1 . You may hear the phrase — dress for success.     1    . But does it matter what you wear for a workout? Listed below are four reasons why you should wear good quality workout clothing.

The Right Athletic Clothing Increases Confidence

The clothing you wear is going to make a difference if you believe it’s going to help you perform better. Studies have shown the positive impact of wearing the right clothes for your workplace and this extends to sports and fitness too.     2    . That is to say, if you like what you are wearing at the gym, there is a greater chance you will want to exercise.

    3    

Maybe you need a shirt that takes away moisture (水分) from the body so your morning jogs are more comfortable and you can stay out longer. However, a pair of running shoes would not be appropriate on the soccer field. Shoes made for running lack the flexibility and stability required for other sports, thus affecting your performance.

The Right Workout Equipment Adds Protection & Prevents Injuries

You may want a cap to cover your head and protect your face. You might want to use gloves in the gym to protect your hands while using improperly fitted equipment is a major cause of sports-related injuries.     4    .

Well-Fitted Athletic Clothing Improves Freedom of Movement

    5    . A tight shirt can restrict your movement. Even if you are able to swing or make other movements you will be affected if you are aware of the tightness around your body.

A．It will consequently turn pleasing workout into hospital visits

B．Good sports shoes protect your feet

C．Freedom of movement is important in intense sports

D．The Good Clothing Can Aid Possibility in Exercise

E．The Correct Sports Clothing Improves Performance

F．If you know you look great — chances are you will act it out

G．In other words, the clothing you choose influences your performance on the sports field

2 . Young Writers Awards

About the Contest

Bennington College has a unique literary tradition. We’ve had twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three US poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. In celebration of this, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Students are invited to enter with the following work:

•Poetry: A group of three poems

•Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play

•Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)

A first-, second-, and third-place winner is selected in each category. We welcome participation of both US and international students.

Awards & Rules

First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250.

•No charge for entrance. Fees for accidents caused by participants are required.

•All entries must be original work reviewed, approved and guided by a teacher. We will use your teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact one to assist in your writing even if you have experience in such competitions.

Young Writers Awards finalists and winners are also qualified for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. Young Writers Awards finalists who apply and gain admission to Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. Young Writers Awards winners reaching the standard will receive $15,000 every year, for a total of $60,000.

1. What can be learned about the Young Writers Awards?

A．It rewards three winners at last.

B．It’s a tradition of Bennington College.

C．It accepts participants worldwide.

D．It offers scholarships to undergraduates.

2. What are the participants asked to do?

A．Hand in a personal essay.	B．Have related writing experience.
C．Pay an entry fee on time.	D．Find a teacher to help with the entry.

3. How much will the second-place winner to be admitted into Bennington gain in total?

A．$10,500.	B．$15,500.
C．$40,500.	D．$60,500.

3 . Sports play an important role in teenagers’ lives. They help teenagers keep fit and teach them teamwork. Four teenagers from different countries talk about their sports.

Li Yue, China

I do many sports, but my favourite is table tennis. I play table tennis in a club at the weekend and I’m quite good at it. On Saturday I teach some younger children to play table tennis, and that’s really fun.

Sophie, Britain

My sport is rugby. I play for the U15s, the team for players under the age of 15. My team always plays a match on Saturday or Sunday, and I usually go to practice games three times on weekdays. It’s hard work, but it’s never boring!

Ben, Canada

I love the snow and the mountains. In the holidays, I always go to the mountains with my family. I go snowboarding with my sister and other young people every day, and I’m getting really good. I want to be a famous snowboarder one day.

Laura, America

I started running when I was really young. When I was 13, I joined a club and started taking part in competitions. I have never won a race, but I’m improving all the time. That’s the most important thing for me. I’ve also made many friends since joining the club.

1. Who is good at playing table tennis?

A．Li Yue.

B．Sophie.

C．Ben.

D．Laura.

2. What does Sophie always do at the weekend?

A．Play a match.	B．Go snowboarding.
C．Go to practice games.	D．Practice running in a club.

3. What’s the most important thing for Laura?

A．Winning races.	B．Enjoying the sport.
C．Making friends.	D．Improving all the time.

4 . Competitive video gaming, known as e-sports, should be included in the Olympic Games, the creator of World of Warcraft has told the BBC.

Rob Pardo, who until July, 2014 was chief creative officer at Blizzard Entertainment, a famous game company, said that “sport” now had a broad definition. “Video games are well positioned to be a spectator sport (观赏性体育运动).“ he told Afternoon Edition on BBC S Live.

Professional e-sports events currently attract audiences of millions. A recent major final held in Seoul, South Korea, filled a stadium of 40,000 people, with many more watching online around the world.

”There’s a very good argument for e-sports being in the Olympics,“ said Mr. Pardo, who was also lead designer on Starcraft: Brood War, a game often credited with promoting the e-sports phenomenon.

”I think the way that you look at e-sports is that it is a very competitive skill and you look at these professional gamers and the reflexes are lightning quick and they’re having to make very quick decisions on the fly.

“When you look at their ‘actions per minute’, they’re clearing over 300.”

However, he admitted that video gaming faced a cultural battle to win over those who followed more physical sports.

“That starts getting into how you define sport,” he said. “If you want to define sport as something that takes a lot of physical exertion (用力气), then it’s hard to argue that video games should be a sport, but at the same time, when I’m looking at things that are already in the Olympics, I start questioning the definition.”

Having new sports admitted into the Olympic is a long-winded process and, since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) limited the number of sports allowed in the Games, has become increasingly difficult.

Even if e-sports were to be recognized as an Olympic sport, that doesn’t mean they would be included in the Games — it merely means a case can be presented to the IOC.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about Rob Pardo?

A．He works for BBC now.

B．He held the e-sports final in Seoul.

C．He was in charge of the game Starcraft: Brood War.

D．He is the chief creative officer at Blizzard Entertainment now.

2. What does the underlined word “reflexes” mean in paragraph 5?

A．reaction

B．challenge

C．creation

D．ability

3. The professional e-sports gamers’ ability to respond is thought to be ________.

A．very slow	B．very quick
C．as quick as ordinary people	D．as quick as other sports players

4. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A travel brochure.	B．An advertisement.
C．A textbook.	D．A news report.

5 . The Most Popular Sports In The World

Sports are popular for a number of reasons, varying from keeping healthy to recreational purposes. Sports are even more popular with people who do not necessarily participate in them, but love being spectators. Here is a brief discussion of the most popular sports in the world.

Football (Soccer)—4 Billion Fans

Football, better known as soccer in the US and Canada, is the most popular sport in the world. The origins of modern football are in England in the 19th century, though history points to people playing similar games as far back as 2,000 years ago in China. It is played all over the world, but is particularly popular in Europe, Central and South America, and Africa.

Cricket—2.5 Billion Fans

The game is most popular in the UK and some former British colonies, especially India, Pakistan and Australia. Like baseball, it involves two teams, a bat, a large field, and scoring runs. There are obvious differences, however, including a long rectangular pitch at the center of a cricket field.

Hockey—2 Billion Fans

Hockey takes place both on ice and in a field. Field hockey is mainly played in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while ice hockey is particularly popular in Canada, the US, and Northern Europe. The game involves two teams trying to put a ball into the opposing team's net with a hockey stick. Unlike ice hockey, field hockey usually does not involve body contact in the form of checking.

Tennis —1 Billion Fans

In tennis, players on both sides of a lengthened net try to hit a ball with a racket so that it either goes past their opponents or bounces on their opponents' side twice to score points. Pro tennis players, like Roger Federer and Serena Williams, are now household names around the world.

1. Of the following sports, which has the least followers?

A．Soccer.

B．Cricket.

C．Hockey.

D．Tennis.

2. Where did modern soccer appear for the first time?

A．In China.	B．In Africa.
C．In England.	D．In North America.

3. What do cricket and hockey have in common?

A．They involve a field and a stick.	B．They involve two teams.
C．They are most popular in the UK.	D．They are played on ice and in a field.

6 . If you’re looking for competitions, don’t sweat it. You have arrived at the right place wherein you’ll be updated on the latest competitions which require participation on the Internet. These competitions don’t charge any fee, and what’s more, they accept individuals from any part of the world. You can click the name of each listed contest, which is a link. It will direct you to a web page where you will get more detailed information on how to register or participate.

Writer Contest

Genre (类型): Sci-fi and fantasy. They don’t accept poetry or children’s stories.

Length: About 17,000 words

Prize: $5,000 for the grand prize winner at the end of the year

Deadline: The quarterly contest ends on September 30

Creative Writing Ink Competition

Submission (提交) of poems only. You can submit multiple entries.

Theme: Open

Length: Up to 40 lines

Prizes: Publication on the website and a voucher worth £10

Deadline: Last day of every month

12th Casa Africa Essay Contest

Theme: Climate Change in Africa

“Casa Africa gives the focus of the 12th essay contest to climate change, its effects, future trends and, especially, the way in which this threat is being fought.”

Length: 15,000-20,000 words

Prize: €2,000

Deadline: September 17 each year

Yale Drama Series

Prizes: $10,000, a staged reading at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theater and publication of the entry by Yale University Press

Length: Full-length plays of over 65 pages

Submissions must be original and not professionally produced. Translations, musicals and children’s plays aren’t accepted.

Deadline: August 15 each year

1. What should a participant do?

A．Pay some entry fees.	B．Submit an entry online.
C．Register on this web page.	D．Email to get relevant information.

2. Which competition is held most frequently?

A．Writer Contest.	B．Yale Drama Series.
C．12th Casa Africa Essay Contest.	D．Creative Writing Ink Competition.

3. Who might Yale Drama Series attract?

A．Those working as a translator.	B．Those experts in creating short plays.
C．Those wanting their work to be published.	D．Those good at writing children’s literature.

7 . The Importance of Getting Kids to Be Active

Everyone knows that kids should be physically active and need to exercise regularly to be physically fit.     1    , regular physical activity is considered by most experts to be an important part of a healthy lifestyle. However, that doesn’t mean every child needs to spend four or five hours a day exercising.

How Much Exercise Do Kids Need?

It is recommended that kids should be physically active for at least 60 minutes per day.     2    . For example, if your eight-year-old played soccer for 20 minutes during PE at school and then played basketball with his friends for 40 minutes after school, he would meet the recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity for that day.

Exercise and Calories

    3    . It can help them build self-respect, sleep better, have more energy, and reduce depression. And as most people know, along with a healthy diet, regular exercise is the best way to lose weight and prevent childhood obesity (肥胖). Since your child is not likely to get his exercise using exercise equipment, it can be hard to always tell how many calories he is burning while exercising.     4    , as long as your child is getting his 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day and maintaining a healthy diet.

Youth Exercise and Fitness

Remember that kids, even teens, don’t usually stick with exercise programs.     5    . Instead, kids do better with lifestyle exercise programs, such as active free play and organized team sports.

A．Fortunately, it doesn’t matter

B．Regular exercise is good for kids

C．So they will be able to burn even more calories

D．That’s why you don’t see many kids in health clubs

E．Whether they are overweight or at a healthy weight

F．If your child is very active and is still gaining weight

G．But that doesn’t have to be 60 minutes of continuous activity

8 . Have you heard of the following events?

Sheep shearing (修剪)

It’s a big sport in New Zealand, which proudly hosts the annual Golden Shears International Championships. Held in the town of Masterton in March, the four-day event seeks to identify the world’s fastest sheep shearer. The event is not all about shearing; live bands bring a party atmosphere to it. It’s attractive to many tourists.

Lucha libre

It’s a form of freestyle wrestling with a devoted fan base in its native Mexico. Competitors are famous for their well-made masks, which keep their identities a secret. That’s until they are defeated in the fight, which often requires losers to show their faces. Don’t forget to bring some loose change: when viewers are impressed by a victorious wrestler, they throw money at them. You may enjoy the event once a year.

Lawnmower (割草机) racing

This annual sport now has its own governing body—the British Lawn Mower Racing Association (BLRA). It has a 30-race championship that runs from May to October. Most races are part of larger rural events, such as the Cranleigh Show in Surrey, where viewers can experience other events. The BLRA remains un-commercial and donates all profits to organizations that help people who are poor, sick, or in difficulties.

Wife carrying

Every year a small town of Sonkajaervi in Finland hosts the event: the International Wife Carrying Championships. During this competition, husbands have to carry their wives along the track which is 250 m long and features several barriers on land and a 1-m deep water pool. Two couples start at the same time and run as fast as they can. The winning couple is the one that completes the course in the shortest time.

1. What are viewers advised to do while watching Lucha libre?

A．Wear a mask.	B．Cheer for the loser.
C．Look at the wrestler’s face.	D．Take some coins with them.

2. Which event is related to charity work?

A．Sheep shearing.	B．Lawnmower racing.
C．Lucha libre.	D．Wife carrying.

3. What do the events listed in the text have in common?

A．They are held annually.	B．They attract many tourists.
C．They are international sports.	D．They are favored by the young.

9 . These days, many gyms require clients to wear masks or face coverings. The good news: research suggests they don't actually hold up your performance.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan gathered a group of 7 men and 7 women, ranging from slightly inactive to excellent cyclists and tested the effects of wearing a three-layer cloth face mask, a surgical mask, and no mask on their exercise performance.

The study participants started with a brief warm-up on a fixed bike, then took a progressive intensity exercise test, during which it was vital for them to keep the same pedal rate while the resistance was continually increased until exhaustion (疲惫不堪). Something like the heart rate was recorded every 30 seconds.

The results suggested that wearing a mask had no effect on performance or muscle oxygen levels. Since there was no difference in time to exhaustion between conditions, the highest power reached at the end of each test was similar in mask and no-mask conditions for all participants, Professor Chilibeck explained. Researchers also did not see any effects of the masks during exercise on blood oxygen levels, which wouldn't decrease if breathing was not affected.

And while droplet (飞沫) spread was not measured, all masks used were tested in a previous study in which they were shown to effectively minimize droplet spread, according to Chilibeck. Though the participants represented a wide range of fitness levels, it's important to note that these tests were conducted on a very small sample size, and more research is needed on larger populations to draw sweeping conclusions about the general population.

1. How did the researchers draw the conclusion?

A．By conducting an experiment.	B．By making brief analysis.
C．By observing normal cyclists.	D．By doing medical tests.

2. What will happen if masks block your performance?

A．Your heart rate may keep stable.	B．You might produce less droplet.
C．Your blood oxygen levels will drop.	D．You will feel more tired than before.

3. What is the author's attitude to the study?

A．Doubtful.

B．Favorable.

C．Disapproving.

D．Objective.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Why Should We Train with Masks?

B．Why Don't Masks Worsen Our Performance?

C．Do Masks Affect Our Performance?

D．Can We Train While Wearing Masks?

10 . Today with the urge for gender and racial equality, people are constantly debating on most subjects when it comes to either of these topics. One of the most debated topics is “Should sports teams be coed (男女都参加的)?”     1    

First of all, the athletic differences between men and women would aid the teams.    2     But according to the researchers at the University of British Columbia women have higher endurance and stamina (毅力) than men of similar age and athletic ability. The mixture of extra stamina from women and the natural strength from men makes a good mixture making the team stronger.

    3    With sports being co-ed, kids would learn to get along with each other. The reason kids of opposite genders don’t really play with each other is that “Because you’re a girl” or “Because you’re a boy”.    4    For example, that would be unprofessional if your boss was of the opposite gender and your reason for not listening or for not cooperating was “Because you’re a girl or boy”.

Finally, being co-ed in sports teams increases the chances of women getting into college with a sports scholarship. The reasoning behind this is that the male part of sports has more attention on it, so men are more noticed.     5    This means more scholarship opportunities has come for women.

A．Getting into a college is hard for girls.

B．I personally believe sports should be co-ed.

C．That idea could get them in trouble in the future.

D．Surprisingly, co-ed sports lead to more heated discussions.

E．Besides, kids will build relationships faster with the opposite gender.

F．With teams coed, women probably have more attention put on them.

G．Some people are against co-ed sports, for they think the athletic differences exist.