1 . Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.

But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.

According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.

To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade.

“The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.

Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website.

It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes.

1. What did scientists from German universities recently discover?

A．Working out is a highly effective way to treat depression.

B．The runner’s high could be caused by endocannabinoids.

C．Endorphins may contribute to one’s high spirits after running.

D．The level of endorphins and endocannabinoids could affect one’s mood.

2. Why did the scientists give mice drugs in their experiment?

A．To find what reduces the runner’s high symptoms.

B．To see the specific symptoms of the runner’s high.

C．To identify what is responsible for the runner’s high.

D．To test what influences the level of endocannabinoids released.

3. What does the underlined word “notion” mean?

A．Effect.

B．Goal.

C．Opinion.

D．Question

4. What can we know about regular workouts according to the UK’s National Health Service?

A．They can help ease depression symptoms.

B．They are the best way to treat depression.

C．They only work for those with serious depression.

D．They can help people completely recover from depression.

2 . All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.     1    They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when their player or team wins.

    2    Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy!     3    Think how many lovers to skate or ski in Japan, Norway or Canada.

Some sports or game go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese Kungfu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet.     4    Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.

People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends.     5    One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace.

A．And think of people in cold countries.

B．Sports help to train a person’s character.

C．People aren’t inventing new sports or games.

D．Many people like to watch others play games.

E．People are inventing new sports or games all the time.

F．Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere take part in them.

G．Not a few people participate in different sports competitions themselves.

3 . 15 years ago, when I was playing basketball in one of Australia’s premier basketball leagues, I remember a sports psychologist we had for the season. As young professional athletes with high egos (自我价值感), the team were not quite convinced the techniques of psychology would ____   performance, especially when it didn’t involve using the physical strength and endurance needed to _____ the weeks of training and games. I, ____ , was interested.

We were trained in a visualization technique used before games. It involved moving ourselves into a meditative (冥想的) state and taking ourselves on a journey into the ____ to recreate the experience of a game, From ____ home, getting to the stadium, being in the change room, walking out onto the ____ and then finally visualizing how we would play and see ourselves ____ . The most important part of the ____ was to bring to life the vivid details of each stage, while also focusing on the ____ that came with it. We were trained to ____ fear, doubt and learned to go beyond them, so that by the time we got onto the court, we were grounded, ____ and ready to play.

What I learnt most from this technique was that winning games was important but how we ____   to play was even more vital. And ____ visualization was a powerful way to see through to the ____ , there were absolutely no ____ in the hard work of getting there.

1.

A．improve

B．monitor

C．measure

D．maintain

2.

A．compensate for

B．prepare for

C．tough out

D．show up

3.

A．in addition

B．in other words

C．as a result

D．on the other hand

4.

A．wild

B．home

C．history

D．future

5.

A．finding

B．leaving

C．moving

D．missing

6.

A．court

B．street

C．platform

D．stage

7.

A．learning

B．winning

C．waiting

D．talking

8.

A．subject

B．match

C．technique

D．team

9.

A．questions

B．decisions

C．feelings

D．lessons

10.

A．forget about

B．drive away

C．bring back

D．step into

11.

A．cheerful

B．patient

C．eager

D．confident

12.

A．aim

B．appear

C．continue

D．promise

13.

A．unless

B．as

C．while

D．if

14.

A．solution

B．goal

C．truth

D．background

15.

A．shortcuts

B．tools

C．examples

D．downsides

4 . 假定你是李华，你的美国笔友Peter想了解10月18日在武汉举行的第七届世界军人运动会（the 7th Military World Games），请给他写信简要介绍相关情况，内容包括：
1. 时间地点；
2. 概况（109个国家，九千多名军人，329项运动）；
3. 影响或意义。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 结尾已为你写好。
Dear Peter,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours,

Li Hua

5 . Playing sports offers you more than just physical benefits (好处).     1     The benefits are the same whether or not you’re good at sports. If you are not good enough to play competitively on a school team, you can play sports with your friends.

Making new friends.

Playing sports enables you to create friendships you otherwise might not have formed.     2     You play together happily and gradually know each other. Many times, the friendships you create on the field remain strong when you are not playing sports.

Understanding the value of health.

Taking part in sports improves your health in many ways.     3     This gets you thinking about what to eat and how to treat your body so as to achieve the highest performance levels. Thus, playing sports can lead to better eating habits and prevent you from becoming too fat.

Building team spirit.

Sports provide children with the important lesson of learning how to work in a team.     4     By working together they will learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses and will be better able to decide and work out the best plan for the team. This will without doubt help them in their future lives and jobs as well.

    5    

Playing sports requires a lot of time and energy. Some may think this would take students’ attention away from schoolwork. However, the opposite is true. Sports require memorization, repetition and learning — skills that are directly relevant (有关的) to schoolwork.

A．Doing better in your studies.

B．Everyone has to work together to achieve the goal.

C．To be a good athlete, you must take care of yourself.

D．Sports can help you in your study and fit in with society as well.

E．Sports bring teens together from different schools and backgrounds.

6 . For sports fans, nothing could be better than watching a live event on TV or at a sports field. But there’s nothing worse than that event being called off because of bad weather. Bad light, a water-logged court or too much heat can cause matches to be postponed. But according to the latest research, extreme weather might be disturbing the sporting calendar more than ever in the future.

In one sport, golf, major tournaments like The Open, are already predicted to be victims of our changing climate. In the UK, an organization called The Climate Coalition says that golf courses such as St Andrews could be under water by the end of the century if sea levels rise even slightly. It told the BBC that its research predicts "cancelled football matches, flooded cricket grounds and golf courses sinking into the sea."

The threat to sporting events from climate change has been further highlighted in a new report, officially approved and licensed by the Rapid Transition Alliance. Writing about this for the BBC, Matt McGrath says that "By 2050, it's estimated that almost one in four English football league grounds can expect flooding every year." This will mean fewer matches played, less opportunity to watch the beautiful game and reduced government taxation from ticket sales.

Cricket also faces huge challenges globally as temperatures rise in places like India, Australia and the West Indies. The report says that stadiums in Adelaide and Perth will see a 60% increase in days with temperatures over 40 degrees centigrade over the next decade.

Of course, we know that the solution lies with reducing our carbon footprint. We could travel less to attend sports events, and reduce our waste when we do go. But this latest report finds that sports leaders are generally failing to address the issue seriously. However, because sport is universally popular and can be very influential, maybe it should be players, teams and their sponsors as well as fans who should promote a wide low carbon message to help protect sporting fields—before it’s 'game over'.

1. What is the latest research above mainly concerned with?

A．the forbidden sporting events	B．the influential climate change
C．the severe environmental pollution	D．the rising sea level

2. What influence will the extreme weather have on the sports?

A．Football fans cannot afford the entrance fee.

B．Overheat will largely affect the cricket calendar.

C．The golf games will thoroughly disappear due to rising sea level.

D．Sports leaders will face bigger challenges to lead their teams to win.

3. What does the underlined part “the issue” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．the constant increase in sea level	B．the fading popularity of sport events
C．the changing attitude of sponsors.	D．the effective reduction of carbon footprint

4. The research is introduced to us mainly to ___________.

A．inform the readers of the worsening global climate change

B．require governments’ protection of sporting fields

C．promote awareness of low carbon life on sports

D．urge financial support from sponsors

7 . Last summer over 12,000 fans were at Wembley Arena in London, shouting and cheering. Thousands more were watching online.     1     It was e-sports, or competitive computer gaming.

Millions of people in the UK play computer games for fun. Some of them have become professional gamers, playing games as their full-time job.     2     They practice for ten or more hours a day, five or six days a week. They do exercises like typing something and trying to type it faster and faster. They also study videos of other players and plan ways to beat them.

    3     Are players athletes? Some say no. E-sports players don’t need to run, jump, throw or do big physical actions. At the moment, the UK government classifies e-sports as kinds of games, not as sports.

But others say yes: e-sports are sports. Players do need some physical skills, especially hand-eye coordination, reflexes, accuracy and timing. If darts, snooker and shooting are classified as sports, then perhaps e-sports should be too.

    4     And they will be an official medal sport in the Asian Games starting from 2022. Next step: the Olympics?

For many e-sports fans and players, though, the most important thing is that e-sports are growing in popularity and importance.     5    

A．But are e-sports really sports?

B．All like playing computer games.

C．It’s not easy being a professional gamer, though.

D．But this wasn’t a football, basketball or tennis match.

E．It is certain that e-sports will come into the 2024 Olympics.

F．In fact, China and South Korea do classify e-sports as sports.

G．If e-sports are not as important as sports now, they definitely will be in the near future.

8 . 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Curling(冰壶)is a winter sport played on ice. Therefore, it’s most popular in northern countries like Canada. Curling is played in the USA by about 15,000 people.    1    Scottish winters were long and there were forms of entertainment. So people began making a sport out of sliding heavy stones on the frozen lakes. The game spread, and in the 1700s curling clubs formed. Then Scottish soldiers brought it to North America.

    2    Men, women, and children often compete on the same team, if they can slide a forty-pound stone down the ice! Both teams slide their stones toward the same goal. After all 16 stones have been cast, the team whose stone has slid closest to the goal gets one point.

    3    The ice is so smooth and the stone is so heavy that even the smallest misjudgment in a throw can make the stone slide much too far or stop too suddenly.    4    Water helps the stone slide, but it can also change the stone’s path.

In curling, a broom is part of each player’s equipment. A good curler must know how much force to use. The player must know the exact conditions of the ice on the court.    5    That may explain why the international Olympic Committee decided to make curling an Olympic sport in 1998.

A．Players compete on the court.

B．Then the play begins in the other direction.

C．Curling is played by teams of four people.

D．In other words, a good curler must be a fine athlete.

E．The rules are easy to learn, but playing the game is hard.

F．The melting of the ice makes things tough for the curlers.

G．Curling probably began in Scotland in the 1500s or earlier.

9 . There are many ways to travel within a city. We can walk, cycle, or take a bus. But no matter which way we travel, we have to stick to the route(线路) the city planners laid down for us.

Parkour practitioners (跑酷爱好者), however, see the city in a completely different way. To them, there are no fixed routes. There are no walls and no stairs—since they jump, climb, roll and crawl to move across, through, over and under anything that they find in their path. The city is their playground.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has noticed that this activity is drawing more and more people to it—there are 100,000 people taking part in parkour today in the UK alone, according to the Guardian—and how it is helpful for people to be much stronger: It trains coordination and balance. So the organization is thinking about recognizing parkour as a new sport and adding it to the Olympics by 2024.

But parkour practitioners themselves don’t seem to be happy with the idea. They see parkour as “a lifestyle”, wrote the website NextSportStar. “It’s a competition against the conditions rather than just a sport.”

Indeed, many do parkour just to “escape the daily routine and experience the city in different ways”, wrote reporter Oli Mould on The Conversation. They see parkour as a way to express themselves through relaxing moves and creative routes while freeing themselves from the pressure.

It’s great that the FIG wants to develop new sport and stay close to a new cultural form. But it would be greater if they knew that not everything in life is a competition.

1. How do the parkour practitioners do parkour?

A．They move on as they wish.	B．They plan the way themselves.
C．They run faster than others.	D．They stick to certain routes.

2. Why does the FIG want to add parkour to the Olympics?

A．It’s a special way of life.	B．It draws their attention.
C．It’s good for people to keep healthy.	D．It needs some rules and instructions.

3. What is the author’s idea on parkour?

A．It is more formal than other sports.	B．It helps people to be creative.
C．It’s worth adding to the sporting event.	D．It calls on people to work as a team.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A new sports competition	B．Parkour practitioners
C．Training in a different way	D．Making the city their own

10 . If you're out for a run, what difference does it make if you're able to tough it out for another 50 seconds? If you're less than a minute from the top of the hill, that extra time can make the difference between having reached your goal and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

How do you get those extra seconds of energy? A research team at the Texes Tech University developed a study to measure what effect listening to music would have on exercise tolerance. The researchers based the study on a stress testing. As part of the testing, they noted any changes in heart rate and blood pressure as participants underwent physically stressful exercise.

The tests were done on treadmills (跑步机), which increased in both speed and incline (坡度) through three stages. In the final stage, the treadmills moved at 10 miles per hour at a 14-percent grade. Most of these tests were designed to last up to 40 minutes. The average gym-goers lasted 30 minutes. For this study, they divided 127 participants into two groups. One listened to upbeat(快节奏) music, while the other group had earbuds in but did not listen to music.

The group that listened to music was able to outlast the non-music group by an average of 50.6 seconds. Again, being able to go an extra minute may seem like a no-brainer ,but “after 30 minutes, you feel like you are running up a mountain, so even being able to go 50 seconds longer means a lot," said the study's lead author, Waseem Shami, MD.

The study has confirmed something runners and gym-goers have suspected for years: Listening to music during workout can be beneficial to your endurance. "Our findings reinforce the idea that upbeat music can help you exercise longer and stick with a daily exercise routine," said Shami. When doctors are recommending exercise, they might suggest listening to music, too."

1. Why did Shami’s team conduct the research?

A．To test the effect of music on health.	B．To know the cause of failure in sports.
C．To improve runners' exercise tolerance.	D．To record the body change of participants

2. What did the researchers than about the Participants in the stress testing?

A．They ran much faster than average runners.	B．They created a new record of indoor sports.
C．They could run a little longer with music on.	D．They all enjoyed extreme physical challenge

3. What do the underlined words “a no-brainer” mean in paragraph 4?

A．A dull activity.	B．A foolish action.
C．A demanding task.	D．An easy practice

4. What did Shami suggest us doing in the last paragraph ?

A．Developing a daily exercise routine.	B．Listening to music while working out
C．Participating in physical stress testing.	D．Taking exercise as doctors recommend.