1 . For the rest of March, a disease will sweep across the US. It will keep kids home from school.       1         Employees will suddenly lose their ability to concentrate.

The disease, known as “March Madness”， refers to the yearly 65­team US men's college basketball tournament (锦标赛).       2         Teams compete against each other in a single­elimination (单局淘汰) tournament that eventually crowns a national champion.

Nearly 20 million Americans will find themselves prisoners of basketball festival madness. The fun comes partly from guessing the winners for every game. Friends compete against friends.           3         Colleagues against bosses.

Big­name schools are usually favored to advance into the tournament. But each year there are dark horses from little­known universities.

This adds to the madness. Watching a team from a school with 3,000 students beat a team from a school with 30,000, for many Americans, is an exciting experience. Two years ago, the little­known George Mason University was one of the final four teams.     4    

College basketball players are not paid, so the game is more about making a name for their university and themselves.     5         About $4 billion will be spent gambling (赌) on the event. According to Media Life magazine, the event will bring in $500 million in advertising income this year, topping the post－ season income of every US professional league, including that of the NBA.

A．Husbands against wives.

B．The players will go all out for the games.

C．But that doesn't mean money isn't involved.

D．College students will ignore piles of homework.

E．People are willing to spend more money on watching it.

F．It begins on March 15 and lasts through the beginning of April.

G．Many people had never even heard of the university before the tournament.

2 . Don’t complain in the NBA

The NBA has a new rule this season. It’s called “zero tolerance”. NBA referees are not letting players complain too long or too loudly about a referee’s call. A player who does can be given a technical foul (犯规). Two technical fouls, and the player is out of the game.

The players don’t like the new rule and want the NBA to change it. They think it’s only natural to get angry during a close, hard-fought game if a call goes against you.

But I like the “zero tolerance” rule and wish other sports would follow the NBA’s example. Wouldn’t it be more enjoyable if football, soccer and tennis players stopped arguing the calls and just played the game?

The biggest reason I like the new rule is that it sets a good example to younger players. When kids see stars such as Rasheed Wallace of the Detroit Pistons shouting at the referees and arguing every call, they think it’s part of the game. But shouting at referees and arguing calls should never be part of any kid’s games. Kids should be taught to forget about the referees’ calls and pay attention to improving their skills and play their best.

All players need to learn that you control only one thing in a game, and that’s your own performance. You can’t control what the other players or trainers do. And you certainly can’t control the calls the referees make.

Finally, everyone from NBA all-stars to 8-year-olds should remember that being a basketball referee is a hard job. The referee has to make dozens of sudden calls. No hesitation. No second chances. Not even the best referee gets every call right.

Maybe if the players, trainers and fans who shout at the referees had to wear a whistle and call a few games, there wouldn’t be as many complaints about the “zero tolerance” rule.

The new rule	The players are not     1     to complain too much about a referee’s call, otherwise he might be     2     out of the court.
The     3    opinion	They dislike the new rule and wish it to be     4    .
	They think it’s natural for them to get angry during a close game if there is a call     5     against them.
The writer’s opinion	He likes the “zero-tolerance” rule and wishes it to be followed by other sports and it would be more enjoyable if players     6     arguing the calls.
	The new rule does     7     a good example to younger players.
	Shouting at referees and arguing calls shouldn’t be part of any kid’s games and kids should pay attention to     8     up their skills and play their best.
	All players can control nothing else except their own     9     .
	Everyone should keep in mind that it’s     10     to be a basketball judge.

3 . Recently a study, led by Pedro Hallal of the Federal University of Pelotas, suggests that nearly a third of adults,31%, are not getting enough exercise. That rates of exercise have declined is hardly a new discovery. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, technology and economic growth have helped to create a world in which taking exercise is more and more an option rather than a necessity. But only recently has enough good data been collected from enough places to carry out the sort of analysis Dr Hallal and his colleagues have engaged in.

There are common themes in different places. Unsurprisingly, people in rich countries are less active than those in poor ones, and old people are less active than young ones. Less obviously, women tend to exercise less than men-34% are inactive, compared with 28% of men. But there are exceptions. The women of Croatia, Finland, Iraq and Luxembourg, for example, exercise more than their male countrymen.

Malta wins the race for the most slothful country, with 72%of adults getting too little exercise，and Swaziland and Saudi Arabia are in close behind，with 69%.In Bangladesh，just 5%of adults fail to exercise enough. Surprisingly，six in ten Americans are active enough according to Dr Hallal's study，compared with fewer than four in ten British men.

These high rates of inactivity are worrying. Human beings seem to have evolved（进化）to benefit from exercise while deliberately avoiding it whenever they can. In a state of nature it would be impossible to live a life that did not provide enough of it. Actually lack of enough activity these days has nearly the same effect on lifespan（寿命）as smoking.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1？

A．The decline of the rates of exercise is newly discovered.

B．The study suggests 31%of female adults get too little exercise.

C．The enough good data has been collected from only one country.

D．The industrial revolution has changed the way people live to some degree.

2. According to the study，women of Luxembourg ___________.

A．have little time to exercise

B．hate to get regular exercise

C．take more exercise to lose weight

D．exercise more than men in their country

3. The underlined word "slothful" in Paragraph 3 most probably means "__________".

A．powerful	B．rich
C．lazy	D．unpopular

4. What can be the best title for the text？

A．Worldwide Lack of Enough Exercise

B．A New Health Discovery

C．Evolvement of Human Beings

D．Benefits of Taking Exercise

4 . EVENTS

Bicycle tour and race

A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27 (Sat & Sun.). At 5:30 am, the riders will leave Tian’anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometres as a training leg. Then the next 55-kilometre-leg, from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be takern from Jixian to Changli.

The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaihe, covering a distance of 20 kilometres. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.

Cost: 200 yuan          

Telephone: 4675027

Brazilian footballers

The Brazilian Football Club will play Beijing Guo’an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26. The club has four national team players. Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Romario who has promised to play for at least 45 minutes.

Ticket prices: 60; 100; 150 yuan

Time/Date: 4:30 pm, August 26 (Sat. )     

Telephone: 5012372

Rock climbing

The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26-27 at the Huairou Mountain-climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators (观众).

Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou.

Time/Dates: 9-12 am, August 26 and 27

Telephone: 7143177, 7144850, Wang Zhenghua

1. The main purpose of announcing the above events is to give information about_________.

A．visiting teams	B．famous players
C．things to do for the weekend	D．prices to pay for the sports events

2. If you take part in the bike tour, you will ride for ________.

A．35 kilometres	B．55 kilometres
C．75 kilometres	D．110 kilometres

3. The underlined word “leg” in “Bicycle tour and race” probably means_______.

A．race	B．practice
C．part of the training	D．part of the tour

4. What is special about the rock climbing competition?

A．A foreign team takes pan in it.

B．You can watch it without paying.

C．You don’t have to be a sportsman to take part.

D．The bus trip to the place of the competition is free.

5. If you want to find something to do for Saturday aftermoon, which telephone number will you call?

A．4675027

B．7143177

C．5012372

D．7144850

5 . When Lew Alcindor was 13, and obviously still growing, a group of schools began offering him scholarships. The Alcindor decided to send their only child to Power Memorial Academy, a small school on Manhattan’s West Side.

At Power, Alcindor came under the control of Coach Jack Donohue, a strict young man who already gained his fames as one of the best coaches in the city. Donohue brought Alcindor along slowly. As a first-year student, the boy was not able to do much but wave his long skinny arms and shoot a basket now and then. But by the second year, when he was 15 years old and nearly 7 feet tall, Alcindor was quick and skilful enough to make the high school All-American team and to lead Power to an undefeated season.

From then on he simply got better. Some rival coaches (对方教练) used to take their teams quickly away from the floor before Power warmed up so that their players would not see him any sooner than they had to. Wearing size 16D shoes and sucking a chewing gum, Alcindor would loosen up by starting his leaping lay-ups (擦板球). Then he would casually shoot the ball with either hand, to the delight of the fans.

When reporters and photographers began to follow Alcindor closely, Donohue protected his boy firmly. He simply ordered Lew to talk to no member of the press, and this suited Lew fine. He was not comfortable talking to grown-ups, perhaps because he towered over them. Discouraged photographers began following him in secret as though he were an easily-frightened giraffe. Once after ducking into a subway to escape, Alcindor told a friend that it was all becoming like policemen and robbers. “People want you not for yourself,” Donohue warned him, “But because you’re a basketball player. Don’t forget that.”

1. Many schools offered Alcindor scholarships because ______.

A．he was young	B．he was hardworking
C．he was tall for his age	D．he was skillful at playing basketball

2. Which of the following best describes Donohue as a young coach?

A．Serious, popular and slow	B．Tall, skillful and successful
C．Kind, powerful and undefeated	D．Well-known, strict and experienced

3. Why did some rival coaches take their teams away from the floor before Power warmed up?

A．Their teams refused to play against Power	B．Their teams feared to see Alcindor
C．Their teams would lose courage	D．Their teams would lose interest

4. What does the last paragraph mainly discuss?

A．How Donohue protect Alcindor from the press	B．How Alcindor disliked meeting reporter
C．Why the press followed Alcindor closely	D．Why the public wanted Alcindor badly

6 . It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn't healed(痊愈)from a(n) _______ injury. I had _______ whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was,_______ for the 3,000-meter run.
"Ready... set..." The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed _______ me. I felt _______ as I fell farther and farther behind.
"Hooray! "shouted the crowd. It was the loudest _______ I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps(圈)ahead of me when she crossed the finish line.
"Maybe I should _______, "I thought as I moved on. _______,I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran _______ and decided not to ________ in track next year. It wouldn't be worth it, ________ my foot did heal.
When I finished, I heard a cheer-- ________ than the one I'd heard earlier. I turned around and ________,the boys were preparing for their race. "They must be cheering for the boys."
I was leaving ________ several girls came up to me. "Wow, you've got courage! "one of them told me.
"Courage? I just ________ a race! "I thought.
"I would have given up on the first lap, "said another girl.
"We were cheering for you. Did you hear us?"
Suddenly I regained ________ . I decided to ________ track next year. I realized strength and courage aren't always ________ in medals and victories, but in the ________ we overcome(战胜). The strongest people are not always the people who win, ________ the people who don't give up when
they lose.1.

A．slighter

B．worse

C．earlier

D．heavier

2.

A．expected

B．supposed        C, imagined

C．doubted

3.

A．late

B．eager

C．ready

D．thirsty

4.

A．from behind

B．ahead of

C．next to

D．close to

5.

A．ashamed

B．astonished

C．excited

D．frightened

6.

A．cheer

B．shout

C．cry

D．noise

7.

A．slow down

B．drop out

C．go on

D．speed up

8.

A．Therefore

B．Otherwise

C．Besides

D．However

9.

A．with delight

B．with fear

C．in pain

D．in advance

10.

A．play

B．arrive

C．race

D．attend

11.

A．even if

B．only if

C．unless

D．until

12.

A．weaker

B．longer

C．lower

D．louder

13.

A．well enough

B．sure enough

C．surprisingly enough

D．strangely enough

14.

A．while

B．when

C．as

D．since

15.

A．finished

B．won

C．passed

D．lost

16.

A．cheer

B．hope

C．interest

D．experience

17.

A．hold on

B．turn to

C．begin with

D．stick with

18.

A．measured

B．praised

C．tested

D．increased

19.

A．sadness

B．struggles

C．diseases.

D．tiredness

20.

A．or

B．nor

C．and

D．but

7 . You may think that sailing is a difficult sport, but it is really not hard to learn it. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind.
First, you must ask yourself, “Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side?” You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.
Let’s start with the wind blowing from the behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90° angle (角度) to the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.
If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat. In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45° angle to the boat. It needs to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn’t flap (摆动). It shouldn’t look like on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.
Sailing into the wind is not possible. If you try, the sail will flap and the boat will stop. You may want to go in that direction. It is possible, but you can’t go in a straight line. You must go first in one direction and then in another. This is called tacking. When you are tacking, you must always keep the sail inside the boat.
1. What should you consider first while sailing?

A．Sailors’ strength.	B．Wave levels.
C．Wind directions.	D．Size of sails.

2. What does the word “It” underlined in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The boat.

B．The wind.

C．The sail.

D．The angle.

3. What do you have to do when sailing against the wind?

A．Move in a straight line.	B．Allow the sail to flap.
C．Lower the sail.	D．Tack the boat.

4. Where can you probably find the text?

A．In a popular magazine.	B．In a tourist guidebook.
C．In a physics textbook.	D．In an official report.

8 . Swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, dancing, walking or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart.    1     Whether it is a structured exercise program or just part of your daily routine, all exercise adds up to having a healthier heart. Here are some tips for exercise success.

●Choose activities that are fun and add variety. Develop several activities that you can enjoy.    2    

●Wear comfortable, properly fitted shoes and comfortable, loose-fitting clothing appropriate for the weather and the activity.

●Find a convenient time and place to do activities.    3     If you miss an exercise opportunity, work activity into your day another way.

●Use music to keep yourself entertained.

●    4     Decide what kind of support you need. Do you want them to remind you to exercise? Exercise with you regularly or occasionally? Be understanding when you get up early to exercise? Spend time with the children while you exercise? Try not to ask you to change your exercise routine? Share your activity time with others. Ask your family members, friends or co-workers for help.

●Don’t overdo it, especially at first. You can slowly increase the time and intensity (强度) of your activities as you become more fit.    5    

●Keep a record of your activities. Reward yourself at times. Nothing will inspire you more than success!

A．Try to make it a habit, but be flexible.

B．They all cause you to feel warm and breathe heavily without being out of breath.

C．Be an active role model for your children.

D．That way, exercise will never seem boring.

E．If you are overweight or have a high risk of heart disease, see your doctor for medical advice before exercising.

F．Surround yourself with supportive people.

G．Gradually, work up to exercising on most days of the week for 30-60 minutes.

9 . Most young people enjoy some forms of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling, swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some forms—football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have apassionfor climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kinds which would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering with other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skills year by year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skills and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.
1. What sports are popular among people in winter in the passage?

A．Soccer and golf.	B．Skiing and skating.
C．Cycling and hockey.	D．Mountaineering.

2. The underlined word “passion” in Paragraph 2 could best be replaced by _ _____.

A．strong emotion	B．good way
C．better feeling	D．enough affection

3. Mountaineering is a sport, not a game because_______.

A．it has man-made rules

B．it is too dangerous for climbers

C．it is free for climbers to use their own methods

D．it can’t bring people joy or leisure

4. We know from the passage that _______.

A．mountaineering has no appeal for people

B．physical quality is more important than mental one for climbers

C．a mountain climber passes his best by the age of thirty

D．it is possible for an old man of fifty or sixty to climb the Alps

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Sports in winter	B．Team work in climbing
C．Mountaineering	D．The quality for mountaineering

10 . Throw the bottles and boxes of drugs out of your house. A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your health, which should at least come as good news to people who cannot afford to buy expensive medicine. This new theory argues that healing is at our fingertips: we can be healthy by doing Yoga on a regular basis.

Supporters of medical treatment argue that medicine should be trusted since it is effective and scientifically proven. They say that there is no need for spiritual methods such as Yoga. These waste our time, something which is quite precious in our material world. There is medicine that can kill our pain, X­rays that show us our bones or MRI that scans our brain for tumors (肿瘤)．

We must admit that these methods are very effective in the examples that they provide. However, there are some “everyday complaints” such as back pains, headaches and insomnia, which are treated currently with medicine. When you have a headache, you take an Aspirin; when you cannot sleep, you take Xanax without thinking of the side effects of these. When you use these pills for a long period, you become addicted to them; you cannot sleep without them. We pay huge amounts of money and become addicted instead of getting better. How about a safer and more economical way of healing? When doing Yoga, you do not need anything except your energy so it is very economical. Its popularity has spread particularly throughout America and Western Europe. In quantum (量子) physics, energy is recognized as the fundamental substance (物质) which the universe consists of.Yoga depends on the energy within our bodies. It is a simple and effective way of restoring the energy flow. There are no side effects and it is scientifically explained.

Opponents of alternative healing methods also claim that serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without drugs. They think so because these patients spend the rest of their lives in the hospital taking medicine. How can Yoga make these people healthy again？It is very unfortunate that these patients have to live in the hospital losing their hair because of chemotherapy (化疗), losing weight because of the side effects of the medicine they take. Actually, it is common knowledge that when the cancer is recognized at an early stage, drugs also cannot treat AIDS or cancer. Most of the medicines these patients use are to ease their pain and their sufferings. Instead of drugs which are expensive and have many side effects, you can use your energy to overcome the hardships of life, find an emotional balance, leave the stress of everyday life and let go of the everyday worries. We should definitely start learning Yoga and avoid illnesses before it is too late.

Title: Health and Healing at Your Fingertips
1    . to a new theory	A new theory argues that doing Yoga     2     can keep people healthy while medicine might do     3     to people's health.
Support of medical treatment	●People should     4     medicine as it is very useful for killing pain. ●Medicine is effective and scientifically proven while Yoga is a kind of spiritual method and doing Yoga is only a     5     of time. ●Illnesses     6     HIV/AIDS and cancer can only be treated with drugs.
Support of Yoga	●Doing Yoga is safer and not as     7     as taking medicine. ●Most of the medicines that patients with some     8     diseases use are to ease their pain and their sufferings but can not cure them. ●Yoga has no side effects and also there is a     9     explanation. It can restore the energy flow in people's bodies, which can     10     our emotions, overcome the hardships of life, leave the stress of everyday life and let go of the everyday worries.