1 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball？
“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.
The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.
The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.
1. The passage is mainly about ______.| A．the history of beach volleyball |
| B．how to play beach volleyball |
| C．the importance of beach volleyball |
| D．women’s beach volleyball in China |
| A．Beach volleyball was first played like other Olympic: sports. |
| B．Beach volleyball has always been an entertainment show rather than a sport. |
| C．Beach volleyball began on beaches in Souther California. |
| D．Women started playing beach volleyball in South America in 1945. |
| A．In 1948, | B．In 1996. | C．In 1950. | D．In 1997. |
| A．in 1996, beach volleyball became an official event in China |
| B．China’s beach volleyball team is the best in the world |
| C．China’s beach volleyball players won the first place in Brazil |
| D．beach volleyball came to China in the early 1990s |
2 . Each year, the women of Olney and Liberal compete in an unusual footrace. Dressed in aprons (围裙) and headscarves, they wait at both towns’ starting lines. Each woman holds a frying pan with one pancake inside. At the signal, the women flip (轻抛) pancakes and they’re off!
This “pancake racing” tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday, 1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent (大斋戒) begins. During Lent, many people decide to give up sugary or fatty foods.
Legend says that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes to use up some of her sugar and cooking fats before Lent. She lost track of time and suddenly heard the church bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the door still wearing her apron and headscarf and holding her frying pan with a pancake in it. In the following years, the woman’s neighbors imitated her dash to church, and pancake racing was born.
The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They must flip their pancakes twice - once before starting and once after crossing the finish line. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and declare a winner.
In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney’s festival is an all-day event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a talent show, and contests that feature eating and flipping pancakes. Although the women’s race is still the main event, both towns now hold additional races for boys and girls of all ages.
1. How did pancake racing start?| A．A woman in Olney created it. |
| B．Women made pancakes before Lent. |
| C．A woman dashed to church with a pancake. |
| D．People followed the suit of an interesting incident. |
| A．They can wear fashionable headscarves and aprons. |
| B．They must flip their pancakes once in the race. |
| C．They must flip their pancakes at the beginning of the race. |
| D．They can flip their pancakes in the middle of the race. |
| A．People can show their talent in Olney festival. |
| B．People can enjoy a one-day holiday in Liberal. |
| C．The race is not only intended for women now. |
| D．People can have a big pancake breakfast in both towns. |
| A．The origin of pancake racing. |
| B．The history of pancake racing. |
| C．The development of pancake racing. |
| D．The introduction to pancake racing. |
3 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Temey Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn’t stopping.
In February, the 16-year-old from Woodbury High School, Minnesota, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon (42,J95 km) with a tune of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners.
Then, in November, Wolfgram, who turned 17, broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984. During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all,” she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was that I was super happy,” Wolfgram said.
This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she was capable of doing it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer... and I'm still glad that I did it.”
When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles （about 190 kilometers） per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.
Next, Wolfgram will think about attending the Olympic Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.
1. In which race has Wolfgram broken a record?| A．The 2020 US Olympic Trials. | B．The 2020 Women’s American Junior marathon. |
| C．Her first marathon in 2018. | D．The 2024 Olympic Games. |
| A．To knock one's head against a wall. | B．To be disappointed. |
| C．To go smoothly. | D．To be very tired. |
| A．Her coach's support. | B．Her parents, encouragement |
| C．Her desire to prove she could do it | D．Her hope to break the national record. |
| A．Outgoing. | B．Determined. | C．Honest | D．Smart. |
4 . It’s cold and dark outside, and your bed is so warm and comfortable. Going for a run seems like such a bad idea. But before you put your running shoes away, it might be worth giving that crazy idea a try.
According to The Huffington Post，an outdoor run in winter, instead of running on a treadmill (跑步机), burns more calories (卡路里) because the body is working hard to regulate (调节) its temperature. Besides, research shows that race times are faster in cold weather than in warmer temperatures—and quicker runs burn more calories. Similarly, cold weather also makes the heart work harder to distribute blood through the body, making that vital muscle even stronger.
Outdoor exercise also turns up your energy and rids you of the stress and depression that build up every day. The heat and humidity in summer can drag you down and tire you faster, but cold weather is refreshing. It adjusts you to your surroundings, making you feel energetic.
Of course, the threat of smog in some builtup areas is a further problem to winter exercise. Heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer are all dangers of running in smog. The combination (结合) of air pollution and exercise increases the potential problems. If you do choose to run outside on smoggy days, take a path in a park or residential area to avoid polluted air, and go early in the morning, before rush hour. But staying inside on smoggy days and waiting for the next clear day to run is best.
1. How does cold weather benefit runners compared with warm weather?| A．They can run more slowly. | B．They can take in more calories. |
| C．Their hearts can work harder. | D．Their body temperature can get lower. |
| A．It makes runners tired easily. | B．It builds up their energy quickly. |
| C．It lessens runners’ stress. | D．It causes heart attacks. |
| A．Stop driving cars. | B．Run late in the morning. |
| C．Do more exercise. | D．Avoid outdoor exercise. |
| A．We can refresh ourselves with a winter run. |
| B．We should go to run in a park everyday. |
| C．It’s much better to take outdoor exercise in summer. |
| D．We’d better run on treadmill to reduce stress. |
5 . A cancer survivor has become the first woman to complete an exhausting “Sea to Summit” triathlon（三项全能运动） which saw her swim, cycle, and run over 330 miles in just five days. Andrea Mason was overjoyed when she crossed the finish line early Wednesday morning.
The race was set in the French Alps. Setting off at 6:15am on Friday, 39-year-old Mason battled through severe pain, and hallucinations(幻觉)，but she pushed on --managing to complete the race in an impressive four days, 23 hours, and 41 minutes. Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer and needed life-saving surgery. Following a successful operation, she is now hoping to raise awareness of women’s health. In the past year，Andrea set up her own charity, Lady Talk Matters, in order to improve surrounding female’s health.
Andrea, from Blackpool in Lancashire, England, said，“I am so happy all went according to plan as there were so many things that could have gone wrong. I wanted to do it in five days， and I did，but it was very tough. I had some low moments, particularly when I couldn’t sleep in my limited rest periods, and when I couldn’t keep any food down as I was running. For sure I had some doubts along the way as I was exploring the unknown with such a huge run, particularly as large parts of it were in the dark. It was bigger than I imagined, the impact on my body was huge. But every time I felt like giving up，I thought about all the women out there in pain or who still hadn’t been diagnosed. That is why I put myself through this.”
Andrea had to swim 23 miles around Lake Annecy, cycle 205 miles with 30,000 feet of vertical climbing around Mont Blanc, and run 105 miles with 4,000 feet of vertical climbing around The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. You could say Andrea’s actually spent a lifetime training for an event like this. She completed her first three-mile race “powered by chocolate bars＂ when she was just four.
1. What brought Andrea Mason so much joy？| A．She joined a race | B．She defeated cancer. |
| C．She finished a marathon in five days. | D．She finished a triathlon lately. |
| A．To help the poor women. | B．To promote women’s health. |
| C．To focus on women’s life. | D．To raise the status of women. |
| A．When she couldn’t eat. | B．When she couldn’t sleep. |
| C．When she was running at night. | D．When she met too many difficulties. |
| A．Her strong willpower. | B．Her family’s support. |
| C．Thinking of other women who might have cancer. | D．Thinking of other women who had more pain. |
| A．Andrea liked sports very much. | B．Andrea faced huge challenges. |
| C．As a little girl, Andrea won many races. | D．Andrea’s success lied in long-term effort. |
6 . One of the best parts of the school day is the time spent in the playground. It’s a chance to be with friends, run around and have fun. However, at the Rudyard Kipling Primary School in Brighton, things were getting too hard, so the teachers decided something had to be done. The school’s new rules, which restrict（限制）physical activities and encourage pupils only to touch if they are playing friendlier games, have attracted a lot of attention.
Most people say that they are a bad restriction. Parents of children at the school, in Brighton, East Sussex, talked about the bizarre rule — saying their kids were now bored at playtime. A teacher for the school defended（辩护）the rules, saying, “We want to make sure the playground is a happy, safe and calm place where everyone can enjoy their lunchtime running around and getting the exercise that we know is important to them.”
Some people say that Rudyard Kipling Primary School’s decision is a good one because it makes the playground more fun for everyone. Not all children enjoy playing rough（剧烈的）games or sports at playtime. Friendlier games ensure everyone can join in. The teachers only have the pupils’ best interests at heart, so they should be trusted to make the right decision. Besides, if someone gets hurt in the playground, that could distract（分心）the teachers from other accidents.
However, some people think it’s an overreaction. Sometimes physical games can lead to injuries, but banning（禁止）such activities is unreasonable. In fact, it is only during physical games that you can build up your ability to recover quickly from falling over. Even if these physical activities aren’t your favorite way to spend break time, it’s difficult to see why they will be completely banned. Each pupil should be able to decide what they want to do. Besides, schools should be happy that their students want to exercise between classes as this will keep them fit and healthy, and teachers should encourage this, not prevent it.
1. What was the result of the tule made by the Rudyard Kipling Primary School?| A．It was made into law. | B．It was supported by parents. |
| C．It encouraged students to do sports. | D．It made the school widely discussed. |
| A．Simple. | B．Strange. |
| C．Important. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．It saves more lunchtime. |
| B．It helps students pay more attention to their study. |
| C．It brings more fun to every kid. |
| D．It makes students more independent. |
| A．Physical games can injure kids. |
| B．Physical games are good for students health. |
| C．Teachers should do sports with students. |
| D．Restricting physical activities is unreasonable. |
7 . Are you trying to find the best time for exercise?
Dawn, dusk or dead of night — when’s the best time to work out? Well, that depends on when’s the best time for you, because the benefits of physical activity depend upon how consistent you are.
To stay motivated, choose activities you enjoy. If you’re a social person, do something that engages you socially. Take a group exercise class, join a recreational team or walk with a group of friends. If you prefer having time alone, walking, swimming or biking solo might be a better fit for you.
There are so many choices.
| A．The truth is, it’s personal! |
| B．Don’t limit yourself to just one. |
| C．There are other important considerations. |
| D．Use your body clock as a guide to when to go for a walk. |
| E．You might have heard that the best time to exercise is early in the morning. |
| F．If you’d like to spend more time with your family, find an activity you can all do together. |
| G．If your schedule isn’t predictable (可预测的), you may need to be flexible and have a plan for various times of day. |
8 . For sports fans, there's nothing better than watching a live event on TV or at a sports venue（场地）. But there's nothing worse than that event being called off because of bad weather. Bad light, a waterlogged pitch （场地）or excessive heat can cause matches to be postponed. But according to the latest research, extreme weather might be disrupting （打乱） the sporting calendar more than ever in the future.
In one sport, golf, major tournaments like The Open, are already predicted to be victims of our changing climate. In the UK, an organization called The Climate Coalition says that golf courses such as St Andrews could be under water by the end of the century if sea levels rise even slightly. It told the BBC that its research predicts u cancelled football matches, flooded cricket grounds and golf courses crumbling into the sea.”
The threat to sporting fixtures （体育赛事）from climate change has been further highlighted in a new report, commissioned by the Rapid Transition Alliance. Writing about this for the BBC, Matt McGrath says that ”By 2050, it's estimated that almost one in four English football league grounds can expect flooding every year." This will mean fewer matches played, less opportunity to watch the beautiful game and reduced revenue （收入） from ticket sales.
Cricket also faces huge challenges globally as temperatures rise in places like India, Australia and the West Indies. The report says that stadiums in Adelaide and Perth will see a 60% 
increase in days with temperatures over 40°C over the next decade.
Of course, we know that the solution lies with reducing our carbon footprint. We could travel less to attend sports events, and reduce our waste when we do go. But this latest report finds that sports leaders are generally failing to address the issue seriously. However, because sport is universally popular and can be very influential, maybe it should be players, teams and their sponsors who promote a carbon-neutral message to help protect sporting venues - before it's ‘ game over’.
1. According to the passage, the following sports will be affected by extreme weather except| A．golf | B．table tennis | C．football | D．cricket |
| A．The number of people who are interested in football matches is expected to decrease. |
| B．The number of football players is expected to decrease. |
| C．The prices of football tickets are expected to go down. |
| D．Some football grounds are expected to be flooded. |
| A．Sports fans like watching a live event on TV better than at a sports venue. |
| B．Golf courses such as St Andrews could not be flooded if sea levels rise a little. |
| C．Cricket stadiums in Adelaide and Perth will get very hot over the next decade. |
| D．Sports leaders take the effects of climate change very seriously. |
| A．Sport and Sporting Venues. | B．Sport and Challenges. |
| C．Sport and Climate Change. | D．Sport and Revenue. |
9 . All over the world people are hooked on sports, which help them to strengthen their body and build their character.
Many people like to watch others play games.
People from different countries or races may not be able to understand each other, but after a game, they get to know each other better and they often become good friends.
| A．They buy tickets or turn on the TV to watch the games. |
| B．What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! |
| C．Some sports or games date back thousands of years, like running or jumping. |
| D．Sports help to train a person’s character. |
| E．Chinese people liked doing sports even in ancient times. |
| F．Sports are competitive physical activities or games through casual or organized participation. |
| G．They can make friends with each other. |
10 . 4 Best Basketball Camps in the USA
PGC Basketball Camps
For the last few decades, PGC (point guard college) basketball camps have helped thousands of players improve a variety of skills. While the name may have you believe it's for point guards only, that's not the case.PGC basketball camps operate in a number of different states and they have over 100 camps all over the country.While many of the PGC basketball camps are aimed at youth in high school and college athletes,there are also the Skills Academy camps for those as young as the 4th grade.
Nike Basketball Camps
Nike offers introductory camps, shooting camps, overnight camps, day camps and many more. There are even camps that let you work with former or current NBA and WNBA players. One of the best things about Nike camps are the quality of coaching and instruction you will get. They also operate in nearly every state,so no matter where you are, there is likely a Nike basketball camp close. These Nike camps are also great for all ages.
NBC Basketball Camps
Since the early 1970s, NBC(Northwest Basketball Camp) has been among the world leaders in the space.Whether you are in elementary school, junior high or high school, there is an NBC basketball camp for you. These camps are offered across the USA,as well as in Canada and even the UK. The camps they offer include clinics.team camps, overnight camps, and college prep camps, just to name a few. They aim to provide you all of the tools you need to succeed in basketball and in life.
The National Basketball Academy
The National Basketball Academy (also known as TNBA) partners with NBA teams like the Bucks and Pacers to provide camps, clinics, and training for basketball players of all ages. TNBA operates in Milwaukee,Orlando. Houston. Indiana, and Cleveland. It also operates in many other nations around the world such as Brazil, France, Argentina, and Spain. These camps and clinics range from a single day to multiple weeks. They also host various tournaments(锦标赛) so you can show off the skills you have learned.
1. What do we know about PGC basketball camps?| A．They have the most camps | B．They are mainly aimed at little kids. |
| C．They hire some former NBA coaches. | D．Not only students of PGC can join them. |
| A．They focus on teamwork. | B．They hold various tournaments. |
| C．They only offer long-term camps. | D．They operate both at home and abroad. |
| A．A PGC basketball camp. | B．A Nike basketball camp. |
| C．A NBC basketball camp. | D．A TNBA basketball camp. |
