1 . My dad, Greg Newman, had wanted to be a race car driver, but things didn’t work out for him. So I guess having a son who could become a race car driver was the next best thing. Don’t get me wrong — Dad didn’t push me into racing. In fact, when I was about 10 years old, my dad was afraid that driving a car wasn’t my dream. So he took the racing away from me. I wasn’t very happy with that decision. It wasn’t long before Dad realized that racing was what I loved.
At four, Dad bought me my first Quarter Midget (袖珍赛车) and that’s really where it started for us. Back then, Dad coached me. He would stick out (伸出) his foot in the path of the race car, and then tell me to exactly hit his foot. By repeating this again and again, Dad believed that I would be faster and sharper on the race track.
Dad worked really long hours at his car repair business to make money so that I could race each weekend. I can remember that every night before he turned off the lights in the garage, Dad would tell me: “Don’t forget to kiss your race car good night.” He was trying to teach me that if I show respect, it’s returned. He wanted me to show thankfulness and respect for my race car and for all the hard work that we and many others had put into the dream.
My dad, my mom and my sister gave up a lot of things to help me race. For us, there was no better moment than winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2018. That evening in February 2018, I knew I had gotten a good push. I could hear the excitement. My father couldn’t speak a word, and when he got to Victory Lane (车道), he nearly knocked me over and gave me such a big hug.
1. Why did Greg Newman stop his son to race when his son was 10 years old?| A．Because he thought racing was dangerous. |
| B．Because he worried that his son didn’t like racing. |
| C．Because he didn’t want his son to fail like he did. |
| D．Because he couldn’t afford the money. |
| A．training his son to race |
| B．working hard to make money |
| C．buying his son a mini racing car |
| D．changing his job as a race car driver |
| A．To improve his son’s skill. | B．To help his son to be braver. |
| C．To have fun with his son. | D．To make his son more careful. |
| A．get help from his family |
| B．treat the race car as his son |
| C．feel grateful that he could follow his dream |
| D．develop a close relationship with his race car |
| A．disappointed | B．surprised | C．sad | D．excited |
2 . A world-champion body builder has no more muscles than does a 90-pound person who is physically weak. So what makes him so strong? What other qualities does he need?
Muscles are made of thousands of stringy fibers-a number that is fixed during childhood-which contract(收缩）when doing work. Strength does not depend on the number of fibers but on the function of their thickness and how many of them contract at the same time.
Exercise actually damages the muscles. During the recovery stage, the muscle fibers increase in size. Exercise also trains more muscle fibers to work at one time. If a muscle is weak or untrained, for example, only 10 percent of its fibers will contract, whereas up to 90 percent of the fibers in a weight lifter's biceps(二头肌）will contract.
Aside from the strength, two other factors go into making an athlete: fitness and endurance. Fitness is related to the condition of the heart. During exercises, there is an increase in the amount of blood returning to the heart from the muscles. A typical volume for a runner at rest is about 5 quarts a minute, compared with 30 quarts during a vigorous trial(运动测试). This greater volume means more work for the heart-a muscular balloon that expands and contract is to take in blood and push it out. Like any other muscle, the heart enlarges and gets stronger with routine exercise.
Endurance, or the length of time muscles can work, depends in part on how much fuel－in this case sugar-the muscles can store. A muscle that is continually exercised until it runs out of sugar tends to store more when it refuels at the next meal. And more sugar can translate into greater endurance the next time the muscle is put to the test.
1. What determines the strength of a world-champion body builder?| A．The thickness of fibers and the number of those contracting contemporarily. |
| B．The number of fibers and the amount of exercise he does at the same time. |
| C．The function of fibers and their thickness. |
| D．The function of fibers and their recovery. |
| A．It helps fibers more easily to contract. |
| B．It makes fibers increase quickly in size. |
| C．It makes more fibers weak or untrained. |
| D．It helps more fibers to work at one time. |
| A．The heart bears the task of making more blood during a vigorous trial. |
| B．The heart needs to bear the fast heart beating during a vigorous trial. |
| C．The heart takes in more blood and pushes it out during a vigorous trial. |
| D．The heart enlarges and becomes stronger routinely during a vigorous trial. |
| A．The more sugar muscles store, the thicker the fibers in them become. |
| B．The more sugar a muscle consumes, the less it tends to store next time. |
| C．The more sugar the muscles of an athlete store, the longer time they can work. |
| D．The amount of sugar in muscles largely depends on when they refuel at the nest meal. |
| A．Strong Heart and World-champion | B．Strength, Fitness and Endurance |
| C．Body Building and Muscles | D．Resources of Strength |
3 . Two roller skaters were crouched(蹲伏) low, knees bent and bodies pressed together, fighting to stay glued to prevent a third skater slip through and break their wall. This was a roller derby(轮滑阻拦赛) practice for the Tiny Terrors, a team of skaters aged 8-11 in the Gotham Girls Junior League of New York City. “They want to fight and get really fast, and they find so much confidence,” said Kristen Campbell, director of the junior derby program.
Roller derby is played with two teams of five skaters on a track. One player on each team serves as the jammer whose job is to race around the track and score points without getting blocked by the other team. The match is made up of two 30-minute periods that each consists of shorter plays or jams. Each jam lasts two minutes or until the lead jammer calls it off, usually a move made to stop the other jammer from catching up and scoring points.
You have probably heard of adults playing roller derby, but a growing number of young people are attracted by the fast-paced sport. Campbell owes the increase in interest partly to a popular novel called “Roller Girl.”
Campbell described the junior league as a shelter for girls who aren’t sure where they fit in at school. “I’ve had so many parents tell me their child was having trouble with anxiety or bullying(欺负) or that they didn’t fit into any sport or art club or whatever it is,” she said. “And then they find roller derby and everything is solved.”
Many of the girls said they got much more out of the sport than just exercise. As Campbell tells it, those extra lessons are really the point. Strength, confidence and body positivity have long been values of roller derby, even if it’s subliminal rather than open and direct.
Of course, like any contact sport, injuries are unavoidable.
“They don’t go for big hits,” Campbell said. “Now we focus more on hip blocking and using lateral(横向的) movement to block—leaning each other out with light contact.” Besides, the girls don’t mind the occasional bump. “It’s sort of like a medal,” Campbell said, smiling.
1. What can we learn about roller derby?| A．It is played with five skaters on a track. |
| B．It is the most dangerous sport especially for kids. |
| C．It lasts an hour with some short plays in a game. |
| D．The jammer’s job is to stop others getting scores. |
| A．Girls often get injured in roller derby practice. |
| B．Roller derby is the most competitive sport at school. |
| C．Roller derby helps girls free from being bullied at school. |
| D．A novel contributes to the popularity of roller derby among girls. |
| A．people can gain a lot from roller derby |
| B．roller derby has fewer values than we think |
| C．it is easy to show the values of roller derby |
| D．many people are not aware of the values of roller derby |
| A．do better than adult players |
| B．wear their wounds with pride |
| C．fear nothing but fierce bumps |
| D．won’t learn full contact until they’re 12 |
| A．Girls build confidence in the tough world of roller derby. |
| B．Roller derby becomes popular among kids around the world. |
| C．How roller derby changes the life of girls in the US. |
| D．The Tiny Terrors calls for more brave girls to join. |
4 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.
Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "
For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.
A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.
These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.
"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.
1. What is on the ever-growing list mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．Positive effects of doing exercises. |
| B．Exercises suitable for the middle-aged. |
| C．Experimental studies on diseases. |
| D．Advantages of sporty woman over man |
| A．To predict their maximum heart rate. |
| B．To assess their cardiovascular capacity |
| C．To change their habits of working out |
| D．To detect their potential health problems |
| A．It aimed to find a cure for dementia. |
| B．Data collection was a lengthy process. |
| C．Some participants withdrew from it. |
| D．The results were far from satisfactory. |
| A．More Women Are Exercising to Prevent Dementia |
| B．Middle-Aged Women Need to Do More Exercise |
| C．Fit Women Are Less Likely to Develop Dementia |
| D．Biking Improves Women's Cardiovascular Fitness |
5 . Standing at the finish line, 70-year-old Bob Long spent a while reflecting on the achievement he’d just made. Behind him was the wild, endless Mongolian grassland extending into the distance. This American had just become the oldest person ever to complete and win the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest horse race.
Long, a rider all his life, entered the race after being inspired by All the Wild Horses, a movie based on the grueling event.
Fearing that he wouldn’t be able to complete it, he set about preparing his mind and body for this “hardest, toughest, most demanding thing you can do on a horse”, an annual 1,000-kilometer race that was recognized as the world’s longest horse race by The Guinness Book of Records in 2011.
Although Long had been riding horses for many years, the hardship and uncertainty of the task pushed him to his limit and forced him to depend entirely on his own will. The race organizers had provided an extensive support network to keep an eye on the participants from afar. Despite that, the physical strain of riding such a long distance made simple things like squatting (蹲) down at the end of the day almost impossible.
Along the vast race course there were unpredictable circumstances beyond Long’s control, however well prepared he’d been. Weather was one of them, which could switch from heavy rain to burning sun unexpectedly.
Above all else, the biggest obstacle was the state of mind. Without a living soul in sight, Long was desperate for interaction, guidance, and comfort. This feeling of loneliness accounted for his hope that one of his fellow competitors would catch up.
Regardless of the hardship, Long felt a sort of spiritual adventure while traveling through the wilderness. He was provided with some memorable moments while connecting with nature. Still holding the passion for riding, Long never dismisses the idea of competing in another Mongol Derby.
1. What distinguished Bob Long from other competitors in the Mongol Derby?| A．He rode the whole race course alone. |
| B．He was the oldest participant of the horse race. |
| C．He was most likely to enter the competition again. |
| D．He was made into The Guinness Book of Records in 2011. |
| A．Pains-taking but senseless. | B．Comfortable and pleasant. |
| C．Difficult and exhausting. | D．Romantic but time-consuming. |
| A．The changeable weather. |
| B．The mental state in the course. |
| C．The difficulty in finding the right route. |
| D．The physical strain of riding a long distance. |
| A．An introduction to the Mongol Derby. |
| B．A review of a film based on the longest horse race. |
| C．The contributions Bob Long made to the horse race. |
| D．The experience of the Mongol Derby’s oldest winner. |
6 . The National Association of Teachers of Singing(NATS) celebrates the art of singing through a series of competitions and programs. They are designed to showcase the talented singers and performers who are soon to be rising stars in the profession.
National Student Auditions
Students of NATS members will begin by performing during their regional auditions. Five singers from each regional category will advance lo a national online screening round, where entrants will submit a video of their performances for judgment by a group of national judges.
Entry Fee: $75 per category
Prizes: S35,000 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in total.
Deadline for Applications: April 13, 2021(applications by emailed invitation only; following regional auditions)
NATS Artist Awards(NATSAA)
Preliminary competitions are held at the regional level, with one winner picked out of each of the 14 NATS regions. The 14 semifinalists then gather at the site or the NATS Winter Workshop for the final two rounds of the competition.
Entry Fee: $75
Prizes: The winner is awarded $13,000; the 2nd place, $6,000.
Deadline for Applications: September 5,2021
Art Song Composition Award
The competition is open to any composer whose submined work meets the requirements. The winning composer will receive a cash award and a performance of the winning composition at the next scheduled NATS National Conference.
Entry Fee: $30
Prizes: The winner is awarded $5,000; the 2nd place, $2,500.
Deadline for Applications: December 1, 2021
National Music Theater Competition
The competition is seeking the best rising music theater soloists, those who just need one break to move their careers forward. Applicants must be between ages 20-28. Preliminary rounds of the competition are scheduled to take place in fall 2021 and about 24 singers advance to the semifinal and final rounds.
Entry Fee: $90.
Prizes: The first prize is awarded 55,000; the 2nd place, $52,000.
Deadline for Applications: May 15, 2021
1. What is the purpose of these NATS competitions?| A．To decide who can join NATS. |
| B．To celebrate important music festivals. |
| C．To test and grade NATS teachers' professional skills. |
| D．To let NATS members and their students show musical talent. |
| A．NATS Artist Awards | B．National Student Auditions |
| C．An Song Composition Award | D．National Music Theater Competition |
| A．1,7500 dollars. | B．6,000 dollars. | C．2,500 dollars. | D．2,000 dollars. |
| A．April 13,2021. | B．May 15,2021. | C．Septembers,2021. | D．December 1,2021. |
| A．The best music theater managers. | B．Senior artists who have live concert experiences. |
| C．Solo performers aged 20-28. | D．Those who are good at playing musical instruments. |
