In the bustling (繁忙的) schoolyard of a primary school, a volleyball team trial (选拔赛) was taking place. Kids of all sizes and shapes had come forward to show their skills, most of them towering over six feet tall, like young giants.
Suddenly, the gym door creaked open, and a small figure appeared. It was Joseph, a boy who barely reached five feet in height. His appearance caused a ripple of giggles. He seemed like a lost elf (精灵) in a world of giants.
“Is this the volleyball trial?” Joseph asked. Despite the laughter, he squared his shoulders and prepared to show his skills. He wasn’t bad at bumping the ball and passing it, but not good enough to make the team. The coach took him aside and told him so. Joseph’s eyes flashed with determination. “I’m not the best at bumping the ball,” he said confidently. “I’m a hitter.”
The coach raised an eyebrow, skeptical. Hitters were the tallest players on the volleyball team. They jumped high, slamming the ball down on the other side with force. Joseph’s small size seemed an impossibility.
But Joseph was serious. The coach finally agreed and handed him a ball. Standing by the net, he set the ball into the air. Joseph’s small frame seemed to explode with energy. He ran forward, leaped into the air, and hit the ball with such force that it whistled through the air.
Everyone was stunned. Joseph’s jump was so high, it seemed as if he were flying. His small size didn’t matter; his skill and determination were enough. The ball slammed into the court with a resounding thud (砰的一声), and the crowd erupted into applause. Of course, he made the team. All the team members took pains to drill for the coming volleyball match. Two months later, the big day came. The match was very fierce. The players were tall and strong except Joseph, who just ran on the court, not yet given a chance to touch the ball. At the sight of Joseph, the other team were laughing, which made us mad. But Joseph just shook off their laughter with a confident smile. As the game progressed, it turned out to be a tough game. After the four sets, the score was 2:2.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
During a timeout (暂停) in the final set, Joseph’s team gathered to discuss their plan.
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The whole audience cheered up.
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2 . 41-year-old Tracey Matayian is one of those Maasai women who fought hard to become the first-ever Maasai female referee. In an interview, Matayian said during her formative years, she couldn’t hide her passion for football and would join local boys every time she saw them play, which resulted in her being called names by other girls and occasionally getting scolded by her parents for keeping too much male company.
Matayian later joined a teachers’ training college. After graduating from college, she worked with Compassion International and would often encourage children of both genders to play football.
“It was then that I got an opportunity to referee a game between Rongai Football Club and Compassion International. There was no other referee at the time and since I was readily available, I went ahead to referee the match,” she recalled. Matayian added that after the game, she was eager to do more than just play and train the young children as she was also cultivating a lively interest in refereeing.
She would later help form football teams for both boys and girls from the local clubs. “The game occupies them as they get to spend time in the field, especially during the period they were home due to COVID-19. Football is a game of rules, and thus it ends up drilling discipline and character into young boys and girls,” said Matayian. She added that many of the youths were previously living an aimless life on account of laziness, but through football she has managed to occupy them.
Nevertheless, her efforts to follow her passion have not gone without challenges. Her dress code was criticized all the time. “This became a big issue for some people. They always complained that I was not respecting our culture by wearing shorts. But I have no option, since that’s the official dress code for the game. I often explained this to my beloved people, but it took a long time for it to be accepted by my community,” notes Matayian.
1. How did things go when Matayian first played football?A.She was popular with local boys. | B.She was abused by other girls. |
C.She was turned down by the referee. | D.She was driven out of her college. |
A.Motivated. | B.Tense. | C.Exhausted. | D.Relieved. |
A.How football is transforming the local children. |
B.How COVID-19 is impacting the community. |
C.How children overcome their laziness naturally. |
D.How crucial discipline and character are. |
A.She was trying to change some football rules. | B.She was getting soft with local people. |
C.She was working hard to gain acceptance. | D.She was promoting local culture. |
3 . After staring at a computer screen for hours at a time, the body often gives us a clue that it is stressed: unbearable neck and back pain. To fix the problem, you might have gotten advice to focus on posture, but exercise research points to another strategy as well — taking short-term exercise throughout the day to relieve tension and stress in the body.
Fitness specialists at NASA, an agency where people work in high-stress seated positions, developed a set of 20 one-minute exercises to prevent pain that anyone can do at their desk. “Movement is hydrating (补水) for connective tissues and joints, changing the stiffness that arises from too much sedentary behavior.” says Dr. Helene Langevin, director of the National Institute of Health, which recently funded more than a half-dozen studies on connective tissue and pain. “Taking small breaks and moving around throughout the day prevents your body from congealing (凝结),” Langevin says.
The NASA program included seated marches, standing calf raises, push-ups with hands on the desk, and neck, shoulder, and back stretches. “Your body is always talking to you,” said Marceleus M. Venable, a personal trainer in Washington D.C. and co-author of the NASA exercise program. “Your hands cramp (抽筋), you have hip pain and neck pain ... it’s saying: ‘Hey, can you stretch me?’ ”
No one set of exercises works for every body. Rather, people should focus on movements that challenge areas of weakness, strengthen multiple parts and that they enjoy, says Katy Bowman, a biomechanist and author of the book Move Your DNA. “It’s not as simple as asking everyone with back pain to do these four moves,” says Bowman. “It’s just like dietary nutrition. You need a range of movements that make the body strong from head to toe.”
In July 2023, Langevin published a video, demonstrating some of the movements she recommends, including taking one arm in a large gentle circle, while stretching the neck in the opposite direction and then repeating the move in the opposite direction, and on the opposite side. “Even if you are feeling sore, gentle motion can be soothing.” she says, “For musculoskeletal (肌肉骨骼) pain in general, movement is a really good thing.”
1. What does it indicate when there is unbearable pain in your neck and back?A.You have to stare at the computer screen. |
B.Your body is suffering from tension. |
C.You have got advice to focus on posture. |
D.Your body has released its stress. |
A.Remaining too busy. | B.Staying up late. |
C.Spending much time sitting. | D.Taking exercise overly. |
A.Resigning from NASA and taking a light job. |
B.Providing sufficient water for various tissues of the body. |
C.Promoting a set of exercises to benefit everyone. |
D.Stretching your body whenever there is a chance. |
A.Health and Life. | B.Astronomy and Space. |
C.Computer and Technology. | D.Office and Efficiency. |
The Organizing Committee for the 9th Asian Winter Games
The mascots of the 9th Asian Winter Games—Siberian tigers “Binbin” and “Nini”—made their public debut (首次亮相) amid cheers at an unveiling ceremony in Harbin. They were created by a team from the Academy of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University, and symbolize the in-depth
In traditional Chinese culture, the tiger is a symbol of good luck and is endowed (赋予) with many positive characteristics, among
The emblem of the 9th Asian Winter Games in 2025—“Breakthrough” —was also created by the team from the Academy of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University, and expresses the beautiful pursuit of accelerating the construction of China’s sports power in the new era, making constant efforts to challenge the goal of higher, faster and stronger, and making new contributions to Asian ice and snow sports.
The slogan of the 9th Asian Winter Games—“Dream of Winter. Love among Asia” —highlights the concept of connecting Asian countries
It also highlights the practice of the vision of “a community with a shared future for mankind”, and the Asian Winter Games should
1. What is the man doing?
A.Preparing for a meeting. | B.Exercising. | C.Cooking. |
A.Serious. | B.Surprised. | C.Happy. |
A.By train. | B.By bus. | C.By bike. |
A.Make salads for her. | B.Go jogging with her. | C.Lend a book to her. |
6 . This was the big game. The boys were
Nervously, I looked out Andy’s way. I was
“Come on, Andy.
Thank goodness, a big kid in the other team made a mistake. Andy and I had been
Andy ran up to me at the
Andy’s eyes were glowing (发光) with
“Yes,” I said. “Well, one inning (局) to go. Hit a home run (全垒打)!”
“Okay!” said Andy, and he ran back to his
I suddenly realized it was nice that my son would take time out to
A.nervous | B.scared | C.curious | D.ashamed |
A.trained | B.struggled | C.prayed | D.run |
A.electric | B.friendly | C.casual | D.romantic |
A.flee | B.bite | C.jump | D.strike |
A.amused | B.embarrassed | C.shocked | D.satisfied |
A.carrying | B.focusing | C.commenting | D.reflecting |
A.Settle down | B.Stand up | C.Wake up | D.Lie down |
A.informed | B.punished | C.warned | D.spared |
A.meeting | B.break | C.corner | D.entrance |
A.blame | B.comfort | C.entertain | D.tease |
A.anger | B.anxiety | C.excitement | D.confidence |
A.teammates | B.fans | C.parents | D.stars |
A.create | B.research | C.explain | D.appreciate |
A.need | B.expect | C.afford | D.suspect |
A.become | B.filmed | C.seen | D.followed |
7 . 听下面一段独白,回答以下小题。
1. Where did the speaker do the training in winter?A.In the gym. | B.In the forest. | C.In the field. |
A.Standing in the right way. | B.Holding the bow correctly. | C.Placing the arrow properly. |
A.He turned to the Internet. | B.He read relevant books. | C.He communicated with others. |
A.The website. | B.The newspaper. | C.The radio. |
8 . Hearing the Olympics were coming to Vancouver, I decided to go for its voluntary work. I’d forgotten what it was like to put myself out there to make friends. I was glad I didn’t have anyone I knew with me because I wouldn’t have met Callie
As night fell before the opening ceremonies, I was stationed outside the MMC. Accents from all over
Even now, I can still remember the heat from the torch. I had been one of the
A.otherwise | B.therefore | C.however | D.instead |
A.conversation | B.cooperation | C.friendship | D.career |
A.struck | B.filled | C.blocked | D.awoke |
A.dominate | B.rebuild | C.change | D.unite |
A.charged | B.accompanied | C.connected | D.furnished |
A.wonder | B.impact | C.atmosphere | D.challenge |
A.flooded | B.transferred | C.released | D.exploded |
A.watched | B.advocated | C.sought | D.identified |
A.in particular | B.in person | C.as well | D.as usual |
A.died down | B.set off | C.came out | D.passed by |
A.power | B.reputation | C.glory | D.faith |
A.permanent | B.professional | C.reliable | D.lucky |
A.view | B.hope | C.appeal | D.aim |
A.excited | B.determined | C.convincing | D.astonishing |
A.contributions | B.conclusions | C.decisions | D.evaluations |
9 . On Oct. 11, hundreds of runners competed in a cross-country race in Minnesota. Melanie Bailey should have
As reported by a local newspaper, Bailey was more than two-thirds of the way through her
Once there, Lenoue was
As for Bailey, she is more
Although the two young women were strangers before the
A.designed | B.followed | C.changed | D.finished |
A.delay | B.chance | C.trouble | D.excuse |
A.judge | B.volunteer | C.classmate | D.competitor |
A.race | B.school | C.town | D.training |
A.agreed | B.returned | C.stopped | D.promised |
A.courage | B.aid | C.patience | D.advice |
A.went away | B.stood up | C.stepped aside | D.bent down |
A.medical | B.public | C.constant | D.equal |
A.interrupted | B.assessed | C.identified | D.appreciated |
A.hunger | B.pain | C.cold | D.tiredness |
A.worried | B.ashamed | C.confused | D.discouraged |
A.game | B.problem | C.lesson | D.deal |
A.leave | B.cure | C.bother | D.understand |
A.ride | B.test | C.meet | D.show |
A.secret | B.display | C.benefit | D.exchange |
10 . How to watch Cubs and White Sox exhibition games?
Want to watch the Chicago Cubs and White Sox (two baseball teams) “summer camp” exhibitions? Here’s what you need to know.
When do the Cubs and White Sox play?
The teams are scheduled to play practice games against each other at 7:05 p. m. Sunday at Wrigley Field and at 7:10 p. m. Monday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
On Wednesday night, the Cubs host the Minnesota Twins at 6:05 and the Sox welcome the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:10 as a prelude(前奏) to season openers set for next Friday.
What channels will the Cubs and White Sox be on?
If you live in the Cubs TV market, you’ll find their games on Marquee Sports Network, its app and website, assuming you subscribe to a cable, satellite or streaming service that has a carriage arrangement (转播权)with the new channel.
Sox games are on NBC Sports Chicago, its app and website if you have a service that has a carriage arrangement. Both channels will have both Cubs-Sox exhibitions. Although they will be blacked out inside the Chicago TV market and the Indiana TV market, ESPN also will carry Sunday’s Cubs-Sox rehearsal and MLB Network will have Wednesday’s Twins-Cubs battle.
Where will announcers(播音员)call the games from?
ESPN’s Jon Sciambi, Chipper Jones and Rick Sutcliffe (who’s an occasional Marquee contributor) will work Sunday’s game remotely from their homes the way the network has handled its coverage of South Korean ball games.
NBC Sports Chicago’s Jason Benetti and Steve Stone will announce all of the Sox games, including Sunday’s at Wrigley, from their booth setup at Guaranteed Rate Field, as they will all season regardless of where the games are played. Ditto for Marquee’s Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies working at Wrigley Field regardless of where the Cubs are.
The home team’s TV crew will be responsible for producing a videotape everyone can share. So games from Wrigley will be produced by Marquee and games from Guaranteed Rate Field will be produced by NBC Sports Chicago.
1. How many games will the Cubs have before season openers?A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
A.On MLB Network. |
B.In the Indiana TV market. |
C.In the Chicago TV market. |
D.On Marquee Sports Network. |
A.They are all good baseball players. |
B.They only announce practice games. |
C.They don’t have to be at the game site. |
D.They will help produce videotapes for players. |