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 . Skeleton is one of the three sliding sports at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, alongside the luge(单雪橇)and bobsleigh(大雪橇). With only six medals up for grabs, skeleton has the fewest events at the Winter Games—which means competition will be fierce.
The sport of skeleton has its roots in the most popular winter pastime: sleighing. In the mid-19th century, British and American holidaymakers built the first toboggan(平底雪橇)run in Davos in 1882, and thus the sport of sleighing began.
Two years later, in 1884, the famed Cresta Run—a natural ice skeleton racing toboggan track—was built in St. Moritz, Switzerland(the course has hosted the annual Grand National championships since 1885).
In 1892, a new sledge made entirely of steel was introduced, and some claim that its bony appearance gave the sledge and the sport the name ‘skeleton’.
Men’s skeleton was first introduced on the Olympic program in the 1928 Games in St. Moritz. But due to the sport only being available at the Cresta Run at the time, it fell into obscurity(默默无闻)while the luge and bobsleigh grew in popularity. However, in 2002, the skeleton was reintroduced as a men’s and women’s event at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and has remained a part of the Olympic program ever since.
While Great Britain has the most medals(nine)in skeleton competition at the Olympics, the top spot belongs to the United States(eight medals)by virtue of having four silvers to Great Britain’s one(both nations have three golds, while Britain has five bronze medals, and the United States one).
Great Britain is the only nation to have won a medal every time skeleton has featured at the Olympic Games, and has won at least one medal in each of the five contests of women’s skeleton since its introduction.
1. How many events does skeleton have in the Olympics?A.Two. | B.Three. | C.Five. | D.Six. |
A.In 1882. | B.In1885. | C.In1892. | D.In 1928. |
A.Because its material steel was rare. |
B.Because there was only one run for it. |
C.Because only men could take part in it. |
D.Because it was not on the Olympic program. |
A.The number of medals. | B.The composition of medals. |
C.The virtue of the athletes. | D.The times of hosting the Olympics. |
3 . Climate breakdown threatens to cause a global food production crisis. The UN forecasts that by 2050, feeding the world will require a 20% expansion in global water use for agriculture. It is hard to see how agriculture can feed the population of the planet, let alone toward the end of the century and beyond. Agriculture is a major cause of climate breakdown, and both river and air pollution. Industrial fishing is similarly driving ecological collapse in seas around the world.
However, at this critical time, farming (a new kind of food technology) is creating astonishing possibilities to save both people and the planet. Farming will enable the return of vast areas of land and sea to nature, greatly reducing carbon emissions (排放物). It means an end to the employment of animals, a stop to overfishing, and a dramatic reduction in cutting down forests and the use of pesticides (杀虫剂). It is the best hope for stopping the destruction of the planet and, if it is done right, it means cheap and abundant food for everyone.
We are about to welcome one of the biggest economic transformations, of any kind, for 200 years. Arguments continue about plants against meat-based diets; however, new technologies will soon make these arguments irrelevant. Before long, most food will come neither from animals nor plants, but from micro-organisms (微生物).
Not only will food be cheaper, it will also be healthier. Due to the fact that farming creates food products built up from simple components rather than broken down from complex ones, hard fats and other unhealthy components can be screened out. Meat will still be meat, but it will be grown in factories rather than in the bodies of animals. Fats will still be fats, but food is likely to be better, cheaper and much less damaging to the living planet.
1. What is the major cause of sea ecological breakdown?A.Food production. | B.Global farming. |
C.Industrial fishing. | D.Climate breakdown. |
A.Its benefits. | B.Its security. | C.Its research. | D.Its limits. |
A.Sea animals. | B.Wild plants. | C.Micro-organisms. | D.Farm products. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Positive. | C.Disapproving. | D.Unclear. |
4 . 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 |
5 . Fleanor Love knows that weddings create a lot of leftover flowers. That means more opportunities for her to collect after-wedding bouquets (花束) and give them to her lonely hospital
The flowers are still in good shape, and the patients are pleased to have them. “I was so
Love worked at the Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital as a(n)
“One of the
In 2019, she started The Simple Sunflower in Richmond, and so far has
When Love began the project, she called businesses such as wedding venues (场馆) and florists and asked them what events were scheduled. She then reached out to brides and grooms to ask them if they had
For each wedding, she organized a team of eight people who helped
People beyond the VCU community have heard about Love’s project and become part of it. “Once the word got out, people around the city started
“I feel
A.patients | B.cleaners | C.doctors | D.nurses |
A.cards | B.fruits | C.flowers | D.cakes |
A.tired | B.moved | C.worried | D.bored |
A.art | B.law | C.engineering | D.medical |
A.change | B.accept | C.improve | D.reduce |
A.dreams | B.skills | C.challenges | D.exams |
A.listen | B.contribute | C.respond | D.adapt |
A.help | B.check | C.study | D.guide |
A.difference | B.choice | C.impression | D.decision |
A.divided | B.thrown | C.delivered | D.applied |
A.customers | B.volunteers | C.managers | D.teachers |
A.means | B.goals | C.efforts | D.plans |
A.pick up | B.hold up | C.make up | D.give up |
A.greeting | B.contacting | C.trusting | D.considering |
A.stressed | B.confident | C.relaxed | D.satisfied |
A.was lasted | B.last | C.has been lasted | D.lasted |
7 . As a middle schooler, one of my life goals was the Presidential Fitness Award-an honor given to those who passed a series of gin-class tests that included doing a number of pull ups, running a mile, and, among other things, the sit and reach(another version of toe touching). That's where things went wrong for me. I could never reach quite far enough.
Toe touching is an easy way to begin or end any sort of workout, For most people, it is among the easiest stretching exercises to do. But for me(and any of my classmate)it's complete suffering. Why? “The two biggest factors are the flexibility of your hamstrings(腿筋) and the range of motion of your hip(髋) joints,” says Jeffrey Jenkins, a physiologist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “But another big factor is the relative length of your arms and your torso(躯干) to your legs, which unfortunately can't be changed.”
Ienkins says that although there are sore unjust aspects, overall the toe touch is not the worst measure of flexibility. But if you are flexibility clumsy like me, there are some things you can do to improve the flexibility of the body you have. Whenever you stretch then, your muscles contract, tighten, and resist the force to be stretched, resulting in that annoyingly painful feeling that most of us get when we first reach down to touch our toes or attempt to stretch other muscles. However, Jenkins says, if you are patient, this too shall pass.
If you hold the stretch for a minimum of six seconds, you can actually overcome the re flex (反射). In fact, Jenkins says, there's some evidence that holding still stretches for 30 seconds results in greater improvement in flexibility than holding it for 15 seconds, and just as much improvement as 60 seconds. But for some people, the pain that accompanies those sixty seconds is just too severe. If you can get past that pain, then you can probably improve your flexibility However, Jenkins cautions against tolerating too much pain; you could be tearing a muscle.
1. What can be inferred about the author from the text?A.He is a P. E. Teacher in a junior school. |
B.He improved a version of toe touching. |
C.He can't pass the tests of the Presidential Fitness Award. |
D.He was envied by his classmate for his academical achievements, |
A.How we can practice touching toes, |
B.Why some people can't touch their toes. |
C.What is the most important to an athlete. |
D.Why people begin and end exercises by touching toes. |
A.Muscle pain. | B.Clumsy moves. |
C.Body flexibility. | D.Attempt to stretch. |
A.to seek professional help |
B.not to stand the severe pain beyond limit |
C.to hold the still stretch for at least 15 seconds |
D.not to quit at focus on the pain from the muscles |
8 . Smartphones are perhaps one of the things we like most or least. While they create a shared and communicative digital(数字的) experience,their use also greatly reduces the amount of direct communication we have. So, while we feel closer than ever through smartphones,research shows that we’re actually lonelier than ever.
We see this situation most commonly among the youth who were born into the digital age. Phones have increased the level of isolation (孤立). Janet Behrens, principal of Iowa Valley Junior-Senior High School, noticed it in the lunchroom, where students had their heads down looking at their phones and had little conversation with each other.
Then, she created a lunchroom policy, which requires all students to leave their phones behind during Friday lunches and sit at a table with students they may not know. During Friday lunches, kids pick a card that shows which lunch table they will be sitting at that day. Each table provides ideas for conversation starters. in case students have trouble thinking of things to talk about with kids they might not know
Anyone who knows teens knows that they are likely to refuse to follow this kind of forced socialization(合群). So they may not quickly agree with such an idea. However, the new program is different. After taking a few weeks to get used to the new program, kids are kinder to each other and they actually look forward to Friday lunch hour. Sahara Kanke, a ninth grader, said, “I think it’s fun I was a bit confused when I first knew the program. But I like doing it now. People are nicer to each other now because they got to know each other at lunch”
Policies like this are important. ABC News reported that students who use phones and computers less during class scored half a grade higher than students with smartphones. Due to the advantages of reducing smartphone use among the youth, schools around the world have been testing different methods to help students overcome the difficulties
1. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?A.Students’ dislike of school food. |
B.Students’ loneliness brought by smartphones |
C.Students’ refusing to follow some school rules |
D.Students’ making new friends through the Internet |
A.It aims to get students to share their problems |
B.It can improve students’ problem-solving ability |
C.It calls on students to stop chatting online at school |
D.It encourages face-to-face communication among students |
A.It is pretty difficult to get along with teenagers |
B.It is challenging to carry out the new program in school |
C.The new program has drawn students closer to each other |
D.Young students were glad to join the program at the beginning |
9 . There's an art to being a frequent flyer. Those who fly thousands of miles a year develop certain routines to enjoy the trips. Three frequent travelers tell BBC Capital their secrets for a better flying experience.
Philippe Cousteau
Time in the air: Logs more than 200,000 miles a year.
Routine: "Pack as lightly as possible," he says, Cousteau always brings his own healthy food and something to drink. "I don't eat airplane food as a strict rule."
Tips Loyalty matters more than you might think. Having status with an airline helps a lot when there is a problem and it also means that you have a better chance of getting up grades, he says. "It may seem basic, but I am shocked at how many travelers don't bother."
Karl Rosander
Time in the air: 140 days a year, almost on international flights.
Routine: He never eats on the plane, and he drinks lots of water. "Making sure to get some rest on the flight means I can hit the ground running when I land to make the most out of my time with my team," he says.
Tips: He recommends developing a routine for when you land. "There's a coffee shop in NYC on the Lower East Side called El Rey," he says. "I always grab a coffee there when I'm in town on my way into the office. The routine helps me focus, shake any jetlag and get my synapses firing."
Lee Maen
Time in the air: Roughly 12 weeks of the year, both domestic and international.
Routine: Maen's trick is to always wear all black, usually a black T-shirt and hoodie. He packs lightly and tries to minimize time at the airport by arriving as close to departure time as possible.
Tips: Maen recommends knowing what type of airplane you are travelling on—different planes have quirks to them, like larger overhead storage or better seats in different places. With that information, he can find the best place to sit.
1. What is Philippe Cousteau's advice?A.Developing a routine for when you land. | B.Having status with an airline. |
C.Knowing the type of your airplane. | D.Not eating on the plane. |
A.By packing as lightly as possible. |
B.By eating and drinking on the pane. |
C.By having a good rest on the plane. |
D.By arriving as late as possible. |
A.Packing lightly. | B.Bringing food. |
C.Having a rest. | D.Wearing black. |
Do you want to be invited back? Read our six top tips for being
Clothes — if you are in a formal situation, dress
Gifts — if you are going to stay in someone’s house, take a small gift if you are staying for a short period of time, a bigger gift for longer periods. Expensive chocolate
Greetings — to shake hands or to kiss? Wait to see
Food — always accept it when
Titles — avoid using first names in formal situations. Always use titles (Doctor, Professor, Chairman) until you
Leaving — the most important tip for being a good guest is to know when you should say goodbye. The secret is to leave while the host is still enjoying your company and wants you