1 . NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon
Join us on Sunday, April 28, 2024, for the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon! Starting in North Brooklyn, the route offers stunning waterfront views and passes under the historic Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges. Experience the vibrant streets of Brooklyn, from Fulton Street & Flatbush Avenue to the grandeur of Grand Army Plaza, and finish in Prospect Park.
Registration:
Fees for NYCRUNS members are $135 if registered by December 13th. Non-members pay $150. Register early to secure your spot in this unforgettable race! NYCRUNS members can enjoy a $10 discount on the registration fee. Additionally, up to 50% of the race fee can be covered using Race Credit.
Amenities:
NYCRUNS is known for putting on running events of the highest quality. After the race, celebrate your achievement with the official race shirt and an incredible medal with pride! When you finish, enjoy fresh Brooklyn bagels, NYS apples and more!
Awards:
Top finishers in various age groups will be recognized. Prize money will only be awarded to athletes who complete the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon in a gun time faster than the qualifying time. Athletes may be subject to drug testing to ensure a fair and equal field.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Non-profits interested in group volunteering, please contact us.
Transportation:
Public transportation recommended.
Closest stations: L train to Bedford Avenue, G train to Metropolitan Avenue.
Register today and be a part of this unforgettable Brooklyn experience!
1. What is the starting point of the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon?| A．Prospect Park. | B．North Brooklyn. |
| C．Williamsburg Bridge. | D．Manhattan Bridge. |
| A．$75. | B．$135. | C．$150. | D．$200. |
| A．A shirt and a finisher’s medal. | B．Prize money based on the age. |
| C．Free transportation services. | D．A gift from NYS Apple Stores. |
2 . Taking exercise can be boring. The good news is that there are some tips which we can apply to our everyday fitness routines
•Have an objective.
When we’re playing a game, there’s always an objective. It helps us focus on the task at hand and motivates us to keep playing until we win the game. Exercise should be no different. Create a clear fitness goal.
•Add an element of whimsy (奇思妙想)
Some people love video games because there’s a lot of unexpectedness and surprise.
•
In a study, a team of researchers challenged 602 overweight workers from a single company to take part in a step-tracking challenge. The group asked to compete against other workers ended up walking more steps than any other groups in the study. If we’re seeking a similar motivation, look into fitness programs that encourage friendly competition.
•Team up with others.
| A．Compete against others. |
| B．Aim to walk 10,000 steps a day, for example. |
| C．Play against a friend to get competitive. |
| D．No one wanted to let their team members down. |
| E．And there are plenty of digital tools that can help with this. |
| F．We can copy these features into our own fitness game designs. |
| G．Getting a group to work together is also an effective way. |
3 . Scientists from Georgia Tech have developed a new robot named ESTHER (Experimental Sport Tennis Wheelchair Robot), which can move around the court and even return human serves.
The team believes the robot could serve as a training partner (搭档) for professional players in the future, lowering the pressure of training with another human.
The robot is the brainchild of Georgia Tech’s Matthew Gombolay, professor of robotics in the School of Interactive Computing. He wanted to develop a better training challenge than a ball feeder that stays in one place, one that would act like an always on-call partner or even team up with someone in doubles matches. The result is ESTHER, an adapted wheelchair tennis chair that can race to balls at ten metres per second and probably outplay a human.
Mr Gombolay explains: “The wheelchair has the ability to rapidly move around the court and get into position (恰当位置) to hit a ground stroke (击落地球). ESTHER can move up to two metres after a ball is struck to hit a successful return, which is comparable to the longest distance moved by human players for 80 per cent of shots (击球).”
The robot was named in homage to well-known wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer, who held the world No. 1 position in women’s wheelchair tennis for almost 13 years straight.
The team placed a network of cameras around a tennis court and used computer vision algorithms (视觉算法) to help ESTHER recognise an incoming tennis ball. Using cameras from different positions, they could know where the ball is in the air and feed this information to ESTHER. The team reached a breakthrough when they successfully and continually programmed ESTHER to track the tennis ball coming toward it and to hit a return.
ESTHER will now be developed to act as a highly-skilled tennis player.
1. What is ESTHER able to do?| A．Return a shot. | B．Clean up a court. | C．Push a wheelchair. | D．Control a ball feeder. |
| A．In search of. | B．In honour of. | C．As a result of. | D．With the help of. |
| A．They improve its vision. | B．They direct it to the ball. |
| C．They help it stay in position. | D．They picture unexpected things in the air. |
| A．Athletes in wheelchairs | B．An all-purpose robot at home |
| C．Rules are changing for tennis courts | D．A robot moves around the tennis court |
4 . Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role in the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 and Asian Para Games. These terms might sound familiar, but how smart are they when applied to the 56 Asian Games venues (场地)?
Their smartness can be found in running the venues with less human labor forces. At the Huanglong Sports Center, a system called Smart Stadium Brain is built. A 25 square meter high definition screen lays in the venue’s information center, which guarantees a friendly environment for the athletes and audiences. A small screen on each seat is designed to be at the audience’s service. By finger touching, the audience can control it conveniently to watch and keep contact with the event. What’s more, supported by the 5G technology.
AI also means further protection on environment. At the Fuyang sports Center, although it has been raining for days, the roof of the venue still remains dry. And the secret lies in its attractive sky garden. The garden, is not only eye-catching but also useful. It allows the greening rate of the entire stadium to reach as high as 45%, being energy-saving. Under the cobblestones (鹅卵石), a recovery system is filtering (过滤) and collecting rainwater for the venue’s water system, and irrigation water.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “guarantee” in Para2?| A．Adapt to. | B．Take advantage of. | C．Get used to. | D．Make sure of. |
| A．Small screen must be supported by the 5 G technology. |
| B．The audience can control small screens on their seats easily. |
| C．The stadium is environmentally friendly and advanced but costly. |
| D．Their smartness of AI will replace workers |
| A．By saving energy. | B．By recycling the rainwater. |
| C．By collecting rainwater system of the sky garden. | D．By improving the greening rate. |
| A．More Connections with Smart Devices. | B．A Sports Center with Smart Stadium Brain. |
| C．Asian Games with Artificial Intelligence. | D．Smart Asian Games with High-tech Venues. |
5 . David Brunelli has eaten up a huge burger. He starts eating handfuls of French fries. If he eats them fast enough, he could win. The crowd shouts with excitement. Suddenly, a stream of food pours out of Brunell' s mouth. Puking (呕吐) during an eating competition means you lose. So Brunelli catches the food in his hands and pushes it back into his mouth. Welcome to the world of competitive eating.
Thousands of eating competitions take place around the world each year. To win, people like Brunelli eat huge amounts of food as quickly as possible.They eat everything from mountains of hot dogs to hundreds of chicken legs.
Some people say it is time for eating competitions to stop. One reason is that the competitions can lead to serious health problems. These include weight gain, heart disease, and stomach problems. In 2004, a woman died from choking (窒息) during a competition. Eating competitions can make overeating look attractive. This sets a bad example for fans. Also, millions of people in the world go hungry every day. That makes it seem wasteful to eat amounts of food just for fun.
Still, many people love competitive eating. They say it is a fun tradition that goes back many years. Fans point out that the group Major League Eating (MLE) runs professional eating competitions. At these competitions, injuries are uncommon. MLE always has doctors on hand.
Eating competitions allow people like Brunelli to get famous and win money. And the competitions are popular. Each July 4, more than a million people watch Nathan s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on TV. This year, will you be one of them?
1. Why does the author write the first paragraph?| A．To bring up the topic. | B．To introduce Brunelli. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To show some delicious food. |
| A．They have a short history. | B．They enjoy great popularity. |
| C．They are attractive to the poor | D．They introduce lots of new food. |
| A．The fun of watching eating competitions. |
| B．The health problems caused by overeating. |
| C．The difficulties in winning an eating competition. |
| D．The reasons why eating competitions should be stopped. |
| A．It trains many doctors. | B．Its prizes are unusual. |
| C．Its competitions are relatively safe. | D．It is an organizer of traditional competitions. |
6 . In an ideal world, we would be able to devote as much time to sports as we feel we need. But in reality, with growing demands in both work and family, we can only jump at the chance for our physical exercise when we can. Making the most of that time to practice Yin Yang yoga, which mixes the dynamic and slow-paced elements of yoga, helps keep you active and relaxed.
Yin and Yang are the Taoist concepts representing a balance of opposite forces which are also interconnected. Yin is inactive, cooling, and negative, associated with the female force. Yang is active, warming, and positive, associated with action and movement. They are complementary to one another, as one cannot exist without the other.
Yin Yang yoga is a combination of high-energy movement which builds energy, increases strength and promotes stamina (耐力), followed by the more restful practice of Yin to give us a deeper stretch (拉伸) and calm the nervous system.
If you have a busy and active life you may feel more in Yang, so taking some cooler, slower Yin yoga practice into your routine may help you feel calmer and more balanced.
If you are practicing for an hour, divide the time in half, Warm up with sun salutations (拜日式瑜伽), continue into a dynamic flow and then move on to some standing postures. After half an hour your heart will be pumping, muscles tighten up and you are hopefully feeling energetic, but ready for a rest. Then pick five Yin postures to hold for 3-5 minutes, or even longer if you are enjoying them!
As ever with yoga, if you are a beginner or have health issues, always attend a class with a trained instructor first to guide you safely through the yoga practice and avoid injury.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．Most of our sports time should be spent on Yin Yang yoga. |
| B．We’d better devote as much time to physical exercise as we can. |
| C．Busy schedule makes it impossible for us to do any form of sports. |
| D．Yin Yang yoga can be a choice of physical exercise when time is tight. |
| A．Independent from one another. |
| B．Competitive against one another. |
| C．Similar to each other but unable to work together as a whole. |
| D．Different from each other but together making a good combination. |
| A．Relaxing muscles. | B．Building stamina. |
| C．Strengthening the body. | D．Quickening the heartbeat. |
| A．Hold each Yin posture for longer than 5 minutes. |
| B．Do not practice yoga when you are not in good health. |
| C．Start your yoga practice under the guidance of a trainer. |
| D．Spare half an hour for five Yin postures in every yoga practice. |
7 . “The Worthington Christian defeated the Westerville North by 2—1 in an Ohio boys’ soccer game on Saturday.” That’s according to a story that appeared last month in The Columbus Dispatch. That lead was written not by a sportswriter, but by an artificial intelligence (AI) tool.
Many news organizations are now examining how AI might be used in their work. But if they begin their “experimenting” with high school sports because they are less momentous than war, peace, climate change and politics, they may miss something crucial. Nothing may be more important to the students who play high school sports, and to their families, neighborhoods, and sometimes, the whole town. That next game is what the students train for, work toward, and dream about. Someday, almost all student athletes will go on to have jobs in front of screens, in office parks, at schools, in hospitals or on construction sites. They may suffer blows and setbacks. But the high school games they played and watched, as well as their hopes and cheers, will stay vivid in their memories.
I have a small idea. If newspapers will no longer send staff reporters to cover high school games, why not hire high school student journalists? News organizations can pay students an hourly wage to cover high school games. The young reporters might learn how to be fair to all sides, write vividly, and attract readers. That’s what some celebrities in sports did, and do.
And think of the great writers who were inspired by sports: Hemingway on fishing, Bernard Malamud and Marianne Moore on baseball, Chen Zhongshi on football, and CLR James on cricket, who said, “There can be raw pain and bleeding where so many thousands see the inevitable (不可避免的) ups and downs of only a game.” A good high school writer, unlike a robot, could tell readers not just the score, but the stories of the game.
1. Why is the lead mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce an original idea. | B．To show AI’s wide application. |
| C．To bring in the opinion about AI. | D．To stress AI’s importance to news. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Eye-catching. | C．Competitive. | D．Far-reaching. |
| A．Rich in contents. | B．Fair in comments. |
| C．Centered on results. | D．Targeted on readers. |
| A．News Organizations Are Abusing AI | B．High Schoolers Can Do What AI Can’t |
| C．Great Writers Are Crazy About Sports | D．AI Ruins High School Students’ Memory |
8 . Tai Chi, a gentle martial art originating from China and involving slow movements with a focus on breathing and on what your body is doing in that moment, provides numerous benefits for both physical and mental well-being. Here are five convincing reasons to bring Tai Chi into your routine.
●It’s easy on the body.
Tai Chi offers gentle exercise suitable for individuals of all ages and fitness levels.
●It could prevent falls.
A review of studies conducted in 2019 indicated that Tai Chi could lower the risk of falls among older people. Certainly, the emphasis is on balance, with sideways and backwards movements aiding in the strengthening of the muscles necessary for stability.
●It may boost brain power.
●
A reduction in stress and anxiety, along with an increase in confidence, is another mental health benefit of Tai Chi, as indicated by research findings, though further research is needed to comprehensively understand and confirm these effects.
●You can do it at home.
Attending classes can be beneficial for receiving structured instruction and connecting with like-minded individuals.
| A．It has the feel-good factor |
| B．It can improve heart health |
| C．The benefits aren’t just physical |
| D．But there are videos available online too |
| E．They also improve flexibility and spatial awareness |
| F．Its low-impact nature minimizes the risk of joint injury |
| G．You can share experiences with these people face-to-face |
9 . For anyone who has exercised for some purposes, you probably have experienced disappointment and even a sense of lack of fulfillment.
One of the biggest reasons is that it helps in weight loss. Exercising every day helps you burn a lot of calories. It also helps in toning (调整) your body and giving it a better appearance.
Regular exercise gives you better sleep quality
Sleep is very important because it enables your minds to rest for a while and this helps you reenergize. However, while you may be able to sleep, the quality of sleep you get might not always be the best.
Regular exercise increases your endurance
Exercising regularly will make it easier for you to work harder for a longer period without feeling fatigued. Whenever you’re under physically stressful circumstances, it’s only natural for your bodies to get tired because there is a shortage in the amount of oxygen that fuels your muscles.
Exercising every day increases your brain function
When you exercise daily, you are able to boost the power of your brain and your memory.
| A．Regular exercise helps you lose weight. |
| B．Exercising every day can help with this. |
| C．This lessens your chances of falling into depression. |
| D．Some people look at it as hard work because it gets you all tired. |
| E．Exercise, therefore, enables your muscles to get the fuel they need. |
| F．Reminding yourself of its benefits, however, will help you stay motivated. |
| G．It boosts your ability to recall more things or events as it makes your neurons healthier. |
10 . Defeating Daniil Medvedev in New York on Sunday, Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis player, bagging 24 Grand Slam (大满贯) singles titles, equalized the record held by Australian Margaret Court, the same number of singles titles in the all-time count.
With the victory, Djokovic became the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era. In total, he has 10 Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, four US Opens and three Roland Garros titles, making him the only man to win all four majors at least three times. “When I realized that, I started to dream new dreams and set new goals. I never imagined that I would be here talking about 24 Slams,” he said afterwards.
Djokovic reached all finals in the Grand Slams in 2023, and the only loss was at Wimbledon, when Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, 20, brought home the champion after an intense battle lasting four hours and 43 minutes.
Djokovic, at 36, shows few signs of losing physical edge. He stays healthy, keeps exceptional skills and always desires to win more. Capturing his first Grand Slam in 2008, Djokovic bagged half of his 24 major titles after he turned 30.“One of the biggest lessons I have learned probably mentally throughout my career is that even if you find a formula (方案) that works, it’s not a guarantee, and actually most likely it’s not going to work the next year, so I keep reinventing myself and always trying to find better ways to win,” said Djokovic.
For Djokovic, who always gets tough when the going gets tough, 24 is just a number that he can go beyond. “I’ll continue to prioritize Grand Slams as my most important tournaments and where I want to play the best tennis. That will stay the same in the next season, or I don’t know how many more seasons I have in my legs,” he added, “So, let’s see.”
1. What does the underlined word “equalized” in the first paragraph probably mean?| A．Set. | B．Broke. | C．Levelled. | D．Approached. |
| A．He won 12 Grand Slams in his thirties. |
| B．He won all the finals in the Grand Slams in 2023. |
| C．He attached the same importance to all the matches. |
| D．He is the oldest men’s singles champion in the open era. |
| A．Losing physical edge. | B．Attending more Grand Slams. |
| C．Following a good formula. | D．Finding flexible and proper strategies. |
| A．Confident and emotional. | B．Ambitious and devoted. |
| C．Aggressive and stubborn. | D．Enthusiastic and generous. |
