1 . Reasons to Put on Your Rollerblades and Hit the Pavement
Rollerblading (旱冰) is great for building balance, strengthening muscles, and improving mental health. It’s also a cheap, fun, and eco-friendly way to get your daily exercise in.
It’s fun
We all know that we should be exercising several times a week, and picking a workout that is fun naturally motivates us to get up and get going.
It’s cheap
Rollerblading is also a great exercise choice because it costs very little.
It’s eco-friendly
Skater and climate activist, Gerhard Ladstatte explains why he started Friday Night Skating, a free street skating event. “We want to move without burning fuel.” People looking for an oil-free way to get to a workplace that isn’t too far from home, while combining daily exercise into their routine, can consider rollerblading to work.
It’s good for your mental health
Like any form of aerobic exercise, skating is associated with a number of wellness benefits.
| A．In other words, rollerblading has it all. |
| B．Exercise and fresh air can reduce stress. |
| C．Not only is skating cheap, it also benefits nature. |
| D．All you need is a pair of skates and some safety equipment. |
| E．Rollerblading is an exciting way to get in fresh air and exercise. |
| F．It’s easy to see why so many people are discovering the joys of skating. |
| G．Unlike a bicycle, you don’t need to find a place to store your skates while you work. |
2 . Competing for a Trip to Soma Bay, Egypt
Soma Bay is a perfect place for sunny relaxation. If you take a trip there, you can also take part in the competition we organize.
The Destination
Lapped by the Red Sea on three sides and with views of sandy beaches and desert mountains, Soma Bay can attract nature lovers most, Spreading across almost 2,500 acres, the Egyptian tourist attraction has an 18-hole golf course designed by Gary Player, a golfing enthusiast, as well as the largest Thalasso spa in Africa. Kiteboarding, diving and horse riding are all on offer, too.
Of Soma Bay’s five accommodation options, a five-star hotel enjoys a fantastic location on the highest point of the Soma Bay peninsula. It has a number of guest rooms and suites with private balconies, as well as four on-site restaurants, You can enjoy beach-side pizza, take afternoon tea, or stop for a drink by the 18th hole. They are all offered by the hotel.
The Prize
With the official permission of Soma Bay, the winner can enjoy a four-night stay in a classic room at the five-star hotel on a half-price basis. The prize includes return economy class flight tickets with overhead cabin luggage from the UK to Hurghada International Airport up to the value of £650 per person, with direct routes available from cities including London, Manchester and Bristol, plus return airport transfers to Soma Bay (UK transfers aren’t included).
To Enter
Answer the following question online at natgeotv,com/uk/competitions:
ON WHICH SEA IS SOMA BAY LOCATED?
Competition closes on 31 October 2023.
The winner must be a UK adult resident, aged 18 or over.
1. What does the five-star hotel offer?| A．Games on a golf course. | B．Tickets for kiteboarding. |
| C．Something to eat and drink. | D．Accommodation on the beach. |
| A．A free stay in the perfect hotel. | B．A return airport transfer to the UK. |
| C．A possible direct flight ticket from Bristol. | D．A first class flight from the UK to Hurghada |
| A．It welcomes children. | B．It covers multiple questions. |
| C．It targets at Egyptian citizens. | D．It ends on the last day of October. |
3 . It might be a shock, but video games might be added to the 2024 Olympics. The debate over this gives both sports and video game fans something to consider.
The Olympic Games were created in the 1890s with the inspiration of replicating (重现) the ancient Olympic Games which were a celebration for the ancient Greek God, Zeus. Thereafter, it changed to be a great competition to show off the athletes’ strength, physical abilities, and skills. On the other hand, video games were first made for entertaining the people. It wasn’t until 1972 that the first competitive video game was created. Afterwards, people held competitions to exhibit players’ skills: hand-eye coordination (手眼协调), quick thinking, and even teamwork. With these two types of similar events, it’s easy to see why people are considering combining the two.
With this addition to the Olympic Games, it gives the competitors more competing events, gives different types of entertainment to viewers, and allows more people to join the Olympics. Besides, allowing video games in the Olympics will not only exhibit physical strength, but also bring intelligence, reaction speed, and more teamwork to the competition.
However, every coin has two sides. One disadvantage of this extension of the Olympic Games is the increase of “Haters”. There have already been cases of people who dislike video games in their everyday lifestyle. If the two activities were to combine, the popularity of this event would be lowered.
The worst downside appears. If video games were to enter the Olympics, it would not be the competition that it was originally made to be. The Olympics were made for great athletic abilities and skills, not for pushing buttons to control something that isn’t physically real.
With both positive and negative effects, it will be a hard choice whether or not to place video games in the Olympics. Although the final decision hasn’t been made yet, we’d better keep open-minded about that.
1. Which of the following shows the structure of the text?| A．①②/③/④⑤/⑥ | B．①②③/④⑤/⑥ |
| C．①/②③④/⑤/⑥ | D．①②/③④/⑤/⑥ |
| A．Some other events will be got rid of. |
| B．The atmosphere will be more harmonious. |
| C．The inclusiveness of the Olympics will increase. |
| D．The chance of winning in the Olympics will decrease. |
| A．Video games will become widely popular with children. |
| B．People will lose interest in great athletic abilities. |
| C．The original purpose of the Olympics will be lost. |
| D．The popularity of the Olympics will fade. |
| A．Should the events of the Olympics be expanded? |
| B．Should the Olympics be encouraged to change? |
| C．Should video games be further encouraged? |
| D．Should video games be in the Olympics? |
4 . Soccer, basketball, baseball, and the like are popular all around the world, However, do you look for something a bit different? There may be some new sports that you want to try out!
One of the new sports is regball. It is a Russian sport adding basketball, wrestling (摔跤) and rugby. As in basketball, the players have a ball that they try to shoot through a hoop (篮筐) . But nobody will be calling “that’s a travel” while watching this sport, because there is no need to dribble (运球) . Players also wrestle with each other during the game.
Another kind of sport you don’t see every day is soapbox racing. Handmade vehicles are pushed down a hill, and competitors have to drive their vehicles through a course with different kinds of things in their way. Not all competitors are engineers, so the vehicles are easy to break apart. Competitors are judged for their soapbox’s creativity. Therefore, speed is not everything, and creativity plays the most important role. Competitors often design their vehicles based on themes from pop culture or history. Of course, the competitors dress up to play the role, too.
Cheese rolling race is not seen very often, but it is exciting. This is a game that is extremely funny for audience, but painful for competitors. During the game, competitors race down a very steep (陡峭的) hill, chasing after a round of Double Gloucester cheese that can weigh up to nine pounds and can travel some 70 miles per hour. Whoever gets to the bottom first wins the cheese.
1. What can we know about regball?| A．It mixes three kinds of sports. |
| B．Its competitors race down a hill. |
| C．Wrestling is not allowed during the game. |
| D．Its rules are exactly the same as basketball. |
| A．A lesson. | B．A track. | C．An action. | D．A period of time. |
| A．Their speed. | B．Their clothes. |
| C．Their creativity. | D．Their driving experiences. |
| A．A new study about sports. |
| B．A presentation of sports skills. |
| C．An introduction to three new sports. |
| D．The difference between traditional and new sports. |
5 . What are the limits of the human body? Is there a point at which it is physically impossible to do something?
“One thing we’ve all learned in the last 30 years or so is that just about anything is humanly possible,” says Dr. Jack Wilmore, author of Physiology of Sport and Exercise. “As time goes by, I think you’ll see more records continue to fall in every sport. The talent pool is better than ever. With more and better athletes involved and competing, records will fall and new standards will be set.”
Many believed it was physically impossible for a human to run a mile in under four minutes, but Roger Bannister proved that theory wrong with a three-minute, 59-second mile in 1954. Today, sub-four-minute miles are considered routine even in high school. And Bob Beamon stretched human performance in the 1968 Olympics with his historic long jump of 8.90 metres. In an event where a record is usually broken by mere inches, he broke the previous jump record by more than 21 inches, but even his record was broken in 1991.
One factor is now becoming more understood and heavily emphasized: sports psychology. Getting inside the athlete’s head can be as effective as training and long workouts. According to Wilmore, the psychological aspect of sports has become more and more esteemed. He points out that most professional teams have hired sports psychologists for their players.
In addition, every aspect of athletics --- training, nutrition, injury treatment --- is far better than it’s ever been. “Besides, children today tend to specialize in one or two sports instead of competing in several as was common twenty-five years ago,” Wilmore says. “That means they start concentrating on a sport much earlier and more intensely, and they become much better at it.”
“There’s a lot we don’t know yet about the human body,” he adds. “And one of those things is the full range of human potential. It would be foolish to try and put limits on what the human body can do.”
1. Which statement will Wilmore probably agree with?| A．It is preferable to set universal standards for athletes. |
| B．Athletes will become the most sought-after celebrities. |
| C．It is necessary for athletes to learn the limits of the body. |
| D．Athletes will continue to surprise us with their achievements. |
| A．To introduce two great athletes. |
| B．To show some of the latest world records. |
| C．To prove the limits of the body can be pushed. |
| D．To explain what athletes can achieve under stress. |
| A．Similar. | B．Valued. |
| C．Complex. | D．Specialized. |
| A．They participate in far more sports. |
| B．They are less likely to get injured in sports. |
| C．They begin playing sports at a much earlier age. |
| D．They become more skilful at one particular sport. |
6 .
Enter to become a BBC young reporter Young people aged from 11—18 are invited to send stories about “Me and My World” as part of the BBC Young Reporter Competition. Here’s some information about it.
● The thing needed To take part, you don’t need to send us a finished report. Just provide your story idea. You can either write it down or record it as a video. ● The prize for winners With the help of BBC programme makers, winners will produce and share their reports on the BBC’s TV and radio channels and online. ● More information Visit our website at tinyurl.com/TWJ-BBCYoungreporter and send your story idea before June 30. |
| A．Tom aged 6. | B．Lucy aged 10. |
| C．Ben aged 16. | D．Amy aged 20. |
| A．the winners’ parents | B．BBC programme makers |
| C．the winners’ teachers | D．BBC interview directors |
| A．write songs about “Me and My World” | B．prepare a finished report on your own |
| C．read news reports on the BBC website | D．provide your story idea before June 30 |
7 . Sportsmen in the running races of the Olympics are great athletes, but even the slow runners of the running world — joggers in the park — have good health. A study out this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology finds that even 5 to 10 minutes a day of slow running is enough to extend life by several years, compared with not running at all.
The new study focused on a group of more than 55, 000 men and women aged 18 to 100. About a quarter of them were runners. Over 15 years, those who ran just 50 minutes a week or fewer at a slow speed were less likely to die from either cardiovascular (心血管的) disease or other causes, compared with those who didn’t run at all.
The study suggests relatively low efforts are necessary to benefit from jogging, but it can be better to exercise more often. “A little bit is good but a little more is probably better,” says Dr. Aaron Baggish. A 2013 study in Denmark suggested that the secret of maximum longevity is up to 2. 5 hours of running a week.
Although running can make you less likely to have cardiovascular disease, it doesn’t entirely take the risk away from you. “There is no question that the healthier you are and the more exercise you do, the longer you’ll live and the better your quality of life will be,” Dr. Baggish says. “But it doesn’t mean you’ll never get sick.”
“Many long-term runners do not run because they want to live longer,” Dr. Baggish notes. “They run because it makes them feel better every day.”
For these runners, the cost of feeling good can be injuries, so Dr. Baggish supports the value of what he calls “active rest.” His belief, not supported by any recent research, is that it’s a good idea to spend 25% of exercise time over the course of a year running at a slow speed or doing other activities like swimming or biking.
1. What does the new study mainly show us?| A．The best way to run. | B．The best time to run. |
| C．The importance of running. | D．The popularity of running. |
| A．It can result from running often. | B．It’s not completely preventable. |
| C．It’s not so serious as most people think. | D．It can be treated by some kind of exercise. |
| A．Staying active all the time. | B．Swimming more, run less. |
| C．Having a big rest after doing sports. | D．Taking a little light exercise. |
| A．Health. | B．Business. | C．Society. | D．Medicine. |
8 . In this post, we’ll introduce some top robotics competitions open to high schoolers. Keep reading to learn more.
Botball Educational Robotics Program
Level: Regional and national competitions available
Grades: 9th, 10th. 11th, 12th
Over a period of about seven weeks, students learn to code(编程) and develop complex strategies to use artificial intelligence. This allows them to create an autonomous robot together that competes in an annual game challenging against other teams in competitions at various levels across the country.
FIRST: Robotics Competition
Level: Local, regional and national competitions available
Grades: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Teams work together with professional teachers to design, assemble(装配), and test an industrial-sized robot .The robot then competes in a head-to-head field game against other teams.
Robo Games
Level: International
Grades: All ages and backgrounds
This self-claimed “Olympics of robots” and current largest open robot competition challenges participants in a wide variety of events to display various skills. Amateurs, professionals, young and old alike are invited to participate with the goal of winning prizes, expanding educational service, and recognizing robot-builders in the public eye.
Zero Robotics High School Tournament
Level: International, including the U.S. and member countries of the European Space Agency
Grades: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
This fascinating competition begins with robots called SPHERES inside the International Space Station. The first phase of the competition is entirely online, in which competitors code the SPHERES to meet a yearly challenge. Finalists compete in person, onboard the International Space Station, conducted live in microgravity by a real astronaut!
1. What do the first and second robotics competitions have in common?| A．Teamwork is a must in competitions. |
| B．They have the same goals and rules. |
| C．The robot is tested before competitions. |
| D．They are completely of the same level. |
| A．Bot ball Educational Robotics Program. | B．FIRST: Robotics Competition. |
| C．Robo Games. | D．Zero Robotics High School Tournament. |
| A．It is held by the European Space Agency. |
| B．It is a local robotics competition. |
| C．The whole competition is conducted online. |
| D．The final competition is held at the International Space Station. |
9 . On my 70th birthday, in September 2019, I decided to participate in 70 different sports before I turned 71. The motivation? Simply to have some fun. Athleticism, after all, does not end at some arbitrary (任意的) age.
Shortly after my 70th birthday, I took a crack at paddle-boarding. Family members were greatly entertained, watching me first try to get on the board, then stand on the board and finally fall into the water before trying all over again. Lesson learnt: Perseverance pays off. Eventually I stood, I balanced and I paddled. An early success.
Winter sports brought their own challenges. A pick-up game of hockey resulted in the odd collision. The quality of play was hardly inspirational, but it was certainly fun. Then came the attempt to teach myself the basics of figure skating. It left me falling flat on the ice, my elbow and knee aching. I refused to give up. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, which I called self-discipline.
However, the outbreak of COVID-19 shut down most of my city, which became a setback to my 70-at-70 goal. By then I had tried nearly 35 sports. Individual sports would have to be the order of the day: Running, jumping, walking. For track, I built my own high jump and hurdles. Athletics does not have to be complicated.
There were some health advantages, too, to all the exercise I was getting. Each activity triggered endorphins that brought an immediate high. Over the longer term came the realisation that dreams are important, regardless of how far-fetched or unrealistic they might seem. As youngsters we dream of playing in the big leagues or participating in the Olympics. As we age, our hopes and dreams change, but one should never let them disappear. We need something to look forward to; what’s better than to wake up each morning knowing there is a game to play?
1. What lesson did the author learn from paddle-boarding?| A．Having some fun. | B．Having perseverance. |
| C．Mastering any of the sports. | D．Being entertained. |
| A．Experience. | B．Barrier. | C．Breakthrough. | D．Option. |
| A．Taking a crack at paddle-boarding. | B．Playing in the big leagues. |
| C．Participating in the Olympics. | D．Having a game to play. |
| A．One can only get fun from sports. |
| B．One cannot dream big as they age. |
| C．One can be prevented from sports at any arbitrary age. |
| D．One can never lose hopes and dreams regardless of age. |
10 . Fourteen-year-old Harini Logan won the Scripps National Spelling Bee last Thursday, defeating 12-year-old Vikram Raju in a tiebreaker. It’s the first time that the contest has ever been decided by a tie-breaking round of spelling.
A spelling bee is a contest where players take turns spelling words. Though the bee is mainly about spelling, it also focuses on the meaning of the words. During parts of the contest, students were asked to choose the correct meaning of a word.
That caused trouble for Harini. She was asked about the meaning of the word “pullulation”. She said the word described the nesting of birds. The contest organizers had expected the answer to be the “swarming of bees”. Harini was removed from the contest. But soon she was back in- the judges double-checked and learned that Harini’s definition was also correct. One by one, the other students spelled a word wrong and got out. Finally, only Harini and Vikram were left.
To make ties much less likely, a “spell-off” was added to the contest in recent years. In the spell-off, Vikram and Harini each took turns trying to spell the words they were asked, but both made blunders. At one point, Harini could have won by spelling the word “drimys” (a kind of plant) correctly. But she missed it.
That put the two into a super tie-breaking event, where they were each given 90 seconds to correctly spell as many words as they could. The New York Times reports that the two spelled so quickly that the judges needed to review the video to see who had won. In 90 seconds, Vikram had spelled 15 words correctly, Harini had 21 correct spellings, making her the new winner.
This was Harini’s fourth at the Bee and it’s the first time she’s made it to the finals. Describing her win, she said, “This is just such a dream!”
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us about the spelling bee?| A．Its significant meaning. | B．Its competition content. |
| C．The importance of spelling. | D．Players’ struggle for spelling. |
| A．She failed to enter the final round. | B．She was confident about her answer. |
| C．Her answer was misjudged at first. | D．She refused to accept the judgement. |
| A．Efforts. | B．Ways. | C．Senses. | D．Mistakes. |
| A．A Tie-Breaking Event |
| B．Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| C．Teen Wins Spelling Bee in Exciting Tie- Breaker |
| D．A Girl’s First Time to Make Her Dream Come True |
