3.

A．vividly

B．stably

C．awfully

D．easily

4.

A．walker

B．caretaker

C．tool

D．chair

5.

A．kept pace with

B．taken care of

C．made fun of

D．looked up to

6.

A．assume

B．realize

C．expect

D．confirm

7.

A．language

B．driving

C．exercise

D．cooking

8.

A．appreciated

B．inspired

C．teased

D．frightened

9.

A．simple

B．fierce

C．typical

D．elegant

10.

A．attends

B．conducts

C．quits

D．improves

11.

A．brave

B．smart

C．busy

D．fit

12.

A．bonds

B．shapes

C．figures

D．images

13.

A．rewarded

B．supported

C．welcomed

D．impressed

14.

A．neighbors

B．participants

C．bosses

D．couples

15.

A．fair

B．ridiculous

C．honest

D．nice

5 . Poetry Writing Contest

Contest information

Deadline: November 30th

Results: Announced on December 31st

Prizes: Win $ 1,600 in prize money

Guest judges: Ken Liu, Brian Evenson, and Faylita Hicks

Entry requirements

Your poetry can be laid out as you wish, as we understand that form often relates to the effect of a poem. However, please be sure to stick to a maximum of 3 pages per poem.

Submission guidelines

We accept works, written in English, from anywhere in the world. But we don’t accept works previously published elsewhere.

Writers over the age of thirteen are welcome to participate. Please note that if you’re aged 13-16 and your work is selected for publication, we’ll require a signature from a parent or a guardian.

Please include your name and contact information in your cover letter only and remove any identifying information from both the submitted work and the file name.

We edit every piece accepted for publication whether your work is selected for publication through our online blog or in our print magazine. For this cooperative process we’ll pair you with one of our senior editors. All our editors have been trained to help guide the development of each piece to reach its fullest potential in keeping with the author’s vision. This doesn’t mean we’ll take on a wild jumble of words and half-formed thoughts.

Notes

The contest reserves the right to NOT award a winner if the submissions don’t reach a publishable standard. In this case, the winner won’t be announced. Although this has rarely come to pass in our six-year publishing history, our top priority must remain with the quality of the work we publish.

1. What do you have to avoid in order to participate in the contest?

A．Writing a 3-page-long poem.

B．Writing your work in English.

C．Providing your contact information.

D．Submitting your entry after November 30th.

2. What do we know about the contest?

A．It is held on an annual basis.

B．It is intended for teenagers only.

C．It is open to global poetry lovers.

D．It is aimed at making poetry more popular.

3. What are you expected to do if your poem is selected for publication?

A．Make sure that it is original.

B．Polish it as you’re required to.

C．Go to receive the prize on time.

D．Give your permission to publish it.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Ultimate Frisbee started in Shanghai. China’s fascination with it now     1    , has spread to many other cities across the country. This game     2     (play) by two teams, each consisting of seven players. By     3     (cooperate) with team members, the players     4     catch the Frisbee in the designated (指定的) area can score for their team. Ultimate Frisbee, often     5     (refer) to simply as “ultimate”, combines the characteristics of many other sports, while having     6     (it) unique features. Rui Lulu, a 22-year-old player, though     7     (relative) new in a Frisbee club, becomes a team leader thanks to her experience of playing soccer. Nowadays, many persons after 1990 get to love this sport, complete with noise, sweat and plenty of     8     (laugh), not just because it’s full of fun but they’re also allowed     9     (expand) the social circle when playing it. They noted that as China builds itself into a strong sporting nation and health awareness is     10     the increase, more and more people — especially those from “Generation Z” — start to take part in sports and activities like ultimate during their spare time.

7 . The game is going on, yet you can hear a needle drop in the stands. No one makes a sound out of fear they’ll distract the players defending their bases(垒)because the players need to me their hearing to know when the opposing player is running toward them. Once the batter hits a base with their hand, the crowd erupts in applause. These people are playing beep baseball, an adapted version of baseball.

The game has been around for decades. Beep baseball uses sounds in place of sight to make the game accessible to the visually weakened. There are only three bases, home, first and third, and they stand 4 to 5 feet tall. After the batter hits the ball, the bases start to beep so runners can follow the sound to the base. The catcher and the pitcher(投手)are the only sighted players on the team. The six other players are all visually weakened, plus they wear sleep shades or dark glasses to rid any advantage for those with some level of vision.

Beep baseball is an innovative approach to America’s pastime that makes it accessible for everyone. “Usually as a visually-weakened person, you’re sitting on the sidelines and just cheering on, because you don’t have the chance to play basketball, or play football, but now that I’ve found this sport. I’m included,” said Jason Esterhuizen, a player who lost his vision in a car accident 11 years ago. Jason is a member of the Pasadena Panthers, a beep baseball team in California that made it to the National Beep Baseball World Series in 2022. The team traveled to Beaumont, Texas to participate in the event.

According to the City of Beaumont, Texas, the World Series includes 37 learns throughout the United States, Canada, and the Dominican Republic, The World Series gives all teams the opportunity to meet and compete. How have we not heard of this amazing modification of the traditional American sport until now? Beep baseball is such a simple concept, but it means so much to people who have been refused from traditional sports for so long!

1. What is special about the game according to the first paragraph?

A．Dropping needles is part of the game.	B．Hearing matters during the game.
C．The players must have better eyesight.	D．The batter hits the ball with both hands.

2. Why are sleep shades or dark glasses used in the sport?

A．To ensure fairness in the game.	B．To help players hear more clearly.
C．To make key players stand out.	D．To suit personal preferences of players.

3. What is Jason Esterhuizen’s attitude to the sport?

A．Tolerant.	B．Doubtful.
C．Objective.	D．Positive.

4. What does the underlined word “modification” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Condition.	B．Competition.
C．Change.	D．Cooperation.

8 . In my latest novel, Aphrodite’s Tears, I wanted to draw on this ancient Greek tradition of sponge (海绵) diving; and explore the traditions surrounding the way of life. My fictional island of Helios, therefore, has a long association with sponge diving, and the heroine Oriel, a newcomer to the island and a diver herself, is keen to learn all about it.

Damian, the leader of the island, explains to Oriel that in his father’s generation, sponge diving was one of the main industries on the island. A sizeable group of islanders would leave each May-yet in the autumn, a smaller group would return. “In those days,” Damian explains, “one man in three was either dead or crippled (残疾的) from the caisson disease before they reached marriageable age.” Under Damian’s leadership, other means of earning a living are being developed-such as olive oil production. But some of the men continue to follow in their ancestors’ footsteps and dive for sponges, and each year there are still two or three deaths.

The emotional impact of these losses on the little island community is apparent to Oriel when she comes across a shrine (祠堂) by the port. There she sees tiny paintings that tell the story of the sponge divers, and before the paintings, so many flowers and gifts. They are laid by the women of the sponge-diving families, as offerings for protection for their men and as thanks for the miracle of their safe return.

Why, Oriel wonders, would these men take the risk? After all, with synthetic (合成的) sponges flooding the market, sponge diving is nowhere near as lucrative as it used to be. “It comes down to tradition,” Damian explains: “To the romantic young, it naturally seems a grand thing to sail away every summer to the shores of Africa and to come back, pockets full of money, hailed a hero... I have seen young boys playing at sponge fishing: swimming underwater, wearing the sponge-fisher’s mask and carrying their spear, pretending to detach sponges from the bottom of the sea. An aura (气息) of heroism surrounds the profession.”

1. What’s appealing to Oriel on Helios Island?

A．The main local industries.

B．Her ancestors’ way of life.

C．The scenery of Helios Island.

D．The tradition of sponge diving.

2. How does Oriel’s feel when seeing the scene at the shrine probably?

A．Pride.

B．Sad.

C．Frightened.

D．Grateful.

3. What does the underlined word “lucrative” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Dangerous.

B．Profitable.

C．Traditional.

D．Entertaining.

4. Why do some young people today follow the tradition of sponge diving?

A．It brings them much fun.	B．It remains a major industry.
C．It shows their courageous spirit.	D．It’s turned into a tourist attraction.

9 . Going to the gym after a long day at work can be a tiring task. However, once you get into the habit of making exercise a priority (优先事项), it gets easier! David Stine, author of The Whole Life, explains how you can make fitness a lifestyle choice.     1    . His physical activities have become a must on his calendar. He shared some of his thoughts with me. No matter what fitness plan you use, these points are practical and will do good to you.

    2    

Based on your age, physical condition and body type, choose workouts that are realistic as far as what you can and should do. What was appropriate for you at a certain age or life stage may not work for you today.

Find workouts that you will enjoy

Try doing different kinds of sports, like tennis or basketball as well as exercises and workouts. By doing so you will not get bored.     3    .

Create chances to motivate yourself

Activities, competitions, and classes are offered year-round, both indoors and outdoors.     4    . It can encourage you to carry out your fitness plans.

Use your calendar to keep yourself accountable (负责任的)

My tennis nights differ each week, depending upon with whom and when I can play, but I practice at least three nights a week, after the kids are off to bed, early in the morning, or even on my lunch hour.     5    , since I can still be with my family at night and have time to walk. Putting these times in my calendar forces me to make room for workouts.

A．Be realistic in what you do

B．These short periods of time work best

C．Spend 30 to 60 minutes daily exercising

D．He has made playing tennis part of his life

E．Take part in races held by communities or schools

F．Doing things you enjoy will keep you coming back for more

G．Remember, it’s not about having time, it’s about making time

10 . The tennis ball is such an unassuming object in our lives that we take its appearance for granted. Who hasn’t stumbled upon one of them, forgotten, in the far corner of their closet or garage? Despite its passive presence, one of the most crazy internet debates of 2018 centered on its distinctive color: Is it actually yellow, or is it green? The shade in question originates from an unlikely source: David Attenborough, the legendary British documentarian known internationally for his Planet Earth series, played a central role in how we see the tennis ball today.

The sport of modern tennis was born out of the English game of lawn tennis, which by most accounts was invented in the 1870s. Lawn tennis was an outdoor adaptation of the indoor racket game “real tennis,” which itself was an adoption of the French pastime jeu de paume, or “the palm game.” After many iterations (迭代), including balls made of cork, wool, and even human hair, the tennis ball found what was then its ideal form: a ball made of a rubber core encased in white or black melton, a tightly woven and felted fabric.

For nearly a century, tennis balls were white or black. It wasn’t until 1972 that tennis balls took on their bright neon colour. At the time, Attenborough was working as a studio controller for the BBC. In the late 1960s he had led the charge for the BBC to broadcast Wimbledon, perhaps the most iconic of tennis tournaments, in color for the first time ever.

Broadcasting tennis in color brought the matches to life, but it made tracking the ball on screen difficult—especially when it fell near the white courtlines. So the International Tennis Federation undertook a study that found that yellow tennis balls were easier for home viewers to see on their screens. An official 1972 ITF rule change required that all regulation balls have a uniform surface and be white or yellow in color. However, Wimbledon did not change the ball color to yellow until 1986.

In 1991, the Chicago Tribune ran a story about white tennis balls making a comeback. In reality, most manufacturers never stopped producing white balls in smaller quantities. Grant Golden, a former United States clay court champion, declared that the comeback of white tennis balls would “go right down the toilet” because “the yellow ball is perfect.”

The unmistakable shade of the tennis ball is officially called “optic yellow” by the ITF. The next time a tennis ball comes rolling out from the recesses of your closet, take a moment to regard the power of its humble design.

1. According to paragraph 2, tennis originated from _________.

A．English real tennis	B．French palm game
C．English lawn tennis	D．French indoor racket

2. Which of the following is most likely to be the major reason for changing the ball color to yellow?

A．The comment made by Grant Golden.

B．The production of tennis balls with a rubber core.

C．The proposal raised by David Attenborough.

D．The finding of a study conducted by ITF.

3. Which of the following statements is true about Wimbledon, the tennis tournament?

A．Tennis balls at Wimbledon adopted a bright neon color in 1972.

B．Attenborough was the first to convince BBC to broadcast Wimbledon on TV.

C．It wasn’t until the late 1960s that Wimbledon was broadcast in color.

D．Golden suggested that white tennis balls make a comeback to Wimbledon.

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．The new color of tennis balls

B．The unmistakable history of modern tennis

C．The evolution of broadcasting tennis matches

D．David Attenborough’s contributions to Wimbledon