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. |
| 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. |
| A．Effect. | B．Goal. | C．Opinion. | D．Question |
| 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 . 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(誓言)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 |
| A．the first team to march in the opening ceremony is the team of the host country |
| B．a sportsman represents all the athletes to take an oath after a wonderful display |
| C．medals are awarded for the individual winners and for national teams |
| D．women were allowed to take part in track and field events in 1912 |
| A．Tennis. | B．Shooting. | C．Riding. | D．Swimming. |
| A．Olympic Spirit. | B．Opening ceremony of the Olympics. |
| C．Rules for all Olympic events. | D．The birthplace of the Olympic Games. |
3 . Former pro basketball player Kobe Bryant won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers while making himself as one of the game’s all-time greats. He died tragically in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.
Kobe Bryant was born with basketball already in his blood. His dad was a former NBA star Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. Born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kobe spent his early years in Italy, because his dad started playing basketball in Europe and his family moved there. The family moved back to the United States when Kobe was 13 and he started playing high school basketball.
Kobe knew he was already good enough to play in the NBA, so he skipped college and was selected right after high school. He played in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in 1998 and by 2000, Kobe had developed into one of the best basketballs players. Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal teamed up to lead the LA Lakers to three straight NBA Championship (冠军) Titles from 2000 to 2002.
In 2003, Kobe was caught by the police. In 2004, the case against Kobe was dropped, but Kobe still had to live with a damaged reputation. In 2004, Kobe tried to prove that he could lead the LA Lakers without Shaq. After Kobe told the Lakers he wouldn’t be wearing the purple and gold if Shaq was in the team, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat before the 2004-2005 season.
In 2008, Bryant was named Most Valuable Player and carried his team to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics. In the 2009 NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic to win the championship.
Although later seasons were affected by injuries, he surpassed (超越) Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list in December 2014 and retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final game.
1. Kobe Bryant passed away at the age of _______.| A．37 | B．40 | C．42 | D．45 |
| A．Kobe’s blood was special when he was born. |
| B．All of Kobe’s family members are basketball players. |
| C．Kobe got a basketball when he was born. |
| D．Kobe was born to be a basketball player. |
| A．upset | B．confident | C．doubtful | D．not confident |
| A．A Brief Introduction of Kobe | B．How to Become A Basketball Star |
| C．The NBA All-Star Game | D．The LA Lakers |
4 . Every time I passed boys who were playing basketball, I stopped to silently watch them. I really envied them. But as a girl, I once thought that I could
I like playing basketball though I’m not good at it. I’ve had a basketball
“Basketball is not fit for girls,” they said.
One of them told me with a smile, “Go your own
I was inspired by them. Confidence and passion
Basketball has become an important part of my
I’ve heard the NBA star Tracy McGrady say, “Nothing is impossible.” I have
I love the motto of the NBA. It can
| A．ever | B．often | C．never | D．always |
| A．until | B．before | C．after | D．since |
| A．tried | B．cared | C．enjoyed | D．joined |
| A．only | B．almost | C．hardly | D．not |
| A．refuse | B．dislike | C．let | D．invite |
| A．Still | B．Yet | C．Just | D．Even |
| A．looked | B．heard | C．settled | D．stared |
| A．happy | B．down | C．excited | D．satisfied |
| A．Unluckily | B．Naturally | C．Unexpectedly | D．Clearly |
| A．encouraged | B．suffered | C．devoted | D．requested |
| A．vote | B．way | C．business | D．reward |
| A．basketball | B．homework | C．interests | D．dreams |
| A．stuck | B．referred | C．turned | D．returned |
| A．but | B．though | C．and | D．however |
| A．wish | B．life | C．work | D．study |
| A．bring | B．borrow | C．learn | D．play |
| A．come | B．turned | C．refused | D．happened |
| A．idea | B．aim | C．opinion | D．effort |
| A．want | B．stop | C．keep | D．make |
| A．inform | B．connect | C．ignore | D．express |
In the field of sports there are some famous living legends, such as Lang Ping, and Michael Jordan.
As a player, Lang Ping brought not only honour but also glory to
Known as “Air Jordan”, Michael Jordan changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. Jordan’s skills were impressive but the mental strength
6 . The true Olympic spirit has been displayed by Canadian cross-country ski coach Justin Wadsworth, who helped Russian athlete Anton Gafarov with his broken ski during the Men’s Sprint Free Semifinals.
Gafarov’s start wasn’t smooth. He fell three times, crashing early in the race and breaking his ski. It was clear that Gafarov was out of the race for the men’s finals and wouldn’t be able to compete for medals. Still, he wanted to finish in front of the home crowd, but his left ski was too badly damaged in the crash and its base had come off. The Russian skier faced finishing the race by walking to the line, not skiing.
However, the Russian’s fall was seen by Canadian coach Justin Wadsworth, who immediately ran on to the course and helped Gafarov. “I went over and gave him one of Alex Harvey’s, a member of the Canadian team who didn’t qualify for the finals. It was about giving Gafarov some dignity (尊严) so he didn’t have to walk to the finish area,” Wadsworth said. “We help because we know everyone works so hard in our sport,” says Wadsworth, who was an Olympic skier for the S before becoming a coach. “Everyone wants fair results. It was a matter of allowing Gafarov to finish the race.”
Gafarov was thoughtful about his performance. “My fall cost me a broken ski and a pole,” said Anton Gafarov, adding that he decided to continue fighting for the finals despite all the difficulties.
Gafarov believed the race should be finished in any way possible. “It was a matter of principle to hold on to the end,” he added. He is not devastated (毁灭) by his failure and is eager to take part in the next Winter Olympics despite back problems due to injuries.
1. What happened to Gafarov during the Men’s Sprint Free Semifinals?| A．He lost his ski in the unlucky crash. |
| B．He gave up the race after falling three times. |
| C．He got the gold medal for the men’s finals. |
| D．He had his ski broken in the early race. |
| A．He felt happy for Gafarov’s bad luck in the race. |
| B．He knew what price Gafarov paid for the competition. |
| C．He was angry with his player’s not qualifying for the finals. |
| D．He once worked hard to become an Olympic skier for Canada. |
| A．Every dog has its day. | B．Rome isn’t built overnight. |
| C．Never give up in face of difficulty. | D．There is no end to learning. |
| A．The Olympic Spirit | B．The Unlucky Day |
| C．The History of Olympic Games | D．The Winning Gold Medal |
7 . With innovative (创新的) ideas, 10 teams of student groups competed at UR’s Hult Prize competition on Nov. 3 to skip the selection process for the regional competition. “If you ever had a crazy idea, now it is time to explore it.” senior and Hult Prize competitor Sharfuz Shifat said. The Hult Prize is an international competition where undergraduate and graduate students alike compete to win a $ 1 million prize to start a company based on their ideas.
For many competitors, this competition is an outlet for innovative ideas that can speed up change in the world. “I believe in social entrepreneurship and the power of business to create social change,” said senior Shelly Chen from Team Boodana.
In addition to wanting to make a lasting social effect, some competitors have personal connections to their ideas and a strong motivation to bring them to reality. “We’re enthusiastic about this because it comes from our life,” sophomore Cherine Ghazouani and Team Forty-Two member said. “We’re trying to make our family’s, our country’s and our people’s lives better.”
After the event, the award ceremony announced the winner: the first and second runner-ups as Team BestBeing, Team Forty-Two and Team Boodana, respectively. Although the ruling ideas of the winners were mainly meant to provide jobs for unemployed youth, many of the proposed solutions also handled other problems in today’s society. Team Forty-Two worked on re-inventing the impractical tutoring system in Mediterranean countries;Team BestBeing aimed to provide a solution for the lack of availability of mental health services all over the world.
“Usually some of the most simple and practical solutions are the ones that are the most beautiful and effective,” judge Anna Schreyer said. “The challenge is being able to look at things in a completely new way that’s very simple. Try to step out of the box of how we do things and how we think about things.”
1. What is the purpose of the UR’s Hult Prize competition?| A．Not to let go of innovative ideas. |
| B．To award the most hardworking students. |
| C．Not to be crazy about changing the reality. |
| D．To stress the importance of regional competition. |
| A．A graduate degree. | B．A job in a company. |
| C．A position in UR’s Hult Prize. | D．A starting fund of a company. |
| A．The impractical tutoring system. | B．A solution to mental health. |
| C．Youth unemployment. | D．The way of innovative thinking. |
| A．Effective and old. | B．Simple and practical. |
| C．Long-lasting and simple. | D．Changeable and practical. |
1. 参加人员；
2. 跑步路线：从校门口到南山脚下；
3. 活动反响。
注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2.增加细节，行文流畅。
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9 . Not so long ago, most people didn’t know who Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was going to become. She was just an average high school athlete. There was every indication that she was just another Jamaican teenager without much of a future. However, one person wants to change this. Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly-Ann at a track meet and was convinced that he had seen the beginning of true greatness. Her times were not exactly impressive, but even so, he sensed there was something trying to get out, something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking. He decided to offer Shelly-Ann a place in his very strict training sessions. Their cooperation quickly produced results, and a few years later at Jamaica’s Olympic trails in early 2008, Shelly Ann, who at that time only ranked number 70 in the world, beat Jamaica’s unchallenged queen of the sprint (短跑).
“Where did she come from?” asked an astonished sprinting world, before concluding that she must be one of those one-hit wonders that spring up from time to time, only to disappear again without signs. But Shelly Ann was to prove that she was anything but a one-hit wonder. At the Beijing Olympic she swept away any doubts about her ability to perform consistently by becoming the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold. She did it again one year on at the World Championship in Berlin, becoming world champion with a time of 10.73 — the fourth fastest ever.
Shelly-Ann is a little woman with a big smile. She has a mental toughness that did not come about by chance. Her journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless. She grew up in one of Jamaica’s toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse, where she lived in a one-room apartment, sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers. Waterhouse, one of the poorest communities in Jamaica, is a really violent and overpopulated place. Several of Shelly-Ann's friends and family were caught up in the killings; one of her cousins was shot dead only a few streets away from where she lived. Sometimes her family didn’t have enough to eat. She ran at the school championships barefooted because she couldn’t afford shoes. Her mother Maxime, one of a family of fourteen, had been an athlete herself as a young girl but, like so many other girls in Waterhouse, had to stop after she had her first baby. Maxime’s early entry into the adult world with its responsibilities gave her the determination to ensure that her kids would not end up in Waterhouse's roundabout(循环) of poverty. One of the first things Maxime used to do with Shelly-Ann was taking her to the track, and she was ready to sacrifice everything.
It didn't take long for Shelly-Ann to realize that sports could be her way out of Waterhouse. On a summer evening in Beijing in 2008, all those long, hard hours of work and commitment finally bore fruit. The barefoot kid who just a few years previously had been living in poverty, surrounded by criminals and violence, had written a new chapter in the history of sports.
But Shelly-Ann’s victory was far greater than that. The night she won Olympic gold in Beijing, the routine murders in Waterhouse and the drug wars in the neighbouring streets stopped. The dark cloud above one of the world’s toughest criminal neighbourhoods simply disappeared for a few days. “I have so much fire burning for my country,” Shelly said. She plans to start a foundation for homeless children and wants to build a community centre in Waterhouse. She hopes to inspire the Jamaicans to lay down their weapons. She intends to fight to make it a woman’s as well as a man’s world.
As Muhammad Ali puts it, “Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them. A desire, a dream, a vision.” One of the things Shelly-Ann can be proud of is her understanding of this truth.
1. What did the sprinting world think of Shelly-Ann before the 2008 Olympic Games?| A．She would become a promising star. |
| B．She badly needed to set higher goals. |
| C．Her sprinting career would not last long. |
| D．Her talent for sprinting was known to all. |
| A．Her success and lessons in her career. |
| B．Her interest in Shelly-Ann’s quick profit. |
| C．Her wish to get Shelly-Ann out of poverty. |
| D．Her early entrance into the sprinting world. |
| A．She was highly rewarded for her efforts. |
| B．She was eager to do more for her country. |
| C．She became an athletic star in her country. |
| D．She was the envy of the whole community. |
| A．The Making of a Great Athlete |
| B．The Dream for Championship |
| C．The Key to High Performance |
| D．The Power of Full Responsibility |
10 . You've probably heard it suggested that you need to move more throughout the day, and as a general rule of thumb, that "more" is often defined as around 10,000 steps. With many Americans tracking their steps via new fitness-tracking wearables, or even just by carrying their phone, more and more people use the 10,000-step rule as their marker for healthy living. Dr. Dreg Hager, professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins, decided to take a closer look at that 10,000-step rule, and he found that using it as a standard may be doing more harm than good for many.
“It turns out that in 1960 in Japan they figured out that the average Japanese man, when he walked 10,000 steps a day burned something like 3,000 calories and that is what they thought the average person should consume so they picked 10,000 steps as a number” Hager said.
According to Hager, asking everyone to shoot for 10,000 steps each day could be harmful to the elderly or those with medical conditions, making it unwise for them to jump into that level of exercise, even if it's walking. The bottom line is that 10,000 steps may be too many for some and too few for others. He also noted that those with shorter legs have an easier time hitting the 10,000-step goal because they have to take more steps than people with longer legs to cover the distance. It seems that 10,000 steps may be suitable for the latter.
A more recent study focused on older women and how many steps can help maintain good health and promote longevity (长寿).The study included nearly 17,000 women with an average age of 72. Researchers found that women who took 4,400 steps per day were about 40% less likely to die during a follow-up period of just over four years: Interestingly, women in the study who walked more than 7,500 steps each day got no extra boost in longevity.
1. What does the underlined word "it' in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The phone recording. | B．The 10,000-step rule. |
| C．The healthy living. | D．The fitness-tracking method. |
| A．How many steps a Japanese walks. |
| B．How we calculate the number of steps. |
| C．If burning 3,000 calories daily is scientific. |
| D．Where 10,000 steps a day came from. |
| A．Senior citizens. | B．Young short-legged people. |
| C．Healthy long-legged people | D．Weak individuals. |
| A．4,400 steps. | B．10,000 steps. |
| C．2,700 steps. | D．7,500 steps. |
