1 . The Olympic Games are the greatest festival of sport in the world. Every four years, a hundred or more countries send their best sportsmen to compete for the highest honors of the sport. As many as 6000 people take part in over 20 sports. For the winners, there are gold medals and glory. But there is honor, too, for all who compete, win or lose. That is the spirit of the Olympics — to take part is what matters.

The Olympic Games always start in bright color and action. The teams of all the nations parade in the opening ceremony and march round the track. The custom is for the Greek team to march in first. For it was in Greece that the Olympics began. The team of the country where the Games are being held — the host country — marches in last.

The runner with the Olympic torch then enters the stadium and lights the flame. A sportsman from the host country takes the Olympic oath on behalf of all the competitors. The judges and officials also take an oath. After the sportsmen march out of the stadium, the host country puts on a wonderful display.

The competition begins the next day. There are usually more than twenty sports in the Games. The rule is that there must be at least fifteen. The main events are in track and field, but it is a few days before these sports start. Each day the competitors take part in a different sport — riding, shooting, swimming, and cross-country running. Points are gained for each event. Medals are awarded for the individual winners and for national teams.

More and more women are taking part in the games. They first competed in 1900, in tennis and golf, which are no longer held in the Olympics. Women’s swimming events were introduced in 1912, but it was not until 1928 that there were any track and field events for women. Now, they compete in all but half a dozen of the sports. In horse riding, shooting, and boat racing, they may compete in the same events as the men.

1. The spirit of the Olympics is to _________.

A．win a gold medal	B．be equal
C．gain glory	D．participate

2. From the passage, we can learn that _________.

A．the first team to march in the opening ceremony is the most important one

B．a sportsman represents all the athletes to take an oath after a wonderful display

C．the track and field events do not start until a few days after the Olympics begin

D．women were allowed to take part in track and field events in 1912

3. Which of the following is NOT the Olympic event nowadays?

A．Tennis.	B．Shooting.
C．Riding	D．Swimming

4. Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Olympic Spirit.

B．Opening ceremony of the Olympics.

C．Rules for all Olympic events.

D．The birthplace of the Olympic Games.

2 . Lots of students know what a marathon(马拉松赛跑) is, but perhaps they don’t know what triathlon is. The triathlon is a sport that has three parts — swimming, bicycling and running. It is not an easy sport, but a man named Joe Salter is very good at it. A few months ago, he finished a special triathlon—he juggled (抛起接住) three balls all the time during the triathlon. That is to say, he kept on throwing and catching three balls while he was swimming, riding a bicycle and running.

31-year-old Joe is from Florida, the USA. He loves juggling and he started at the age of 8. Joe did well in juggling. Later, he got the idea to do a triathlon and juggle at the same time to make it more fun. Many juggling fans laughed at his idea and thought it was just a joke. But Joe didn’t give up and he kept practicing it. Because of his hard work, he made it at last.

Talking about his triathlon, Joe said swimming was the hardest part. “It was difficult and complex,” he said. “I basically only used my legs, so it took quite a lot of work. Also, swimming in open water made it a little harder. It was not like in a pool. ”

1. According to the writer, the common triathlon ______.

A．is a difficult sport	B．is more famous than the marathon
C．includes the three parts and juggling	D．includes the marathon and swimming

2. Joe’s triathlon was special because ______ during the triathlon.

A．he picked up three balls	B．he played juggling
C．he carried his bicycle on his shoulder	D．he threw away all his balls

3. Many juggling fans thought Joe’s idea ______.

A．could not be realized	B．should not be laughed at
C．should be realized as soon as possible	D．could make triathlon more exciting

4. The underlined part “made it” in the 2nd paragraph probably means “______”.

A．forgot	B．failed
C．succeeded	D．left

3 . Training for a marathon (马拉松) requires careful preparation and steady, gradual increases in the length of the runs.     1    , buy the best-fitting running shoes you can find. No one can say which brand will work best for you or feel best on your feet, so you have to rely on your experience and on the feel of each pair as you shop. When you have found shoes that seem right, walk in them for a few days to double-check the fit.     2    . As always, you should stretch (伸展) at least ten minutes before each run to prevent injuries.

During the first week, do not think about distance, but run five minutes longer each day.     3    , it is wise to take a day off to rest. But during the next week, set a goal of at least a mile and a half per run.     4    . After two weeks, start timing yourself.     5    . Depending on the kind of race you plan to enter, you can set up a timetable for the remaining weeks before the race.

A．After six days

B．For a good marathon runner

C．Before you begin your training

D．With each day, increase the distance by a half mile

E．If they still feel good, you can begin running in them

F．Time spent for preparation raises the quality of training

G．Now you are ready to figure out a goal of improving distance and time