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 . 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. |
1. How long has the woman been in swimming racing?
| A．Four years. | B．Eight years. | C．Ten years. |
| A．Her scholarship. | B．Her future university. | C．Her parents. |
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. |
5 . 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 |
6 . 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. |
7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the man probably?| A．A doctor. | B．A nutritionist. | C．A fitness instructor. |
| A．Watching out for her weight. | B．Doing some exercise daily. | C．Going on a diet. |
8 . Even though people have been disabled playing sports like rugby and football, extreme sports take the whole ordeal (磨难) to the next level. Sports like downhill cycling are very dangerous because one would be going downhill, over rocky or dirt zones, through forests, even at potentially deadly speeds. A slip-up could be your downfall.
Nobody who gets into extreme sports goes with the desire to do harm to themselves. With that, athletes train for years and years before they attempt anything extreme. To most people, extreme sports are extreme simply because they take more skill than what an average person has. An athlete with skill and training makes an extreme thing become a daily routine, which does not wipe out the danger, but greatly reduces it.
Even when there is a lot of skill involved, things might not go the athlete’s way, not at all. Luck and circumstances have a lot to do with how things develop, whether above 8, 000 meters or in a wood, going downhill. In some places, crossing the street is an extreme sport, considering how wild traffic can get.
Some view parkour, the sports of running, jumping and climbing under, around and through buildings, as an extreme sport, while it is more of a life philosophy, where the athlete does not have to do anything remotely dangerous. Free soloing, which means climbing a rock or ice face without safety gear, is absolutely deadly, where one slip means almost certain death, depending on the height, of course. Skateboarding is relatively safe, but if you constantly find ridiculous places to practice on, like the fence of a bridge, then things can get very complicated. The extreme part depends on the athlete.
To summarize, yes, extreme sports are dangerous, but the danger depends on the athlete, their choice of sport, direction in which they take it, as well as the circumstances. Some things are out of our control, while others we can influence through exercise and healthier risk choices.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about regarding extreme sports?| A．Extreme sports differ from one another. |
| B．Skill matters a lot in maintaining safety. |
| C．Athletes’ luck is a key factor that influences safety. |
| D．Extreme sports are more dangerous than regular sports. |
| A．To explain danger depends on the athlete. |
| B．To show free soloing is the most dangerous. |
| C．To compare which one involves the most skill. |
| D．To demonstrate how to choose an extreme sport. |
| A．Objective. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Intolerant. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Do Extreme Sports Test Your Courage? |
| B．Why Should Extreme Sports Be Banned? |
| C．Are Extreme Sports Really That Dangerous? |
| D．Why Do We Take to Extreme Sports So Much? |
9 . 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. |
10 . Basketball, baseball and soccer are classic sports that people will always enjoy. And yet we keep changing popular games like these in new ways to keep them fresh.
Underwater hockey
This game is played in swimming pools with two teams of six players. Each player wears flippers (蛙鞋) and uses a stick to hit a puck (圆盘). Each team earns points by hitting the puck into its underwater goal. Other team members must be ready to take the puck when a team member goes up for air. That makes underwater hockey a true team sport.
Cycleball
Another fun game to watch, cycleball is like indoor soccer on wheels but with only two male players for each team. Each player rides a special bike designed for the game. Like soccer, a team must put the ball in a goal. However, there is a catch. The ball can only be touched with the bikes’ wheels or the players’ heads. This game requires a lot of practice to learn the skills needed.
Chessboxing
A sport can also be revised by mixing it with another game. In chessboxing, two players compete with each other on the chess board and in the ring. First, their minds are tested in a game of chess. Then they use their strength in a round of boxing. They repeat this for 11 rounds. The winner beats the loser in chess, knocks him out while boxing or gets more boxing points.
Bossaball
This exciting sport is part volleyball and part soccer. But unlike both of those sports, players jump up and down throughout the game. That’s because it’s played on an inflatable (可充气的) volleyball court with a trampoline on either side of the net. One player bounce on the trampoline while up to four others stand around it. A team can touch the ball six times before sending it back across the net. Each player may touch the ball once with arms or twice with other body parts.
Though these sports may not be common, give them a look or even a try.
1. What can we learn about Cycleball according to the text?| A．Cycleball has nothing in common with soccer. |
| B．Male or female players cooperate with each other to earn scores. |
| C．The players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or feet. |
| D．Cycleball is designed for disabled players as they have to ride special bikes. |
| A．10. | B．8. | C．6. | D．4. |
| A．Underwater hockey. | B．Cycleball. |
| C．Chessboxing. | D．Bossaball. |
