1 . British Cycling had recently hired Dave Brailsford as its new director. At the time, professional cyclists in Great Britain had
What made Brailsford different from previous coaches was his
Brailsford and his coaches began by making small
But they didn’t stop there.They
As these and hundreds of other small improvements were
| A．lost | B．enjoyed | C．showed | D．suffered |
| A．score | B．track | C．performance | D．model |
| A．failed | B．refused | C．expected | D．pretended |
| A．promise | B．opinion | C．dream | D．philosophy |
| A．broke down | B．took down | C．put up | D．gave away |
| A．flexible | B．temporary | C．significant | D．random |
| A．differences | B．adjustments | C．programs | D．efforts |
| A．attractive | B．empty | C．soft | D．comfortable |
| A．maintain | B．raise | C．reduce | D．discover |
| A．change | B．monitor | C．manage | D．produce |
| A．continued | B．happened | C．learned | D．bothered |
| A．coach | B．secretary | C．assistant | D．surgeon |
| A．sessions | B．chances | C．records | D．reactions |
| A．tyres | B．roof | C．inside | D．seats |
| A．gather | B．recognize | C．spot | D．send |
| A．surrounded | B．unnoticed | C．removed | D．discovered |
| A．finely | B．initially | C．slightly | D．positively |
| A．took off | B．picked up | C．built up | D．got off |
| A．achieved | B．remembered | C．mentioned | D．imagined |
| A．dominated | B．witnessed | C．celebrated | D．attended |
2 . Fitness tracking devices (健康追踪装置) often suggest we take 10,000 steps a day. But the goal of taking 10,000 steps, which many of us believe is scientific, in fact comes by accidents and history rather than research.
The 10,000-steps target became popular in Japan in the 1960s. A clock maker, mass-produced a pedometer(计步器) with a name that, when written in Japanese characters, looked like a walking man. It also translated as “10,000-steps meter,” creating a walking aim that, through the decades, somehow has been accepted widely.
But today’s best science suggests we do not need to take 10,000 steps a day for our health or longevity. A 2019 study by Dr. Lee and her colleagues found that women in their 70s who take as few as 4,400 steps a day reduced their risk of early death by about 40 percent, compared to women completing 2,700 or fewer steps a day. The risks for early death continued to drop among the women walking more than 5,000 steps a day, but benefits plateaued(处于停滞状态)at about 7,500 daily steps. In other words, older women who completed fewer than half of the mythic(神话的)10,000 daily steps tended to live longer than those who covered even less ground.
Another study last year of almost 5,000 middle-aged men and women found that 10,000 steps a day are not a requirement for longevity. In that study, people who walked for about 8,000 steps a day were half as likely to die early from heart disease or any other cause as those who walked 4,000 steps a day.
According to recent estimates, most adults in Western nations average fewer than 5,000 steps a day. The good news is that increasing our current steps by even a few thousand additional ones most days could be an achievable goal, Dr. Lee said. If, like many people, we currently take about 5,000 steps a day during the course of everyday activities like shopping and housework, adding the extra 2,000 to 3,000 steps would take us to a total of between 7,000 and 8,000 steps most days, which, Dr. Lee said, seems to be the step-count sweet spot.
1. Which of the following is true about the 10,000-steps target?| A．It is scientific. | B．It has been proved. |
| C．It was created accidentally. | D．It was put forward by a Japanese. |
| A．fitness | B．ill-health |
| C．short life | D．long life |
| A．Less than 3000 | B．About 4000 |
| C．About 7000 | D．Over10,000 |
| A．A science report | B．A news report |
| C．A health magazine | D．A textbook |
3 . Exercise for a Better Brain
Most of the time, your brain is the boss of your muscle—directing how you hit a ball, play the piano, or open a cereal box.
In a study, people who ran for 45 minutes three days a week boosted their levels of a brain-derived neurotrophic（神经营养的）factor, a chemical that acts like fertilizer for new brain cells.
Studies suggest that in younger adults, exercise can add to the overall number of cell in the hippocampus（海马体）.
| A．Again, a little goes a long way. |
| B．Tips have been offered as to how to properly exercise. |
| C．After four months of workouts, their scores improves on a memory test. |
| D．Besides this, studies have also suggested that dying cells can be cleared with regular exercise. |
| E．But when it comes to growing new brain cells, more and more researches show that when you exercise, your muscles take charge. |
| F．Exercise also helps keep brain cells alive longer and replaces old cells with new ones. |
| G．The more light activity study participants logged, the greater the overall size of their brains. |
For me, it was normal to feel lost at the inter-camp track. Four camps of kids were ready to lead their teams to a blue ribbon andwinthe day. Not me. I was too little to be the leader and too skinny to be anathlete. I knew this by the time I was twelve, because my camp counselors and the other kids reminded me of it every chance they got. So when our camp needed a fourth runner in the two-mile race around thelake, I knew I was no one's first choice.
I hid in the shade of a maple tree as they called the names of the runners, my body tensed as I heard a counselor call, “Fred! Where is Fred! He is in this race!” It wasBarry. He spotted me under the tree. “Fred! We need a 12-ycar-old who hasn’t been in other events to run the two-mile!”
He gave me a push towards the starting line. Having noconfidenceand trying to save myself from the shame of taking the last place as four camps watched, I pleaded with him.
“But I don’t know the way around the lake!”
“You’re in. Just follow Bill!” Barry smiled.
Bill was my friend and the fastest runner in our camp. And then Barry said, “When you make it to the last stretch on the field, just throw yourheadback and run.”
At the starting line, I stood next to Bill and trembled.
“On your mark... Get set...” The gun cracked and sixteen of us took off. I stayed close on Bill's heels, a little too close for Bill, I guess. He shouted at me, “Back off!”
I did. Two guys passed me, but I kept my eyes on Bill.
It was tiring. The distance was widening between Bill and me. We made the turn from the dusty road onto the muddy, wooded trail that would go around the lake back to the field. Through the trees, I saw Bill trip over a tree root and fall. A runner from another camp passed him.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语：
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好：
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1
In a moment. Bill was up again and running.
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Paragraph 2
I didn't blow when I crossed the finish line.
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5 . The New York Times states that cheerleading is the fastest growing girls sport, yet more than half of Americans do not believe it is a sport, In addition, they fail to distinguish between sideline cheerleaders and competitive ones. Sideline cheerleaders' main goal is to entertain the crowd and lead them with team cheers, which should not be considered a sport. While competitive cheerleading is rather a different one.
A sport, according to the Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors, is a "physical competition against an opponent, governed by rules and conditions under which a winner is declared, and primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants." It is obvious that cheerleading follows these guidelines.
Just as basketball and foot ball have guidelines for competitive play, so does competitive cheerleading. The whole routine has to be completed in less than 3 minutes and 15 seconds and the cheerleaders are required to stay within a certain area. Competitive cheerleaders goal is to be the best, Just like gymnasts, they are awarded points for difficulty, technique, creativity and sharpness. Cheerleading is a team sport so without cooperation and synchronization, first place is out of reach.
According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, cheerleading is the number-one cause of serious sports injuries to women. Emergency room visits for cheerleading are five times the number for any other sport, partially because they do not wear protective gear. While many athletes are equipped with hip pads, knee pads, shin guards or helmets, smiling cheerleaders are tossed into the air and spiral down into the arms of trusted teammates, The fliers must remain tight at all times so that their bases can catch them safely.
Also because cheerleading is not yet recognized as a sport by many schools. neither proper matting nor high enough ceilings are provided to ensure safety, Instead. the girls use whatever space is available. More recognition of competitive cheerleading as a sport would decrease the number of injuries.
1. What problem is competitive cheerleading facing?| A．It is governed by strict rules. |
| B．People don ' t accept it as a sport |
| C．It is compared with professional gymnastics. |
| D．People don 't know its difference with sideline cheerleaders. |
| A．To distinguish cheerleading with basket ball and football. |
| B．To show that cheerleading is as popular as basketball and foot ball. |
| C．To show cheerleading has the typical characters of common sports. |
| D．To state that cheerleading should follow the rules of traditional sports. |
| A．More people should take part in it. |
| B．Competitive cheerleading is dangerous. |
| C．Cheerleading is the fastest growing girls sport. |
| D．More attention should be attached to competitive cheerleading. |
| A．Find a player. | B．Play basketball. | C．Watch a game. |
7 . One afternoon last week, I saw three tearful children from my son’s school being comforted by teachers. That morning, my 11-year-old son had stomach pains, retching (干呕) into a bowl. Talking to other mothers later, I heard about other children with stomachache or difficult sleeping the night before.
What caused so much pain? Sports day. Sports day might be necessary at a highly-competitive independent school, but not at a village primary school. For the children who can fly like the wind, sports day cause no problem. For those who are overweight or just not good at sport, it is nightmare (噩梦). Even for those who enjoy running but fall halfway down the track in front of the entire school and their parents, it can prove a disease.
Why do we put our children through this annual suffering? Some may say competition is character building; or it’s taking part, not winning, that’s important; or that’s a tradition of school life. I just felt great pity for those children in tears or in pain.
Team games at the end of sports day produced some close races, wild enthusiasm, lots of shouting — and were fun to watch. More importantly, the children who were not so fast or quick at passing the ball were hidden a little from everyone’s eyes. Some of them also had the thrill of being on the winning side.
I wish that sports day could be abandoned and replaced with some other less competitive event. Perhaps an afternoon of team games, with a few races for those who want them, would be less stressful for the children and a lot more fun to watch.
1. What can we learn about the author’s son from Paragraph 1?| A．He talked with some mothers. | B．He comforted his classmates. |
| C．He had difficulty in sleeping. | D．He suffered from stomachache. |
| A．this is an independent school | B．it is a tradition of the school |
| C．it helps children lose weight | D．children enjoy watching sports |
| A．Critical. | B．Neutral. | C．Positive. | D．Ambiguous. |
The FIFA World Cup attracted worldwide attention. But have you ever considered
Watching sport might have some positive consequences.
On the other hand, however, when watching
John Ryan, a cardiologist at the University of Utah Health Care advised people to stay hydrated, stay cool and eat and drink alcohol in moderation. He said those same pieces of advice
1. When did the woman decide to go on a diet?
| A．In the winter. | B．In the fall. | C．In the summer. |
| A．Three times a week. | B．Twice a week. | C．Once a week. |
1. What is the man doing?
| A．Doing an interview. |
| B．Asking for advice on exercise. |
| C．Preparing to join the tai chi club. |
| A．She needed to lose weight. |
| B．She liked slow-moving exercise. |
| C．She wanted to do something different. |
| A．Yoga. | B．Tennis. | C．Basketball. |
| A．She feels her mind is confused. |
| B．She feels too tired to go to work. |
| C．She feels quite ready to do other things. |
