1 . On Sunday, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia shocked the running world by breaking the women’s world record for the marathon by over two minutes. Assefa finished the Berlin Marathon in just 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds.
But Assefa’s record was far beyond what most people expected. After all, it was only her third time running a marathon.
“I wanted to break the marathon world record,” she said, “But I couldn’t imagine that it would result in a time under 2:12.”
When Assefa was younger, she started by running short races, called sprints. Then she became a middle-distance runner, running the 800 meters (half mile) race. Her best time in the 800 meters was 1 minute and 59 seconds.
Last March, she ran her first marathon. Then last September, she entered the Berlin Marathon. She won, and set a new women’s record for the course, finishing in 2:15:37.
This year, she ran almost four minutes faster than she did last year. In both races, Assefa ran faster in the second half of the race than she did in the first half.
Her time of 2:11:53 was over two minutes faster than the old women’s record (2:14:04), which was set in Chicago in 2019 by Brigid Kosgei of Kenya.
When she finished the race, Assefa kneeled down and kissed the pavement before raising her arms in victory.
Though Assefa made it look easy, she said winning the race “…was the result of hard work.” Assefa was coached by Gemedu Dedefo, who has helped train many Ethiopian star runners.
1. What is Assefa’s latest record for the marathon?| A．2:11:53. | B．2:14:04. | C．2:15:37. | D．1:59:00. |
| A．It is what she expected. | B．It is a piece of cake for her. |
| C．It is due to great effort. | D．It is because of her coach. |
| A．Talented. | B．Friendly. | C．Humorous. | D．Warm-hearted. |
| A．Dedefo Helps to Train Many Star Runners |
| B．Kosgei Holds the Women’s Marathon Record |
| C．Assefa Sets a Good Example to Other Runners |
| D．Assefa Breaks the Women’s Marathon Record |
2 . For the rapidly decreasing number of Americans who’ve never heard of pickleball, the unknown game is one of America’s fastest-growing sports.
Invented in 1965 by three middle aged fathers in Washington State, pickleball is an unusual cross among tennis, pingpong and badminton, played with paddle (球拍) and a perforated (穿孔的) plastic ball. The founders are said to have named the game after a family dog called Pickles.
Most of pickleball’s main players—those who play more than eight times per year are over age 65, but the game is getting younger, with the strongest growth among players under 55. But with so many new players, the US is struggling to keep up with the demands for courts. The country has only about 10, 000 places to play, but that continues to grow by several dozen every month.
The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour was formed in 2018 and the professional players are drawing more and more attention. Traditional broadcasters’ interest in the sport is growing. So far, pickleball fans can watch amateur (业余的) and professional matches on sports or social channels, mostly online.
“The ability for a sport to find an audience quickly via social media is unmatched,” said Ben Shields, who lectures at Mit’s Sloan School of Management and studies the sports industry. “I think if pickleball can continue to grow its participation and find ways to make the sport a fascinating product, it could be a big competitor in the global sports industry soon.”
1. What can we know about the pickleball game from the text?| A．It is named after a family dog. | B．It’s not well-received by teenagers. |
| C．It’s popular sport in the world. | D．It is invented by tree ordinary women. |
| A．The number of pickleball courts. | B．The need for pickleball courts. |
| C．The growth in main pickleball players. | D．The chance of people playing pickleball. |
| A．Pickleball plays a big part in the sports industry. |
| B．It’s easy for pickleball to find wider audiences. |
| C．Social media is helpful in attracting audiences. |
| D．It’s necessary to advertise the sports product. |
| A．Tips for Becoming Professional Pickleball Players |
| B．Pickleball: an America’s Fastest-growing Sport |
| C．Ways to Make Pickleball a Big Competitor |
| D．Social Media: a Tool to Promote Pickleball |
3 . When James Haskell started playing professional rugby football, technology’ influence was very limited. One of its first and important uses within the game, he says, was just urine testing (尿检). “A lot has changed since then. Now all the players wear GPS heart-rate monitors,” the former England and Wasps ruby union player says. Data and technology have become important parts of a professional sports team and its players’ lives, Haskell says.
But this is only the beginning.
“New 5G will bring a whole set of new devices to the sports industry and the connectivity of supply chains that isn’t possible today,” explains Scott Petty, the chief technology officer of Vodafone UK. Vodafone’s recent research shows 70 per cent of decision-makers in the sports industry believe it is behind other industries in, adopting new technology.
However, things are changing gradually. The research suggests that 76 per cent of sports leaders say new 5G technology will drive innovation within their organizations. According to research, sport is an area where new 5G will have a huge impact. It has the ability to transform the fan experience and help athletes improve their fitness and training programmes. Around 74 per cent of sports leaders believe 5G will help meet rising fan expectations.
Haskell is looking forward to seeing what 5G will enable in the future. Vodafone’s new 5G network was launched (推出) in July. At the launch, two Wasps players demonstrated an innovative use of the tech when they conducted a joint training session, despite being 100 miles apart. At an event in London, Will Rowlands tackled a bag (擒抱摔倒) and almost at the same time, through wearable devices, De Jongh felt the force of the tackle.
Going forwards, Haskell expects that players will be able to quantify (量化) their performance in new ways. The key to this? The ability to read real-time data and make training programmes completely personalized.
Haskell says, “This ability will be terrific and you’ll suddenly be able to quantify everything!”
This will be game-changing.
1. What does Haskell say about the early use of technology in rugby football?| A．It mainly focused on performance data collecting. |
| B．It changed his attitude towards rugby football. |
| C．It excited people’s attention to rugby football. |
| D．It made an impact only to a small extent. |
| A．The sports industry should find a new way to meet fan expectations. |
| B．The sports industry plays a leading part in adopting new technology. |
| C．Most sports leaders have a very positive response to new 5G technology. |
| D．New 5G technology will be widely used in the sports industry very soon. |
| A．It was a real success. | B．It raised doubts among players. |
| C．It made Vodafone world-famous. | D．It fell far short of the expectations. |
| A．Unnecessary. | B．Impressive. | C．Unique. | D．Impossible. |
4 . Do you have a talented young artist, photographer, or designer in your life? It’s never too early to start helping them get their work out there! We’e listed the top art competitions for kids and teens that can help these young creators share their first masterpiece with the world. Most of them are totally free to enter!
Global Canvas Children’s Art Competition
Ages: 16 and under
Mediums: drawing, painting
Organized by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, this art competition wants to inspire the next generation to be more mindful of how we take care of the earth. The judges are looking for artists to discover the wonderful places that wildlife calls home.
Toyota Dream Car Art Contest
Ages: 15 and under
Mediums: drawing, painting
Time to design a dream car! Toyota wants to get junior artists thinking about what the future of transportation might look like. Prizes include a chance to tour one of the Toyota car factories and experience various aspects of Japanese culture.
Advena World Children’s Art Competition
Ages: 15 and under
Mediums: drawing, painting, photos and other original artworks
The competition aims to promote creativity and self-expression. Instead of a theme, it asks the participating artists to simply express their feelings-anything from sadness or joy to anger or excitement-through their chosen medium.
Progressive Young Artists Awards
Open to: high school and college students
Mediums: drawing, painting, photograph, mixed media, sculpture
PYAA is all about expressing and celebrating progressive values. So, if there is a creative teen in your life who wants to do good in the world, sign him or her up for this art competition.The prize is a scholarship that winners can put forwards their further schooling.
1. Which of the following has the most mediums to choose?| A．Global Canvas Children’s Art Competition. |
| B．Toyota Dream Car Art Contest. |
| C．Advena World Children’s Art Competition. |
| D．Progressive Young Artists Awards. |
| A．It encourages kids to protect the environment. |
| B．It inspires teens to design the future transportation. |
| C．It promotes students to be more innovative. |
| D．It invites teenagers to express their unique perspectives. |
| A．A tour of car factories. | B．A scholarship for schooling. |
| C．A painting of wildlife. | D．A brand-new vehicle. |
5 . Boston Marathon runners in recent years may have seen a smiling furry face around the two-mile mark. It’s Spencer, the therapy (治疗) dog, who became known as an unofficial mascot (吉祥物) for the marathon, He’s shown up on the sidelines every year since 2015—rain or shine.
One particularly rainy marathon catapulted Spencer’s fame, In 2018, his owner, Richard Powers, decided to put a bright yellow rain coat on the dog, making him stand out even more than he usually does. Photos of Spencer, who holds a “Boston Strong” flag in his mouth, went viral, and he became an inspiration to runners and onlookers alike, During the marathon, some runners stop in their tracks to take selfies with the dog-the line sometimes growing to 20 runners long.
But in 2020, Spencer was diagnosed with a tumor (肿瘤). His owner was worried, but Spencer is a fighter. He got the care he needed and survived. In 2021, he was back on the course and it was really kind of a miracle and that really hit home to a lot of people.
Unfortunately, Spencer caught another tumor—this one cancerous—and Spencer began chemotherapy. Powers didn’t think his beloved dog would make it out to the marathon of 2022. “Miraculously, he’s still here with us and an even bigger miracle, he was strong enough to go to the marathon,” he said.
After recovering, Spencer was back to work—not just at the marathon—but as a therapy dog, alongside his companion, Penny, who is also a golden therapy dog. Powers takes his two therapy dogs around to schools, hospitals and senior living centers.
“He’s a gift to us and we’re very lucky to have him. He’s too good so we want to share him with as many people as we possibly can. He does make a difference,” Powers said.
1. Why is Spencer referred to as a mascot for Boston Marathon?| A．He has a smiling furry face. | B．He appears at the event annually. |
| C．He is not recognized officially. | D．He works as a therapy dog for runners. |
| A．Motivation. | B．Satisfaction. | C．Fantasy. | D．Barrier. |
| A．A failure in the marathon. | B．Caring for his owner. | C．Fighting against a disease. | D．Going viral. |
| A．Confident, | B．Supportive. | C．Objective. | D．Negative. |
6 . Various sports attract fans for different reasons: Spectator sports draw even more fans who just love to watch. Here are some of the most beloved sports worldwide.
Football - 4 billion fans
Football, better known as soccer in the US, is by far the most popular sport in the world. Experts estimate that the origin (起源) of football may go as far back as two thousand years, beginning in ancient China during the Han Dynasty. One major reason for football’s global popularity is that, unlike other sports that require expensive equipment, all you need to play football is a ball and your feet.
Volleyball - 900 million fans
Volleyball pits two teams across a high net, each attempting to smash the ball onto the opponent’s (对手的) floor. A popular variant, beach volleyball, is competed on sand by pairs rather than the regular six players per team. The crowd appeal of beach volleyball has grown greatly in recent years.
Tennis - 1 billion fans
An estimated one billion people worldwide follow professional tennis tournaments and matches. In tennis, players on both sides of a net try to hit a ball with a racket so that it either goes past their opponent or bounces twice on their opponent’s side of the court to score points. Tennis superstars like Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams are now household names around the world, with huge international fan bases.
Hockey - 2 billion fans
Hockey, both on ice and on a field, wins a following of two billion enthusiastic fans worldwide. Field hockey is mainly played in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while ice hockey is particularly popular in Canada and the US, where kids grow up playing pond hockey. Unlike ice hockey, field hockey usually does not have body contact in the form of checking and hitting.
1. What makes football popular all over the world?| A．Its long history. | B．Its huge fan bases. |
| C．Its unique origin. | D．Its great convenience. |
| A．Football. | B．Hockey. | C．Volleyball. | D．Tennis. |
| A．Football is American people’s favorite sport. |
| B．Playing ice hockey has body contact. |
| C．Beach volleyball has attracted the most sports fans recently. |
| D．A tennis player loses one point if his ball goes past his opponent. |
7 . At the beginning of Grade Two, I joined the cross-country running team in our school.
When I came to the first practice, I was filled with optimism. But as the distance we ran in each practice gradually increased from three to four, to six miles, I realized with surprise that no matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t able to run as fast as others. In fact, I was one of the slowest on the team.
What was the point of putting myself through so much pain? After the first few weeks, I wanted to quit.
Then we had our first cross-country meet.
When we started the race, I felt the great pressure of expectations sink onto my shoulders. And after a while I stopped running and struggled to walk up the hill. But then I heard my coaches shouting my name from the top of the hill. I felt confused and embarrassed; why were they cheering for me? I was running terribly! As I tried my best to finish the race, I realized that my coaches didn’t care how fast I ran. Neither did my teammates. During the rest of the season, they were always on the sidelines of every race, cheering for me just as loudly as they’d cheered for the front runner.
From then on, I began to put my effort into supporting my teammates instead of focusing on my own performance. In that way, I celebrated my teammates’ victories as if they were my own; I felt their pain and exhaustion as if they were my own.
Cross-country running made me realize I don’t need to be the best to be successful in life. It taught me to value my relationships with people more than my relationship with my ego. It taught me to cheer for others even if I don’t know their names.
1. Why did the author want to give up after the first few weeks?| A．He had much pain in his knees. |
| B．He didn’t perform well in long-distance running. |
| C．He couldn’t get along well with others |
| D．He showed no interest in running. |
| A．Strict and hard-hearted. | B．Brave and adventurous. |
| C．Considerate and supportive. | D．Optimistic and humorous. |
| A．He lost himself in victories |
| B．He put more effort into his study |
| C．He received more support from his coaches |
| D．He started caring about his teammates |
| A．The importance of team spirit | B．The value of competition |
| C．The secret of winning a race | D．The benefits of doing sports |
8 . A study has found that a lifetime of regular exercise and activity can slow down the aging process (衰老过程). Researchers say that getting older should not necessarily mean becoming more weak or sick. Their research shows that the devotion to a life of movement and exercise may help us live not only longer, but also more healthily.
For their study, the researchers looked at two groups. The first group was made up of 125 non-professional cyclists (骑行者) between the ages of 55 to 79.This group included 84 healthy men and 41 healthy women. This group was called the“ cyclists”
Researchers then found 130 people to make up a second group. Within this group,75 people were aged from 57 to 80. The other 55 were between the ages of 20 and 36.The people in this group were also healthy, but they did not exercise regularly. This group was called the “non-exercisers”. Smokers, heavy drinkers of alcohol (酒精) and people with other health issues were not included in the study.
Then, researchers gave both groups a series of tests. They tested their muscle mass, muscular strength, percentage of body fat and the strength of their immune systems (免疫系统). Then the researchers compared the results of the two groups.
Results showed that the cyclists did not experience body changes usually regarded as a normal aging process. For example, they did not lose muscle mass or muscular strength. Also, their body fat did not increase with age.
The researchers also found something they had not expected. The study showed that the immune systems of the cyclists did not age either.
The researchers advise us all to find the exercise that we like in our lives.
1. How did the researchers carry out the study?| A．With imagination. |
| B．Through discussion. |
| C．By comparison |
| D．By reasoning |
| A．The cyclists’ muscles remained strong with age. |
| B．The non-exercisers gained weight easily. |
| C．The cyclists kept thin. |
| D．The non-exercisers usually had health problems. |
| A．The cyclists had the normal aging process |
| B．The cyclists’ immune systems didn’t age. |
| C．The cyclists lost nearly all their fat |
| D．Everyone needed exercise in their lives, |
| A．Healthy People Need More Exercise. |
| B．Take Exercise, the Harder, the Better |
| C．Cycling Is the Best Way to Prevent Aging. |
| D．A Lifetime of Exercise Slows the Aging Process. |
9 . How to Exercise at Home
You’ve got home from work, planned and prepared a nutritious yet also delicious dinner and now it’s time to put on some sports clothes and head to the gym. No?
Take advantage of your stairs
Here is a question.
Make the most of the housework!
Turn grocery delivery into a workout
| A．Turn to a vacuum cleaner |
| B．Make housework your workout |
| C．How many steps are there in your house |
| D．Rather than just vacuuming one room at a time |
| E．In that case, here are some home workout suggestions |
| F．How many times a day do you go up and down the stairs |
| G．Many of us now use online shopping to make our busy lives a little easier |
10 . It can be incredibly difficult to encourage ourselves to go for a run during winter, particularly when it’s wet and windy outside. But new research has found that even a super-quick run could have great health benefits. In fact , it seems that just a 10-minute session will not only make us feel better, but could actually improve brain health, too. Now, we all know that exercise can improve mental and physical health in many ways.
But when it comes to mental well-being, there’s been relatively little research done on the specific benefits of running, compared with other physical activities, such as cycling. So this was something put to the test during a recent study. Researchers from University of Tsukuba in Japan asked participants (参加者) to run on a treadmill (跑步机) for just 10 minutes. They then had to take a Stroop Color and Word Test which is used to measure reaction time in brain processing. Results showed there was a highest point in self-reported pleasure and an increase in degree of activity of the brain.
In other words, runners were found to have an increase in blood flow in the part of the brain that’s associated with dealing with functions and controlling mood (情绪). Researchers then compared these results to a similar study on cycling, which also showed improved cognition (认知), but no mood improvement. Therefore, it seems various types of exercise can make us feel differently.
The authors noted, “Given exercise is medicine, the effects of drugs differ depending on the type of drug, and different types of exercise such as running and cycling should be observed to have different effects on mental health and brain functions as well.”
So pushing ourselves to get outside for a run really will make us feel better, probably more than other fitness activities. And these findings show that we don’t necessarily need to do a lot of exercise to feel the benefit of it
1. What suggestion does the result of the new research offer?| A．Running in windy weather makes you stronger. |
| B．A short distance running can benefit a lot. |
| C．A 10-minute running is the best exercise. |
| D．Running can make people live longer. |
| A．By asking participants to do a test after running. |
| B．By asking participants to run outside. |
| C．By connecting the participants brain to a machine. |
| D．By recording the activities of the brain. |
| A．Because running can build up people’s strength. |
| B．Because running control people’s mood. |
| C．Because running can let the brain work effectively. |
| D．Because running can produce more blood. |
| A．Doing exercises can cure people’s illnesses. |
| B．Running has a similar function to cycling. |
| C．Different exercises affect health differently. |
| D．Running is better than any other exercises. |
