1 . The Biggest Stadiums in the World
People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A.D., the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world’s best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome’s Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50,000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city’s Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.
These days, safety regulations-not to mention the modern sports fan’s desire for a good view and comfortable seat — tend to keep stadium capacities (容量) slightly lower. Even soccer fans tend to have a seat each; gone are the days of thousands standing to watch the match.
For the biggest stadiums in the world, we have used data supplied by the World Atlas list so far, which ranks them by their stated permanent capacity, as well as updated information from official stadium websites.
All these stadiums are still functional, still open and still hosting the biggest events in world sport.
·Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang D.P.R. Korea. Capacity: 150,000. Opened: May 1,1989.
·Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U. S. Capacity: 107,601. Opened: October 1, 1927.
·Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania, U. S. Capacity: 106,572. Opened: September 17, 1960.
·Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, U. S. Capacity: 104,944. Opened: October 7,1922.
·Kyle Field, College Station, Texas, U. S. Capacity: 102,512. Opened: September 24, 1927.
1. How many people could the Circus Maximus hold?| A．104,944. | B．107,601. | C．About 150,000. | D．About 250,000. |
| A．Michigan Stadium. | B．Beaver Stadium. | C．Ohio Stadium. | D．Kyle Field. |
| A．They host big games. | B．They have become tourist attractions. |
| C．They were built by Americans. | D．They are favored by architects. |
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4 . Four Soccer Clubs for Kids in New York City
Soccer is a sport loved by many kids, families and countries. Here are four soccer clubs that are great for kids throughout New York City.
Stellar Soccer
Address: 1047 Amsterdam Ave
Stellar Soccer was created and taught by early-childhood educators. All classes are held outdoors and are for children aged 2 to 8 years old. No experience is necessary and players of all skill sets are welcome. They offer private lessons on the weekdays and public lessons on the weekends. They also have programs for boys and girls individually.
Soccer Friends USA
Address: 106-06 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills
Soccer Friends USA offers soccer programs for kids aged 18 months to 14 years old. Their philosophy is that the best way for young children to learn soccer is by having fun! Children here are able to learn the game of soccer in a non-competitive environment. In order to teach kids how to play, they believe as teachers they need to have good social skills and a talent for teaching.
Downtown United Soccer Club
Address: 527 Hudson St
Downtown United Soccer Club values friendship and good sportsmanship in a caring and supportive way for every player. Training is offered to players of all ages and genders (性别). They hope to develop a community that helps children develop their lifelong love for the game of soccer.
Coney Island Cyclones Soccer Club
Address: Bill Brown Playground, 4475, Brooklyn
Coney Island Cyclones Soccer Club provides soccer training for kids aged 3 to 15 years old. Their programs include a soccer academy (学院), as well as winter and summer camps that have indoor and outdoor facilities. Their goal is to teach young players the values of sportsmanship, teamwork, self-confidence and respect.
1. Where is Stellar Soccer?| A．In Amsterdam Ave. | B．In Forest Hills. |
| C．In Hudson St. | D．In Bill Brown Playground. |
| A．Stellar Soccer. | B．Soccer Friends USA. |
| C．Downtown United Soccer Club. | D．Coney Island Cyclones Soccer Club. |
| A．Training for all ages. | B．Winter and summer camps. |
| C．A non-competitive environment. | D．Programs for boys and girls individually. |
5 . Move over soccer, basketball and football, there’s a new competition sweeping Australia. It’s competitive bird calling. Yes, bird calling!
Scores of kids in New South Wales are spending their spare time practicing for the Bournda Bird Olympics, an event that aims at young bird-callers against each other to see who can deliver the clearest, most enthusiastic and most accurate bird call. The principal of the Bournda Environmental Education Centre, Doug Reckord, encourages the kids to listen to bird calls on YouTube to prepare for the event. The children also work on identifying birds by their beaks, claws and calls.
Surprisingly, the Bournda Bird Olympics isn’t Australia’s first competition with competitive bird calling. The first competition took place in Sydney in 1912. It was supported by the Gould League of Bird Lovers, a foundation that encouraged children to bird watch and learn about birds.
Even back then, New South Wales was the country’s bird calling leader. Students from the New South Wales region had access to much more bird sounds than city kids. They won the Dawson Memorial Shield for best bird calling six times between 1953 and 1962. Today, New South Wales is bringing back the bird calls. Led by the Bournda Environmental Education Centre, the Bournda Bird Olympics renewed in 2018. The event now features former bird calling champion, Bruce Chapman, as the “celebrity” judge.
When showtime finally arrives, three judges at the Bournda Bird Olympics rate people taking part on their enthusiasm, accuracy and clearness. The players can earn a maximum of three points in each type. Some 45 children took part in the 2022 event. The most popular bird call to imitate (模仿) was the kookaburra’s unique laugh. But the winner that year came from a girl copying a king parrot. Her call sounded so accurate that a king parrot in the trees actually called back to her.
1. What’s Doug Reckord’s attitude to bird calling?| A．Curious. | B．Positive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Objective. |
| A．A project. | B．A school club. | C．A game. | D．An organization. |
| A．The basic rules of bird calling. | B．The bright future of bird calling. |
| C．New South Wales’ participation. | D．New South Wales’ training. |
| A．It was true to life. | B．It was the sweetest. |
| C．It was the most popular. | D．It was full of enthusiasm. |
6 . Interschool Sports Programme is coming. It will start on 30th April and end on 15th June.
Students in our school will join the boys’ basketball games. Each Wednesday the players will travel by bus to Sports Centre, Erinvale Street, Corinda. They will leave school at 12: 20 p.m. It will take them about 20 minutes to get there. The games will begin at 1:00 p.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. Players must wear their school clothes and sports shoes. It will be great if they can bring large water bottles.
If you are good at playing basketball and want to join the games, please go to Mr. David’s office (Room503) before 15th April to fill in form. We will choose 15 players.
Volunteers are also needed. Anyone who wants to be a volunteer needs to send an email to Mr David (davidss@qq.edu.au) to introduce yourself before 20th April.
For more information, please call Mr David (6783-5682) or visit his office.
1. Interschool Sports Programme is about ________ long.| A．half a month | B．one month |
| C．one and a half months | D．two months |
| A．12:20 p.m. | B．12:40 p.m. | C．1:00 p.m. | D．2:30 p.m. |
| A．practise every Tuesday | B．buy new sports clothes |
| C．call Mr David | D．fill in a form |
| A．know something about basketball | B．send an email to Mr David |
| C．bring a large water bottle | D．wear sports shoes |
7 . 为增强学生体质，你校将在下周举办一次“Love Sports, Love Life”的体育活动。假定你是学生会主席李华，请你用英文写一篇倡议信，呼吁同学们积极进行体育锻炼。
内容要点包括：
1.活动的目的；
2.进行体育运动的益处；
3.提出倡议，表达期待。
注意：1．词数 80 左右；
2．开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear friends,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With best wishes.
The Students’ Union
| A．Less than 50 years. | B．Over 100 years. | C．About 200 years. |
9 . A study has found that a lifetime of regular exercise and activity can slow down the aging process (衰老过程). Researchers say that getting older should not necessarily mean becoming more weak or sick. Their research shows that a devotion to a life of movement and exercise may help us live not only longer, but also healthier.
For their study, the researchers looked at two groups. The first group was made up of 125 non-professional cyclists between the ages of 55 to 79. This group included 84 healthy men and 41 healthy women. We will call this group the “cyclists”.
Researchers then found 130 people to make up a second group. Within this group, 75 people were aged from 57 to 80. The other 55 were between the ages of 20 and 36. The people in this group were also healthy, but they did not exercise regularly. We will call this group the “non-exercisers”. Smokers, heavy drinkers of alcohol and people with other health issues were not included in the study.
Then, researchers gave both groups a series of tests. They tested their muscle mass (肌肉质量), muscular strength, percentage of body fat and the strength of their immune (免疫的) systems. Then the researchers compared the results of the two groups.
Results showed that the cyclists did not experience body changes usually regarded as a normal aging process. For example, they did not lose muscle mass or muscular strength. Also, their body fat did not increase with age.
The researchers also found something they had not expected. The study showed that the immune systems of the cyclists did not age either.
The researchers advise us all to find an exercise that we like in our lives.
1. How did the researchers carry out the study?| A．By comparing. | B．By discussing. |
| C．By imagining. | D．By reasoning. |
| A．The cyclists kept a thin body shape. |
| B．The non-exercisers gained weight easily. |
| C．The cyclists’ muscles remained strong with age. |
| D．The non-exercisers usually had health problems. |
| A．The cyclists had normal aging process. |
| B．The cyclists’ immune systems didn’t age. |
| C．The cyclists lost nearly all their fat. |
| D．Everyone needed an exercise in their lives. |
| A．Healthy People Need More Exercise |
| B．Take an Exercise, the Harder, the Better |
| C．Cycling Is the Best Way to Prevent Aging |
| D．A Lifetime of Exercise Slows Aging Process |
10 . A few days ago, the Brooklyn Nets basketball player Ben Simmons donated a basketball court to Machang township in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province during a ceremony. Simmons has visited China several times since he was young. He has been deeply touched by the Chinese people’s warmth and friendly feelings toward him and their enthusiasm for basketball.
Impressed by the news that basketball competitions had been held in Guizhou at a village with their own “Village Basketball Association (VBA)”, Simmons decided to donate a basketball court to the village during the Chinese New Year Basketball Competition in January. After conducting a survey, he set up the basketball court in Machang township in Gui’an New Area in the hope that it would create more opportunities for young fans to play basketball.
In the mountainous village of Machang, there are no huge electronic screens or advertisements at basketball games, but they can still be thrilling thanks to local players’ love for the sport. These players later became a hit in China and even went viral (迅速传播). A recent final competition attracted 30, 000 viewers on site and more than 1 billion viewers online.
Comparatively, the NBA boasts the best players in the world, top-class basketball gyms and professionally made commercials, so its exciting games draw fans around the world. The NBA and the “VBA” are thousands of miles apart, but their games are equally striking, fueling thousands of fans’ enthusiasm. Both focus on a common interest of basketball fans in the U. S. and China and their shared pursuit of sports and a better life.
Although Machang township lacks modern sports facilities, the local people’s love for basketball remains strong. So Simmons’ donation will surely help improve the village’s situation to a certain extent, but more importantly, it will bring people separated by the Pacific Ocean closer through this sport.
1. How did Ben Simmons give a hand to Machang township?| A．By donating electronic screens and some equipment for playing basketball. |
| B．By giving some money to help the township to build a stadium. |
| C．By training some local people to practise playing basketball. |
| D．By offering a basketball court to the township for free. |
| A．The recent match appealed to a large number of viewers. |
| B．The local players can earn an amount of money by playing the game. |
| C．The players, professional skills make the local basketball games exciting. |
| D．Advertisements contributed to the successful promotion of the local sport. |
| A．To suggest the “VBA” should learn from the NBA. |
| B．To show the NBA is much more exciting than the “VBA”. |
| C．To express the NBA and the “VBA” have something in common. |
| D．To prove the rules of the “VBA” and the NBA are almost the same. |
| A．The living standard of the village. |
| B．The significance of the donation. |
| C．The sports facilities of the township. |
| D．The meaning of the basketball competitions. |
