1 . You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression — this was the theme of this year’s International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC), held in London from May 11 to 12. Thirty-three young speakers aged 16 to 20 from around the world gathered at The English Speaking Union to tell their stories, including Wu Dongxu, 19, a student from China. To him, the event wasn’t just about giving a speech on first impressions. It also made a strong impression on him.
“Rather than a competition, the experience was more like an inspiring research trip to me, a trip that allowed me to see firsthand the differences and similarities between Chinese and foreign cultures,” said Wu.
Apart from the obvious differences in food, transportation and climate, what impressed Wu most was the different styles of Chinese and foreign public speaking.
Although still a teen, Wu is no stranger to the public speaking podium (讲台). He has participated in many speaking competitions since 2017. But on the stage of the IPSC, speakers had no podium to stand behind. They just had to face the audience.
“This was the first time that I gave a speech without a podium, which made me realize how important eye contact and body language are,” said Wu. “It also gave me more freedom to convey more information with my body language instead of just with words.”
Another difference that caught Wu’s attention was the evaluation criteria (评价标准). According to him, in every speaking competition he had participated in in China, things like pronunciation, fluency and quality of language are always important. But to his surprise, in the IPSC accents and grammatical mistakes are not considered in the evaluation process. It is the story itself that matters most.
“Audiences are eager to hear powerful stories, no matter where they are from. That’s because the emotions expressed in them are shared by all human beings although there are the cultural differences.” said Wu. “Diversity, respect, tolerance and understanding — these are what the IPSC really wants to stress and spread.”
1. What is the topic of this year’s IPSC?| A．Cultural difference. | B．First impression. |
| C．Body language. | D．English education. |
| A．The food culture. | B．The transportation means. |
| C．The climate. | D．The public speaking style. |
| A．Speakers are allowed to use podiums. |
| B．Body language plays an important part. |
| C．Pronunciation and fluency matter a lot. |
| D．Language quality is considered the most important. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Objective. | D．Opposed. |
2 . Trainers and parents saw children play sports at a young age and then saw them become professional. Many correlated the training to success. Competitive sports are good for young children because they teach children life skills, provide health benefits, and offer special opportunities.
To begin with, sports teach children life skills. A formal athlete stated, “I played soccer in high school and college and found team sports weren’t just about winning, but also about developing a solid ethic(行为准则), and learning why that’s important.” In short, playing highly competitive sports teaches kids many life skills like teamwork. People will have to use teamwork for the rest of their life, and sports can help them improve that skill. Taking part in sports can help develop a positive attitude towards life, which will help in the long run.
Sports are also good for kids because they provide health benefits. It is healthier for a kid to play a sport competitively than to waste time playing video games all day. Furthermore, a research group of University of California said, “96 percent of the participants(参与者) said they enjoy their sports. They’re all loving life.” That is to say, kids playing highly competitive sports tend to enjoy life instead of doing something else like watching TV.
On the other hand, some people might argue that competitive sports are bad for young children because they are so time-consuming. However, the time spent is not “robbing” kids of their childhood, but offers unique opportunities. Athletes can get success to live their dream life by playing sports. Even though sports are time-consuming, they offer distinctive opportunities.
In conclusion, competitive sports are good for children because they can provide wholesome benefits, create new experiences, and build skills that will last a lifetime.
1. Why is the formal athlete mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．To show a reason | B．To give an example. |
| C．To list a background. | D．To draw out a new point. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Uncertain. | C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Common | B．Unreasonable | C．Unique. | D．Frequent. |
| A．The ways to play sports. |
| B．The reasons for playing sports. |
| C．The problems of kids’ playing sports. |
| D．The benefits of kids’ playing sports. |
3 . Marcus is a handsome and athletic kid. He plays tennis and
Marcus has known Conrad since primary school. They’ve always been
Finally, the doctors found a new
To Conrad’s delight, he gets a chance to join the cross country team. Conrad doesn’t win, not once, but Marcus is there,
| A．gives up | B．competes in | C．hears of | D．breaks through |
| A．able | B．lucky | C．eager | D．calm |
| A．bears | B．counts | C．forgets | D．escapes |
| A．accept | B．enjoy | C．lose | D．miss |
| A．strangers | B．enemies | C．friends | D．teachers |
| A．surprise | B．sadness | C．impatience | D．tiredness |
| A．promises | B．asks | C．drives | D．forces |
| A．long | B．noisy | C．boring | D．interesting |
| A．treatment | B．excuse | C．period | D．topic |
| A．goal | B．style | C．speed | D．skill |
| A．suitable | B．serious | C．small | D．comfortable |
| A．strength | B．show | C．shape | D．advantage |
| A．relaxing | B．beneficial | C．painful | D．meaningful |
| A．queuing | B．arguing | C．running | D．cheering |
| A．excitedly | B．curiously | C．anxiously | D．actively |
4 . Back in January, my partner and I resolved to take exercise seriously. This would mean spending hours every week working out, stretching and sweating our way to better health, which is something that is particularly difficult when you glance at the weather outside and see dark clouds on the horizon. “Looks like it is about to rain, I guess I’ll go for a run tomorrow instead.” But then just as we were on the edge of giving up again, we discovered a brilliant new way to make exercise better: by turning it into a video game.
SWIFT is a cycling game that you control by pedaling your real bike, which is fixed onto a device called a turbo-trainer. As you pedal, the trainer sends signals back to your computer to control the character on screen. And smartly, the game sends back instructions to the trainer to apply different levels of resistance, so that as you’re cycling up a hill in the game, you can actually feel it on the bike.
So, after restoring our small garage and signing up for a $12 per month subscription, we had our TV, bike and all-important cooling fan ready to go.
Once you’re set up, you can participate in virtual cycle rides in 3D-recreations of real places, like London and New York, or fictional locations. And importantly, other real human cyclists appear alongside you, sharing your journey.
The genius of the design is that it has used lots of the tricks of traditional video games to keep pushing you a little bit further and harder: go a little faster, and you’ll be rewarded with a little achievement marker, and if you pedal harder, you might win a race against another real player. It’s essentially generating for some sort of dopamine(多巴胺) hits that riding along on a traditional exercise bike simply can’t match.
I’m not the only person who has noticed this. Today many other companies in the tech industry are chasing the same users, and they all offer their own unique versions.
1. Why does the author mention the weather in Paragraph 1?| A．To give a warning of the coming storm. |
| B．To complain about the changeable weather. |
| C．To reveal the limitation of traditional exercise. |
| D．To persuade readers to mind the weather while exercising. |
| A．A real bike. | B．Monthly payment. |
| C．A turbo-trainer. | D．3D glasses. |
| A．How SWIFT motivates its users. |
| B．Who are the target users of SWIFT. |
| C．What physical benefits SWIFT users get. |
| D．Why traditional bikes are replaced by SWIFT. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Critical. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Favorable. |
5 . Why play sports? You might say “to get exercise” and you would be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more.
Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up all your study time.
Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills.
Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or osteoporosis(骨质疏松症).
Playing sports improves self-confidence.
| A．Exercise cuts the pressure. |
| B．Sports teach valuable life skills. |
| C．Regular exercise increases quality of life. |
| D．In fact, there are at least five more reasons. |
| E．Girls who play sports feel better about themselves. |
| F．Playing sports offers children more than just physical benefits. |
| G．But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't. |
6 . Few people don’t know how important it is to stretch (拉伸伸展) before a workout session since it helps in stimulating your movements, warming up your body, and preparing for the exercise. But most people are extremely ignorant of the post-exercise stretching.
Flexibility is improved.
When you hold static and deep stretch poses at the end of your workout routine, you will have more access to the length in various parts of your body.
Muscle tension is lowered.
Have you ever wondered why your muscles become sore (酸痛的) after a workout routine? Well, that is because your body produces lactic acid.
Injuries are avoided.
After an intense workout, with tightened muscles, your body is more likely to suffer tearing of muscle tissues. However, during stretching, the muscles are lengthened, which means the risk is way less.
While stretching, don’t push yourself too hard. Remember, this is meant to relax you, not to cause additional pressure on you. You may be tempted to rest immediately after a workout session. But trust us: the post-exercise stretching is of critical importance.
| A．You will experience a better range of motion easily. |
| B．You will avoid any sort of shoulder or back injuries. |
| C．Maybe you won’t see the positive effects right away. |
| D．The joints with connective tissues are also protected. |
| E．Even worse, it’s something that they’ll skip for no reason. |
| F．It can help you recover from the muscle tension quickly. |
| G．With it gathering, your muscles will never be able to relax. |
7 . Anyone who’s lived through middle school knows those years can be particularly challenging. Some researches show youths across the U.S. are struggling with mental health. The physical health benefits of bike riding have been well-documented. Wilson, a researcher at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, and his co-authors carried out a new study to see if taking part in a cycling program could result in measurable changes in mind for teenagers.
The study involved more than 1,200 students, ages 11 to 14. Students participated in a cycling class for at least three days a week, for a period of 6 weeks. They learned cycling safety and practicing skills outdoors while raising their heart rate and just having fun. The students completed standardized questionnaires before and after the program designed to measure their health.
“We know cycling can benefit the body. Our research shows how it benefits the mind and social relationships as well. Bike riding can be an ideal activity for adolescents because of the benefits it offers,” said Wilson.
“Cycling engages several parts of brain function. You are looking at your hearing, you’re balancing, you’re navigating and turning. Oftentimes, you’re doing it with someone else, so there’s the positive effect of company or group activity,” said Allan Reiss, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine.
While exercise has powerful mental health benefits, it’s not universal. For example, previous research has shown that teenage girls are at higher risk of mental health problems like depression and anxiety than boys. The current study found that, while middle school girls reported increased well-being after participating in the cycling program, that increase “may just reach the kind of baseline level for male students,” Wilson said. And other aspects of healthy living are also important, noted Wilson. The study found that teenagers who didn’t limit screen time to a maximum of two hours a day, or who got less than the recommended 8.5 hours of sleep, saw less improvement in their well-being, he said.
1. What does the new study mainly focus on?| A．Challenges in middle school. | B．Youths in America. |
| C．Physical benefits of cycling. | D．Mental effects of bike riding. |
| A．Attend the cycling class for a week. |
| B．Learn how to keep safe while cycling. |
| C．Raise their heart rate by cycling indoors. |
| D．Design questions to measure their health. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Unclear. | D．Negative. |
| A．Application of the research results. |
| B．Doubts about the research methods. |
| C．Further explanation of the research findings. |
| D．Supporting evidence from previous research. |
8 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad
When I entered the University of Regina, my dad
The spring semester came. A friend of mine
I went, and that was it. Zumba became my
| A．expected | B．allowed | C．forced | D．invited |
| A．therefore | B．though | C．instead | D．besides |
| A．avoided | B．risked | C．regretted | D．kept |
| A．in shape | B．for fun | C．at ease | D．on business |
| A．refused | B．happened | C．bothered | D．decided |
| A．hardly | B．merely | C．constantly | D．gradually |
| A．eager | B．content | C．embarrassed | D．disappointed |
| A．cheated | B．comforted | C．asked | D．annoyed |
| A．happy | B．proud | C．careful | D．sure |
| A．cup | B．part | C．share | D．mouth |
| A．curiosity | B．passion | C．fear | D．confidence |
| A．perfect | B．positive | C．adorable | D．official |
| A．accept | B．feel | C．display | D．compare |
| A．witness | B．separate | C．discourage | D．save |
| A．trouble | B．sense | C．peace | D．contact |
9 . Running with a group has numerous benefits, especially when running long distances. But group running also requires that you follow some basic etiquette (礼仪) and behavior rules. Here’s advice on running etiquette for group running.
Leave your headphones at home. Sure, music helps push some runners along. However, it’s antisocial to wear headphones during a group run. It can also be dangerous because listening to music means you’ll be less aware of your surroundings.
Don’t jingle (发出叮当声).
Be prepared with what you need.
Don’t run without considering the safety of others. Not only is it rude to take over a path and block other runners, walkers, or cyclists, but it can be a potential safety risk. To make other runners and cyclists easily pass, make sure you’re running no more than two abreast (并排), especially on busy roads, sidewalks, or paths.
| A．Be silent sometimes. |
| B．Show up early or on time for the start of runs. |
| C．Don’t expect to rely on other runners for supplies. |
| D．Even if you know some group members very well. |
| E．Be aware of any special rules for running in parks or on paths. |
| F．Running with coins or keys in your pocket may not bother you |
| G．Besides, you won’t be able to hear instructions from other runners in your group. |
10 . Leek Town Warriors was a girls’ football team Which used to get routinely defeated every time they turned out, until James Henry stepped in two years ago. He took the job when the previous coach quit and transformed the team’s fortunes.With the help of his assistant Andy Austin, they started training hard in April 2020.
Some players had never kicked a football before joining the team, so training them took hours of hard work and patience. After a good few weeks, they got down to training and really started to take it in what the coach wanted. “I insist on doing the basic stuff well and letting the girls decide what they feel they need to work on.” James said.
James’ first season was ruined by the pandemic, which forced him and Andy to get creative with training. They organized team-building activities with the girls to help them bond on and off the field. James then spent the sessions they could hold focusing on the basics of football like passing and shooting, bringing the girls up to a good standard.
James watched the girls develop over the course of last year, and in September they played their first match of the new season. They won the game, and since then went on an unbeaten run of eight games. The team’s star player, 15-year-old Chelsea, has also impressed the audience individually,becoming the top scorer in the league with incredible 30 goals.
James said, “All the effort that the girls, us coaches and parents have put in to get this point has been enormous. If I hadn’t had the Support of Andy helping me every week, this would have been an impossible task. So I’m incredibly grateful to have him on side. All we want is to bring more girls into the game and show that it’s not all about having the best players; it’s about hard work and giving everyone the chance to play.”
1. Why did James Henry take over the soccer team?| A．Because he wanted to try his fortune. |
| B．Because he wanted to turn things around. |
| C．Because the previous coach recommended him. |
| D．Because he hoped to fulfill his champion dream. |
| A．Pick experienced players. |
| B．Develop players’ patience. |
| C．Lay stress on basic skills. |
| D．Make decisions for the girls. |
| A．They won the league championship. |
| B．They stood out in James’ first season. |
| C．They scored 30 goals in the season. |
| D．They won regularly and secured promotion. |
| A．Talent is the key. |
| B．Joint efforts matter. |
| C．Every dog has his day. |
| D．Time and tide wait for no man. |
