1 .
The documentary displays Lang’s inspiring journey from her gold medal victory as a volleyball player in the 1984 Olympics to her amazing career as a successful coach for both Team USA from 2005 to 2008 and China since 2013. She was the first person to win Olympic volleyball gold as a player and coach. Lang Ping revealed the secret to such remarkable achievements in the documentary. As she said, “
But illness is certainly not the only difficulty Lang has faced. In 2005, she struggled with balancing raising her daughter Lydia Bai Lang, who lived in the US, and her coaching career. She eventually decided to work for USA Volleyball that year.
There is no doubt that Lang is one of the greatest players and coaches in history. As an American athlete commented in the documentary,
| A．Who is Lang Ping? |
| B．Lang is the hardest to defeat. |
| C．I believe volleyball was my life. |
| D．What makes one a great person? |
| E．Glory and challenges go hand in hand. |
| F．Lang Ping is like Michael Jordan in our minds. |
| G．This decision aroused a lot of negative comments in China. |
2 . A child plays many roles, such as friend, neighbor, son or daughter. Simply reminding children of that fact can lead to better problem-solving and more flexible (灵活的) thinking, finds a new research from Duke University.
“This is some of the first research on reminding kids about their many roles said lead author Sarah Gaither, a professor at Duke. “Such reminders improve their problem-solving skills and how flexibly they see their social worlds.”
In one experiment, Gaither and her workmates looked at 196 children, aged 6 and 7. All were native English speakers. The first group of children was reminded of their various identities, such as son, daughter, reader or helper. A second group of children was reminded of their many physical features. The rest of the children were reminded of other children’s many roles, not their own.
All the children solved many tasks. The first group of children showed stronger problem-solving and creative thinking skills. For example, when shown pictures of a bear looking at a honey-filled beehive (蜂巢) high up in a tree, these children had more creative ideas for how the bear might get the honey, such as turning over a bowl as a seat.
The second group of children also showed more flexible thinking about social groupings. When asked to group different photos of faces, they suggested many ways to do so. For example, they identified smiling faces VS unsmiling ones, and old VS young faces. The other children mainly grouped people’s faces by race and gender.
“We often only think about ourselves in connection with one important group at a time,” said Christopher Marlowe, a schoolmaster in Durham, North Carolina. “When we remind kids that they have various identities, they think more and remember that there are many other groups. They are more open-minded.”
1. Who is Sarah Gaither?| A．A reader. | B．A professor. | C．A reporter. | D．A schoolmaster. |
| A．The research was intended for people of all ages. |
| B．The first group was reminded of various identities. |
| C．Children in the second group are the most creative. |
| D．All tasks were solved by the other children. |
| A．To remind children of childhood. |
| B．To make children more creative. |
| C．To show the result of the research. |
| D．To inform children of wildlife protection. |
| A．Critical. | B．Unclear. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
3 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.
Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "
For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.
A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.
These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.
"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.
1. What is on the ever-growing list mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．Positive effects of doing exercises. |
| B．Exercises suitable for the middle-aged. |
| C．Experimental studies on diseases. |
| D．Advantages of sporty woman over man |
| A．To predict their maximum heart rate. |
| B．To assess their cardiovascular capacity |
| C．To change their habits of working out |
| D．To detect their potential health problems |
| A．It aimed to find a cure for dementia. |
| B．Data collection was a lengthy process. |
| C．Some participants withdrew from it. |
| D．The results were far from satisfactory. |
| A．More Women Are Exercising to Prevent Dementia |
| B．Middle-Aged Women Need to Do More Exercise |
| C．Fit Women Are Less Likely to Develop Dementia |
| D．Biking Improves Women's Cardiovascular Fitness |
4 . In the year I was about twelve years old, my mother told us that we would not be
Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my
So I
| A．sending | B．receiving | C．making | D．exchanging |
| A．got | B．prepared | C．found | D．expected |
| A．broke in | B．settled down | C．showed off | D．turned up |
| A．embarrassed | B．puzzled | C．frightened | D．relieved |
| A．present | B．first | C．last | D．past |
| A．hardly | B．regularly | C．immediately | D．rarely |
| A．responsibility | B．independence | C．importance | D．safety |
| A．know | B．mention | C．remember | D．reach |
| A．kept up with | B．caught up with | C．came up with | D．put up with |
| A．fine | B．special | C．helpful | D．normal |
| A．reminded | B．warned | C．persuaded | D．promised |
| A．chance | B．gift | C．moment | D．reward |
| A．lit | B．took | C．burned | D．cheered |
| A．warmth | B．appreciation | C．calmness | D．joy |
| A．matter | B．wonder | C．doubt | D．suppose |
5 . I often hear some of you saying,“I don't care what other people think! I do whatever I want!" There is a strong wish for independence in adolescence and you say you only care about your own opinion. But be honest — don't you care about what certain people think? Most teenagers have a circle of people who can influence them.They care very much about what this circle of people think, especially about them.
Most teenagers want to be independent, but they don't want to be alone. They don't want to stand out, away from the crowd. They want to have connection to other people, especially other teenagers.
During adolescence, friendships with other teens become very important. They care about what other teenagers think because they want to be accepted and they are afraid of what other people think. Fear makes them care.
Some teenagers are leaders and some are followers. You might think that teenage leaders don't care what other people think, but that is not true. After all, a leader really isn't a leader unless other people follow. If leaders don't care about what followers think, those followers may leave and follow someone else. Followers care about what the leader thinks because they want to be a part of the group.
There is a famous playwright named William Shakespeare. In one of his plays, Hamlet, the character Hamlet said,“To thine own self be true.” In other words, whatever you do, always be true to yourself. Sure, teenagers can care about what other people think of them, but the most important thing is what they think of themselves. This is one of the most important tasks that teenagers should have.
1. What do we know about teenagers from the text?| A．They value friendship. | B．They have difficulty making friends. |
| C．They are always deaf to others' advice. | D．They keep themselves away from others. |
| A．Teenagers prefer to be leaders. |
| B．Teenage leaders must listen to followers. |
| C．Teenage followers should read leaders' mind. |
| D．Teenage leaders and followers care about each other. |
| A．Think of others around you. | B．Make friends whenever possible. |
| C．Do what you think is right. | D．Go easy on yourself and others. |
| A．Teens: Follow Your Heart | B．Teens: Why Do I Want to Be Independent |
| C．Teens: Believe in Yourself | D．Teens: Why Do I Care What Other People Think |
6 . The Forbidden City is well known for being full of Chinese cultural and historical relics. But Masters in the Forbidden City（《我在故宫修文物》）does not just focus on the stories of the past.
Instead, the documentary movie, which came out in Chinese cinemas on Dec. 16, focuses on ordinary people-the restorers（修复者）of relics and antiquities（古董）.
The stories are told at a slow and relaxed pace, reflecting the restorers’ work. Restoration of cultural relics and antiques can be time-consuming, and sometimes boring. Yet these restorers’ patience and peace of mind are especially precious in a society where everything is changing so fast.
“If you choose this job, you have to stand hours of work sitting on a chair. You need to be quiet and get used to being quiet,” says Wang Jin, an ancient clock repair expert.
A touching part of the documentary is the spirit of craftsmanship（工艺）in the restorers. “Years of humdrum work requires not only skill, but also faith and spirit,” China Daily commented. “Looking for preciseness and perfection, devoting yourself to work, patience, endurance（忍耐）, loneliness…All these qualities come from the craftsman spirit. ”
But unlike the popular idea of serious experts who sit around being serious, the documentary shows off the enthusiasm of the restorers. They play their guitars and make jokes about each other after a long day of restoration work.
One scene that has been very popular with Internet users features a young female restorer riding a bicycle through the empty Forbidden City on a Monday. While she is doing this, a narrator says, “The last person to do this was Puyi, the last emperor of the Oing Dynasty.”
Masters in the Forbidden City has proved wrong many people’s ideas about antique restorers, allowing them to realize that they are not old, dull professors, but people in their 40s, 30s and even 20s who can be quite pleasing to the eye.
1. According to the text, what’s the main purpose of the documentary Masters in the Forbidden City?| A．To show people how antiques are restored |
| B．To display relics seldom seen by ordinary people |
| C．To draw attention to Chinese antique restorers’ lives |
| D．To praise the craftsmanship of Chinese antique restorers |
| A．He often gets tired with his work | B．There is no need to do restoration work fast |
| C．Antique restorers need to be patient and peaceful | D．It takes years of hard work to adapt to antique restoration |
| A．Boring | B．Different | C．Relaxing | D．Unusual |
| A．To remind the audience of the last Qing emperor |
| B．To show the strange hobbies of young antique restorers |
| C．To encourage the young to consider a career in antique restoration in the future |
| D．To show that the documentary breaks from the old, dull image of antique restorers |
7 . I had a picnic one day with my sister. We both like to ride her motorcycle and that day we rode it to the nearest park. We bought some coffee and cakes, and then we enjoyed our food. Within a few hours, the sky changed and looked ready for a heavy rain. We packed everything and were ready to go. My sister, who was sitting on a bench suddenly was very still and couldn't talk to me.She couldn't move. Her eyes were rolling and she was about to lose consciousness(知觉). I held her in my arms and asked if she wanted to rest. She didn’t answer and only said“Sorry.”
It started to rain and I didn't know what to do. She was fighting to stay aware but her skin was pale and her eyes were acting strangely. Suddenly, from nowhere, a woman on a bicycle appeared. wearing a raincoat." She isn't looking good. Do you want me to call an ambulance(救护车)?”“Yes, please,yes!”I begged.
She did. Struggling with the rain, she managed to call some policemen, who quickly helped me carry my sister to a safer place. The ambulance arrived and we went to a hospital where she was treated in time and she came to life the next morning after some rest and medical help.
An interesting fact was that I guessed the woman in the raincoat was a doctor or a nurse. I later learned from one of the police officers who told me: “No.She was an ordinary person who took some courses on emergency situations(紧急情况).”
I am so grateful that she appeared exactly at the moment I don’t know why or how .I didn’t even get the chance to say thanks to her.
1. What happened when the author and her sister were ready to go?| A．They had a fight. | B．The sister fell ill suddenly. |
| C．They were caught in the rain. | D．They had difficulty packing things. |
| A．By giving first aid to her sister. | B．By protecting her sister from the rain. |
| C．By carrying her sister to the hospital | D．By asking for emergency medical help |
| A．To keep order in the park. |
| B．To send the sick girl to hospital. |
| C．To carry the sick girl to a safer place quickly. |
| D．To carry the sick girl onto the ambulance. |
| A．Thankful | B．Friendly |
| C．Doubtful | D．Admirable |
8 . Walk around the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and you may see a green animal named Sluggo and a flying pig named Philomena. You might even see street artist David Zinn drawing them using only sidewalk chalk and charcoal (炭笔).
At the age of 12, David began working as an artist. His dad was writing a computer instruction and worried that it would be boring to read. So he asked David to draw pictures of turtles (the name of the computer program) to explain it. The publisher liked his drawings, and soon David had the job of drawing more turtles in action. “I learned a great lesson, which was that, to make money as an artist, I couldn't always draw what I wanted,” he says. “I had to figure out how to draw a turtle drinking tea and other things like that.”
David worked for 20 years as a commercial (商业的) artist, but he often felt cooped up (禁锢) sitting at a computer for 10 hours a day. Then, on a sunny afternoon about ten years ago, he brought some chalk and started drawing on the sidewalk. That's when Sluggo came to life.
“One of the reasons I like to put art on the street is to take people by surprise,” he says. “I can have fun drawing, and knowing it will be washed away helps me not think too much. It frees me up.”
It takes David about two hours to complete one drawing. He uses a lot of sidewalk characteristics in his street art. It can be difficult to draw on surfaces that are not flat. He has to notice where shadows will land so they won't destroy the 3D drawings he creates.
Today, more and more people are accepting and looking for his work. David's artwork can also be found across the country and even throughout the world. Photos of his drawings have been shown at many universities and museums.
1. What did David learn from drawing turtles for his father?| A．Work hard. | B．Follow your heart. |
| C．Draw what you like. | D．Draw in a creative way. |
| A．Relaxed. | B．Worried. |
| C．Unhappy. | D．Surprised. |
| A．It shows his real life. |
| B．It is drawn on the flat sidewalk. |
| C．It needs a very long time to finish a drawing. |
| D．It is 3D street art created by simple painting tools. |
| A．They are becoming popular. |
| B．They are too difficult to understand. |
| C．They are found mainly at museums. |
| D．They are hardly accepted by adults. |
9 . All parents know that young children are always energetic, eager to run, jump and play. Turning that natural energy into competitive sports can help keep kids active and healthy as they grow. Competitive sports such as soccer， track， basketball and swimming can also help kids learn important life lessons about teamwork and fair play.
Learning How to Compete
Joining in sports teaches children and teenagers how to compete in the real world. As they grow older, they'll face competition in school, in the workforce and other areas of life. But these competitions don't have to be negative（负面的）or unhealthy.
Understanding the Value of Exercise
Improving Self-respect
Improved self-respect is another benefit of competitive youth sports.
Losing with his team can also increase self-esteem, as he learns to hold his head high and feel proud for trying his best.
Youth sports can help stop negative behavior, such as joining a gang（帮派）, because competitive sports provide a way of expressing their energy, friendship and controlled attacking behaviour. Teens who have positive influences and friends feel less of a need to join in risky behaviors.
| A．Reducing Risky Behavior |
| B．Developing Character Values |
| C．Here are the benefits of competitive sports for youth |
| D．If you try your hardest, you have a better chance to succeed |
| E．When a child wins a game with his team, he feels recognized |
| F．Taking part in competitive youth sports burns calories and helps to keep slim |
| G．Playing sports can help kids understand how competition works in a friendly environment |
10 . Tired of your quiet day-to-day life? How about leaving your computer games behind and taking up an extreme sport?
You can ride a bicycle, right? In that case you’re halfway to becoming a mountain biker. All you have to do is take your bike off the road and try some hilly areas. Mountain biking was developed in California in the 1970s and became an Olympic sport in 1996.
Not challenging enough? Skydivers jump from planes at a height of 1,000 to 4,000 meters. You have to be fit but there’s no age limit with this sport. For example, Dilys Price from Cardiff went on her first jump aged 54. The minute she came down, she wanted to go up again. She said: “It was so attractive”.
Some adventures have invented base jumping, in which people jump from tall structures, such as buildings or bridges, with a parachute. Many of their jumps aren’t legal, especially in the cities.Dan Witchalls has jumped off The Shard —London’s 310 meter-high building four times.He says, “Base jumping is scarier than jumping out of a plane. In a plane there is no sense of height, but when you are standing on the edge of the building you can see people and cars, the experience makes it very real.”
It seems there’s no shortage of imagination when it comes to risking life to look cool and get the heart beating wildly. Surfing, diving, rock climbing ...And how about extreme ironing? That is, pressing your clothes on top of a mountain! Extreme ironing is said to have been created in the 1990s in England by a man who saw a large amount of wrinkled clothes and felt bored when doing the cloth ironing. That man was Phil Shaw. For him, the excitement of this sport comes from looking at the viewers’ faces. Shaw says, “Sometimes they look confused; sometimes they laugh. It’s fun to see how people react to it.”
1. What does the author think about mountain biking?| A．A bit boring. | B．Challenging indeed. |
| C．Great fun. | D．Not very hard. |
| A．Skydivers have to be very healthy. | B．Skydiving is not challenging enough. |
| C．Elderly people can also take up skydiving. | D．People can easily become crazy about skydiving. |
| A．The sense of height. | B．Base jumping experience. |
| C．The edge of the building. | D．Jumping out of a plane. |
| A．He liked ironing clothes. | B．He wanted to make clothes ironing more fun. |
| C．He enjoyed different looks on people's faces. | D．He had a good view standing on top of a mountain. |
