1 . Is running a marathon (马拉松) under two hours possible? Will a human ever be able to run that fast? Now, the world record for the 42.195km (26.219 miles) distance is held by the Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge. His time of 2:01:39 hours was achieved at the Berlin Marathon of 2018.
But studies published in the past have come to the conclusion that running a marathon under 2 hours can be done. They even see a time of around 1:57 as the fastest a human can ever run. However, we may have to wait longer for this to happen.
To achieve an under two-hour marathon, an athlete would have to have the perfect body size and weight, the right running plans and of course, the right nutrition (营养). Today’s perfect runners come from Kenya and Ethiopia, countries that have dominated (占优势) long distance races for years. East African athletes have long legs and lungs that can take in lots of oxygen (氧). Training at high altitudes (海拔) gives them a strong heart. Ideal weather conditions with cool temperatures and no wind will also be needed to attempt such a mark. An extremely fast marathon would only be possible on flat city courses, like Berlin or London.
Since the beginning of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, athletes have tried to run long distance races as fast as possible. In 1900, the marathon world record was at around 3 hours. In the following 30 years, men were able to reach a mark of 2:30. But in the last 15 years, the world record has improved by only 3 minutes.
On the other side, some experts think that such fast performances will only be possible with the help of some medicine.
1. Why is the world record mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To show a human can run very fast. |
| B．To prove Eliud Kipchoge is the best. |
| C．To introduce the greatest success in the world. |
| D．To show an under two hour marathon hasn’t been achieved yet. |
| A．It requires too many things to fit together. |
| B．It isn’t easy to find right running plans. |
| C．Training a perfect runner takes a long time. |
| D．Kenyan and Ethiopian runners control marathons. |
| A．High altitudes. | B．Lots of oxygen. |
| C．A perfect environment. | D．Tall and strong runners. |
| A．Men will run faster and faster. |
| B．Men made the greatest progress in 1930. |
| C．Achieving shorter time became more difficult. |
| D．It’s impossible to break the marathon world record. |
2 . Student reading marathon is a real page-turner
The University of Nottingham Ningbo China’s Centre for English Language Education (CELE) has launched a reading marathon. Organised by CELE’s Self Access Centre, the idea behind the marathon was to encourage students to read as many books as they could over a 10-week period.
Almost 300 first-year students took part in the competition, reading close to 600 books. Among them, Qinyu He, student of International Business Division and winner of the competition, read an impressive 30 books and was awarded a book voucher (代金券) for ￥200 (£ 20). The highlight of her reading was Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. “What I like about Sense and Sensibility is the character of Eleanor. She is the kind of person I would like to become. Many people in China today are looking to find a balance between sense and sensibility; Eleanor sets a good example.”
The reading marathon was open to young people with all levels of English reading sills, with the emphasis on students enjoying reading and learning to love books. Ben Heasley, Deputy Director (副主任) of CELE, explained, “We recommended books that have had their original language graded for vocabulary, complexity of grammar structures and also by the number of words. They can be graded to cater for all levels from beginners to advanced. Naturally, we expected our students to read in the upper reaches of the scale, intermediate (中级的) to advanced. The advantage is that the student reader can focus on the story without constantly being interrupted by having to use a dictionary. Following the success of this year’s competition, we are already planning to run the reading marathon in the following year.”
1. What is the reading marathon aimed at?| A．Discovering the best student who is skilled at reading. |
| B．Encouraging students to improve their reading ability. |
| C．Introducing Jane Austen’s book Sense and Sensibility. |
| D．Offering awards to students who are interested in English. |
| A．Qinyu He was a first-year student in the university. |
| B．Eleanor inspired Qinyu He to read more books. |
| C．Qinyu He won ￥ 200 for reading 30 books. |
| D．Jane Austen set a good example for Qinyu He. |
| A．To make it more complex. | B．To adjust the reading rate. |
| C．To suit all levels of students. | D．To classify the reading materials. |
| A．Many students sing high praise for the character Eleanor. |
| B．Whoever wins the competition will be given a big prize. |
| C．More and more students show interest in learning English. |
| D．Ben Heasley is in favor of the reading marathon competition. |
Before the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, visually- impaired (视力受损的) Chinese runner Liu Cuiqing put a lot of pressure on
In 2010, she joined the national athletics team
Sports competitions for disabled
“To other people, this may just be
At the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, after
“In fact, when I was running, my leg was already so painful
4 . Baseball is a sport that began in the eastern United States in the 1800s. It is known as the “national pastime”, a game that millions of people continue to enjoy each spring and summer. Major League Baseball recently opened its new season. So this is a good time to explore the influence of it on popular culture, including music. Many songs have been written about baseball.
Baseball expert Warner Fusselle writes that there are probably more than 1,000 songs about baseball. The most popular is “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” It was written in 1908 by Jack Norworth. He wrote it after seeing a sign about baseball on an underground train in New York City. Two years later, his friend, Albert Von Tilzer, put the words into music and soon the song became very hot. It was reported that Mr. Norworth had never seen a Major League Baseball game.
People still sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during baseball games. Near the end of the game, people become tired of sitting on the hard seats. So, during the special time in the game, everyone stands up and stretches their arms and legs. Everyone sings a song together. Most often, it is “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”.
A large number of songs have been written about America’s baseball teams. These teams include the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. Other songs have been written about famous baseball players: Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio.
Baseball expert Richard Miller writes that many songs and poems about other subjects use words and expressions from baseball. In our daily life, we often hear that a girl tells her boyfriend that she will not like him unless he is a good baseball player.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refer to?| A．Baseball. | B．The new season. |
| C．Major League Baseball. | D．The eastern United States. |
| A．In the 1800s. | B．In 1908. | C．In 1910. | D．In 1980. |
| A．when they feel tired of the game | B．in the middle of a baseball game |
| C．when they plan to watch a baseball game | D．when the baseball game is coming to an end |
| A．Baseball has a great influence on people’s lives. |
| B．Girls like to make friends with baseball players. |
| C．Popular music has nothing to do with baseball. |
| D．Jack Norworth wrote more than 1,000 songs about baseball. |
5 . When I was 13 my only purpose was to become the star on our football team. That meant
Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out. I carried my football everywhere for
Just before September, Miller was struck by a car and lost his right arm. I went to see him after he came back from
That season, I
One afternoon, I was crossing the field to go home and saw Miller
His words freed me from my bad
| A．staying with | B．going on | C．beating out | D．cheering for |
| A．coach | B．player | C．teacher | D．student |
| A．comfort | B．show | C．fun | D．practice |
| A．vacation | B．hospital | C．school | D．training |
| A．pale | B．calm | C．relaxed | D．ashamed |
| A．kept | B．tried | C．held | D．broke |
| A．reported | B．organized | C．watched | D．judged |
| A．then | B．and | C．thus | D．but |
| A．mistake | B．sacrifice | C．accident | D．decision |
| A．stuck | B．lost | C．tired | D．hurt |
| A．fit | B．bad | C．steady | D．hard |
| A．assistance | B．apology | C．praise | D．advice |
| A．had | B．helped | C．let | D．noticed |
| A．dropped | B．safe | C．ready | D．trapped |
| A．quickly | B．wrong | C．normally | D．fine |
| A．us | B．me | C．yourself | D．them |
| A．memories | B．ideas | C．attitudes | D．dreams |
| A．yet | B．also | C．still | D．just |
| A．cured | B．invited | C．challenged | D．admired |
| A．healthier | B．better | C．cooler | D．bigger |
6 . A cancer survivor has become the first woman to complete an exhausting “Sea to Summit” triathlon which saw her swim, cycle, and run over 330 miles in just five days. Andrea Mason was overjoyed when she crossed the finish line early Wednesday morning.
The race was set in the French Alps. Setting off at 6:15 am on Friday, 39-year-old Mason battled through severe pain, and hallucinations, but she pushed on — managing to complete the race in an impressive four days, 23 hours, and 41 minutes. Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer and needed life-saving surgery. Following a successful operation, she is now hoping to raise awareness of women’s health. In the past year, Andrea set up her own charity, Lady Talk Matters, in order to normalize the conversation surrounding female health.
Andrea, from Blackpool in Lancashire, England, said, “I am so happy all went according to plan as there were so many things that could have gone wrong. It was bigger than I imagined, the impact on my body was huge, but every time I felt like giving up, I thought about all the women out there in pain or who still hadn’t been diagnosed. That is why I insisted on this.”
Andrea had to swim 23 miles around Lake Annecy, cycle 205 miles with 30,000 feet of vertical climbing around Mont Blanc, and run 105 miles with 4,000 feet of vertical climbing around The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. You could say Andrea’s actually made a lifetime effort for an event like this. She completed her first three-mile race “powered by chocolate bars” when she was just four.
1. What brought Andrea Mason so much joy?| A．She swam and ran over 330 miles in five days. |
| B．She battled bravely and defeated cancer finally. |
| C．She completed a marathon in just five days. |
| D．She finished an exhausting triathlon lately. |
| A．To help the poor women. | B．To promote women’s health. |
| C．To focus on women’s life. | D．To raise the status of women. |
| A．Thinking of other women who might have cancer. |
| B．Thinking of other women who had more pain. |
| C．Her strong willpower to win. |
| D．Her family’s support. |
| A．Andrea liked sports very much. | B．Andrea faced huge challenges. |
| C．As a little girl, Andrea won many races. | D．Andrea’s success lay in long-term effort. |
7 . Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Love Sports
From watching the live game to practising skills with your kids, there are so many ways to get them involved(参与) and benefit from all that sports have to offer!
Find out what kind of sport your kids enjoy playing.
Read, watch and learn.
A great way to inspire a love of sports is by reading and watching movies about famous athletes.
There's always the chance that your kids might lose interest after trying out new sports. Offer them the chances to try out all different sports and see what they like best.
Get involved but not too involved.
Show interest in your kids' new sports hobby. Just make sure not to become too involved! Make sure that fun is always the focus — at the end of the day, what's most important is that your kids are having a good time!
| A．Give all sports a try |
| B．See what sports they play at school |
| C．Learn to walk before you run |
| D．It is even better to take your kids to a live game |
| E．Sport is no longer so important in the school timetable |
| F．Not only is playing sports enjoyable for your kids |
| G．Read our advice below and find out ways to inspire your kids to love sports |
8 . Yearly Sports Day in School
Sports day is commonly celebrated in all schools for all kinds of types of sports games.
Importance of Yearly Sports Day in School:
1. It's important and basic for the development and growth of a student.
2. Health will also be good, and a child will be active all day.
3. Mental development happens because of playing sports.
4. Teamwork is learned and it will help with their character building.
5. The players gain confidence.
6. Their brain works faster and more brightly in studies.
Types of games:
There are many types of games played on Yearly Sports Day but below are some of the common games recommended by our club:
FALL SPORTS WINTER SPORTS
•Cross Country—Boys •Alpine Ski
•Cross Country—Girls •Basketball—Boys
• Football • Basketball—Girls
• Basketball — Boys • Competition Dance
• Basketball — Girls • Floor Hockey — Adapted
• Soccer — Adapted •Gymnastics
• Soccer — Boys •Hockey—Boys
• Soccer—Girls •Hockey—Girls
• Swim & Dive—Girls • Nordic Ski—Boys & Girls
• Tennis—Girls •Swim & Dive—Boys
• Volleyball •Wrestling
•Wrestling
| SPRING SPORTS • Baseball • Basketball — Boys • Basketball — Girls •Softball — Fastpitch • Tennis — Boys •Track & Field— Boys • Track & Field - Girls • Swim & Dive •Wrestling | LOOKING FOR REC SPORTS? Rec sports require less time commitment but are a fun way to stay "in-the-game," stay competitive and stay in shape! Click here and you'll find a list of rec sports offerings on our Clubs & Enrichment webpage |
| A．It helps students grow healthily. | B．It gets students to win in fighting. |
| C．It lets students get up early. | D．It makes students go to a good college. |
| A．Spring sports. | B．Summer sports. | C．Autumn sports. | D．Winter sports. |
| A．Swim & Dive. | B．Wrestling. | C．Basketball. | D．Hockey. |
1. What is the speaker talking about?
| A．School life. | B．Ways to live a modern life. | C．The importance of exercise. |
| A．By bicycle. | B．By car. | C．On foot. |
| A．Quickly. | B．Slowly. | C．Much. |
| A．Boring. | B．Curious. | C．Interesting. |
1. Which part of the man’s body feel a little tired?
| A．His feet. | B．His hands. | C．His arms. |
| A．Cool. | B．Warm. | C．Hot. |
| A．To his home. | B．To the bar. | C．To the office. |
| A．Five to ten times. | B．Ten to fifteen times. | C．Fifteen to twenty times. |
