2 . These days, football is one of the most popular sports in the world.     1     Football as we know it today started in Great Britain, where the game was given new rules.

That football is such a simple game to play is perhaps the basis of its popularity.     2     You don’t need expensive equipment; even the ball doesn’t have to cost much money. All over the world you can see kids playing to their hearts’ content with a ball made of plastic bags.

    3     It is fun enough to attract millions of people. You do not have to be a fan to recognize the skill of professional players—how they use their bodies to pass, score and defend can be amazing to see—or to feel the excitement of a game ending with a surprising twist.

What’s more, football has become one of the best ways for people to communicate: it does not require words, but everyone understands it.     4     Take, for example, the famous football game on Christmas Day 1914. World War I had broken out months before, but British and German soldiers put down their guns and played football together—one moment of peace to remember during years of conflict.

“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, ... ” said Bill Shankly, the famous footballer and manager. “    5    ” This might sound funny, but one only has to think about the Earth to realize that our planet is shaped like a football.

A．It is also a game that is very cheap to play.

B．While others think football is just a matter of exercise.

C．I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.

D．It breaks down walls and brings people together on and off the field.

E．Besides, football can help people improve physical exercise and skills

F．The history of the game goes back over two thousand years to Ancient China.

G．Another factor behind football’s global popularity is the creativity and excitement on the field.

6 . Walking has been considered as one of the best possible exercises. For many people, daily walking offers massive and long-term physical and mental benefits.     1     A Stanford University study found that participants were more creative when walking as opposed to sitting.

    2     You’ve probably heard the phrase “exercise your creativity”. Our creative mindset is triggered by physical movement, which is exactly why walking with your dog, a friend, or alone feeds creative thinking.

But the scenery is almost as important as the sweat. Just by going outside, you are stepping out of your habitual surroundings and your comfort zone, which is necessary if you want to open your mind to new possibilities. You can walk through a tree-filled neighborhood.     3     Even when you walk down a busy street, you can’t help but get distracted by the sweet smells from a food cart or the child pointing to a building you haven’t even noticed before.

Walking outside cultivates our ability to collect new ideas and take in new sights, sounds, smells, and flavors. Shinrin-yoku, a common form of relaxation in Japan, suggests that being in the forest and walking among the trees there can lower your stress levels.     4     Research has shown that immersion in nature around your neighborhood or the disconnection from multimedia increased performance on a creative problem-solving task.

So instead of setting a fitness goal, why not set a creativity goal that starts with walking outdoors?     5     For example, you can turn off your phone and give yourself the chance to be present in the world, to hear conversations and natural sounds, and to notice the way people move and the way the sun reflects in a lake.

Walk not just for exercise. Walk for wonder.

A．Unfortunately, you often fail to do it.

B．Engage more closely with your surroundings.

C．The movement aspect of walking is obviously key.

D．Without enough energy, you cannot wonder or create.

E．But to receive the benefits, you do not have to live in a forest.

F．This habit, however, isn’t just a beneficial pursuit but an element of innovation.

G．Alternatively, you can wander around a park and observe people relaxing or birds singing.

7 . Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.

But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.

According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.

To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade.

“The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.

Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website.

It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes.

1. What did scientists from German universities recently discover?

A．Working out is a highly effective way to treat depression.

B．The runner’s high could be caused by endocannabinoids.

C．Endorphins may contribute to one’s high spirits after running.

D．The level of endorphins and endocannabinoids could affect one’s mood.

2. Why did the scientists give mice drugs in their experiment?

A．To find what reduces the runner’s high symptoms.

B．To see the specific symptoms of the runner’s high.

C．To identify what is responsible for the runner’s high.

D．To test what influences the level of endocannabinoids released.

3. What does the underlined word “notion” mean?

A．Effect.

B．Goal.

C．Opinion.

D．Question

4. What can we know about regular workouts according to the UK’s National Health Service?

A．They can help ease depression symptoms.

B．They are the best way to treat depression.

C．They only work for those with serious depression.

D．They can help people completely recover from depression.

9 . When I first began running in high school on the track team, it made sense to carefully clock every mile and push myself to race for personal bests. But as I changed from running for sport to running for amusement as an adult, I found that tracking my workouts often just ended with frustration. And it wasn’t until my watch battery died several years ago that I first experienced the sense of calm that came with running for the pure joy of it. I never replaced the watch battery, and that might not be a bad thing for my fitness goals.

This is the idea of unplugged (不插电的) running, which is gaining steam in the fitness community. And recent research has shown that getting rid of your running watch, especially if it’s a smartwatch or fitness tracker, could actually improve your workout — or at least your enjoyment of running.

“People used to have an interest in their sport and get enjoyment out of the sport, but now that’s switching to the data,” said Eoin Whelan, a senior lecturer at the National University of Ireland Galway. “They will compare themselves to people who are better than them, who are running faster or running longer. And in the end we know that makes them feel bad. ”

Whelan also noted that people who are very dependent on smart watches or fitness trackers are more likely to skip their workouts if the batteries on their tracking devices are dead.

In addition, there is evidence that running watch-free is beneficial for more than just the casual jogger. Some professionals also have had success with leaving their watches at home. Welsh runner Steve Jones famously set a world record at the 1984 Chicago Marathon without wearing a watch. More recently, Olympic marathoner Trevor Hofbauer made headlines for winning the 2019 Canadian Marathon Championships without a watch.

“If you have too much information being fed to you in real time, it can kind of get in your head,” Hofbauer said. “For me, the simpler, the better.”

1. What happened to the author when his running watch didn’t work?

A．He lost the desire to keep running every day.

B．He experienced running as a really fun activity.

C．He was at a loss how to replace the watch battery.

D．He had great difficulty achieving his fitness goals.

2. What does Eoin Whelan say about fitness tracking watches?

A．They can enrich the wearers’ social life.

B．The data provided by them is unreliable.

C．The way people use them is proper.

D．They can lead to harmful consequences.

3. Why does the author mention Trevor Hofbauer in paragraph 5?

A．To show the popularity of running watch-free.

B．To encourage people to become professional runners.

C．To prove the positive effects of running watch-free.

D．To present professionals’ views on running watch-free.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．It’s time to take off your running watch.

B．Unplugged running actually has two sides.

C．Comparing with others should be avoided.

D．Racing for personal bests requires simplicity.

10 . Cheerleading is the fastest growing girls sport, yet more than half of Americans do not believe it is a sport. On one hand, they fail to distinguish between sideline cheerleaders and competitive ones. Sideline cheerleaders’ main function is to entertain the crowd and lead them with team cheers, which should not be considered a sport.     1    

A sport is a “physical activity against or with an opponent, governed by rules and conditions under which a winner is declared, and the primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants”.     2    Competitive cheerleading includes lots of physical activities. Like gymnasts, cheerleaders must learn to tumble (翻滚).     3    This is where the “fliers” are thrown in the air, held by “bases” in different positions that require strength and cooperation with other teammates. 

    4    Just like gymnasts, they are awarded points for difficulty, creativity and sharpness. The more difficult a stunt (特技), the sharper the motions, the better the score. Cheerleading is a team sport. So without cooperation, first place is out of reach. 

Some people argue that cheerleaders are just “girls in skirts” with their only job to entertain the crowd, but cheerleaders today work just as hard as other athletes.     5     And even it will appear in the Olympics since cheerleaders are just as athletic and physically fit as those involved in the more accepted sports.

A．People enjoy cheerleading.

B．They perform lifts and tosses.

C．Competitive cheerleaders’ goal is to be the best.

D．On the other hand, competitive cheerleading is a sport.

E．Because cheerleading follows these guidelines, it is a sport.

F．Hopefully, cheerleading will also become a well-known sport.

G．Cheerleading is not yet recognized as a sport by many schools.