1 . At most schools in the U. S., it’s customary to have a cheer squad (啦啦队) to support athletics. Cheerleaders drum up excitement before games, put on jaw—dropping routines at games, and provide support on the sidelines of most events. But students who participate in performing and visual arts seldom receive the same displays of support as athletes do. A group of students at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah, decided to change that fact by creating a cheer squad just for the arts.
Their school’s athletics cheer squad is called the Bruin Crazies, so they named their artistic cheer squad the Bruin Classies! This is a new brand with which they could create something for all of the arts, whether it is band, dance show, photography and art galleries—to give them some publicity and cheer them on.
Classies wear a “uniform” of bow ties to indicate the “sense of class”artistic efforts bring their school. They carry around signs to advertise the upcoming play, musical, or dance performance. Hoping to drum up ticket sales, they encourage their fellow students to come out to support the hard work of others. They also attend performances and displays at school to cheer their classmates on.
After years of discussion to make a cheer squad for the arts, this is the first time they’ve been able to pull it off. More than 90 students have already signed up to be a Bruin Classy! “The students have poured their time and energy into their arts, and it is worthy to be celebrated. ”Caleb Stay, the cheer squad leader, said, “If you worked really hard on something and no one showed up, it would be disappointing. We just want to make sure that no one feels that way. ”
This is such an amazing idea! We can’t believe no one has come up with it before, but hopefully these thoughtful teens have started a new trend to support the arts in other schools, too.
1. Why did the students in Mountain View high school set up the Bruin Classies?A.To support the arts in their schoo1. | B.To compete with the Bruin Crazies. |
C.To participate in the art performing. | D.To cheer the athletes on in the games. |
A.By offering free tickets to students. |
B.By popularizing the art performances. |
C.By inviting students to attend performances. |
D.By wearing a special uniform for art festivals. |
A.More students will sign up the Bruin Classy. |
B.Few students like to attend the art performance. |
C.The artistic cheer squad will become a new trend. |
D.The students’artistic efforts deserve to be admired. |
A.Move over, “Crazies,” the “Classies” are here |
B.“Crazies” keep up, never give in to “Classies” |
C.The Bruin Crazies, a “uniform” of bow ties |
D.The Bruin Crazies, a big hit in Orem, Utah |
2 . Are you relatively skinny but growing a “beer belly”?
Then don’t be surprised at your next checkup if the nurse measures your waistline to determine your healthy weight. That’s because research is showing that a protruding (鼓出的) belly may be a sign of VAT — a dangerous form of fat around organs deep inside your body. “Studies confirm that visceral (内脏的) fat is a clear health risk,” said Dr. Tiffany Wiley, a senior expert at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Unlike the fat just under your skin, visceral fat raises your risk for heart disease. Experts think that’s because visceral fat raises blood pressure and inflames (使发炎) tissues and organs.
However, you can’t assume you’re safe from visceral fat if your overall weight is healthy, experts stress. That’s because you can have dangerous visceral fat even if you’re not considered overweight — and not have any visceral fat even if you are overweight.
How do you know if your stomach is protruding into dangerous size? Do a check. Non-pregnant women with a waist size greater than 88 cm and men with a waist larger than 102 cm, are at higher risk according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’re Asian, it drops to 80 cm for women and 90 cm for men. But it is only a rough measure. “The only sure way to know is to check your visceral fat levels on a CT scan or MRI,” say experts.
According to the AHA committee, the most salutary physical activity to “shrink” belly is aerobic exercise. Aerobic means “with oxygen”, so aerobic exercise increases your breathing rate and promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood. This type of exercise makes the heart work more effectively and improves its ability to move oxygen-carrying blood with every beat. Speed walking, jogging, stair climbing, cycling and swimming are all examples of aerobic exercise.
“However, more studies are needed to determine the best physical activity, food and other lifestyle changes to reduce heart disease risk,” Dr. Tiffany Wiley added.
1. What would a “beer belly” cause?A.Enlarged organs inside the body. | B.Higher risk of heart disease. |
C.Raised mental pressure. | D.Inflamed stomach. |
A.A white man with a waist size of 120 cm. |
B.A white woman with a waist size of 90 cm. |
C.An Asian man with a waist size of 102 cm. |
D.An Asian woman with a waist size of 75 cm. |
A.Beneficial. | B.Difficult. | C.Enthusiastic. | D.Useless. |
A.Doing aerobic exercise can remove visceral fat completely. |
B.Heart ability improves when one does speed walking. |
C.Further studies are needed to reduce heart disease risk. |
D.Food and life style determine one’s body shape. |
A.whomever | B.whichever | C.whatever | D.whoever |
4 . Bad weather drags your spirits down. There’s nothing you can do about the weather.
◆Find things to enjoy about winter.
A snowy, icy, cold, or rainy world can be beautiful and often has sounds and smells of its own. If you’re an artist, or photographer, winter provides a great deal of inspiration and different colors to work with.
◆Take part in winter activities.
◆
Winter comes with the shortest days and lowest light of the year. Go out if you can. If you can’t, or if you’re so far from the equator as to have little or no daylight, use bright lights and perhaps light or white walls.
◆Stay active.
As much as possible, get yourself outside. Take at least a short walk. If the weather does not permit, move around inside. Walk up and down your stairs if you have them.
A.Go out |
B.Brighten up |
C.Perhaps you don’t feel that creative |
D.Enjoy skiing, sledding, or ice-skating |
E.Making snowmen is a fun activity for both kids and adults |
F.But there are various things you can do to keep your spirits up until spring |
G.Exercise gets your body temperature up and your blood flowing |
6 . How to Be a Good Upstairs Neighbor
One must remember to be polite when living in an apartment building. You may unintentionally bother your neighbors with actions that you think to be harmless.
Place carpets in your apartment if you have hardwood floors. Doing so is another way to decrease the sound of steps coming from an upstairs apartment. You can also put your furniture on these carpets.
Close your windows when you can. A floor is usually about three meters high, so it’s quite easy to hear your conversations.
Do your cleaning on weekend afternoons.
A.Wear slippers while in your upstairs apartment. |
B.It becomes much easier when your windows are open. |
C.No matter what you do, consider your neighbor’s requirements. |
D.There’ll be a time when you will run a cleaner to clean your room. |
E.This is especially true for those people who live above an apartment. |
F.It will disturb your downstairs neighbor who has to work the next morning. |
G.This keeps your furniture from moving around, thus limiting noise a downstairs neighbor may hear. |
8 . Is there a place that you have a strong desire to visit before you are too old to travel? If so, you’re in my shoes. The following places are where I desire to visit very much and most probably your best choices.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
The region is famous for its amazing natural beauty. Many 5A scenic areas and geological(地质的)parks are located there. The park not only has natural wonders, such as strange looking peaks and a thick forest, but also rich animal and plant resources. Tourists can feel like stepping into a natural botanic(植物)garden and kingdom of animals. After visiting here, one will realize the great natural beauty of our world.
The Rainbow Mountains
These geographical(地理的)wonders look as if they were painted with a giant paintbrush. The bright colors stand obviously among the surrounding green plants. Wild as it is, these mountains are a part of our world in China’s Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park. This wild variety of color does exist in the real world. No Photoshop is necessary for the natural beauty of these mountains.
Bora bora.
This place offers the chance to live like a native Polynesian. The clear open sky and the calm waters offer you the unique opportunity to observe how the native people lead a life nearby the sea. Many holiday centers are built here and offer different tours and experiences.
The Galapagos Islands.
The islands consist of 13 volcanic(火山的)islands and six smaller islands. Although known for Darwin’s visit, they’re more attractive than you might imagine. There are 900 species of animals found on these islands. 200 of these species are specific(特有的)to the Galapagos. Most travelers come to this lovely place for the specific wildlife here.
1. What can we infer about the four places from the text?A.They all consist of both man-made sights and natural scenery. |
B.They all enable visitors to experience the local people’s life. |
C.They all became well-known after some important visits. |
D.They are all on the author’s list of places to travel. |
A.See beautiful rainbows. | B.Take photos of colorful plants. |
C.Enjoy geographical wonders. | D.Paint pictures with giant paintbrushes. |
A.Various wildlife. | B.The volcanoes. | C.Darwin’s visit. | D.Dark green plants. |
10 . A farmer had a friend who was famous for growing wonderful apple trees.
One day, the farmer’s friend gave him a young apple tree and told him to take it home and plant it.
The farmer loved the gift. But when he got home, he did not know where to plant it. He was afraid that if he planted the tree near the road, strangers would steal the apples. If he planted the tree in one of his fields, his neighbors would come at night and steal the apples. Finally, he planted the tree in his wood. Nobody could see it, but there was no sunlight in his wood. The tree soon died.
Later, the friend asked the farmer why he planted the tree in such a poor place. “What's the difference?” the farmer said angrily. “If I plant the tree near the road, strangers may steal the apples. If I plant the tree in one of my fields, my neighbors may come at night and steal the apples.”
“Yes,” said the friend, “but at least someone could enjoy the apples. Now no one could eat the apples, and the apple tree died! ”
1. The farmer’s friend was good at growing ________.A.apple trees | B.orange trees |
C.pear trees | D.banana trees |
A.near the road | B.in the field |
C.in the wood | D.in the garden |
A.thought highly of | B.disagreed with |
C.worried about | D.was surprised at |