In the past year, I had an unforgettable experience of learning tai chi. Honestly speaking, I admitted that I
It is all about keeping a balance between yin and yang,
I also experienced a short period of tiredness and boredom. Thanks to the patient guidance of professional coach, I gradually found to my
2 . Sometimes, kids feel that they don’t like sports because they may not understand how to play them or they haven’t had much practice. Sports may seem tough because of all the rules and special equipment. Even the fields and courts sports are played on come in different shapes and sizes and have confusing (让人糊涂的) lines drawn on them.
People usually need to spend many years learning about their favorite sports and practicing how to play them well, so don’t feel bad if you don’t know the difference between a “corner kick” and a “goal kick” in soccer. If you want to learn more, you can go to camps or take part in activities that introduce kids to new sports. These may be better than just joining a team that starts playing games right away without much explaining first.
Gym classes and programs at school can also be good ways to try new sports with a mix of kids. But you need to focus your attention. Some of my students just don’t listen to me carefully when I explain the rules to them. They prefer to come back to me when they run into difficulty.
Another way to learn about a sport is to watch instructional videos that explain the rules and offer advice.
If you have an older friend or family member who’s good at a certain sport, you might ask him or her to help you practice. Some sports may seem easy to understand, but once you begin to play them, you’ll have great difficulty. Therefore, having someone teach you and play with you will be a good choice.
1. The underlined word “tough” is closest in meaning to “_____”.| A．unimportant | B．useless | C．dangerous | D．difficult |
| A．Going to camps that help you to learn about a certain sport. |
| B．Watching videos that teach how to play a certain sport. |
| C．Reading books that explain how to play a certain sport. |
| D．Asking a friend to practice with you. |
| A．a health expert | B．a PE teacher |
| C．the headmaster of a school | D．the manager of a sports club |
| A．How to Learn to Play a Sport. | B．Sports Are Good for You. |
| C．Why Do We Play Sports? | D．Sports Are Hard to Play. |
Many young people wants
Therefore, some of them are considering
For the above reasons, I suggest that young people be
4 . The Kangaroo Kids is a precision jump rope team based in Maryland. Precision jump rope is a sport in which one or more people jump rope in precise routines set to music. It is also called synchronized jump rope, meaning people jump at the same time with each other often using more than one rope. Kangaroo Kids has been performing for 45 years. Members often jump together at the same time, which can be very challenging.
The team started as a small fitness club at Atholton Elementary School in Columbia, Maryland, in 1978. Today, It has over 200 athletes from Howard County and is run as nonprofit Organization. That means they are not focused on making a lot of money.
Nicole Meek, in Ellicott City, Maryland, served in several roles within the program for 15 years. She is now the director of coaching and operations for Kangaroo Kids. She’s also the mom of three of its members. She said it means a lot for the organization to be celebrating its 45th year. Three of Meek’s four children are competitive jump ropers. They are Devin, Jenna and Mason. Devin began training when he was 6 years old. He advanced to intermediate classes. He later landed spots on the competition, performing and travel teams for Kangaroo Kids. Her husband, Brian, serves as president of the board of directors.
Influenced by their family’s passion and encouragement, fifteen-year-old Eliza Kim, one of Devin’s friend, is a member of the competition and travel teams. She has been involved in the program for seven years, saying she has made friends across the county. Jasmine Wright, who is also 15, has been engaged in the program for about seven years, also telling that being a part of the team has brought camaraderie to him.
Nicole Meek tells BBC, “I hope to spread the sport of jump rope and to raise awareness for it and show that it’s more than just a playground activity that people think it is”, adding that the biggest challenge she faces is convincing the public that jump rope is not just for children, and that she hopes to use her position to help it become more mainstream in the future.
1. What can we know about the Kangaroo Kids from the text?| A．Focusing on making much money. |
| B．Having 200 athletes from all over the country. |
| C．Using over one rope to jump set to music at the same time. |
| D．Jumping ropes in precise routines set to music individually. |
| A．Brian Meek’s coaching style. | B．Nicole Meek’s volunteer work. |
| C．The work of the board of directors. | D．The passion of the Meeks for the sport. |
| A．Security. | B．Friendship. | C．Achievement. | D．Pride. |
| A．The lack of money and support. | B．Fewer children interested in the sport. |
| C．Having no time to train. | D．Persuading more people to take part in the sport. |
5 . Cycling has become more than a habit for “Granny Mave,” as Mavis Paterson is known. It has become essential for her very being, her very reason for living after all three of her adult children passed away within four years of each other — Sandy in 2012, Katie in 2013 and Bob in 2016.
It was in memory of her children that the 85-year-old grandmother set out on her latest endurance challenge in May, cycling 1,000 miles around Scotland, beginning from the Mull of Galloway, before heading north, tracing the outline of the country until she reached the Mull of Galloway again.
“If I didn’t have my bicycle, and this is terrible to say, I don’t think I would want to live,” she told CNN Sport.
Paterson cycled every day for a month around Scotland, navigating its undulating (起伏的) landscape, exposed roads and unpredictable weather. Every day, she woke up early and set out riding — covering up to 50 miles a day — and raising money for British-based charity Macmillan Cancer Support.
Cycling has provided some comfort, some way for her to cope with unimaginable loss. All along the route, Paterson recalled other cyclists coming out to keep her company, offering “terrific support,” some of them riding with her for several days at a time. Such support was a constant throughout Paterson’s odyssey (跋涉) across Scotland, ending in a crowd at the finish line who had gathered to cheer her on.
“I know people have got on their bikes and thought, ‘If that old lady can do it, I can do it.’ And also people who have been a bit depressed and thought, ‘Oh gosh, I shouldn’t be like this. Look at poor Mave, she’s lost all her children.’ So a lot of people have taken up cycling because of my cycle rides and just inspired people apparently,” she said.
1. Why did Paterson start her cycling around Scotland?| A．To keep exercise and improve her health. |
| B．To take up the hobby of her three children. |
| C．To recover from the death of her children. |
| D．To be the oldest lady to ride around Scotland. |
| A．It is highly profitable and well-received. |
| B．It requires great effort and determination. |
| C．It needs professional training and equipment. |
| D．It aims to raise money for the disabled people. |
| A．The support Paterson asked others for. |
| B．Some achievements Paterson achieved. |
| C．The challenges Paterson set for herself. |
| D．The friendship Paterson got along the way. |
| A．A cyclist. | B．A sponsor. | C．A hopeless mother. | D．An inspiration. |
6 . During the Halloween season, many people visit pumpkin (南瓜) fields or carve pumpkins. But paddle (用桨划) a 1,000-pound pumpkin in a race? On October 22 in Oregon, paddlers in Halloween clothes did just that.
The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta took place on the lake in Tualatin, a small city outside Portland. Back in 2004, a club called the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers (PGVG) came up with the idea for the event. The PGVG wanted to alter their large pumpkins into boats and paddle them. They asked the city of Tualatin if they could use the lake for a party.
The first year, about 100 people showed up. Now, about 20,000 come to watch the races. “It’s just a good time to finally have some fun with these pumpkins that we’ve spent countless hours all year long trying to grow,” said Jim Sherwood, a champion pumpkin grower, who is one of the Regatta’s founders and organizers.
The PGVG provides pumpkins for the Regatta’s five races. This year, paddlers came from across the country and from as far away as France and Japan. “Surprisingly, it’s on a lot of people’s wish list to paddle a pumpkin,” said Heidi Marx, the event’s director for the city of Tualatin.
Just before the races began, the growers emptied the pumpkins. The paddlers dressed in holiday clothing jumped in, and the first race started.
Gary Kristensen from Happy Valley, Oregon, won the first race. He was dressed as the movie character Mrs. Doubtfire. It was Kristensen’s fourth year winning a pumpkin race. “Once everybody thinks you will win, it starts to give you a little bit of pressure,” he said. “Fortunately, my pumpkin was pretty fast.”
For the less competitive players, the Regatta was all about fun. “The best part is just watching all the families enjoying the day.” Marx, a player, said. People are going to remember it for a long time.”
1. What does the underlined word “alter” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Move. | B．Grow. | C．Change. | D．Hide. |
| A．His pumpkin boat ran the fastest. |
| B．He made the biggest pumpkin boat. |
| C．He sold his pumpkins to the players. |
| D．He won a competition by growing pumpkins. |
| A．He had been expected to win the race. |
| B．His pumpkin boat was not fast enough. |
| C．He feared to make mistakes in the race. |
| D．It was his first time to take part in the race. |
| A．Pleasure. | B．The prize. |
| C．Staying with their families. | D．The impression they left on others. |
1. What is this competition about?
| A．Saving energy at home. | B．Reducing noise pollution. | C．Using technology creatively. |
| A．Starting the machine. | B．Increasing air pressure. | C．Producing carbon dioxide. |
| A．To discuss the way of writing a paper. |
| B．To find the right material for a model. |
| C．To study the approach to detailed drawings. |
Regular exercise can be
Though regular exercise has so many strengths, there are several items
People diet is also efficient for your exercise. You should take in more foods that contain carbohydrates and rich
Last but not least, do wear proper clothes and equipment to avoid injuring
9 . Going to Tai Chi classes for 12 weeks greatly reduced symptoms of depression. The meditative practice, which has been used for more than 1,000 years, combines deep breathing and slow and gentle movements.
Fifty volunteer Chinese-American participants were accepted to take part in the study. They all had depression and were not receiving any other forms of treatment then. They were placed at random in three groups. The first took part in Tai Chi, the second received educational treatment and the third was the control group. Those given Tai Chi were taught basic traditional movements and practiced three times a week. All 17 volunteers in Tai Chi reported obviously greater improvement in depression symptoms than the other two groups.
Follow-up assessment after six months showed continuing improvement, the report published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry states. Lead author Professor Albert Yeung said if the findings are confirmed in other trials, it could be used as a primary treatment. He added, “Finding Tai Chi can be effective is particularly important because many adults of Chinese-American ethnicity decide not to seek help with depression and tend to avoid conventional psychiatric treatment and Tai Chi is culturally accepted by this group of patients.”
Previous research has shown Tai Chi makes the brain bigger and improves memory and thinking — possibly postponing the onset of dementia (痴呆症). Tai Chi has also been linked with reducing high blood pressure and relieving symptoms of cancer, heart failure and other diseases.
1. What can we learn about the research participants from Paragraph 2?| A．They were suffering depression at the time. |
| B．They were all fond of practicing Tai Chi. |
| C．They were from China and America. |
| D．They were mostly adults. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Unknown. | C．Negative. | D．Positive. |
| A．Cure. | B．Outbreak. | C．Test. | D．Change. |
| A．Americans with depression avoid seeking help. |
| B．Depression will make the brain bigger. |
| C．Tai Chi can help treat some diseases. |
| D．Fewer people have depression now. |
1. What are the speakers talking about?
| A．Benefits of exercise. | B．Ways of keeping fit. | C．Tips for losing weight. |
| A．Regular mild physical activity works better. |
| B．Working out at the gym is the most rewarding. |
| C．Avoid eating after doing intensive (高强度的)exercise. |
| A．He works out at the gym. | B．He runs in the park. | C．He goes cycling. |
