1 . When Tony took up running as a hobby he was 42 years old. Now 42 years later he’s a national champion and a world record holder.
He never imagined at the age of 84 this is where he’d be, but then he doesn’t meet many people in their 80s who are out training four times a week.
“I can see it’s a bit unusual, yes. But it’s been my life,” he told the reporter. The retired officer runs at a track near his home in Leeds.
At an event in Italy last month he set a world record in the 80 metres hurdles（跨栏）with a time of under 17 seconds. But he sees no reason to slow down and his ambition（雄心）is still to be competing when he passes a hundred.
“I probably won’t be doing a crouch start（蹲式起跑）, but it’s only 16 years away,” he joked. Like anyone his age, he’s had health problems. He’s had a string of severe heart attacks, but doctors have told him as long as it makes him feel good, he should carry on running.
“I can’t let my heart get in the way of my training. When I am sprinting I have to give it my absolute all. My heart is the last thing on my mind. ” he said.
He trains every other day, dances and plays hockey and he recently cuts down on alcohol （酒精）and chocolate. He said “ I’ve heard alcohol can lead to dementia and I don’t want that. I’ve cut down to one glass of wine every other day. I now have to stay as fit as I can be to keep up my lifestyle.”
Tony’s next birthday is next September. And the first thing he wants to do is become the world’s fastest 85-year-old.
1. What will Tony do after the competition in Italy?| A．He decides to slow down. |
| B．He decides to retire as an officer. |
| C．He plans on running until he’s 100. |
| D．He plans to compete in the 100 metres hurdles. |
| A．Continuing to run if he feels good. |
| B．Stopping running to treat his heart disease. |
| C．Trying to run as fast as he can. |
| D．Cutting down on alcohol and chocolate. |
| A．Imaginative. | B．Positive. | C．Caring. | D．Helpful. |
| A．The Fastest Man in the World. |
| B．The World’s Fastest 100-year-old. |
| C．A National Champion and a World Record Holder. |
| D．Granddad Crowned Fastest 84-year-old in the World. |
2 . FIFA, soccer's governing body, will seek to expand the Women's World Cup from 24 to 32 teams and double the prize money.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants more teams for 2023, but knows FIFA must work quickly "We will discuss it as a matter of urgency and se if we can already decide to increase for 2023, in which case we should reopen the bidding process and allow everyone to have a chance to organize or maybe co-host for some of those who have been bidding already for a 24-team World Cup, ""Nothing is impossible and based on the success of the 2019 World Cup, of course we have to believe bigger and to do what we should have done already probably some time ago, "Gianni said before the July 7 final between the United States and the Netherlands. The U, S. women's team won 2:0, which helped the growth of women's soccer.
Gianni earlier prioritized（优先考虑）enlarging the Men's World Cup. He pushed for a jump from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup that the United States co-hosts with Canada and Mexico. A bid to speed up the process of expansion for the 2022 tournament in Qatar failed in May. That event will see teams dividing a $440 million prize. In addition, club teams, meaning professional teams, that let their players participate in the Cup will receive a total of $S209 million.
However, women's teams earn much less for competing at the women's event. FIFA plans to double the prize money and will spend more to prepare players and pay clubs releasing players. Gianni said that share would total $100 million. Gianni said FIFA would double its spending on women's soccer to $1 billion. Later, he said that most of it will not be going directly to players. Most of the money would be reserved for soccer federations（联合会）to request for specific projects that would require approval from FIFA.
1. What's urgent for 2023 according to FIFA's president?| A．Deciding on who to bid for it. | B．Choosing a country to host it. |
| C．Reforming the bidding process. | D．Discussing whether more teams to attend. |
| A．It's a men's event. |
| B．It allows 32 teams to participate. |
| C．It contributes to the expansion of women's teams. |
| D．It doubles the prize for women players. |
| A．To encourage people to engage in soccer. |
| B．To arouse public concern for the Men's World Cup. |
| C．To show the importance of the Men's World Cup. |
| D．To stress the need to increase funds in women's teams. |
| A．It's compulsory for clubs to release players. |
| B．Women players will earn more than men. |
| C．FIFA attracts more attention to women's events. |
| D．FIFA will not reject soccer federations' proposal? |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（/\），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处， 多者（从第 11处起）不计分。
Hear the news that the 2022 Winter Olympics would be hold in China, I felt very excited. It struck to me how I learned skating when I was child. At 7, I began to go crazy about skating, like all my friend. At the beginning, it was extremely tough for me to keep my balance. I always fall over on the ground, as a result of which I thought I had no talent for skating. So I gradually lost confidence and became impatient. The more impatient I was, the more terrible I did. I was about to give up while my father came to my assistance. Encouraged by her, I restored confidence and stood up again. As I practiced skating, he always created a relaxed atmosphere and put forward some specific advice. Eventually, I made it.
4 . Indoor Skydiving
Have you ever dreamt of flying? Have you ever wanted to experience the excitement of skydiving, but didn’t want to jump out of a plane? Indoor skydiving has opened up a whole new world for you to try flying.
Indoor skydiving is an activity, simulating（模拟）the free fall of a skydive. That means you learn to fly in a column of air produced by a wind tunnel （风道） inside a limited area. Before flying, you need to wear certain equipment to protect you. And each of you is equipped with an instructor that helps you learn to control your body while flying. But you aren’t trained to be more aware in the sky as a normal skydiver.
To be an indoor flyer, you can be at all ages. Fear of height or lack (缺少) of experience won’t stop you from trying. The only real limitation preventing people from flying is weight limit. Countless physically challenged flyers have safely flown with the help of experienced instructors.
Although indoor skydiving gets its name from skydiving, the similarities between the two are actually very few. The one they are in common is in the sense that they both share the freedom of flying.
However, in traditional dives, skydivers usually step out of a plane from more than 10,000 feet high, while indoor skydiving just needs flyers to lean forward and lie on the air. Also, being an outdoor activity, skydiving depends on the weather. The wind, rain, or snow can cancel your plans to jump. Indoor skydiving removes this effect from the picture. Normally, a skydive lasts just between 45-60 seconds, but tunnels allow skydivers to fly longer and as much as they like.
While most people put skydiving in the must-do list, indoor skydiving is much more than that! What used to take skydivers tens of thousands of jumps and years of experience can be learned in a relatively shorter period of time. Skydivers could be trained at lower cost compared to being trained in the sky. Because people of all ages can fly, children are quickly becoming some of the most talented skydivers. Thus, all these will certainly benefit the development of skydiving.
1. What do indoor skydivers need to do before flying?| A．Jump out of a plane. | B．Become aware of the sky. |
| C．Produce a column of air. | D．Put on protecting equipment. |
| A．Their age. | B．Fear of height. |
| C．Their weight. | D．Lack of experience. |
| A．The sense of flying. | B．The cost of training. |
| C．The length of free fall. | D．The dependence on weather. |
| A．The future of skydiving depends on children. |
| B．Indoor skydiving is beneficial to skydiving. |
| C．Fewer people show interest in skydiving. |
| D．Indoor skydiving will replace skydiving. |
5 . All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer. Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when “their” player or team wins.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. 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! And think of people in cold countries. Think how many people love to skate or ski in Japan, Norway or Canada. Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. They are about one hundred years old. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water－skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.
People from different countries often become good friends after a game together. Sports help them to understand each other. One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace．
1. Why do people all over the world enjoy sports?| A．Because they want to keep healthy. | B．Because they are happy. |
| C．Because they want to live longer. | D．All the above. |
| A．their favorite team wins | B．they win the game |
| C．they get the good news | D．they can’t help themselves |
| A．Water－skiing. | B．Basketball. |
| C．Volleyball. | D．Jumping. |
| A．they train their character in the game | B．they understand each other |
| C．they are friendly to each other | D．they help each other |
It was a cold winter. After work, I returned home. I started to take my coat off, when my son Justin ran through the door of his room. He shouted, “Dad! Dad! I’m going to play baseball tonight.”
“Where at?”
“I don’t know! It’s downtown somewhere. Dad, it’s just downtown. We’ll find it.” I pulled my jacket back on. He took the baseball glove. It fit his left hand; he was left handed—not a good match. “So where are we going?” I asked.
“ I don’t know, Dad.”He ran to the door. “It’s downtown.” Saint John was not a big city. There were only a few blocks in either direction. “ I think it’s in the south end, Dad.” My son stared at me and held his glove. “ We’ll find it.”
We crossed the city center and entered the south end. We saw a few kids with gloves on their hands. “ I guess we’re heading in the right direction, son. Those kids look like they are ready for a baseball game.”
Justin’s eyes were sparkled with excitement, “ See? I told you, Dad.”“ I always believe in you, Justin.” I replied with a big smile. We found the field. The wind froze the parents through to the bone, but the kids failed to notice it. Their minds were on baseball.
It was a rag-tag group of boys and girls, just enough to form three teams. It was a poor league and there were no uniforms. They were lucky to have shirts that matched. They played in T-shirts and jeans. The young kids had no idea where the ball was to be thrown. I would have laughed, but my son was one of the ones throwing the ball to the wrong base. The three teams battled with each other, won and lost. The coaches, who were actually just elder kids, were patient. It was a game and they treated it that way. At the same time, they taught and encouraged the younger players.
Paragraph 1:
I heard that they would take part in the city baseball competition the next summer.
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Paragraph 2:
Nine months later, in winter, they attended the second city baseball competition.
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7 . Walk with a Purpose
Humans were made for walking. With our upright postures, agile(灵活的) joints, and strong leg muscles, our bodies were exactly designed with walking in mind - which is what makes it such perfect exercise.
Maybe you already love to walk, but you’re getting tired of tracking your same old route day after day — or maybe you’re new to walking and aren’t sure how to get started. Either way, it’s time to consider the idea of walking with a purpose.
Similarly, you might find open groups of dog walkers at your local park as well. Your RV(野营车) park might conduct group walks and hikes or your campground personnel might know about fun local walking groups you can join.
| A．See new places? |
| B．Head to a new city with friends? |
| C．Making friends and socializing is your goal? |
| D．It’s kind to our bodies and great for our waistlines. |
| E．And be sure to stay on the lookout for charity walks. |
| F．To get started, sit down with a map and make a plan. |
| G．This might be just the way to get you off the beaten path. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last Sunday, I watched the amazed FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup on TV. I jumped with joy as the Chinese team win the championship with eleven straight victory. The success is a timely but inspiring birthday gift to our country. Besides, it makes I understand the spirit of the Chinese women’s volleyball team — never give up, particular in difficult situations. This spirit dates back to early 1980s. At that time, young Lang Ping attracted the entire nation attention with her excellent performances on the court. Ever since then, almost four decades have been witnessed the rise and fall of the Chinese team. However, the spirit has inspired one generation to another, both within the team and across the country.
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 . History Fair Competition
Understanding history is vital to understanding ourselves as a people and as a nation. History is much more than the study of dusty old objects and events long past. It is an essential part of who we are today and who we will become. Thornton Middle School History Fair Competition makes understanding history exciting, engaging, and fun!
This Year’s Theme
All participants must address how communication or transportation technology has promoted the quality of life for Americans throughout history. To many people, technology means computers, hand—held devices, or vehicles that travel to distant planets. However, technology is also the application of scientific knowledge to solve a problem, touching lives in countless ways.
Individuals or groups may enter one of the following categories:
Performance
Documentary
Essay Writing
Category Requirements
Performance: A dramatic presentation of the topic no more than 10 minutes long. If special clothes are used, they should truly represent a given period.
Documentary: A visual presentation ( such as a video,slide show,or computer project) no more than 10minutes long. A desktop computer,screen,projector,and loudspeakers will be available. Students must provide their presentations on CDs before Friday,March 23.
Essay Writing: An academic paper of 2,000 to 2,500 words. No illustrations(图解) are allowed. Please do not include covers. A list of references must be included.
Important Dates
January 5 Submit a topic proposal to your history teacher. The teacher may require a second proposal if the first is off—topic or unclear.
February 19 A committee of teachers will evaluate materials and give opinions. Students then have an opportunity to improve their products.
March 9 Submit a final draft of your essay.
March 15 Performance and documentary committee preview
March 24 Thornton Middle School History Fair Competition
7:00A.M—9:00 A.M Participants signing in at the gym
10: 00A.M. 6:00PM. Competition and judges' review
7: 00P.M. Awards ceremony and picnic
1. What's the main purpose of understanding history?| A．To preserve national traditions. |
| B．To prepare for a history competition. |
| C．To better know the present and future. |
| D．To further explore historical mysteries. |
| A．Technology advances science. |
| B．Science interacts with technology. |
| C．Science has made the study of history easy. |
| D．Technology has improved the life of Americans. |
| A．Make comments on the materials. |
| B．Improve the participant's second proposal. |
| C．Preview performances and documentaries. |
| D．Collect a second proposal from the participant. |
