1 . The Biggest Stadiums in the World
People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A.D., the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world’s best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome’s Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50,000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city’s Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.
These days, safety regulations-not to mention the modern sports fan’s desire for a good view and comfortable seat — tend to keep stadium capacities (容量) slightly lower. Even soccer fans tend to have a seat each; gone are the days of thousands standing to watch the match.
For the biggest stadiums in the world, we have used data supplied by the World Atlas list so far, which ranks them by their stated permanent capacity, as well as updated information from official stadium websites.
All these stadiums are still functional, still open and still hosting the biggest events in world sport.
·Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang D.P.R. Korea. Capacity: 150,000. Opened: May 1,1989.
·Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U. S. Capacity: 107,601. Opened: October 1, 1927.
·Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania, U. S. Capacity: 106,572. Opened: September 17, 1960.
·Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, U. S. Capacity: 104,944. Opened: October 7,1922.
·Kyle Field, College Station, Texas, U. S. Capacity: 102,512. Opened: September 24, 1927.
1. How many people could the Circus Maximus hold?| A．104,944. | B．107,601. | C．About 150,000. | D．About 250,000. |
| A．Michigan Stadium. | B．Beaver Stadium. | C．Ohio Stadium. | D．Kyle Field. |
| A．They host big games. | B．They have become tourist attractions. |
| C．They were built by Americans. | D．They are favored by architects. |
2 . Rainforests are home to a rich variety of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals. Can you believe that a single bush（灌木丛）in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the whole of Britain! About 480 varieties of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest.
Rainforests are the lungs of the planet-storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world's oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own survival; the tall trees make a canopy（树冠层）of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, intense dry heat from the sun and strong winds.
Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is the plants' way to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects like caterpillars. To survive in the forest, animals must climb, jump or fly across the gaps. The ground floor of the forest is not all tangled leaves and bushes, like in films, but is actually fairly clear. It is where dead leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.
They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can generate 75%of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal-and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain-your umbrella may protect you in a shower, but it won't keep you dry if there is a full rainstorm. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. The humidity（湿气）of large rainforests contributes to the formation of rainclouds that may travel to other countries in need of rain.
1. What can we learn about rainforests from the first paragraph?| A．They produce oxygen. | B．They cover a vast area. |
| C．They are well managed. | D．They are rich in wildlife. |
| A．Heavy rains | B．Big trees. |
| C．Small plants. | D．Forest animals. |
| A．For more sunlight. | B．For more growing space. |
| C．For self-protection. | D．For the detection of insects. |
| A．Life-Giving Rainforests | B．The Law of the Jungle |
| C．Animals in the Amazon | D．Weather in Rainforests |
3 . Most young people are always on their phones, which may upset many people.
Each teen spent at least an hour of one-on-one time with their oldsters. Based on their
Some of the oldsters actually wanted to take part in e-commerce (电子商务), and needed help to
In addition to arranging group lessons for all of the seniors to
The eighth graders earned their “Silver Award,, for their job. After experiencing the
| A．Otherwise | B．Therefore | C．However | D．Besides |
| A．service | B．praise | C．invitation | D．donation |
| A．keep | B．untie | C．share | D．unlock |
| A．technological | B．medical | C．psychological | D．physical |
| A．record | B．teach | C．recall | D．investigate |
| A．get back | B．set up | C．check out | D．pay off |
| A．patience | B．luck | C．fun | D．trouble |
| A．write | B．phone | C．text | D．read |
| A．sweet | B．simple | C．rare | D．common |
| A．play | B．live | C．talk | D．review |
| A．amazed | B．experienced | C．confused | D．respected |
| A．success | B．arrangement | C．change | D．pressure |
| A．performances | B．clinics | C．clubs | D．competitions |
| A．organized | B．managed | C．visited | D．funded |
| A．needed | B．refused | C．enjoyed | D．deserved |
4 . Some high school students think it useless to receive higher education. Therefore, they choose not to go to college. If you're one of them, think again. Here are some reasons why you should go to college and receive a good education there.
Schools and universities are the first places to get knowledge. We take that knowledge later on to build our careers after graduation. More knowledge will be gained after you start working, but without education, that job will not be within easy reach. Knowledge leads to knowledge.
While limited within the walls of the educational places, we openly explore other cultures of the world! We come to know that ours is not the only culture. Other cultures have valuable things to share, enriching our own. Education also makes us want to travel and exchange with various cultures, getting more experience.
When there's a recession in the economy（经济）, those who attended college will be more likely to find a new job than those who only finished high school and have a limited skills set. The more education you have, the more chances you will get to improve the quality of your life as you have a better job and earn a higher salary.
When you're skillful and knowledgeable, you gain access to people of similar backgrounds and tastes. It means a good education leads to excellent networking. Good networking can benefit you a lot in your later life.
A good education makes you a more interesting person. You can talk about ideas and events instead of just other people and what's on sale in stores. An educated person doesn't gossip（说闲话）, having a preference to discuss ideas and listen to what other people have to say.
1. What can we learn about college education from Paragraph 2?| A．It offers you a chance to study abroad. | B．It can allow you to gain more knowledge. |
| C．It can improve the quality of your daily life. | D．It encourages you to travel around the world. |
| A．change. | B．drop. | C．growth. | D．support. |
| A．You can gossip about others’ affairs. | B．You are likely to study well at school. |
| C．You can work well with your coworkers. | D．You get to know excellent people with similar interests. |
| A．The benefits of attending college. | B．The exchange with other cultures. |
| C．The access to good networking. | D．The ways of college education. |
5 . Accents are an important part of our identity. An accent gives clues about who we are, and the community we belong to or wish to belong to.
What is the difference between accents and pronunciation?
Accents are about localized ways of speaking a language. A French person may speak English flawlessly (完美无瑕地), just with a French accent.
If you think back historically people were much more localized with generation after generation of families living in the same small villages and few people traveled out of that area during their lifetimes. So over many generations differences in accent emerged and became very distinct to particular areas. Mountainous villages that are not easily accessible often develop very strong and distinctive accents.
How important is it to get an accent right?
If you’re moving to a certain part of a country, you might want to integrate better with your new community.
How to improve your accent?
| A．Where do accents and pronunciation emerge? |
| B．They’re also important for those learning a new language. |
| C．Try to adapt your speech to sound more like the locals’ speech. |
| D．The best way is to learn the specific accent of that region. |
| E．Where do different types of accents come from? |
| F．That’s fine because there is no wrong or right with an accent. |
| G．Learners should first think about which sounds don’t exist in your native language. |
6 . Secret codes (密码) keep messages private. Banks, companies, and government agencies use secret codes in doing business, especially when information is sent by computer.
People have used secret codes for thousands of years.
There are three main types of cryptography.
A code uses symbols to replace words, phrases, or sentences. To read the message of a real code, you must have a code book.
| A．It is very hard to break a code without the code book. |
| B．In any language, some letters are used more than others. |
| C．Only people who know the keyword can read the message. |
| D．As long as there have been codes, people have tried to break them. |
| E．You can hide a message by having the first letters of each word spell it out. |
| F．With a code book, you might write down words that would stand for other words. |
| G．Another way to hide a message is to use symbols to stand for specific letters of the alphabet. |
7 . Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?
In 1969,the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It
But the river wasn’t changed in a few days
Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit
While there are
8 . Simple ways to improve your written English
Many people think it is really difficult to improve (提高) their writing in English. Don’t worry, though. Here are some simple steps that you can take to improve your written English.
● Increase your vocabulary.
To express yourself clearly, you need a good active vocabulary. That’s not just being able to know lots of words — it means actually being able to use them correctly.
Tip: When you learn a new word, try to learn all the forms of that word.
●
People often say that we learn to write best by reading. Reading in English is useful in many ways. It is a great way to get an idea of the different styles of writing and see how to use words properly.
Tip:
● Improve your grammar.
Grammar is very important because it improves the quality (质量) of your writing.
Tip:
● Just do it!
The best way to improve your writing is to get a pen and paper and write. Be prepared to write several versions (版本) of each text.
| A．Know your readers. |
| B．Read widely and often. |
| C．Always check your writing twice. |
| D．Remember, practice makes perfect! |
| E．Choose books or articles that interest you. |
| F．Use simpler language and shorter sentences to show your ideas. |
| G．Do this by learning new words with example sentences, not just word lists. |
9 . For most people, life has become a burden on their shoulders, and its weight is growing heavier and heavier, until one day they can’t carry it anymore. So how can we design a life that is less complex and more meaningful? With minimalism (极简主义).
Appreciate all the amazing things you already have. We constantly compare ourselves to others who seem happier, more beautiful and more important than us. We try our best to imitate those we envy.
Do one thing at a time. Minimalist living actually means making the most out of each and every moment. We’re usually carrying out different tasks at the same time. So whatever we are doing, our mind is partly wondering somewhere else.
Develop mindfulness.
| A．It is about enjoying life more with less. |
| B．Stop consuming products you don’t need. |
| C．Yet no matter how much we try, we always fail. |
| D．Get rid of things that don’t serve your happiness. |
| E．minimalist living requires a calm and undisturbed mind. |
| F．Stop multitasking and concentrate on a single thing at a time. |
| G．Unfortunately, our minds are filled with worries in our busy lives. |
10 . You just can’t imagine what a brave mother is like. She was a mother of three, who just
At midnight, Connie and her three children were
Juan slowly
Being deaf was not deterrent (妨碍物) for this
| A．experienced | B．dreamed | C．avoided | D．reported |
| A．turning around | B．standing by | C．running away | D．crying out |
| A．see | B．hear | C．forgive | D．reach |
| A．when | B．after | C．unless | D．before |
| A．blind | B．deaf | C．old | D．sick |
| A．alone | B．awake | C．alive | D．asleep |
| A．chatting to | B．playing with | C．focusing on | D．running after |
| A．signed | B．phoned | C．shouted | D．explained |
| A．helper | B．flashlight | C．box | D．suitcase |
| A．mopped | B．examined | C．climbed | D．left |
| A．carefully | B．regularly | C．bravely | D．hurriedly |
| A．up | B．above | C．under | D．down |
| A．stay | B．return | C．flee | D．cry |
| A．famous | B．skillful | C．ordinary | D．determined |
| A．darkness | B．shelter | C．ruins | D．stairs |
