1 . The name of the race comes from the name of an Alaska gold rush town, Iditarod. It means “distant” or “distant place.” It comes from one of the languages of native Alaskans.
More than sixty sled teams begin the race in Anchorage. When the teams reach the outskirts(郊外) of town, they get a taste of Alaska’s wilderness. For about two weeks, they will fight the unbearable cold, wind, snow, and ice to complete the race. The temperature on the trail is often well below zero degrees. The Iditarod trail extends for about a thousand miles. It has many rendezvous points. At these meeting places, the race teams “check in” to let the officials know how they are doing. Some teams get into trouble along the way. Officials will stop them and give them the help they need. For example, officials might stop a team’s progress to give first aid, or to collect an injured or tired dog. These dogs are well cared for and will be reunited with their owners after the race.
The Iditarod trail is an important part of Alaska’s history. A part of the trail was used by some heroic dogs and humans in 1925. In Nome, Alaska, many people were catching the deadly disease Diphtheria. So the whole town was in quarantine, or isolation, in order to stop this disease. The only way to get medicine to Nome was by dogsled. About twenty "mushers, "or dogsled drivers, offered to help. They wanted to save the people of Nome from this terrible disease.
Today the Iditarod race shows honors to this special heroic journey and to all of the journeys on the famous trail. As the race organizers say, the Iditarod is “the last great race on Earth.”
1. Which of the following is TRUE about the Iditarod race?| A．It is held every year in the downtown streets in Anchorage. |
| B．It usually lasts about two weeks in freezing cold weather. |
| C．It is held to honor the gold seekers who once lived in Iditarod. |
| D．Its trail is totally different from the one used by some heroic dogs. |
| A．to finish the race unnoticed | B．to meet its owner again |
| C．to work for a new owner | D．to get timely treatment |
| A．can get whatever they want easily | B．have to exchange gold for medicine |
| C．are not allowed to go out freely | D．will be remembered as heroes |
| A．life in Alaska | B．a dogsled race of Alaska |
| C．a period of Alaska’s history | D．heroic dogs and people in Alaska |
2 . It is hard, it hurts —and yet more than two million of us in the UK run at least once a week.
Of course, some people run to lose weight, or to get fit, and these are great reasons. Running is also easy to do, it's cheap, and you can do it when you want. All these factors certainly contribute to the fact that running is one of the most popular sports in the UK.
But for many of those two million runners, the real reason we head out to beat the roads until our legs hurt is more intangible (无形的) than weight loss or fitness.
Many runners become interested in times. They try to break the 40-minute barrier for the 10K, or run under four hours for the marathon. Yet, really, these times are almost meaningless. And as soon as they are achieved, another target is thrown out almost immediately.
The times are only the carrots we put in front of ourselves. But why do we put them there in the first place? Nobody ever gives a wise answer Deep down, we all know the answer.
Running brings us joy. Watch small children when they are excited, at play, and mostly they can't stop running. There's a great moment inThe Catcher in the Ryewhen Holden Caulfield, caught in the uneasy space between childhood and adulthood, is walking across his school grounds one evening and he suddenly starts to run. “I don't ever know what I was running for一I guess I just felt like it,” he says.
This will to run is born. In fact, humans may well have evolved (进化) the way we did because of our ability to run. As children, and even adolescents, we can respond to this natural call to run whenever the feeling takes us.
As we run, we begin to sense that childish joy, which is born to live a wilder existence. As we run, the layers of responsibility and identity we have gathered in our lives, father, mother, lawyer, teacher, all fall away, leaving us with the raw human being.
If we push on, running harder, deeper into the loneliness, further away from the world and the structure of our lives, we begin to feel strangely excited, separated yet at the same time connected, to ourselves. With nothing but our own two legs moving us, we begin to get a sense of who, or what, we really are. After a long run, everything seems right in the world. Everything is at peace. To experiencethisis a powerful feeling, strong enough to have us coming back, again and again, for more.
1. Why does the author think setting time goals is almost meaningless?
| A．Because those time goals can' t be achieved. |
| B．Because those time goals can be achieved easily |
| C．Because people will be very proud once the time goals are achieved. |
| D．Because there will always be a new time goal once the former one is achieved. |
| A．challenging ourselves | B．running away from responsibility |
| C．losing weight and keeping fit | D．bringing us joy and peace in mind |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Puzzled. |
| A．breaking the 40 -minute barrier for the 10K. |
| B．running under four hours for the Marathon. |
| C．feeling separated from the world after running |
| D．feeling everything is right after a long run. |
| A．Running to Keep Fit | B．Running to Break Records |
| C．Running to Be the Real You | D．Running to Become an Adult |
3 . How often do you exercise? A new study found that most kids aged 12 to 15 weren't getting enough physical activity. The results were based on about 800 kids. As part of the study, the kids tracked and reported on their own activity levels, and took physical exams.
U. S. fitness guidelines suggest an hour or more of physical activity every day. According to the study, only 1in 4 U.S. kids get enough physical activity.
"It's certainly worrying to see that our kids have such a limited amount of physical activity each day,” said Dr. Stephen Pont. He is an expert on children's health.
Few kids in the study met the guidelines on physical activity that raises the heart rate and makes people breathe harder. Overall, about 25% said they got an hour of that kind of exercise every day. Kids also reported on which activities they did most often outside of school gym class--basketball for boys and running for girls.
The study found that fat teenagers were less active than normal-weight girls and boys. Fat girls were slightly less active than normal-weight girls, but levels were similar among overweight and normal-weight boys. The study also said that the percent of fat children aged 2 to 19 was 17%, or about 12.5 million kids.
"There's always room for improvement," said Tala Fakhouri, who was the leader of the study. She also said the results provide useful information to help with fitness campaigns such as Let's Move, which was initiated by Michelle Obama in 2010. To inspire kids to eat right and get in shape, Michelle visits schools and holds exercise events. She also calls on schools to offer regular gym classes.
The study also found kids who get physical education at school may get better grades.
1. What is the result of the new study?| A．800 kids don't get enough physical activity. |
| B．Most U.S. kids don't get enough exercise. |
| C．Kids should get physical activity every day. |
| D．It's important to take physical exams. |
| A．Swimming. | B．Basketball. | C．Running. | D．Gym. |
| A．To help kids to keep fit. | B．To provide useful information. |
| C．To offer regular gym classes. | D．To hold exercise events. |
| A．be less active than fat children | B．be more willing to help others |
| C．do better in their studies | D．try their best to get in shape |
