The US Open has been in existence for more than 120 years. The first tournament (锦标赛) was held in 1881 at the Newport Casino. It was called the US National Singles Championship. Entry was limited to only those clubs which were members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association, and the competitors were all male, competing in both singles and doubles. Richard Sears won the men’s championship and he went on to win the next six men’s singles championships.
The Wimbledon
In 1875, the All England Croquet Club was troubled financially due to declining membership. A new sport called lawn tennis was gaining fast in popularity and taking away the members. Two years later, a new roller was needed for maintaining its lawns so the club proposed to hold a tournament to raise money. Twenty-two players entered that first Wimbledon tournament which was won by Spencer Gore in straight sets over W. C. Marshall. Two hundred spectators each paid a shilling to watch the final game, enabling the club to buy the needed roller plus some extra cash.
The French Open
The very first French Championship was held way back in 1891, and the tournament has since grown into one of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments we know today. The first competition was a one-day national championship which was won by a British. The competition was poorly attended by world class players. It took 24 years before it became fully international and an accepted tennis grand slam event (大满贯赛事). After the First World War, French tennis was achieving stature (名声). Suzanne Lenglen was the predominant French player, winning the championships six times between 1920 and 1926.
The Australian Open
The very first tennis tournament ever played in Australia was held in January 1880, on the courts of the Melbourne Cricket Club. In 1905, the Australian Open was established as the Australasian Tennis Championship and was played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne. It became the Australian Championship in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969. Women’s events were added in 1922.
1. What is special about the first U.S. Open?| A．It has a history of more than 120 years. |
| B．Only men were allowed to play in the game. |
| C．Richard Sears won six championships. |
| D．It has remained about the same through all these years. |
| A．raise some fund for a lawn roller |
| B．attract more people to play tennis |
| C．attract more audience to watch the game |
| D．celebrate the renaming of the club |
| A．the tournament has been played in the same place all these years |
| B．twenty-two players played in the first tournament |
| C．few good tennis players took part in the first French Championship |
| D．the players played in singles and doubles in the tournament |
| A．they were all born in the same year |
| B．they all had only male players in the first tournament |
| C．they have all experienced financial difficulties |
| D．they all have had a history of 120 years or more |
| A．how the four international tennis tournaments came into being |
| B．how long it took for women to have the right to play in the game |
| C．how the four international tennis tournaments get their present names |
| D．why the tennis tournaments are held in these four countries |
2 . In 2016, 60-year-old Marshall Reeves got onto his bike in California. He began the Race Across America, a 3,000-mile
The goal was to
The race is one of the longest running and
Racers are typically
After crossing the two points where his
This year, Reeves will
| A．width | B．process | C．journey | D．record |
| A．cross | B．touch | C．draw | D．kick |
| A．attracted | B．defeated | C．shaken | D．reminded |
| A．choice | B．plan | C．decision | D．attempt |
| A．meeting | B．report | C．research | D．challenge |
| A．fully | B．highly | C．truly | D．clearly |
| A．difficult | B．exciting | C．important | D．wonderful |
| A．areas | B．orders | C．stages | D．goal |
| A．change | B．count | C．continue | D．stop |
| A．short | B．strict | C．long | D．enough |
| A．followed | B．protected | C．linked | D．taken |
| A．relaxed | B．available | C．effective | D．healthy |
| A．luck | B．time | C．energy | D．courage |
| A．determined | B．adapted | C．treated | D．acquired |
| A．food | B．bathing | C．smiling | D．rest |
| A．quick | B．previous | C．happy | D．sudden |
| A．awake | B．asleep | C．amazed | D．amused |
| A．set about | B．set up | C．set off | D．set down |
| A．consider | B．refuse | C．recommend | D．join |
| A．receiving | B．returning | C．thanking | D．asking |
3 . A cancer survivor has become the first woman to complete an exhausting “Sea to Summit” triathlon（三项全能运动） which saw her swim, cycle, and run over 330 miles in just five days. Andrea Mason was overjoyed when she crossed the finish line early Wednesday morning.
The race was set in the French Alps. Setting off at 6:15am on Friday, 39-year-old Mason battled through severe pain, and hallucinations(幻觉)，but she pushed on --managing to complete the race in an impressive four days, 23 hours, and 41 minutes. Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer and needed life-saving surgery. Following a successful operation, she is now hoping to raise awareness of women’s health. In the past year，Andrea set up her own charity, Lady Talk Matters, in order to improve surrounding female’s health.
Andrea, from Blackpool in Lancashire, England, said，“I am so happy all went according to plan as there were so many things that could have gone wrong. I wanted to do it in five days， and I did，but it was very tough. I had some low moments, particularly when I couldn’t sleep in my limited rest periods, and when I couldn’t keep any food down as I was running. For sure I had some doubts along the way as I was exploring the unknown with such a huge run, particularly as large parts of it were in the dark. It was bigger than I imagined, the impact on my body was huge. But every time I felt like giving up，I thought about all the women out there in pain or who still hadn’t been diagnosed. That is why I put myself through this.”
Andrea had to swim 23 miles around Lake Annecy, cycle 205 miles with 30,000 feet of vertical climbing around Mont Blanc, and run 105 miles with 4,000 feet of vertical climbing around The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. You could say Andrea’s actually spent a lifetime training for an event like this. She completed her first three-mile race “powered by chocolate bars＂ when she was just four.
1. What brought Andrea Mason so much joy？| A．She joined a race | B．She defeated cancer. |
| C．She finished a marathon in five days. | D．She finished a triathlon lately. |
| A．To help the poor women. | B．To promote women’s health. |
| C．To focus on women’s life. | D．To raise the status of women. |
| A．When she couldn’t eat. | B．When she couldn’t sleep. |
| C．When she was running at night. | D．When she met too many difficulties. |
| A．Her strong willpower. | B．Her family’s support. |
| C．Thinking of other women who might have cancer. | D．Thinking of other women who had more pain. |
| A．Andrea liked sports very much. | B．Andrea faced huge challenges. |
| C．As a little girl, Andrea won many races. | D．Andrea’s success lied in long-term effort. |
It’s becoming more and more common for people to live to 100 or longer. In fact, researchers say that more than a third of all babies now born in wealthy nations are likely to reach their 100th birthdays, thanks to advanced medical technology and treatment. Here are some of the best strategies for becoming a centenarian.
Eat vegetables and nuts. A study found that those who ate mainly vegetables gained an extra year and a half over meat-eaters; those who ate nuts regularly lived two years longer.
Make friends. Another study found that people with strong social networks were 50 percent less likely to die over a certain period. If you don’t have many friends or relatives in your local community, you can join in the voluntary activities or take part in a hobby group. You will stay happy and healthy through building the connections.
Don’t smoke. This is important: With occasional exceptions, smokers die younger than non-smokers. Even if you have had the habit for decades, quitting will help with your health greatly. It’s important to get your loved ones to stop it, too. People who breathed in secondhand smoke were 26 percent more likely to get heart disease than those who rarely stayed with smokers.
Improve your lifestyle. Along with healthy eating, you should focus on stress management, regular exercise, and building healthy relationships. When you eat more healthily, manage stress, exercise and love more, your brain actually gets more blood flow and more oxygen.
Have a sense of purpose. A study found that the common feature in communities with many people who are 100 or older was that older people still took part in daily life, through tasks such as cooking, cleaning and gardening. They feel the motivation(动机) to stay active, to get out of bed in the morning and live for a purpose.
1. What does the text mainly talk about? (No more than 8 words.)2. Please explain the underlined word “centenarian” in English? (No more than 8 words.)
3. Why is secondhand smoke harmful to people according to the passage? (15 words.)
4. How can we make friends if we don’t have many friends or relatives nearby in the author’s opinion? (No more than 10 words)
5. If you want to live longer, which of the strategies do you think is the best and why?(No more than 25 words.)
5 . Are you preparing for a big test? If so, you may want to go to play some basketball in between hitting the books. Doctors are starting to find more and more information that suggests a connection between exercise and brain development. Judy Cameron, a scientist at Oregon Health and Science University, studies brain development. According to her research, it seems that exercise can make blood vessels, including those in the brain, stronger and more fully developed. Dr. Cameron is sure that this allows people who exercise to think better. As she says, “While we already know that exercise is good for the heart, exercise can actually cause physical changes in the brain.”
The effects of exercise on brain development can even be seen in babies. Babies who do activities that require a lot of movement show greater brain development than babies who are less physically active. Even a little movement can show big results. Margaret Barnes, a scientist, also believes in the importance of exercise. She thinks that many learning disabilities that children have in primary school or high school can result from a lack of movement as babies. Babies need movement that encourages and excites their five senses. They need to set up a connection between motion and memory. In this way, as they get older, children will begin to connect physical activity with higher learning,” says Margaret.
Older people can develop their brains as well. Cornell University studied a group of seniors who have a short-term memory increase of up to 40 percent after exercising just three hours a week. The exercise does not have to be very difficult, but it does have to increase the heart rate. Also, just like the motion for babies, exercise for older people should not be too simple. Learning some new skills or actions, such as with yoga or tai-chi helps to open up memory paths in the brain that may not have been used for a long time. For most people, any type of physical activity that increases the heart rate is helpful. The main aim is to increase the brain’s flow of blood. And your brain can benefit from as little as two to three hours of exercise a week.
1. What is the main idea of this passage?| A．Exercise makes people strong. |
| B．How one can get good scores in a test. |
| C．Exercise can help the brain develop. |
| D．Brain can change one’s memory. |
| A．Because it does good to the joints of old people. |
| B．Because it does not increase the heart rate. |
| C．Because it can help learn new actions. |
| D．Because it can be done in groups. |
| A．two hours per week | B．40 hours per week |
| C．three hours per day | D．40 hours per month |
