1 . There are few shirts in football as celebrated as the Manchester United No. 7, a grand tradition that is generally considered to go all the way back to George Best. The reality, though, is a little more complex.

At Manchester United, the No. 7 clearly means something to supporters and the club itself. From Best to Ronaldo, this is the story of United’s No. 7 shirt.

George Best played in the days before permanent squad numbers, when it wasn’t uncommon for footballers to wear multiple numbers in the same season. Best certainly did wear the No. 7 on occasion, most famously during the 1968 European Cup final victory over Benfica, but he didn’t actually wear it particularly often — only in 30 per cent of his Manchester United games. The idea that Best started United’s grand history of the No. 7 shirt isn’t entirely unfair, but Best himself evidently didn’t actually care.

Another United Legend, Eric Cantona did care — although he played a variety of numbers during his days in France, he insisted on wearing the No. 7 shirt at United. So it was Eric Cantona, rather than Best, who really made the No. 7 iconic at Manchester United. It was rare to see that number being worn by a forward, instead of a midfielder, but that somehow fitted into the aura of Cantona: a player who interpreted his role in an unusual way.

When Cantona left, Alex Ferguson decided to honour David Beckham with the No. 7 at his request. As a right-sided midfielder, Beckham fitted the No. 7 perfectly. He became so associated with the number that he incorporated it into his own fashion brand known as DB07. He enjoyed six years with the No. 7 shirt until his move to Real Madrid.

Upon Beckham’s departure in 2003, United signed the perfect replacement as No. 7 — Cristiano Ronald. Ronaldo played on the right of midfield, so the shirt number made sense, although he had initially requested No. 28. However, Ferguson insisted on him taking No. 7. It proved a fine decision. Not only did Ronaldo shine on the pitch, but he also replicated Beckham by incorporating the number into a fashion range: CR7.

After Ronald’s transfer to Real Madrid and Ferguson’s retirement, it became clear that United, a club increasingly’ obsessed with branding, wanted to further the legacy and history of the No.7. However, then there was a period when no one seemed to want it. To fill the huge gap left by Ronald’s departure, to be frank, is always something extremely challenging. And whoever comes next must be a confident player who is happy to invite that added scrutiny.

1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The number 7 in the football world is usually worn by a forward player.

B．George Best often wore the No. 7 during his time at Manchester United.

C．In 1960s, players started to wear fixed numbers during the same season.

D．Eric Cantona truly helped United’s No. 7 become a famous sporting icon.

2. Which of the following is Not one of the similarities between Beckham and Ronald?

A．Both of them have played for Manchester United and Real Madrid in their career.

B．They each have successfully created a fashion brand related to their No. 7 shirt.

C．Neither of them has voluntarily asked their coach Sir Alex for the No.7 shirt.

D．When representing United, they played the same position on the football pitch.

3. None of the players wanted to wear the No. 7 shirt after Ronald probably because ______.

A．the value of United’s No.7 has been decreasing significantly

B．United has shifted attention from football to gaining commercial success

C．the pressure brought by fans’ heightened expectation is overwhelming

D．Sir Alex Ferguson has officially retried from the football world

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．The Story of Great Players.	B．The Legendary Number.
C．Who’s the Next United’s No.7?	D．Glory Glory Man United.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When is the deadline for the poetry contest?

A．January 30.

B．February 18.

C．February 28.

2. How old is Jennifer?

A．10 years old.

B．13 years old.

C．15 years old.

3. What prize will the winner get this year?

A．A golden cup.

B．Their poem published on the website.

C．A signed book of poetry by a famous poet.

3 . Tai chi, a traditional, slow-moving form of Chinese physical exercise, is known to increase flexibility and improve balance. New research has been conducted to determine whether tai chi has an influence on lowering blood pressure in people with prehypertension (高血压前期).

In the study, Chinese scientists put 342 adults with prehypertension into two groups. The average age of people taking part in the study was 49. About half the participants (参与者) took part in aerobic exercise, including jogging, climbing stairs and cycling. The other half was trained to practice tai chi. Both groups got hour-long exercises four times a week.

Nearly 22% of the people who practiced tai chi saw their blood pressure fall to be normal, compared with nearly 16% of people in the aerobic exercise group. And fewer patients in the tai chi group went on to develop high blood pressure than patients in the aerobic exercise group.

So what is it about tai chi that helps lower blood pressure? “The practice tends to get more of a response from the parasympathetic (副交感的) nervous system, which is the network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger,” says Ruth Taylor-Piliae, a professor at the University of Arizona’s College of Nursing.

“I think the beauty of tai chi is that you don’t have to have a special gym membership, you don’t have to have special clothing,” Taylor-Piliae says. “Once you learn tai chi, you can do it anytime and anyplace. And it does provide a calming and relaxing effect.”

Evidence suggests it can also help protect against cognitive fall and even improve memory. But you have to practice it continually to get the most benefit.

1. What is the function of paragraph 1?

A．To offer some examples.	B．To explain a definition.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To give people suggestions.

2. What can we know about the participants in the study?

A．They were divided into two groups.	B．They suffered from heart disease.
C．They were 49 years old.	D．They got exercises five times a week.

3. What might Taylor-Piliae agree with about tai chi?

A．It can make people calm down.

B．It requires training and specialized equipment.

C．It has no influence on the parasympathetic nervous system.

D．It is suitable for individuals with aerobic exercise experience.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．A Traditional Sport	B．The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
C．Exploring Chinese Physical Exercise	D．Managing Blood Pressure with Tai Chi

4 . Imagine the perfect baguette — a kind of French bread, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Sri Lankan-origin baker Tharshan Selvarajah made one just like that. He was given the title of “king” of the baguette in Paris, winning the city’s oldest baguette competition in France in May, reported CNN.

At this year’s 30th edition of the contest, 176 bakers came from across the city to enter their tasty baguettes. They faced an 18-person group of judges, which consists of former winners, baking industry officials, food bloggers, and six local citizens.

The loaves must be “traditionally made”, not industrially made. They are judged on their appearance, smell, baking technique and flavor. However, 40 of them were eliminated early. Their baguettes were either too long, short, heavy, light or used the wrong flour, said CNN.

For Tharshan Selvarajah, winning the top prize was extra special. “I cried because we are foreigners and we came here to learn how to make traditional French bread,” Selvarajah told AFP. “I didn’t have the slightest idea that I could win the prize.”

That was not all that contributed to Selvarajah’s emotions. As the winner, he got 4,000 Euros (about 30,380 yuan) in prize money and the right to make baguette for the official home of the Frenchpresident for one year.

Selvarajah who owns a simple bakery in eastern Paris said his bakery’s secret is baking a certain amount every 20 minutes so it’s always hot and fresh, reported CNN.

The baguette is a cultural symbol in France. In November 2022, UNESCO recognized baguette as world heritage, reported AP. French bread can be found in every neighborhood in Paris. Oliver Polski, the mayoral deputy for commerce and artisanship, told CNN. “Industrial baking has pretty much disappeared in Paris.”

1. What does the underlined word “eliminated”in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Chosen as final competitors.	B．Commented carefully.
C．Refused to enter the competition.	D．Given special recognition.

2. How did Selvarajah feel after winning the baguette contest?

A．Shocked.

B．Confused.

C．Overjoyed.

D．Anxious.

3. What does Selvarajah think contributes to the success of his bakery?

A．The use of traditional French flour.	B．The freshness of bread.
C．The support of the local community.	D．The unique taste of fresh bread.

4. What does Olivia Polski think of industrial baking in Paris?

A．It is no longer popular in the city.

B．It has become more common recently.

C．It is being revived due to increased demand.

D．It will continue to exist with traditional bakeries.

5 . Knowing how many kilometers or miles per hour you’ll likely cover while hiking is of great importance.     1     It’s also important to build in time for breaks and extra time in case of bad weather or harder situations than expected.

If you’re not sure what your average hiking speed is, don’t worry.     2     Naismith’s rule is considered useful and was invented by the Scottish mountaineer William W. Naismith. It’s a great way to work out how long it will take you to complete your chosen path and it takes into consideration both distance and elevation (海拔高度).

It can be worked out as follows. One hour for every 3 miles plus an additional hour for every 600m of ascent (升高). So let’s say you wanted to know how long it would take to hike 6 miles with an elevation gain of 1,200m. That’s 2 hours for the distance and another 2 hours for the ascent, for a total of 4 hours.     3     It doesn’t include breaks.

    4     You can choose exercises that you enjoy, whether that’s running, cycling, dance classes or something else. As long as it helps you build muscle (肌肉) strength, it will help you get your average hiking speed where you want it to be. Interestingly, specific weight training also helps increase your average walking speed on the path. It’s common knowledge that hikers should focus mainly on leg strength.     5    

A．Note that’s only your hiking time.

B．There’s an easy way to work it out.

C．Your hiking speed isn’t an exact science.

D．It can ensure that you safely reach your destination.

E．But some hiking places do require you to use your upper body too.

F．Consider how to increase your hiking speed on and off the mountain.

G．One of the best ways to hike faster is to train when you’re not hiking.

6 . Taking exercise can be boring. The good news is that there are some tips which we can apply to our everyday fitness routines

•Have an objective.

When we’re playing a game, there’s always an objective. It helps us focus on the task at hand and motivates us to keep playing until we win the game. Exercise should be no different. Create a clear fitness goal.     1    .

•Add an element of whimsy (奇思妙想)

Some people love video games because there’s a lot of unexpectedness and surprise.     2    . Take photos of at least 5 different flowers on a neighborhood walk. Ride a bike from one friend’s house to another.

•    3    

In a study, a team of researchers challenged 602 overweight workers from a single company to take part in a step-tracking challenge. The group asked to compete against other workers ended up walking more steps than any other groups in the study. If we’re seeking a similar motivation, look into fitness programs that encourage friendly competition.

•Team up with others.

    4    . In that same study, another group of workers was asked to divide into teams of three. Each day, one member of the group was selected to represent the entire team with his/her individual step count of the day. This approach encouraged each member of the group to try to achieve the day’s step goal.     5    . We can try to be energetic by working towards an exercise goal together with other people.

A．Compete against others.

B．Aim to walk 10,000 steps a day, for example.

C．Play against a friend to get competitive.

D．No one wanted to let their team members down.

E．And there are plenty of digital tools that can help with this.

F．We can copy these features into our own fitness game designs.

G．Getting a group to work together is also an effective way.

7 . Scientists from Georgia Tech have developed a new robot named ESTHER (Experimental Sport Tennis Wheelchair Robot), which can move around the court and even return human serves.

The team believes the robot could serve as a training partner (搭档) for professional players in the future, lowering the pressure of training with another human.

The robot is the brainchild of Georgia Tech’s Matthew Gombolay, professor of robotics in the School of Interactive Computing. He wanted to develop a better training challenge than a ball feeder that stays in one place, one that would act like an always on-call partner or even team up with someone in doubles matches. The result is ESTHER, an adapted wheelchair tennis chair that can race to balls at ten metres per second and probably outplay a human.

Mr Gombolay explains: “The wheelchair has the ability to rapidly move around the court and get into position (恰当位置) to hit a ground stroke (击落地球). ESTHER can move up to two metres after a ball is struck to hit a successful return, which is comparable to the longest distance moved by human players for 80 per cent of shots (击球).”

The robot was named in homage to well-known wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer, who held the world No. 1 position in women’s wheelchair tennis for almost 13 years straight.

The team placed a network of cameras around a tennis court and used computer vision algorithms (视觉算法) to help ESTHER recognise an incoming tennis ball. Using cameras from different positions, they could know where the ball is in the air and feed this information to ESTHER. The team reached a breakthrough when they successfully and continually programmed ESTHER to track the tennis ball coming toward it and to hit a return.

ESTHER will now be developed to act as a highly-skilled tennis player.

1. What is ESTHER able to do?

A．Return a shot.

B．Clean up a court.

C．Push a wheelchair.

D．Control a ball feeder.

2. What does the underlined part “in homage to” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．In search of.

B．In honour of.

C．As a result of.

D．With the help of.

3. In what way are cameras helpful to ESTHER?

A．They improve its vision.	B．They direct it to the ball.
C．They help it stay in position.	D．They picture unexpected things in the air.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Athletes in wheelchairs	B．An all-purpose robot at home
C．Rules are changing for tennis courts	D．A robot moves around the tennis court

8 . 根据提示用本部分所学词汇的正确形式完成下列短文（每空一词）

Sports like American football and ice hockey get most of the attention when it comes to concussions (脑震荡) and other forms of brain injury. But soccer is a(n)     1     (激烈的) sport for which the head can be as important as the foot.

Heading the ball is a key soccer skill. But a new study finds that players who head the ball frequently are more likely to suffer     2     (长久的) brain injury and damage their memory than players who are less likely to use their heads.

“For many people, it’s beyond belief that a slight injury could be a problem,” said Dr. Michael Lipton, an expert of neuroradiology (神经放射学) in New York City.

Lipton and his team interviewed 37 adult soccer players from New York City and took high-tech scans (扫描) to     3     (检查) their brains. They also asked the players how often they played soccer and how often they headed the ball, and they gave the players some neurocognitive tests.

The     4     (结果) was that the researchers found no link between small amounts of heading and players’ attention, ability to control their       5     (速度) when they move, or ability to manage complex thinking tasks. However, Lipton warned players not to ignore the possible risks of heading the ball too many times. Players could safely head the ball 885 to 1,550 times a year. It took almost 1,800 times a year for players to have trouble with their memory.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．A lecture on success.

B．A graduation ceremony.

C．A school award ceremony.

2. What kind of school is it?

A．A girls’ school.

B．A boys’ school.

C．A mixed school.

3. Who is quoted in the talk?

A．A sportsman.

B．A teacher.

C．A singer.

4. What does the speaker say is the most important?

A．Confidence.

B．Success.

C．Trying.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What does the grand prize include?

A．A job opportunity.

B．A large sum of money.

C．A chance to study abroad.

2. What will be needed to organize the first challenge?

A．Sand.

B．Boxes.

C．Rice.

3. What will the challengers do in the second challenge?

A．Find three boxes.

B．Solve math questions.

C．Stand on a piece of wood.

4. Where will the last challenge probably take place at first?

A．At the seaside.

B．In a building.

C．In a wood.