1 . Joint Statement from the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, held a conference call this morning to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to COVID-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant effect it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.

In a very friendly and constructive meeting, the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19.

The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world worsening. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating. There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.

In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.

The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon (灯塔) of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

1. What is the purpose of the conference call between the President of IOC and the Prime Minister of Japan?

A．To talk about the ways of dealing with the spread of COVID-19.

B．To talk about the effect of COVID-19 on people’s lives around the world.

C．To praise Japan for the great progress they made to fight against COVID-19.

D．To talk about the situation of COVID-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

2. What is the possible meaning of the underlined word in the 4th paragraph?

A．Slowing down.	B．Developing fast.
C．Spreading gradually.	D．Causing concern.

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the conference call?

A．COVID-19 has a great effect on the athletes’ preparations for the Games.

B．The situation caused by COVID-19 is worsening in many countries around the world.

C．The Tokyo Olympic Games will be rescheduled to a date not later than summer 2021.

D．The Games to be held in Tokyo will be named the Olympic Tokyo 2021.

4. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．The Tokyo Olympic Games is put off only to protect the health of the athletes.

B．The world will see hope of pulling through brought by the Tokyo Olympic Games.

C．The Olympic flame will be used as a light at the end of a tunnel of Tokyo.

D．Both the Olympic Games Tokyo and Paralympic Games Tokyo will not be held in 2020.

2 . You've probably heard it suggested that you need to move more throughout the day, and as a general rule of thumb, that "more" is often defined as around 10,000 steps. With many Americans tracking their steps via new fitness-tracking wearables, or even just by carrying their phone, more and more people use the 10,000-step rule as their marker for healthy living. Dr. Dreg Hager, professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins, decided to take a closer look at that 10,000-step rule, and he found that using it as a standard may be doing more harm than good for many.

“It turns out that in 1960 in Japan they figured out that the average Japanese man, when he walked 10,000 steps a day burned something like 3,000 calories and that is what they thought the average person should consume so they picked 10,000 steps as a number” Hager said.

According to Hager, asking everyone to shoot for 10,000 steps each day could be harmful to the elderly or those with medical conditions, making it unwise for them to jump into that level of exercise, even if it's walking. The bottom line is that 10,000 steps may be too many for some and too few for others. He also noted that those with shorter legs have an easier time hitting the 10,000-step goal because they have to take more steps than people with longer legs to cover the distance. It seems that 10,000 steps may be suitable for the latter.

A more recent study focused on older women and how many steps can help maintain good health and promote longevity (长寿).The study included nearly 17,000 women with an average age of 72. Researchers found that women who took 4,400 steps per day were about 40% less likely to die during a follow-up period of just over four years: Interestingly, women in the study who walked more than 7,500 steps each day got no extra boost in longevity.

1. What does the underlined word "it' in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．The phone recording.	B．The 10,000-step rule.
C．The healthy living.	D．The fitness-tracking method.

2. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．How many steps a Japanese walks.

B．How we calculate the number of steps.

C．If burning 3,000 calories daily is scientific.

D．Where 10,000 steps a day came from.

3. Who will probably benefit from 10,000 steps each day according to Hager?

A．Senior citizens.	B．Young short-legged people.
C．Healthy long-legged people	D．Weak individuals.

4. How many steps may the researchers suggest senior citizens take each day?

A．4,400 steps.	B．10,000 steps.
C．2,700 steps.	D．7,500 steps.

3 . US Open Championships

The US Open has been in existence for more than 130 years. The first tournament was held in 1881 at the Newport Casino. It was called the US National Singles Championship. Entry was limited to only those clubs which were members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association, and the competitors were all male, competing in both singles and doubles. Richard Sears won the men's championship and he went on to win the next six men's singles championships.

The Wimbledon

In 1875, the All England Croquet Club was troubled financially due to declining membership. A new sport called lawn tennis was gaining fast in popularity and taking away the members. Two years later, a new roller was needed for maintaining its lawns so the club proposed to hold a tournament to raise money. Twenty-two players entered that first Wimbledon tournament which was won by Spencer Gore in straight sets over W. C. Marshall. Two hundred spectators each paid a shilling to watch the final game, enabling the club to buy the needed roller plus some extra cash.

The French Open

The very first French Championship was way back in 1891, and the tournament has since grown into one of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments we know today. The first competition was a one-day national championship which was won by a British. The competition was poorly attended by world class players. It took 24 years before it became fully international and an accepted tennis grand slam event. After the First World War, French tennis was achieving stature. Suzanne Lenglen was the predominant French player, winning the championships six times between 1920 and 1926.

The Australian Open

The very first tennis tournament ever played in Australia was held in January 1880, on the courts of the Melbourne Cricket Club. In 1905, the Australian Open was established as the Australasian Tennis Championship and was played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne. It became the Australian Championship in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969. Women's events were added in 1922.

1. Which of the following statements about the first U.S. Open is right?

A．It has a history of 130 years.

B．Only men were allowed to play in the game.

C．Richard Sears won six championships.

D．It has remained about the same through all these years.

2. The purpose of the first Wimbledon tournament was to________.

A．raise some fund for a lawn roller	B．attract more people to play tennis
C．attract more audience to watch the game	D．celebrate the renaming of the club

3. According to what is said about the first French Open,________.

A．the tournament has been played in the same place all these years

B．twenty-two players played in the first tournament

C．few good tennis players took part in the first French Championship

D．the players played in singles and doubles in the tournament

4. What is common about the four international tournaments is that________.

A．they were all born in the same year

B．they all had only male players in the first tournament

C．they have all experienced financial difficulties

D．they all have had a history of 130 years or more

5. The passage mainly tells us________.

A．how the four international tennis tournaments came into being

B．how long it took for women to have the right to play in the game

C．how the four international tennis tournaments get their present names

D．why the tennis tournaments are held in these four countries

4 . Poetry Slam is a type of competition where people read their poems without props(道具), costumes or music. After performing, they get scores (0-10) from 5 judges. The judges can be anyone——they don’t even need to be poets! Scores are awarded based on how much each judge likes the poem.     1     Your poem doesn’t need to be a specific form of poetry. With that in mind, here are some common rules you’ll find in the competition.

Make it original. The written piece must be original.     2    

Time. Each poet has three minutes to perform. While reading your poem, make sure you finish it within three minutes.     3    

Simple.     4    Read and perform it for family and friends before completing. Ask them what is clear and what is not. Choose appropriate themes, like relationships, family-social problems, etc. Your poem should be clear and convey a message.

Rhythmic. Your poem should have a rhythm（韵律)that shows through your performance. A slam poem moves the audience through different emotions.     5    

A．Poets lose points for failing to meet limit.

B．The purpose of this judging process is to attract everyone to take part in it.

C．Your poem should be able to reach your audience the first time it is heard.

D．The highest and lowest scores are dropped and the middle three are kept.

E．The poem performed for the competition needs to be your own work.

F．How the poem is performed is at least as important as the content if not more.

G．Watch other Poetry Slams for encouragement, to get feedback and start competing in your own Poetry Slam.

5 . You may think that sailing is difficult, but it is really not hard to learn it. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind.

First, you must ask yourself, “Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side?” You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.

Let's start with the wind blowing from behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90° angle to the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.

If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat. In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45°angle to the boat. It needs to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn't flap. It shouldn't look like a flag on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.

Sailing into the wind is not possible. If you try, the sail will flap and the boat will stop. You may want to go in that direction. It is possible, but you can't go in a straight line. You must go first in one direction and then in another. This is called tacking(作“之”字形航行). When you are tacking, you must always keep the sail inside the boat.

1. What should you consider first while sailing?

A．Sailors' strength.

B．Wave levels.

C．Wind directions.

D．Size of the sail.

2. What does the underlined word "It" in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The sail.

B．The wind.

C．The boat.

D．The angle.

3. What do you have to do when sailing against the wind?

A．Move in a straight line.	B．Allow the sail to flap.
C．Lower the sail.	D．Tack the boat.

4. What's the purpose of writing the passage?

A．To advise you to go sailing.	B．To teach you how to go sailing.
C．To show the danger of sailing.	D．To tell the difficulty of sailing.

6 . It is very obvious that some of the world's top-performing athletes have and feel something deep inside their core that regular athletes simply don't.     1     and are constantly pushing themselves to become better than yesterday. These athletes are the types of people that inspire and motivate other people to really give it their all and if you analyse them you will see that no matter how great they are, they are constantly trying to improve something new that is going to take them to the next level.

First of all, the pursuit (追求) of health and fitness should always start with goal setting.     2    , they have an exact picture of what they are trying to reach and they make sure that their goals are concrete and measurable, so they always have an idea of how far they are from their goals.

These athletes don't limit themselves when it comes to their health accomplishments.     3     even though they really don't know how they are going to reach them at first. They know that by setting high goals their motivation levels will explode and they will be even more fired up to find a way that will make them reach their “impossible” goals. For these guys, nothing is impossible when it comes to health and fitness.

    4     They push themselves as hard as they can and constantly try to reach new levels of success. For the outside world, it might be hard to understand how they can push themselves this hard, but for these super athletes, it is just a game.     5     that they don't even see it as work, they see the whole thing as fun.

A．Last but not least, they are extremely excited and driven by their goals.

B．They always give it their all.

C．Their goals excite and motivate them so much

D．They try their best to shape their bodies

E．Compared to regular athletes who don't set concrete (具体的) goals and monitor them

F．This is what really fuels and drives them when training

G．They set really high goals

7 . Rachel sat on the back steps, pounding her fist into her softball (垒球) glove and staring at the old tire swing in the backyard. Tryouts for the softball team were next week, and she desperately needed someone to act as catcher while she worked on her pitching (投，击). Unfortunately her father was away on business, and her mother was embroiled in final exams. Her mother was so wrapped up in studying that she barely had time to eat. Rachel wondered what to do as she woefully stoked her dog Kit.

Her grandfather came around the comer of the house and stopped when he saw Rachel. “Why the long face?” he asked. “Pitching tryouts are next week. Grandpa,” she explained. “And I need to be in top form-four girls are trying out for only three pitching positions. But there's no one around who can practice with me.” She tossed the softball to Kit, who smartly leapt into the air and easily caught the ball with her teeth. Kit eagerly ran back to Rachel and placed the ball at her feet.

Grandpa offered to help. Rachel swallowed hard. Her grandfather had injured his hip and had to stay in a wheelchair now. She certainly didn't want to cause him further injury by hurling fast pitches at him, but how could she refuse his offer without hunting him?

Her grandfather slowly moved his wheelchair into the backyard and told Rachel to stand where he pointed. Rachel obeyed quickly, and Kit followed her. “Take a look at that tire swing. Rachel. It looks like the batter's (击球手) strike zone, wouldn't you say?” asked her grandfather. Rachel eyed the swing and nodded slowly. She said, “So if my pitch makes it through the tire, I'm almost certainly throwing a strike. Everything else is probably outside the strike zone.” Her grandfather smiled and added, “We can always raise or lower the tire to simulate (模拟) the strike zones of taller or shorter batters.” “But what about a catcher?” asked Rachel. “I don't want to keep fetching my own pitches.” “I've got the perfect solution to your problem,” said her grandfather, who moved forward to throw Rachel's softball across the yard. “Go get it, Kit!” he shouted. The excellent dog ran after the ball, picked it up in her jaws, end bounded back with her prize. Rachel gave him a grateful hug and said, “Grandpa, I think my chances of making the team just improved one hundred per cent!”

1. The word “embroiled” in the first paragraph means __________.

A．involved

B．replaced

C．confused

D．served

2. The word “prize” in the last paragraph refers to ____________.

A．the dog

B．jaws

C．softball

D．food

3. What will Kit do to help Rachel?

A．She will get back Rachel's pitches.	B．She will play with Rachel’s grandfather.
C．She will jump through the tire swing.	D．She will cheer Rachel playing.

4. What is Rachel's problem?

A．She has no one to talk to.	B．She has to take care of her grandfather.
C．She is busy with final exams.	D．She needs to practice her pitching.

8 . William Purkey, a well-known professor of education, once said, "Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live like it's heaven on earth." It seems like the perfect life philosophy (哲理)---and one I've learned to apply to running over the year.

But I didn't always feel this way. In my early days, when I weighed 240 pounds, I ran like everyone was watching---and judging. If I was on a run and saw a car approaching, I'd stop and pretend I was looking for something I'd lost. I bought the high-tech gear and clothes that I thought would make people believe I was a runner. And I didn't know if the expensive shoes I was wearing were the right kind for me---I just wanted to look like I fit in with this group.

To be honest, I felt a certain satisfaction in believing that someone was watching. I really thought that other people cared about my performance. The best example of this was a combined, two-lap marathon(马拉松长跑)in Florence, Italy. As I approached finishing line, the crowd began to cheer. I was surprised. Here I was, thousands of miles from home, and the Italians were shouting for “IIPenguino.”

About 20 yards from the finishing ,the truth set in when the winner of the full marathon went past me as I was finishing the marathon No one was cheering for me. no one probably even noticed that I was finishing. I couldn't help but smile at my own illusion of self-importance.

That's when I realized I had been running for every reason except the right one. I ran to make other people happy, ran to live up to their expectations. But no one was watching---no cared. So I decided I was going to run for me---just me---and gained a new enjoyment from the sport I hadn't truly experienced yet. I've learned to run like no one is watching.

So if you see me at race, and I look like a 60-year-old guy wadding(蹒跚) along, don't worry. I'm fine. The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

1. The writer begins her writing by________.

A．telling her running story	B．explaining a life philosophy
C．listing some life rules	D．introducing a well-known saying

2. We can learn from paragraph 2 that the writer________.

A．used sports clothes and shoes to attract attention

B．was concerned about what others thought of her

C．liked to be the focus other runners

D．struggled to find the right shoes to fit her

3. When the writer was near the finishing line, ________.

A．she smiled at her own achievement

B．the crowd cheered for her madly

C．nobody really cared about her running

D．She realized the importance of confidence

4. By telling her own story, the writer wanted to________.

A．tell us to live a life of our own

B．encourage more people to run

C．expect us to improve our health by running

D．stress the importance of determination

9 . “When I grow up, I want to be a runner.” These words are spoken by thousands of Kenyan children. 50 percent of the Kenyan top runners are members of Kalenjin, one minority race of the country. They make up less than two percent of Kenya’s population. This fact has puzzled sports scientists. They have spent considerable time and effort trying to answer one question: What enables the Kalenjin people to run so fast?

Although the question seems simple, finding the answer has proven to be difficult and controversial (有争议的). A team of Danish sports scientists spent 18 months and discovered the Kalenjins had remarkably slow heart rates even when running long distances. The Kalenjins live in high-elevation (高海拔) villages in the Rift Valley in western Kenya. People living at high elevations produce more red blood cells, which aid in the transport of oxygen throughout the body. Because the air is thinner and contains less oxygen at high elevations, the body produces more red blood cells. Scientists believe there is a connection between increased red blood cells and low heart rates and that both may enable high-altitude athletes to outperform those who train at low altitudes. The Danish scientists also studied the bodies of the Kalenjins and compared them to those of the Danes. They found that the Kalenjins have longer “birdlike” legs. The Kalenjins also have lower body mass indexes (a measure of body fat based on weight and height) and shorter bodies than Danish people.

As a result of the Danish study, some scientists made the conclusion that the Kalenjins possess what is called a “speed gene (基因)”. However, Kenyan runners were offended by this conclusion. They owed their success to hard work and endless hours of training.

Although the controversy over the “speed gene” remains unsolved, British runner Mo Farah’s experience offers an interesting perspective on the subject. In 2005, he realized he wasn’t meeting his potential as a runner. A group of Kenyan runners were training in England then. After he accidentally observed the Kenyans’ strict training routines and dedication to their sport, Farah said it was like a switch had been turned on in his head. He began eating healthy foods, going to bed early, and training harder than he had ever trained in his life. As a result, Farah’s running career exploded. He has won seven world and Olympic titles in the 5000m and regularly beats Kenya’s top runners!

Farah’s story proves what Kenyans have known all along. Regardless of genetics, their success would not be possible without hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and mental toughness. Their “secret” is simple. Train hard, run fast and never give up.

1. What interested the sports scientists?

A．Kenyan sports history.	B．Kanlenjins’ running ability.
C．Kanlenjins’ training methods.	D．Kenyans’ enthusiasm for sport.

2. According to Danish scientists, what leads to the Kanlenjins’ success?

A．Physical condition.	B．Hard training.
C．Healthy lifestyle.	D．Strong will.

3. What did Kenyan runners think of Danish research result?

A．Satisfactory.

B．Typical.

C．Unacceptable.

D．Important.

4. Why is Mo Farah’s story mentioned in the passage?

A．To show running methods count.	B．To encourage British athletes.
C．To prove effort pays off.	D．To support gene theory.

10 . WELCOME TO THE 2021 HAL LEONARD VOCAL COMPETITION

The annual Hal Leonard Vocal Competition was founded in 2011 to encourage young singers from all over United States and Canada, from children through college undergraduates. Thousands of singers have participated in the competition, with top placing videos from 35 states and provinces, and over 40 colleges and universities. The Hal Leonard Vocal Competition was one of the first music competitions held entirely on YouTube.

This year with many singers studying at home and unable to meet in person with teachers, we hope the 2021 Hal Leonard Vocal Competition can be a rewarding project for all participants to experience growth, community, and enrichment. The competition offers a thread of connection between all singers who enter, by seeing and hearing their peers (同龄人) online.

The rules of the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition have alwa ys required that a recorded accompaniment (伴奏) must be an official Hal Leonard recording. Because of the special circumstances we are in, for the 2021 competition, we will allow a singer to use an accompaniment recording made that is not an official Hal Leonard recording, provided that the accompaniment recorded matches exactly the edition of the songs from books chosen on the required repertoire (全部曲目) list. The accompaniment must be piano or keyboard only.

Unlike almost every other music competition, there is no entry fee in the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition. We deliberately want young singers from any location in North America to be able to enter, without the expense of travel to an audition (试镜) site. And singers can view and hear others on YouTube from around the US and Canada who are in their own age group. Voice teachers have told us that it is instructive to hear hundreds of singers from other studios.

It is important to us to encourage the study of art song as well as musical theatre, with four age categories for each ：

• Children, 12 and under

• Early Teens, 13-15

• High School, 16-18

• College Undergraduates/Young Adults, 18-23

1. What does the competition allow participants to do?

A．Meet their teachers personally.	B．Hear people of their age online.
C．Receive videos of famous singers.	D．Get some gifted books on singing.

2. What are participants required to do?

A．Travel to an audition site ahead of time.

B．Prepare and record some original songs.

C．Use non-official Hal Leonard recording.

D．Provide accompaniment to the entry song.

3. What is special about the competition?

A．It is free to participate.	B．It is held on YouTube.
C．It is attended by students.	D．It can be watched online.