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 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad _______ me into a dozen sports. I didn’t like any of them, _______.

When I entered the University of Regina, my dad _______ telling me “You have to find a way to stay _______.” or “You don’t want to get the Freshman 15, do you?” So I _______ to give swimming a shot, but I _______ managed to go to the pool twice during the fall semester (学期). Worse still, I was _______ to convince myself that’s OK.

The spring semester came. A friend of mine _______ me if I wanted to try Zumba (尊巴) with her. All I knew about Zumba was that it was basically a kind of exercise: dancing to Latin pop songs. It didn’t sound too bad, but I couldn’t be _______.

I went, and that was it. Zumba became my ________ of tea. The instructor would always say, “Don’t worry about the steps. Have fun. Do your own thing.” That removed my ________ of sports. I didn’t have to be ________. I didn’t even have to be good. I just needed to ________ the music and move. Zumba did ________ me from the Freshman 15, and it also did so much more. It let me make ________ with my unpleasant past about physical exercise, and enjoy staying healthy.

1.

A．expected

B．allowed

C．forced

D．invited

2.

A．therefore

B．though

C．instead

D．besides

3.

A．avoided

B．risked

C．regretted

D．kept

4.

A．in shape

B．for fun

C．at ease

D．on business

5.

A．refused

B．happened

C．bothered

D．decided

6.

A．hardly

B．merely

C．constantly

D．gradually

7.

A．eager

B．content

C．embarrassed

D．disappointed

8.

A．cheated

B．comforted

C．asked

D．annoyed

9.

A．happy

B．proud

C．careful

D．sure

10.

A．cup

B．part

C．share

D．mouth

11.

A．curiosity

B．passion

C．fear

D．confidence

12.

A．perfect

B．positive

C．adorable

D．official

13.

A．accept

B．feel

C．display

D．compare

14.

A．witness

B．separate

C．discourage

D．save

15.

A．trouble

B．sense

C．peace

D．contact

3 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
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 . 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.

2. Some people get excited when they watch a game because ________．

A．their favorite team wins	B．they win the game
C．they get the good news	D．they can’t help themselves

3. Which of the sports has a long history?

A．Water－skiing.	B．Basketball.
C．Volleyball.	D．Jumping.

4. People from different countries often become friends after a game together because ________．

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

5 . 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.

2. What is the theme of this year's competition?

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.

3. What will the committee of teachers do on February 19?

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.

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

China has named 24,126 primary and middle schools across the country as specialist football schools     1     (lead) youth football development, according to the Ministry of Education. It's required that at least one football class     2     (offer) each week in these schools so that they can encourage their students to     3     (active) participate in football training and matches.

“China aims to have 50,000 schools specializing in youth-football by the end of 2025," said Wang Dengfeng, an official of the Ministry of Education,    4     (add) that to realize this goal, the ministry will take various measures that include building school football fields, training football coaches and providing extra funding and policy support.     5     those measures in schools, 47 football training camps have also been built in     6     effort to promote the sport among young people. And outstanding or     7     (gift) players will also have the chance to join inter-school teams for regional     8     (competition) and even national summer camps.

In the past four years, local education departments have trained about 40,000 football teachers, 8,000 of     9     have obtained coaching certificates. Moreover, the country     10     (step) up its efforts in promoting football in schools since it set up a seven-department joint task force, including the education, sport and finance authorities as well as Chinese Football Association.

7 . 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.

2. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

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.

3. Who will probably benefit from 10,000 steps each day according to Hager?

A．Senior citizens.	B．Young short-legged people.
C．Healthy long-legged people	D．Weak individuals.

4. How many steps may the researchers suggest senior citizens take each day?

A．4,400 steps.	B．10,000 steps.
C．2,700 steps.	D．7,500 steps.

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Health is     1    most important thing in the world. Nothing is more important than health. If one takes away our money, houses, cars, or even our clothes, we can still survive.     2    if our health is taken away, it is certain that we surely die. That is why we always try to eat in a     3    (health) way and exercise often.

How can we keep healthy? In order to eat healthily, I usually avoid    4    (eat) food high in fat, like French fries or cookies,     5    are junk foods. I eat lots of vegetables and fresh fruit. Besides, I only eat a little meat.

On the     6    hand, doing exercise is very important. Taking exercise every day     7    (help) us build a strong body. Regular exercise is an important part of keeping me healthy.

What’s more, I think friends are important part of one’s health. I always feel better when I am with friends than alone. When I am with friends I always laugh. Laughing is also an important part of health. It is good    8    (stay) with my friends. By eating properly and exercising    9    (regular), I can keep my body at a proper weight. By spending time with my friends, I can keep my mind as well as my body happy. These things sound easy to do, but not many people can manage     10    . I think a strong will is necessary if we want to keep fit.

9 . WELCOME TO THE 2021 HAL LEONARD VOCAL COMPETITION

The annual Hal Leonard Vocal Competition was founded in 2011 to encourage young singers from all over United States and Canada, from children through college undergraduates. Thousands of singers have participated in the competition, with top placing videos from 35 states and provinces, and over 40 colleges and universities. The Hal Leonard Vocal Competition was one of the first music competitions held entirely on YouTube.

This year with many singers studying at home and unable to meet in person with teachers, we hope the 2021 Hal Leonard Vocal Competition can be a rewarding project for all participants to experience growth, community, and enrichment. The competition offers a thread of connection between all singers who enter, by seeing and hearing their peers (同龄人) online.

The rules of the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition have alwa ys required that a recorded accompaniment (伴奏) must be an official Hal Leonard recording. Because of the special circumstances we are in, for the 2021 competition, we will allow a singer to use an accompaniment recording made that is not an official Hal Leonard recording, provided that the accompaniment recorded matches exactly the edition of the songs from books chosen on the required repertoire (全部曲目) list. The accompaniment must be piano or keyboard only.

Unlike almost every other music competition, there is no entry fee in the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition. We deliberately want young singers from any location in North America to be able to enter, without the expense of travel to an audition (试镜) site. And singers can view and hear others on YouTube from around the US and Canada who are in their own age group. Voice teachers have told us that it is instructive to hear hundreds of singers from other studios.

It is important to us to encourage the study of art song as well as musical theatre, with four age categories for each ：

• Children, 12 and under

• Early Teens, 13-15

• High School, 16-18

• College Undergraduates/Young Adults, 18-23

1. What does the competition allow participants to do?

A．Meet their teachers personally.	B．Hear people of their age online.
C．Receive videos of famous singers.	D．Get some gifted books on singing.

2. What are participants required to do?

A．Travel to an audition site ahead of time.

B．Prepare and record some original songs.

C．Use non-official Hal Leonard recording.

D．Provide accompaniment to the entry song.

3. What is special about the competition?

A．It is free to participate.	B．It is held on YouTube.
C．It is attended by students.	D．It can be watched online.

10 . 假如你是李华，你的美国朋友Tom近日写信给你，想了解中国高中生体育锻炼情况。请给Tom写一 封回信，内容包括：
1.中国高中生参加体育运动的现状：
2.分析该现状产生的原因；
3.你自己的感想。
注意：1.词数100词左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；       3.开头语和结束语已为你写好。
Dear Tom,

Glad to receive your letter. And I'm writing to tell you something about Chinese high school students' physical exercise.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua