2 . How does a person become an Olympic champion? In reality, a combination of biological, environmental, and psychological elements, as well as training and practice, all go into making a super athlete.

Perhaps the most important element involved in becoming an outstanding athlete is genetic. Most Olympic competitors are equipped with certain physical characteristics that make them different from the average person. Olympic weightlifters, for example, have a large number of fast- twitch fibers (快速收缩肌肉纤维) in their muscles. These allow them to lift hundreds of kilos from the ground and over their heads in seconds. Surprisingly, a large, muscular body is not the main requirement to do well in this sport. It is more important to have a large number of fast-twitch fibers in the muscles.

The legs of an outstanding marathon runner, on the other hand, might contain up to 90 percent slow-twitch muscle fibers. When we exercise long or hard, it’s common to experience tiredness, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing. These feelings are caused when the muscles produce high amounts of a substance called lactate and can’t remove it quickly enough. Athletes with many slow-twitch muscle fibers seem to be able to clear the lactate from their muscles faster as they move.

Some athletes’ abilities are naturally enhanced by their environment. Those raised at high altitudes (海拔高地) in countries such as Kenya have blood rich in hemoglobin (血红素). Large amounts of hemoglobin carry oxygen around the body faster, enabling these athletes to run better. Although genes, environment, and even culture play a part in becoming an outstanding athlete, training and practice are needed to succeed. Marathon runners may be able to control tiredness and keep moving for long periods of time, but they must train to reach their goals. Weightlifters and gymnasts perfect their skills by repeating the same motions again and again until they become automatic. Greg Louganis, winner of four Olympic diving gold medals, says divers must train the same way to be successful: “You have less than three seconds from takeoff until you hit the water, so it has to be reflex (对刺激的本能反应). You have to repeat the dives hundreds, maybe thousands, of times.” Training this way requires an athlete to be not only physically fit but psychologically healthy as well. Otherwise, they couldn’t handle the training loads.

1. Having a lot of slow-twitch muscle fibers is particularly important for ________.

A．long-distance cyclists	B．gymnasts
C．table-tennis players	D．weightlifters

2. When lactate (para. 3) builds up in their muscles, people feel __________.

A．strength

B．pain

C．excitement

D．dizziness

3. Which of the following statements would diver Greg Louganis probably agree with?

A．Athletes cannot perform well unless they are under pressure.

B．A professional athlete should think carefully about each movement.

C．It’s important to practice and train hard, but not take things too seriously.

D．It’s important to joke with your teammates before you perform any sport.

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．The size of a super athlete.

B．Ways to qualify for the Olympics.

C．Different muscle types of a super athlete.

D．Factors that make someone a super athlete.

3 . Laura walked towards the man. “It is terribly cold,” she said.

“Colder than ever,” the man said. “Now tell me what you want.” He stared at Laura for a few seconds and then grinned, “Maybe you’d like to come inside and warm up.”

“No. No, I don’t want to come in.” She took a deep breath. “I just wanted to know if you’re interested in selling your dog.”

“That worthless mutt?” The man pointed to a dog in the yard and laughed for a few seconds, then suddenly stopped. “I was just joking about the worthless part. He’s a pretty good dog. Yeah. I might be interested.”

“Well, he’s the kind of dog I’m looking for. And it doesn’t seem like you’re too fond of him. I mean he’s tied up outside. I don’t see any food or water.”

“You just wait a minute. I take good care of that dog. The guy I got him from said he was a trained guard dog. The trouble is, the stupid thing doesn’t even bark when strangers come around. But then I guess that wouldn’t matter to you. You’re probably just looking for a pet, huh?”

“Yeah. Well, here’s your chance to get rid of him. I’ll give you twenty dollars.”

“You expect me to sell a purebred guard dog for twenty dollars?” the man snorted (哼着鼻子说). “Fifty dollars. That’s my price. You bring me fifty dollars, honey, and you got yourself a dog.” He smiled. “Sure you don’t want to come in?”

Laura shook her head. “I’ll be back with the money.” Breakfast forgotten, she searched for and found a cash machine four blocks away. I can’t afford this, she thought as she punched the numbers into the machine. The dog will need a vet, and where am I going to get the money for that? Her fears wore off as she pictured the dog, curled up, not outside on the cold, hard ground, but in front of a glowing fireplace. Blue ceramic bowls filled with food and water sat in the corner of the kitchen, and she saw him, head held high, matching her stride on their daily walk.

With the money in her purse, she hurried back to the man’s house.

1. Laura started a conversation with the man because she ________.

A．needed shelter from the cold

B．wanted to see if she could buy his dog

C．hoped to find out where she could buy a pet

D．wasn’t pleased with how he treated his dog

2. What can we learn about the man from the passage?

A．He considered the dog pretty.

B．He was good at training guard dogs.

C．He had been trying to get rid of the dog.

D．He had bought the dog to protect his home.

3. How come Laura’s worry about money faded?

A．She realized that the dog would be living a much better life with her.

B．It occurred to her that she actually had enough money in her bank account.

C．She was confident that she would soon land a decent job and earn enough money.

D．She was excited about having a guard dog beside her when she wanted to take a walk.

4. Judging from the passage, we can know that Laura is ________.

A．a homeless girl	B．a social worker
C．a rather poor lady	D．an experienced pet owner

4 . 了解这些重要的信息对市民来说是必须的，这可以帮助遭受地震袭击地区的人从自然灾害中幸存。（survive）（汉译英）

5 . Directions: Fill in the blanks with the proper forms of the given words or phrases. Each phrase can be used only once.

end up   stick out   take into account   slip into   lean towards

1. She________unconsciousness and died the next day.
2. It is reported that some obese people are so obsessed with losing weight in extreme ways that they ________in hospital.
3. He________more relax subjects in his later work rather than serious ones.
4. Children of a particular age cannot be expected to master educational material.   We should________their current level of cognitive development.

9 . Brief Introduction of 21st Century English Education Media

China Daily launched the first 21st Century newspaper on May 5, 1993 as an English education weekly for Chinese students to learn English. Today, the brand consists of both print and digital platform, through which it constantly provides quality content. The 21st Century brands involve print media, new media, teaching research, brand activities and research training, establishing it as China’s leading brand in English education.

We Are Looking For: native English-speaking sub-editor

Job Description:

1) copy-editing stories written by staff and from other media sources

2) writing headlines, checking and contributing ideas for story selection and writing

3) helping production and development of other editorial materials - producing written content, recording audio/video material, hosting new media programs, etc.

Job Requirements:

1) a university degree (bachelor's or master's) in journalism with over two years' work experience in either journalism or teaching English.

2) skillful at writing content, including headlines.

3) the capability to work to a deadline in a team atmosphere.

Location: Beijing

Benefit package:

1) salary with bonus with a 12-month contract renewed annually

2) free on-site accommodation with water, gas and electricity all covered

3) roundtrip airfare

4) medical insurance

5) paid vacations, free workday meals, etc.

To apply, please send your resume and article samples (particularly pieces on culture, arts, entertainment, sports and science) to: wangru@_______stcentury.com.cn

1. Which of the following about 21^stCentury English Education Media is NOT true?

A．The 21st Century newspaper is aimed at helping Chinese students learn English.

B．The 21st Century newspaper is published every month.

C．We can either read the print or the digital version of the newspaper.

D．It plays an important role in China’s English education.

2. The job of the native English-speaking sub-editor involves the following EXCEPT ________.

A．teaching Chinese students English.

B．editing the stories written by others.

C．propose ideas to story selection and writing.

D．helping with the work of other editorial materials.

3. If one wants to apply for this job, he/she ________.

A．should have a university degree in language education.

B．doesn’t need to have related working experience.

C．should include one of his/her articles in the application e-mail.

D．doesn’t need to have the ability to cooperate.