1 . 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.

2 . My grandfather was a rigid perfectionist. Everything had to be orderly, precise and punctual. I was frightened of him until the day he died. Growing up, my mother desperately wanted to please him. She probably thought he might leave if she didn’t.

In fact, I now think the fear of being left alone, abandoned, was a current throughout much of her life. A few years into my father suffering from Alzheimer, my mother’s voice on the phone sounded so upset that I had to tell her, “Just be with yourself for a little while.”

“No, I can’t do that. I don’t want to do that,” she said abruptly, closing the door on the subject. A while after my father died, she told me that she kept the television on all the time because it made her feel less lonely. “It makes the house seem more lived in,” she said. I had given in to my annoyance and either turned the volume down or turned it off. But after she told me that it filled in some of the loneliness, I never reached for the remote again.

We have had a long journey together, she and I. Over a half-century of memories, now that the journey has ended, I have a choice which ones to study which ones to turn over in my hands and dust off.

I choose to look at the ones that ache with a sweet truth not told often enough: there was love between us. It was just hard to find sometimes. I choose to remember her face on that winter day in Manhattan, when I came to her with a broken heart. I choose to remember walking on the shore with her in summers when we rented a beach house; somehow the sea always transformed us. And how she looked on my wedding day when she handed me a bracelet that had belonged to my grandmother. “Something old,” she said.

1. From the author’s point of view, what did her mother feel in her much time of life?

A．A sense of relief.	B．A sense of excitement.
C．A sense of being deserted.	D．A sense of being pleased.

2. How does the author support the theme of the text?

A．By giving examples.	B．By stating arguments.
C．By interviewing her father.	D．By visiting her grandfather.

3. The author writes the story to ________.

A．express regret for her grandfather

B．show her sympathy toward her mother

C．reveal her deep feelings for her mother

D．emphasize her concern about the generation gap

3 . Barbara, 70, and me, at 71, have swum together for at least 50 years. We swim in a quiet cove (小海湾). It’s home to seagulls, a duck or two, and kayaks (独木舟) on occasion. The difficult summer drought of 2021 brought a burning sun that warmed the water. As the drought eased and the water cooled in late August, we decided to keep swimming. We have both read Bonnie Tsui’s Why We Swim, a fine book about cold-water swimming. We challenged ourselves to swim for as long as possible through September and into October.

I have long loved swimming, though the fear of being seen as fat has dogged me. I am one of those female bodies poorly displayed in bathing suits. Cold-water swimming deepened my sense of well-being and let me use my body. It became a ritual Barbara and I embraced as swimming sisters. When she returned to the United States immediately after our Canadian Thanksgiving, I did not know how I could continue our cold-water tradition. I wasn’t prepared to freeze alone.

But, I had to swim; there were larger commitments I should stick to. In the summer, we planned to cross from the cove to an island across the lake. I had to stay fit. We also planned to host a cold-water swimming race for locals in the fall. We would make it an annual event, improving our strength and endurance (耐力) so that, in our 80s, we might swim through October and into November.

With these plans in mind, I joined my local city pool. I had not been in a public pool for about 30 years. But my body said swim, my brain said swim and my heart, could not let go. So I went anyway.

I am swimming. I am alive to my love of the water, alive to my promise for the spring and the summer that will come. I intend to step back into the lake in May, and through September and October with Barbara. We are perfectly matched in our devotion, and increasingly aware of the miracle of being able-bodied enough to share the cold-water wonder side by side.

1. Why was the book Why We Swim mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．It guided the author to learn to swim.

B．It analyzes the advantages of swimming.

C．It is the author’s favorite book about swimming.

D．It partly contributed to the author and Barbara’s common interest.

2. What does the underlined word “commitments” probably mean in paragraph 3?

A．Promises .

B．Preparations .

C．Requirements .

D．Opportunities .

3. What effort did the author make to achieve her goals?

A．She went to a gym to improve her strength.

B．She became a member of the local public pool.

C．She swam across the lake to the island on her own.

D．She participated in a local cold-water swimming race.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?

A．To describe her friendship with Barbara.

B．To express her passion for cold-water swimming.

C．To recommend people to go swimming to keep fit.

D．To explain how she overcame her fear of swimming in public places.

4 . A professor was teaching his class. All the students were listening to his _______ with great interest. But there was one student whose_______ of mind showed he was in a bad mood.

The professor took notice of this student on the first day but did not say anything. But when this _______ for a week, he asked. “You are _______ in spirits all the time. What is the matter? Have some trouble?”

“Sir, that...” the student said. “... something has happened in my past, _______ which I remain troubled. I don’t know what to do.”

The professor was a(n) _______ good person. He called the student at his house in the evening.

When the student _______ the professor’s house, he was greeted with a _______ welcome. The professor went to the kitchen and started making lemonade for his student. He _______put more salt in the lemonade.

__________ the student had a taste of it, his mouth became sour. __________ this, the professor asked, “Did you not like the lemonade?”

“No, sir, this is not the __________. Just a little more salt in the drink,” the student said. “Now it’s useless. I will throw it away.” The professor __________ his hand to get the glass of drink from the student. But the student refused, saying, “No, sir. If you add more__________, the taste will be fine.”

Upon hearing this, the professor became serious and said, “You are right. That’s what I want to__________. Just as salt cannot be taken out of the lemonade, those bad experiences also cannot __________ life. Adding more sugar can change the taste of lemonade. In a(n) __________way, sweetness has to be dissolved (溶解) in life to forget bad experiences. I want you to take the sweetness in your life into __________ now.”

To his relief, the student __________ him and decided from then on he would not be troubled by the __________.

1.

A．custom

B．lecture

C．request

D．arrangement

2.

A．absence

B．attitude

C．presence

D．target

3.

A．held on

B．lived on

C．went on

D．moved on

4.

A．along

B．away

C．up

D．down

5.

A．due to

B．in spite of

C．in addition to

D．far from

6.

A．hardly

B．extremely

C．informally

D．previously

7.

A．arrived at

B．searched for

C．took over

D．escaped from

8.

A．rude

B．romantic

C．cold

D．warm

9.

A．purposely

B．absolutely

C．sadly

D．gratefully

10.

A．So long as

B．As soon as

C．Unless

D．Even if

11.

A．Feeling

B．Hearing

C．Seeing

D．Smelling

12.

A．deal

B．amount

C．luck

D．case

13.

A．reached

B．removed

C．released

D．relaxed

14.

A．salt

B．sugar

C．oil

D．wine

15.

A．suffer from

B．get through

C．get across

D．break up

16.

A．result from

B．be separated from

C．recover from

D．be saved from

17.

A．ultimate

B．natural

C．original

D．similar

18.

A．energy

B．advice

C．account

D．effort

19.

A．confused

B．warned

C．understood

D．rejected

20.

A．mass

B．majority

C．duty

D．past

5 . Chen Yuzhu, a 29-year-old young man, opened his first Chinese beef rice noodles restaurant in 2014 in the neighborhood of New York City’s Queens borough. He then took the flavor of his childhood memory to three other states in the US, building a recognized brand.

Actually, he started his own catering (餐饮) business after he lost his job and found noway out. It was at that time that beef rice noodles of his home village flashed in his mind.

However, the early days of setting up his business were not that easy. He frequently worked 18 hours a day, transported food at 2 am and promoted (推销) the restaurant near the New York City subway entrance by yelling, “Special noodles from my hometown, Guizhou!” But it didn’t work well. During the first two weeks. daily sales were only $200 at most, which wasn’t enough to pay the rent. He felt so anxious that he tried every possible means. Two months later, his Chinese beef rice noodles finally gained great popularity. His store has become hot spots for vloggers (视频博主) and he has made himself famous among locals as the“Rice Noodle Prince”.

“At first, running restaurants was for survival, but then I felt a sense of achievements. I became more open, inclusive and made a lot of friends. And the process to learn, make efforts and get inspired was really cool.” Chen said.

1. For what purpose did Chen Yuzhu plan to open the restaurant at first?

A．To make a living.	B．To promote special Chinese food.
C．To become very wealthy.	D．To gain popularity.

2. Which word best describes the young fellow?

A．Shy.

B．Cautious.

C．Generous.

D．Determined.

3. What is true about Chen Yuzhu’s catering business?

A．Chen Yuzhu sold noodles at the New York City subway entrance.

B．The noodles were rather welcome during the first two weeks.

C．Chen Yuzhu met with a lot of difficulties when he started his business.

D．The noodles Chen Yuzhu sold were delivered from Guizhou.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Chen Yuzhu has made a lot of Chinese friends.

B．Making a lot of money is due to his family’s support.

C．Chen Yuzhu has really benefited a lot from his business.

D．Chen Yuzhu wants to open more restaurants in the future.

9 . Japanese researchers placed electronic devices(装置)on seals(海豹)in Antarctic waters to collect surprising information about the environment there. Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research started the research project in 2017. The team recently reported its results in a study in the publication Limnology and Oceanography.

Eight Weddell seals were fitted with the devices,which have antennas(天线)to send electronic signals.The 580-gram monitoring devices were attached(缚上;系上)to the animals’heads. They were designed to measure data such as water temperatures and sea salt levels.

Investigative teams on ships have difficulty reaching important research areas in Antarctica. These include areas along continental shelf formations where ice is attached to the shore, the National Institute of Polar Research said in a statement. Nobuo Kokubun led the project. Since the seals are active year-round, Kokubun added, “I thought we should have them collect the data.”

He told Reuters that the research also helps scientists follow the seals’ behaviors and learn about their relationship to the environment. “During the summer, we can go to Antarctica on icebreakers to conduct actual research activities, so that we can collect data there.” Kokubun said. ”But during the winter. such things cannot be done in so many places.“

Information gathered from the seals showed that one of the animals traveled as far as 633kilometers from Japan’s Showa Station in Antarctica. Another dove to a depth of 700 meters.Kokubun said the scientists learned from the data that warm seawater from the upper levels of the open sea reached Antarctica from March through the winter of 2017. The water flowed below the ice, bringing in sea creatures like Antarctic krill, an important food for seals.

Kokubun and his team plan to keep finding new ways to further examine the effects of climate change on Antarctic coastal areas. Next, he hopes to make the device small enough to fit on other animals at the South Pole, such as penguins,“The advantage with penguins is that they come back to the same place and we can collect data from them immediately,”Kokubun said.

1. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The reasons why seals are a good pick.

B．The difficulties the researchers met with.

C．The disadvantages of the research.

D．The formation of Antarctic waters.

2. What can we learn from the information gathered from seals?

A．It challenges some traditional views.

B．It is an eye-opener for the researchers.

C．It is in urgent need of improvement.

D．It simply focuses on the seals’ behavior.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph about the research team?

A．They will further study the penguins.

B．They will make use of the same device.

C．They intend to expand the research further.

D．They plan to help the endangered penguins.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Increasing Temperature of Antarctic Waters

B．Seals Help Researchers Study Antarctic Environment

C．Seals Are in Danger of Dying out Due to Global Warming

D．Climate Change and Its Far-reaching   Consequences

10 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. boom          B. enthusiastically        C. voiced             D. finds          E. sharply          F. racing G. fortune        H. distinctly                 I. venturing          J. deals            K. joined

Eight months ago, Meng Hu, 27, quit her job as a flight attendant in Guangzhou, China. She is now working full-time as a live-streaming host on Taobao.

“I’ve been talking nonstop,” Hu said, laughing. “My throat gets really hoarse. You need to talk a lot, because your mood is contagious (有感染力的). Only when you talk     1     can you get your audience excited.”

Hu is part of a rising class of creators in China who are     2     to get in on live-stream shopping, an emerging form of retail that has grown into an industry worth an estimated $66 billion. Although the trend has been part of Chinese internet culture for years, analysts say the coronavirus pandemic has brought it mainstream.

Even the Chinese government has     3     its support, calling the industry the “new engine” of e-commerce growth and encouraging live-streaming as a solution to unemployment, which has risen     4     in China due to the pandemic.

Live-stream shopping is a combination of entertainment and e-commerce. Viewers buy goods online from people who show off their latest     5    --from lipstick to laundry detergent--in real-time videos. Many compare the concept to the TV shopping channel, but the Chinese model is     6     more modern, mobile and interactive. Hosts can give their fans discount coupons(优惠券) and flash     7     in real time, while viewers can click to send their favorite stars virtual “gifts.”

Part of the allure(吸引力) of     8     into this world is the prospect of a big payday. Brands routinely announce tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in sales in a single sitting. Top influencers can earn millions of dollars a year, according to Taobao. And even well-known business leaders are getting in on the act.

For people like Hu, the live-stream host in Guangzhou, the ongoing     9     presents both “a chance and a challenge.”

“Viewers might have doubled, but there’s probably about seven or eight times more new live-streamers now,” she estimated. “So many people like me have     10     live-streaming, and are selling products and doing the same thing.”