1 . 从方框里选择合适的词语的适当形式填空

A. essence   B. amateur   C. influential   D. balanced   AB. recognition   AC. highlights   AD. maximizing   BC. overwhelmingly   BD. talented   CD. obsession     ABC. prioritize

When most of us recall our school sporting days, we tend to remember the friendships that were forged, the occasional personal     1    and the far more frequent moments when our skill levels didn't quite match our idols'. However, not all of the present generation of schoolchildren may be able to look back on their sporting experiences with such fondness. There are growing fears, within independent schools in particular, that moves towards professional standards and a focus on winning may disagree with the     2     of school sports.

The problem is, perhaps unsurprisingly, more prevalent in boys' sport, and especially so in rugby, where independent schools still provide the bulk of future England internationals. At the same time, there has been a surge in the number of schools offering scholarships to     3    rugby players, driven by a desire to widen access, but also, on occasion, by a(n)     4    that success on the playing field may be a potential marketing tool. One director of rugby at a top-performing school in the South-East reports that his star under-16 player was poached(挖走)by a rival school which offered him a full scholarship. ‘We weren’t prepared to enter into a bidding war over a 15-year-old kid,’ he says rather pitifully.

Chris Morgan, director of sport at Tonbridge, is a critic of these shifts towards becoming superstar sports schools, 'An increasing number of schools seem to be using sports scholarships as part of their business model,’ he says. ‘They place rugby above other sports as it seems to be more    5    in parents’ decision-making over which school they want to send their children to.’

As a result, some of Morgan's counterparts at other independent schools feel under pressure to focus on winning rather than    6     enjoyment. ‘If everything you put on your website is about which teams won, it is easy to see how coaches, boys and parents can think that results are the most important barometer of success.’

Several coaches feel that their efforts to     7    players’ enjoyment over results are at risk of being undermined by the temptation to see sport as an extension of academic league tables.

One director of rugby told me that whenever they lose a game, his headmaster calls a meeting on the Monday morning in which he demands an explanation for the defeat. ‘The head can't understand that sport isn't just about winning,’ he says.

So, with increasingly professional set-ups and a seeming     8    with winning at all costs, has school sport lost its innocence?

Certainly not, says Kevin Knibbs, Headmaster of Hampton School in South West London, and Chair of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference(HMC)Sports Sub-Committee ‘Independent schools understand that sport is hugely beneficial to young people. While there have been substantial improvements in the standard of sports facilities, coaching, and performance in independent schools over the past decade, this is    9     with, an emphasis on safety, wellbeing and general fitness. Together these things have had a(n)     10    positive impact on young people’s experiences of sport in HMC schools, ' he says. 'Pupils are free to enjoy playing a wide range of sports with their friends without facing undue pressure to wip or needing to follow an over-intensive training regime, Knibbs continue.

2 . 语篇填空

The term “extreme sports”, which we might have seen on a magazine or a website,     1    (be) becoming more and more common as the concept of extreme sports gains     2     (popular). But what are extreme sports on earth?

During the 1970s and 1980s, the term was used for sports with high risks     3     (involve). Today, however, the sports also include activities that give a feeling of adventure without    4    (necessary) putting a participant’s life in danger. For every extreme sport, there is professional equipment that has been developed     5     (protect) your body, improve your performance and give you    6     advantage in the competition.

Extreme sports cover a wide range. Some     7     (develop) from familiar activities so far, like mountain biking, climbing and drag race. Some may not be well known. For instance, bouldering is a kind of rock climbing     8     no rope is used.     9     usually takes place in an area with large rocks or in climbing center.

Nowadays, such sports have become more popular     10     young people all over the world than ever before.

3 . Race walking shares many fitness benefits with running, research shows, while most likely contributing to fewer injuries. It does, however, have its own problem.

Race walkers are conditioned athletes. The longest track and field event at the Summer Olympics is the 50-kilometer race walk, which is about five miles longer than the marathon. But the sport’s rules require that a race walker’s knees stay straight through most of the leg swing and one foot remain in contact (接触) with the ground at all times. It’s this strange form that makes race walking such an attractive activity, however, says Jaclyn Norberg, an assistant professor of exercise science at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.

Like running, race walking is physically demanding, she says, According to most calculations, race walkers moving at a pace of six miles per hour would burn about 800 calories(卡路里) per hour, which is approximately twice as many as they would burn walking, although fewer than running, which would probably burn about 1,000 or more calories per hour.

However, race walking does not pound the body as much as running does, Dr. Norberg says. According to her research, runners hit the ground with as much as four times their body weight per step, while race walkers, who do not leave the ground, create only about 1.4 times their body weight with each step.

As a result, she says, some of the injuries associated with running, such as runner’s knee, are uncommon among race walkers. But the sport’s strange form does place considerable stress on the ankles and hips, so people with a history of such injuries might want to be cautious in adopting the sport. In fact, anyone wishing to try race walking should probably first consult a coach or experienced racer to learn proper technique, she says. It takes some practice.

1. Why are race walkers conditioned athletes?

A．They must run long distances.

B．They are qualified for the marathon.

C．They have to follow special rules.

D．They are good at swinging their legs.

2. What advantage does race walking have over running?

A．It’s more popular at the Olympics.

B．It’s less challenging physically.

C．It’s more effective in body building.

D．It’s less likely to cause knee injuries.

3. What is Dr. Norberg’s suggestion for someone trying race walking?

A．Getting experts’ opinions.

B．Having a medical checkup.

C．Hiring an experienced coach.

D．Doing regular exercises.

4. Which word best describes the author’s attitude to race walking?

A．Skeptical.	B．Objective.
C．Tolerant.	D．Conservative.