1.邀请助演；
2.请他帮助选歌；
3.约定排练时间和地点。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Bob,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
2 . 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 (侵袭) across the lake and frostbite (冻伤) 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 series (自拍) and just ignore the runners.
For some runners, the absence of spectators 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 text?| 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Loneliness. | B．The long distance. |
| C．The cold climate. | D．Noisy surroundings. |
1. What are the speakers doing？
| A．Interviewing a champion. |
| B．Reporting a match live. |
| C．Talking about a new world record. |
| A．He breaks a world record |
| B．He is talented in competing |
| C．He isn't in the lead all the time. |
4 . It’s very common these days for people to take some sort of regular exercise each week. But if you’ve never done it before, what’s the best way to go about it?
However, each hourly session can be steep considering you have to pay both the personal trainer and membership of the gym, too. So what’s left? Well, if you have the courage to do it, you can make your own plan. It’s relatively easy to do if you have the know-how.
First, keep your fitness goal in mind. Are you looking to slim down or increase your abilities? Whatever it is, make sure the things you choose to do are achieving that goal. Next, do your research.
If nothing else, focus on calisthenics (健身操).
| A．Be patient with yourself and set realistic goals. |
| B．But before you do, here are some basic pointers. |
| C．Well, many people make use of a personal trainer. |
| D．They just don’t want to design their own workout plan. |
| E．These days, social media is full of fitness videos and advice. |
| F．Find a way to make each exercise more difficult as you get in shape. |
| G．These are the basic body movements which everyone can do anywhere. |
5 . Try This at Home!
Are you looking for a new pastime that will create a balance between physical activity and relaxation? Then yoga may be the perfect choice for you. Yoga can be practiced by people of all ages and levels of fitness.
In the 1930s, Indian Sri Tirumali and K. Pattabhi developed one of the most popular forms of yoga practised worldwide today. They worked together using an ancient Sansknt text called Yoga Korunta to create a set routine of yoga movements and breathing exercises.
Ashtanga is different from other forms of yoga. It is a very powerful form of aerobic (有氧的)exercise which creates deep heat in the body.
Furthermore, yoga encourages you to think about what you're doing. Often you will close your eyes while doing certain movements.
| A．It can also be done anywhere at any time. |
| B．The result of their co-operation was ashtanga yoga. |
| C．Whatever kind of yoga you choose, there are many long-term benefits. |
| D．This allows you to concentrate better and it makes you less competitive. |
| E．Every time someone practices ashtanga, he or she does exactly the same movements. |
| F．If you're interested in yoga, but can find a class near you, then it might be an excuse to travel. |
| G．Recently, it has become extremely common for beginners as well as advanced yoga students to go on yoga holidays. |
6 . Simpson is 53, “not sporty” and has suffered from asthma all her life. Two years ago her son Jay, now 10, took up BMX(自行车越野赛). “I enjoyed watching him and thought I’d like to try it,” Simpson recalls. “But I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I hadn’t ridden for over 40 years.”
Then she noticed a session for women and girls at Burgess Park BMX Track in Peckham, south-east London, where Jay trained. This season Simpson raced at the London BMX series and finished third in her category.
“It was the most worrying experience of my life. But it was also exhilarating,” she says cheerfully. “My son is proud of me. We now share a real love for the sport. It has brought us closer together.”
Since becoming part of the Olympic Games in 2008, the popularity of BMX has risen. A program introduced in London in 2011 by the sports development charity Access Sport has seen tracks built in several London regions, backed up with investment in coaching, and the program is being rolled out to Bristol.
Wright’s children Skye, 11 and Xander, 10 are sponsored riders who have represented Great Britain in every world championship since 2014. Wright says she was motivated to start BMX herself out of an interest aroused by watching so much of it. “It’s an eye-opener to share your children’s interests,” she explains. “You comprehend what they go through in a much more direct way. It adds another dimension to your relationship.”
It is also a high-impact sport and the risks are fairly obvious. “I totally get the fear,” says Emma, 51, a BMX exercise coach and cycling instructor. “It’s the fear of doing something new, of getting hurt. But I say ‘Come and give it a try.’ The chance of having an accident is slim, and you can spend time on the flat to improve your confidence.”
1. What can we learn about Simpson from the first two paragraphs?| A．She tended to be inactive. |
| B．She performed poorly in the race. |
| C．She used to feel awkward in public. |
| D．She trained at Burgess Park BMX Track. |
| A．Annoying. | B．Convincing. |
| C．Thrilling. | D．Challenging. |
| A．More life skills. |
| B．Stronger will. |
| C．More confidence in themselves. |
| D．Better parent-child relationship. |
| A．Risky but actually secure. | B．Demanding but open to all. |
| C．Competitive but instructive. | D．Pleasant but time-consuming. |
7 . Professional athletes pay a high price for their pursuit of excellence and glory. Training to the limit tears muscles and wears out joints. Gymnasts often need hip replacements when barely into middle age. Few footballers make it to the end of their careers with their knees intact.
But many also run a darker risk: doping — the use of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs by athletic competitors. The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, in South Korea, starts this week in its shadow. Years after whistle-blowers first revealed wholesale (大规模的) doping in Russia, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at last decided to bar it from taking part. But it has allowed many Russians to compete as individuals. And on the eve of the competition the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said that 28 others should receive a more tolerant penalty from the IOC, further muffling the anti-doping message.
Russia’s doping is unusual only in its scale and institutional nature. No country or sport is immune. Studies, and an anonymous survey at the World Athletics Championships in 2011, suggest that a third of athletes preparing for big international competitions take banned substances. Yet just 1-2% fail a test each year. Lance Armstrong, a cyclist who won the Tour de France seven times and later admitted to doping all the while, was tested on 250 occasions. The few times he failed, he avoided punishments by claiming he had taken anti-inflammatories (消炎药) for saddle-sores (骑行引起的肌肉酸痛).
Doping is more sophisticated than when some states used steroids (类固醇) to bulk up athletes. New drugs are designed to be undetectable in a blood or urine sample. Many athletes “blood dope,” receiving transfusions or taking a drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells to improve their physical strength. Soviet athletes who were fed steroids suffered a host of serious problems in later life. They were more likely to commit suicide, or to miscarry (流产) or have a disabled child. No one knows what risks those taking new “designer” versions are running. Blood-doping can cause heart attacks; more than a dozen cyclists’ deaths have already been linked to it.
The agencies that set out to stop doping are hugely outclassed. As the argument over punishments on Russia illustrate, they are divided and weak. Most testing is done by national bodies, which may not try very hard to find evidence that would get their own stars banned. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which oversees them, is packed with officials from national sports federations and the IOC. Their interests are likewise conflicted. Its budget is tiny. The system seems to be designed to look tough but punish only the occasional scapegoat (替罪羊). Honest athletes deserve better.
1. The word “muffling” (in paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “ .”| A．deafening | B．conveying | C．spreading | D．weakening |
| A．To illustrate he is a model of Russian athlete. |
| B．To show cycling is very popular in France. |
| C．To indicate doping exists everywhere. |
| D．To suggest doping is an exception for American athletes. |
| A．Giving birth to an unhealthy child. |
| B．Suicidal tendencies. |
| C．Stimulates the production of red blood cells. |
| D．Unintentionally having a pregnancy end early. |
| A．The CAS should put more severe penalties on Russian athletes. |
| B．The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang have not been successful due to doping scandals. |
| C．Doping is quite common among athletes in France and Russia. |
| D．WADA does a good job monitoring doping in the Olympics. |
8 . Open water swimming
I had only swum in open water a few times, and always in gentle lakes, so I wasn’t prepared for how rough Lake Windermere appeared on a cold day. A swimmer told me the water felt colder than it had been measured, and that the water was a bit rough. But I, along with 10,000 others, was about to complete the challenge.
Most of the people taking part were doing a one-mile race, and 10 races were planned over the weekend. There seemed to be a mix of open-water enthusiasts alongside complete beginners—which is precisely the aim of the swims, to get as many people as possible completing their own challenge. The oldest woman competing was 77, taking part in the two-mile race, alongside a man who last year had swum in every one-mile race.
I had chosen the third one-mile race of the day. There were over 600 people in my race. We were taken through an acclimatization area, a children’s paddling pool-sized part of the lake where we moved in to feel how cold the water was. “Not too bad” was everyone’s thought! Then we headed out towards the middle of the lake.
We’d been warned that the first 100 metres would be really rough. However, somewhere near the 750m mark I was still waiting for the calm; it felt more like swimming in the sea than a lake. I tried to focus on my breathing and technique, and just keep going. As I approached the 400m-to-go mark my lower right leg became painful. I recalled overhearing people talking about how they kept swimming through the pain, so I tried. But it didn’t work. I began to feel the entire leg tight and painful. I didn’t want to stop, so I bent my right knee and just kicked with the left leg.
Finally I saw the finishing post, and I just concentrated on getting there—still one-legged. My finishing time was 38 minutes 25 seconds but that didn’t matter—the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone felt a sense of achievement, whatever their time. I’m hooked, and want to give it another go. I’ve already signed up for my next open-water swim.
1. How did the author feel before the race?| A．Scared of the most challenging race. |
| B．Disappointed by the difficult conditions. |
| C．Concerned about the other swimmers in the race. |
| D．Determined to be as tough as the people around her. |
| A．To stress the importance of the race. |
| B．To praise the experienced swimmers. |
| C．To show the wide range of the participants. |
| D．To introduce the various events of the race. |
| A．the race would cause breathing problems |
| B．the race became harder than she had expected |
| C．it was really necessary to prepare for tough swims |
| D．it would have been easier if she had taken others’ advice |
| A．Her confidence in her own ability. |
| B．Her pride in having swum so quickly. |
| C．Her eagerness to repeat the experience. |
| D．Her surprise at having managed to finish. |
9 . It’s common knowledge that there are many benefits to being fit, but one large new study found that skipping out on the gym is practically the worst thing you can do for your health. In fact, the study claims not exercising might be more harmful to your health than smoking.
New findings, published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open, detail how researchers at the Cleveland Clinic studied 122,007 patients from 1991 to 2014, putting them under treadmill (跑步机) testing and later recording death rates. Researchers found a clear connection between a longer, healthier life and high levels of exercise. The report calls for health care professionals to encourage patients to achieve and continue a strong and healthy fitness routine.
Although it is widely understood that an active lifestyle can lead to a healthy life, the study concludes that a lifestyle which involves much sitting but little activity is equal to having a major disease and the simplest cure is exercise.
Dr Wael Jaber, co-author of the study, called the results totally surprising. “Being unfit on a treadmill or in an exercise stress test has a worse prognosis (病情预断), as far as death, than being a smoker or suffering from high blood pressure,” Jaber told CNN. “We’ve never seen something as noticeable as this and as objective as this.”
The study also took a look at the risk of being overactive and found that extreme exercisers do not face higher risk of death: the research found that the more a person exercises the lower their death rates.
1. Which of the following best explains “skipping out on” in paragraph 1?| A．keeping away from | B．running in |
| C．jumping out of | D．smoking inside |
| A．An active lifestyle can lead to a healthy life. |
| B．The simplest cure for a major disease is exercise. |
| C．A person unfit on a treadmill is less likely to die. |
| D．One’s life span is related to the level of exercise. |
| A．Impossible. | B．Amusing. |
| C．Unbelievable. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Too much exercise will be no good. |
| B．A low death rate depends on an active lifestyle. |
| C．Extreme exercise is more harmful for health. |
| D．The rise of death rate is related to exercise. |
10 . As health care costs continue to rise, a growing number of companies are working out programs designed to keep their employees healthy.
Thomas Chapple is the senior vice president. “It’s really important to us because medical costs are going up like crazy, he says. This company spends more than 200 million a year on medical costs for its employees around the country. The best thing we have seen as a way to control the medical cost is individual fitness.”
We have a fitness center, “Shawn Flaherty, director of public relations for Freddie Mac.,” says, “We have a health benefits plan that encourages people to work out three times a week, get cholesterol (胆固醇) checks, as well as ‘not to smoke.’ If they do that, it will cost them less for the health benefits.”
Rachelle Clark works for Freddie Mac. “I feel great. You know the benefit is rewarding. I like to look good and feel healthy. I am just fortunate that I work for the company that provides some type of facility for the employees.”
While on-site fitness centers are popular, some companies pay membership fees at local gyms for employees. The companies also offer classes such as boxing, yoga and dancing. Employees see those health programs as a valuable benefit.
Tom Brook exercises five days a week. As a newspaper reporter he has a tight schedule, although Tom says it’s not that difficult for him to make time for a workout. “It is great. It is right here where we work,” says Tom, “So everybody gets a chance to use it whenever they want to. I have lost weight and never been in better shape.”
The programs may not be a magic cure for rising health costs, but they seem to have a positive impact on both employers and employees.
1. What’s the best way to cut the medical cost according to Shawn Flaherty?| A．To reduce the number of employees around the country. |
| B．To encourage the employees to work out to keep fit. |
| C．To set up fitness centers of their own. |
| D．To pay membership fees at local gyms for the employees. |
| A．To explain how to use the fitness centers. |
| B．To show how effective physical exercise is. |
| C．To show the employees welcome the health programs. |
| D．To persuade more employers to set up health centers. |
| A．The programs may not solve the health costs problem completely. |
| B．The programs may keep the health costs rising. |
| C．The programs may not cost a large amount of money. |
| D．The programs may cure all kinds of patients like magic. |
| A．How difficult it is to reduce health care costs |
| B．Why and how companies encourage their employees to keep fit. |
| C．. What causes the health care costs to rise year by year. |
| D．How people keep healthy by doing exercise in their working places. |
