1 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball？

“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.

The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.

The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.

1. The passage is mainly about ______.

A．the history of beach volleyball

B．how to play beach volleyball

C．the importance of beach volleyball

D．women’s beach volleyball in China

2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE？

A．Beach volleyball was first played like other Olympic: sports.

B．Beach volleyball has always been an entertainment show rather than a sport.

C．Beach volleyball began on beaches in Souther California.

D．Women started playing beach volleyball in South America in 1945.

3. When did beach volleyball officially become an Olympic event？

A．In 1948,

B．In 1996.

C．In 1950.

D．In 1997.

4. According to the passage, we can learn that______.

A．in 1996, beach volleyball became an official event in China

B．China’s beach volleyball team is the best in the world

C．China’s beach volleyball players won the first place in Brazil

D．beach volleyball came to China in the early 1990s

2 . Every person has time for exercise. The way is to take steps to include exercise convenient for your lifestyle. After I started getting into a habit of exercising, I was surprised by how much I could get done in a day, both physically and mentally. You can make exercise a part of your daily lifestyle.     1    

Start small

One of the reasons exercise programs fail is that we bite off more than we can chew. Instead of telling yourself you’re going to exercise today for an hour, tell yourself you’re going to exercise for five minutes.     2    

Break your exercise into parts.

No time for 30 minutes of exercise? No problem. Do three bouts (一回) of 10 minutes, or six bouts of five minutes each.    3     Just keep a running table of how many minutes you exercise each day to ensure you’re getting the minimum you desire.

    4    

Devices such as Fitbit activity trackers (跟踪系统) turn exercise into a game of sorts. Each day, you can measure how many steps you’ve taken. Many people find this attractive to their competitive spirits, and they and they take great pains to meet their goals. The technology is there, and it’s very affordable.

Exercise with someone else.

    5     You don’t want to let him or her down, even if you’re feeling like you’d rather not work out. Find someone and start moving. You’ll be able to inspire one another and celebrate your success.

A．Use technology to help.

B．Always stay active with exercise.

C．Yes, just five minutes and get up to walk around.

D．Here are four steps to help you do it effectively.

E．You’ll still get the same time, no matter how you break it down.

F．High-tech products are becoming popular with many young people.

G．It’s much more difficult to say “no” to exercise when you have an exercise partner.

3 . Benefits of Sports

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

    1     Regardless of your fitness level when you start playing sports, you’ll notice an increase in your overall fitness once you take part. Nearly every sport requires physical activity and the skills needed to be competitive. Basketball players focus on strength training.     2     The training process helps encourage physical fitness and performances in competitions.

    3     Playing sports contributes to mental health, helping to increase confidence and self-worth. A pat on the back, high-five from a teammate, or handshake after a match really raises a child’s confidence. Words of praise and encouragement from the coach, parents and other players raise the self-worth.     4     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 leadership and responsibility.     5     Teamwork demands both being dependable as a teammate and learning to rely on your teammates to achieve a positive outcome. Teamwork will raise your responsibility and give you an opportunity to be a leader.

There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to take part 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．Football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs.

D．Among these, learning how to work as a team is the most important advantage.

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

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

G．The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious.