1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. brush        B. draw        C. state        D. cautionary       E. report       F. run G. packed        H. shot        I. introduced        J. phenomenon        K. exceptional

Rongjiang county, tucked away in the rainy hills of south-west China, has little going for it at first glance. The grey tiles covering houses in the county sea give it a rather drab feel. Locals often have to find work elsewhere, travelling to distant factories and construction sites.

Yet this summer it was Chinese from far-off cities who flocked to Rongjiang. They came to watch an amateur football league involving 20 of the county’s villages. It started in May and quickly became a       1    . Weekend matches between teams made up of butchers and farmers drew crowds of nearly 50, 000, straining the local stadium. Millions more watched on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform, and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

There are many reasons behind the popularity of the Rongjiang league, which is men only. Start with the     2     of professional football. Despite decades of investment, the country’s players are not very good. The men’s national team, made up of players from China’s top league, ranks 78th in the world (the women rank 14th). It has only qualified for the World Cup once, in 2002, when it failed to score a single goal.

The Rongjiang league, by contrast, has an authentic, even wholesome feel. Football in the county dates back to the 1940s, when it was     3     by university students who were fleeing China’s cities during the invasion by Japan. Today the games are free to watch and feel enjoyably low pressure. Players     4     off their missed shots with smiles. After a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals, fans swarmed the pitch waving China’s national flag. The winners of this year’s tournament, from a village in Chejiang township, walked away with a cow. The two runners-up won three pigs and three goats, respectively.

The league’s cultural diversity is another     5    . The players come from several minority ethnic groups, of which the biggest are the Dong and the Miao. During breaks in the matches, villagers in traditional silver headdresses often dance for the crowd.

To the delight of officials at all levels, the league appears to have stimulated the local economy. During the Dragon Boat festival in June tourism spending     6     up, much of it coming from football fans. Vendors at the hundreds of stalls set up by the local government outside the stadium     7     a brisk trade. A man hawking barbecue skewers says he has doubled his income.

But there are concerns that the success of Rongjiang may be fleeting. Attracting crowds to this part of China is not easy. The city of Zibo, in the northern province of Shandong, provides a     8     tale. It became a social-media phenomenon when word of its delicious kebabs began making the rounds earlier this year. Tourists flocked to the city, where officials turned arenas into makeshift dining halls. But after a few months of this barbecue craze, interest in Zibo slumped.

Still, officials think they have found a winning strategy for the countryside. A new football league began this month and will     9     until October. It involves nearly 300 amateur teams from all around China. Each is named after a food. On August 13th a team called the Sour Soups from the nearby city of Kaili beat the Bamboo Shoots from the southern province of Guangdong. The stadium in Rongjiang was still     10    .

2 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word that you do not need.

A. included                 B. promising                 C. achievements                 D. proved          E. transfer F. outstanding             G. sign                           H. appearances                  I. scoring          J. capture            K. referred

Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima was born on 22 September 1976 in a poor suburb of Rio de Janeiro. Like most of his childhood friends, Ronaldo began his football (soccer) career playing barefoot in the streets of his neighbourhood. At the age of 14, he joined Sao Cristovao football club and only two years later became the star of Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in Belo Horizonte     1     a total of 58 goals in 60 matches and earning himself a reputation for his explosive pace and     2     finishing skills. His goal — scoring record and unusual quickness led him to be     3     in the Brazilian World Cup winning team the following year. After the World Cup, many top European football clubs were trying to     4     him. Many people, including Brazilian football legend Pele, considered him as the most     5     footballer of his generation.

Since his     6     to Dutch team PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldo’s biography has been one success after another. Two Copa America’s, a UEFA Super Cup, a Dutch Cup, a Spanish Super Cup, and two Player of the Year awards from FIFA, all in the space of two years, are some of Ronaldo’s impressive     7    . On arrival to Inter Milan in 1997, Ronaldo became the idol of the local fans who refer to him as “il Fenomeno (奇才)”.

Since the 1998 World Cup he has suffered serious knee injuries that have severely limited his     8    . Just when people began to wonder whether Ronaldo would be able to continue with his football career, he     9     to the world that he still could play. In the World Cup held in Korea and Japan, the magical striker won the Golden Shoe award and tied Pele’s Brazilian record for career World Cup goals with 12. He helped Brazil     10     its fifth World Cup championship on 30 June with a 2-0 win over Germany. It was the third time that Ronaldo had ever played in the World Cup.

3 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. virtually	B. pride	C. drawn	D. consistently
E. course	F. spot	G. spied	H. representing
I. dominate	J. banning	K. host

China is challenging South Korea’s e-sports dominance

Some 4,000 fans gathered at the BEXCO Centre in Busan, a big port city in South Korea, on May 29th. Another 2.2m tuned in online. They were there for the finals of the Mid-Season Invitational, a prestigious(有声望的) e-sports tournament. A dozen teams had been competing over the     1     of three weeks to show off their skills at League of Legends (LOL), an online strategy-fantasy game. Now just two remained: Royal Never Give Up from China and T1,     2     the home side. As the battle raged, T1 soon sputtered(被打花了). The mood in the hall grew sad. Some fans left early. By the time the Chinese team, joining     3     at home, emerged victorious, few were left.

The enthusiasm, and bitter disappointment, reflect the place e-sports have in South Korean youth culture. The games are not just fun, but a source of national     4    . Since the 1990s players have honed(磨练) their skills in PC bangs (internet cafés), where children would go straight after school. Games such as StarCraft and LOL filled time and fired up competitive spirit like after-class basketball in America or football in Brazil. The pool of talent expanded, and South Korean players came to     5     online-gaming championships.

No longer. China is now on the rise. Chinese companies are at the heart of gaming globally. The country’s biggest tech firm, Tencent, owns Riot Games, which developed LOL, as well as 40% of Epic Games, which makes Fortnite. Interest in the pastime has grown, too. There are some 685m gamers in China, including those who play on their phones, compared with 33m in South Korea. Over the past few years China has     6     beaten South Korea in big championships.

South Korea contributed to its own downfall. “Skilled Korean players and coaches played a role in cultivating the e-sport scene in China,” says Choi Eun-Kyoung of Hanshin University, near Seoul. South Korean masters,     7     in by big money, taught Chinese players the lessons of their success and established real-world gaming academies and systems to     8     and hire talent.

South Korea has now     9     a chance to catch up. Last year, China limited under-18s to three hours of online gaming a week. Given that serious players start as young as 14 and practise some 70 hours a week, Chinese e-sports are likely to suffer. South Korea, meanwhile, last year canceled a decade-old law     10     under-16s from playing online games in the dead of night.

4 . 选词填空

A. devoted   B. negatively     C. window     D. trading     E. conclusion     F. release G. reserves     H. topping       I. perfectly       J. stress        K. attempted

A key part of starting to exercise is choosing when to work out. Morning, afternoon, or evening: Which time is best? Scientists have studied this dilemma extensively.

Rise and shine at 5 a.m.?

For new exercisers, morning workouts are often the most dreaded. After all,     1     a cozy, nurturing bed for a sterile, unforgiving fitness center can be a rude awakening to say the least. But morning workouts have their advantages. The     2     of endorphin, along with a few others, boosts energy levels, alertness, and focus, which can make you more productive and attentive at work.

Your are stronger in the afternoon

However, early exercisers may not be able to achieve peak performance. Stiffer(僵硬的)muscles, fewer energy     3     from overnight fasting, and cooler body temperature add up to hamper exercise output. Therefore, more     4     exercisers might prefer working out in the afternoon.

“The best     5     for explosive athleticism seems to be between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.” Shawn Arent, chair of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina told CNN. A review of studies found that muscle strength, muscle power, and sprinting abilities all peaked in the afternoon,     6     morning performance by anywhere from 3% to 20%.

Exercise for night owls

Finally, some folks may decide to work out later in the evening. Intense exercise performed within an hour of one’s bedtime will impact the following sleep     7    . For this reason, most exercise experts recommend at least 90 minutes of downtime between the     8     of an exercise session and going to bed.

Be consistent

Whether morning, afternoon, or evening, it is optimal if exercise timing remains somewhat consistent, research has found. Still, it is     9     fine to mix up your workout times to fit with our schedule. The average person need not worry over when to work out. Regular exercise is perhaps that single best thing that humans can do for their health, and it shouldn’t serve as something to     10     over.

5 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. affected          B. agent            C. conditions        D. figures          E. inhabitants          F. motion G. originating       H. preserved       I. promoting        J. recognized       K. slide

The Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics saw many excellent athletes compete on the ice and snow,     1     an enthusiasm for winter sports in China. In fact, the country has had a deep relationship with winter sports since ancient times, with skiing     2     in the Altay prefecture(县) of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

In 2005, cave paintings of Altay people hunting on skis with poles were discovered, which archaeologists estimated could be more than 10,000 years old. Since then, Altay has been     3     by many as one of the birthplaces of skiing, according to Xinhua.

As one of the richest collections of ancient rock art in China, there are herds of camels, sheep, wolves and human     4    . The painting on the roof of a cave in Dundebulake village of Altay prefecture depicts humans on skis, bending their knees as they travel alongside animals, including deer and moose.

The rock art in Dundebulake is well     5     because the pictographs are well hidden in the cave. Additionally, Altay’s dry climate has been a useful preserving     6    , according to a 2016 research paper published by the Hebei Normal University. Unique geographical and climatic     7     make skiing an indispensable part of local people’s lives. The climate in Altay is mild and not too windy, so skiers are less     8     by weather conditions, allowing them to safely move faster.

Unlike the modern skis we use nowadays, fur skis have been used as a means of transportation for the snowfield     9     of Altay for more than 100 centuries, according to rock carvings uncovered in the area.

Making skis has been a traditional skill. The handmade skis have a layer of horse skin. The fur on the horse skin can help decrease friction when they     10     down the hill, while the skis also prevent skiers from falling when they walk up. At the same time, they have a wooden stick in hand to keep balance, according to China Daily. Fur ski competitions have been held annually by the local government. Many locals would display their maneuvers at the competitions.

6 . 根据句意，选择单词或短语并以其适当形式填空。

take part in        be familiar with        fall in love with          date back to    in part             break out            break down             stand out        to some extent       transform…from…       bring people together        take place

You must     1     common sports such as football and ping pong, whose purpose is exercising your body and mind, as well as     2     walls. These common sports     3     all around the world since their origins. However, there are people     4     rather unusual sports like sandboarding just for the adventure, whereas other sports are even regarded as a performance art. So, can you imagine combining the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt with the thrill of outdoor extreme activities? Extreme ironing can be this weird sport that     5     in mid-air, underwater, on a ski slope or in a forest. You may wonder whether it is merely invented to seek attention     6    .

There is a particular amusing event called wife-carrying that     7     for its long history. The inspiration came from an event that once a Finnish man     8     a lady and carried her away. This sporting tradition     9     several hundred years ago and its modern version which is     10     two dry obstacles and a wet obstacle into a running course of 254 meters for the heavy lifting contestants.

7 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. peak            B. bound       C. considerate          D. announced     E. defeated          F. related             G. determination       H. measure     I. fever               J. serve               K.   considerable

It was very hot outside. The Chengdu Little Warriors were facing off against the Legendary Mighty Dragons of Beijing at a local indoor skating-rink (溜冰场). When I arrived, the Little Warriors, whose oldest player was eight years old, had just     1     their northern competitors. Near the lockers, a poster advertised hockey classes. Olympic     2     has begun to spread so far south that Chengdu now has nine skating-rinks and local hockey leagues for both kids and adults. It clearly shows China’s     3     to take the opportunity of holding the Olympics to promote winter sports across the country.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were praised as a success by almost every     4    : the wonderful opening ceremony, the tight security, the large crowds of     5     volunteers, and Team China’s place atop the gold-medal rankings. Each aspect of the event signaled the country’s arrival as a world power, capable of competing with the best and winning.

If 2008 was about China getting a seat at the table, the 2022 Winter Olympic Games     6     a different purpose. China's status as a global power is no longer in question. Beijing 2022 will not be just a two-week sporting event but the     7     of a multi-year campaign to promote winter sports. “ We no longer need to put on shows of ten thousand people performing Tai Chi,” said Zheng Kan. “ Now we just want to show that we are relatable.”

While the audience for winter sports may still be a small, relatively rich group, it is growing. To prove his commitments (承诺) to winter sports, President Xi Jinping     8     a “ three hundred-million-person winter-sports plan.” The plan is aimed at raising China’s participation rate in winter sports from less than two percent to twenty-two percent. Some schools in Beijing have already introduced courses     9     to winter sports. A high-speed rail line that was opened at the end of 2019 cuts travel time between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, where many of the events will be held in 2022, to under an hour.

With all these efforts, the 2022 Winter Olympic Games are     10     to be wonderful and unforgettable.

8 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. honors       B. inspiring       C. cultural       D. awoke E. promoting       F. success       G. distinguished       H. similar I. considered       J. normally       K. incredibly

Sports Icons(偶像) Who Lead a Change

China’s sports industry has entered a new era when the superstars themselves become the absolute focus of public attention. Compared with the gold medals and    1    the Chinese team has received, sports stars play the role of    2    people and improving the status of their sports in China. The following is an overview of those stars who once were, currently are or in the future will become milestones to change China’s sports demographics(统计数据).

Yao Ming: China’s Ambassador(大使)

Standing at 2.29 meters, Yao Ming used basketball to become one of the mainstream    3    ambassadors in modern China. He first played for his hometown Shanghai Sharks team in the CBA where he became a CBA champion ad Finals MVP in 2002. Soon afterwards, Yao was chosen by the Houston Rockets as the top overall pick in 2002. Over an eight-year span with the Rockets, Yao became an eight-time NBA All-Star. Besides his    4    in the CBA and the NBA, Yao was also a big reason for China’s continued dominance in the Asia basketball scene and their constant presence at world-level competitions. To this day, Yao remains one of China’s most    5    sports and cultural icons.

Liu Xiang: A Great Breakthrough

China’s world champion hurdler, Liu Xiang    6    the nation’s long-sleeping interest in track and field events after he became the first man to ever win a men’s track and field event for China. Before Liu won a gold medal in the men’s 110m hurdle race at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and set a world record two years later, Chinese people had never shown such a strong interest in track and field events. Liu has become a significant player in China’s track and field events and the craze that has followed him is    7    to Yao Ming’s influence on China’s basketball. Both athletes prove how powerful a super sports star can be on    8    the development of a sport in China.

Li Na: New Image of China’s Tennis

Being the first Asian to win the singles title of a Grand Slam tournament, Li Na opened the door to tennis in China and even Asia. Her victory at the French Open 2011 was like a fairy tale and she has since been    9    as a national sports hero equal to Yao Ming and Liu Xiang. A record-breaking 116 million viewers from China tuned in to watch Li become the French Open champion, marking the start of a women’s tennis boom in a country    10    left out of the tennis conversation.