1 . The debate over whether video games should be considered a sport has been ongoing for decades. While some argue that e-sports require skill, there is disagreement over whether they meet the criteria of a traditional sport. According to the dictionary, a sport is a physical activity engaged in for pleasure. While playing video games requires skill and coordination, it lacks the physicality associated with traditional sports. Strategy is also present in board games like chess or card games like solitaire, but these activities are not classified as sports. Similarly, playing a musical instrument requires practice and training, yet it is not considered a sport.
Sports require full-body movements and coordination while video games primarily involve finger and hand movements. Although it is possible to include physical movement while playing, it is not a requirement for success. Many e-sports enthusiasts sit in front of their screens, filling themselves with snacks while controlling the game. This lack of physicality not only sets video games apart from sports but can also have negative effects on health. Unlike traditional sports, which have been shown to improve well-being, excessive video gaming can lead to headaches and anger.
While e-sports and competitive gaming may be comparable to activities like chess in terms of competition, they do not possess the physical effort and health benefits associated with traditional sports. However, as the industry continues to develop, the idea of e-sports is evolving. Studies have highlighted the demanding motor skills and reaction times required in e-sports. Professor Ingo Frobose conducted a study that demonstrated the impressive motor skills of e-sports “athletes”, with up to 400 movements per minute on the keyboard and mouse. The strategic aspect of e-sports, including team planning and analysis, is also often ignored. Games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, and Honor of Kings have attracted large audiences and showed the strategic skills of players.
While some argue against the classification of e-sports as real sports, evidence suggests that they possess unique skills and abilities. As the industry grows, the understanding and recognition of e-sports as a reasonable competitive activity are gradually changing.
1. Why do some people think of video games not as a sport?| A．They lack total physical activity. | B．They merely highlight cooperation. |
| C．They have little effects on health. | D．They require no strategy or training. |
| A．Suffering from bodily pain. |
| B．Performing physical exercises. |
| C．Snacking and playing at the same time. |
| D．Experiencing positive effects on well-being. |
| A．The benefits on health brought by video gaming. |
| B．The comparison of e-sports to chess and card games. |
| C．The strategic aspect and motor skills involved in e-sports. |
| D．The physical labor and health benefits of playing e-sports. |
| A．Health. | B．Entertainment. |
| C．Education. | D．Science. |
2 . Paul Durietz is a 76-year-old social studies teacher from Illinois. On September 1, he set a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest teaching career. Mr. Durietz has been teaching for 53 years—since he was 23 years old.
Mr. Durietz has known since he was young that he wanted to be a social studies teacher. Social studies is the study of history, and how people, countries, and cultures are connected. He became interested in history after hearing stories from his father, who fought in World War Ⅱ.
In 1970 Mr. Durietz got his first teaching job at Woodland Middle School in Gurnee. Ever since then, he’s been teaching social studies at the same school. He says he loves sharing his knowledge of history with students. “Teaching is never boring,” he says. “Every day is different.”
Things have changed a lot since he began all those years ago. When he started, the only way to make copies was with a “ditto machine”, which used a purple ink. Mr. Durietz wrote on a blackboard with chalk, and the students used paper textbooks. These days, he and the students use computers and digital whiteboards.
With or without technology, Mr. Durietz has used creative activities to help his students learn. For example, he has organized virtual field trips, geography contests, and special days about the US Civil War. He has even organized fake elections at school to help his students learn about politics. He says these activities are the ones that he and his students enjoyed most.
Mr. Durietz isn’t really trying to set a record. He is just doing what he loved. Mr. Durietz has no plans to retire any time soon. Mr. Durietz says people who want to be teachers should make sure they are patient with their students. He also encourages them to choose subjects they care deeply about. “Keep working on what you love to do in life,” he says.
1. What inspired Mr. Durietz to be a social studies teacher as a boy?| A．His love of history. | B．His dream to set a record. |
| C．His father’s encouragement. | D．His responsibility to help others. |
| A．Mr. Durietz’s teaching features. | B．The life in an eventful world. |
| C．Changes in Mr. Durietz’s teaching career. | D．The invention of teaching devices. |
| A．Informal and flexible. | B．Interesting and effective. |
| C．Demanding and serious. | D．Surprising and unimaginable. |
| A．Pursue your dream for a lifetime. | B．Discipline yourself all the time. |
| C．Broaden your eyesight by reading. | D．Set ambitious goals when young. |
3 . Like working out or eating healthily, being happy is something you have to work on.
One of the hardest aspects of your job is perhaps making dozens of decisions daily, often with little or incomplete information. So how can you make fewer decisions? Put some parts of your day on autopilot. For example, have the same thing for lunch or breakfast for a week. Then you can change it up the following work.
Helping others makes you happier. Helping your co-workers seems to create a virtuous cycle. Another study says happier workers are 33% more likely to help their colleagues than those who aren’t happy.
| A．It’s a skill that takes practice. |
| B．How you feel in the morning really matters a lot. |
| C．You don’t have to do anything huge or heroic to help. |
| D．You’ve just removed a bunch of decisions from your day. |
| E．You can write down three small things you will get done. |
| F．So do something in the morning that makes you feel good. |
| G．One simple way to do this is to put a reminder on your calendar. |
4 . No matter how old you are, your mom will always remain as one of the most important people in your life. Maybe you don’t know how to express your appreciation and love to her on an ordinary day.
Give her flowers.
Cook for her. Mothers usually are the ones who cook for us. Your mom will absolutely love it if you surprise her by taking over the kitchen and cooking something for her. Just make sure you clean up afterwards.
Travel with her. Mothers work hard, so traveling can help her to relax and forget her problems. She will treasure the moment when t wherever you go, just your presence.
Take her to a spa. Massages or spas (按摩保健) are for moms of all ages, and she will enjoy breaking the boredom of staying indoors the whole day.
Mother’s Day is coming. It is a time to let Mom know she’s special to you.
| A．Write her a letter. |
| B．Remember her wedding anniversary. |
| C．A lot of us forget that the best gift to give her is ourselves. |
| D．Almost every girl appreciates flowers and so does your mother. |
| E．She remains the center of attention and respect for a child for a long time. |
| F．And this will offer your mom comfort and an increased sense of well-being. |
| G．However, Mother’s Day is the special time when you can let her know how important she is to you. |
5 . Lots of students know what a marathon (马拉松赛跑) is, but perhaps they don’t know what triathlon (铁人三项) is. The triathlon is a sport that has three parts swimming, bicycling and running. It is not an easy sport, but a man named Joe Salter is very good at it. A few months ago, he finished a special triathlon—he juggled (抛起接住) three balls all the time during the triathlon. That is to say, he kept on throwing and catching three balls while he was swimming, riding a bicycle and running.
31-year-old Joe is from Florida, the USA. He loves juggling and he started at the age of 8. Joe did well in juggling. Later, he got the idea to do a triathlon and juggle at the same time to make it more fun. Many juggling fans laughed at his idea and thought it was just a joke. But Joe didn’t give up and he kept practicing it. Because of his hard work, he made it at last.
Talking about his triathlon, Joe said swimming was the hardest part. “It was difficult and complex,” he said. “I basically only used my legs, so it took quite a lot of work. Also, swimming in open water made it a little harder. It was not like in a pool.”
1. According to the writer, the common (普通的) triathlon ________.| A．is a difficult sport |
| B．is more famous than the marathon |
| C．includes the three parts and juggling |
| D．includes the marathon and swimming |
| A．he picked up three balls |
| B．he played juggling |
| C．he carried his bicycle on his shoulder |
| D．he threw away all his balls |
| A．could not be realized |
| B．should not be laughed at |
| C．should be realized as soon as possible |
| D．could make triathlon more exciting |
| A．forgot | B．failed |
| C．succeeded | D．left |
| A．he swam in open water |
| B．his swimming skills were bad |
| C．he was very tired when swimming |
| D．he almost could only swim with his legs |
6 . Beijing Opera (京剧) is our national opera. It came into being after 1790 and has a history of over 200 years. Its music and singing came from Xipi and Erhuang in Anhui and Hubei. There are four main roles in Beijing Opera; Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Beijing Opera is full of famous stories, beautiful facial paintings, wonderful gestures and fighting. Some of the stories are from history books, but most are from famous novels. The people in the stories usually can’t agree with each other. They become angry, unhappy, sad and lonely. Sometimes they are frightened and worried. Then they find a way to make peace with each other. Everyone is usually happy in the end.
Beijing Opera is an important part of Chinese culture. In China, it used to be popular with old people while young people didn’t like it very much. However, more young people are becoming interested in it nowadays. And more people around the world are learning about Beijing Opera’s special singing, acting and facial paintings.
1. How old is Beijing Opera in 2020?| A．207 years old. | B．217 years old. |
| C．227 years old. | D．230 years old. |
| A．music and singing | B．acting and fighting |
| C．music and acting | D．singing and fighting |
| A．Angry. | B．Sad. |
| C．Happy. | D．Frightened and worried. |
| A．Beijing Opera used to be popular with old people and young people. |
| B．More people at home and abroad are interested in Beijing Opera nowadays. |
| C．Beijing Opera isn’t a part of Chinese culture. |
| D．There are five main roles in Beijing Opera. |
| A．The History of Beijing Opera |
| B．Beijing Opera |
| C．The Roles of Beijing Opera |
| D．The Changes of Beijing Opera |
7 . Primary and secondary school learners, university students, and guests were invited on Wednesday and were treated to a colorful celebration at the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, to mark the beginning of the year of the dragon which officially starts on Saturday. The place featured beautiful decorations with red and gold colors and lucky symbols.
Visitors got an opportunity to participate in cultural experiences including painting, papercutting and pot throwing as well as experiencing Chinese cuisines like spicy hotpot, steamed stuffed buns (包子) , Chinese hamburgers, dumplings and barbecue among others. They were also treated to heartwarming performances including face-changing, lion dance, dragon dance, drumming, Chinese opera, Chinese songs and a talent show featuring Chinese traditional clothes as well as a mixture of Chinese and Kenyan fashion.
Leah Muthoni, a student at the University of Nairobi lauded the Chinese cuisines served at the event, especially noodles and dumplings. She also appreciated the decorations, drawings, pictures and performances. Similar feelings were also shared by George Mwita, another student from the University of Nairobi who greatly enjoyed the pot throwing game.
In his welcoming speech, Professor Stephen Kiama, the vice headmaster of the University of Nairobi who doubles up as the Kenya director of the Confucius Institute, hoped this year will be a good year of development because the Chinese dragon horns represent power and strength, while the drums represent courage and energy.
Kiama said the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi has achieved a lot since its establishment in 2005, including winning the Confucius Institute of the Year Award seven times and pioneering the establishment of the Bachelor of Arts in the Chinese language in Kenya. “Last year, with the joint efforts of the various parties and stakeholders we established the first bachelor of education in Chinese in Kenya and we admitted the first group of students,” he said. Kiama hopes that this year the Confucius Institute will gain more force with the blessing of power, courage and vitality from the year of the Chinese dragon. He said the Confucius Institute offers a good platform for cultural exchange between China and Kenya through events like the Chinese Lunar Year celebrations. Kiama hoped that the relationship between China and Kenya would further be strengthened by the blessings of the year of the dragon.
In Chinese methodology (方法论) , the dragon has the power to control seasons, time and harvests, and it’s seen as a symbol of wealth. The Chinese consider dragons to be powerful. sympathetic, wise, kind and warm.
1. What is spoken of as one of the cultural experiences the visitors participated in?| A．Tasting Chinese cuisines. | B．Writing with brushes. |
| C．Reciting Chinese poems. | D．Guessing lantern riddles. |
| A．Mixed. | B．Praised. | C．Delivered. | D．Sold. |
| A．It has the biggest number of students in Africa. |
| B．George Mwita is one of the Chinese teachers there. |
| C．It has won the Confucius Institute of the Year Award seven times. |
| D．They set up the first bachelor of education in Chinese in Kenya in 2005. |
| A．Kiama considers dragons to be powerful and sympathetic |
| B．Confucius Institute offers good platform for cultural exchange |
| C．Kiama wishes year of dragon good for development of Confucius Institute |
| D．Confucius Institute at University of Nairobi marks year of dragon celebrations |
8 . Living and studying abroad can be a rewarding and enriching experience. And living with a host family is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in its culture. However, living with a foreign family can be difficult and adjusting to it can take some effort.
Involve yourself in family activities. If you spend all your time in your room, it’s going to be hard to feel like you belong. Getting involved in everyday activities with your host family will help you create a family bond. For example, some families like having dinner together on weekends.
Be patient with yourself. Keep in mind that you’ve just left everything you’ve known for years behind to start a new life. It’s okay to be confused.
Communication is key. If you are unsure about something, ask! It’s normal to know few customs and habits at first.
Remember, a grateful heart is a happy heart, and a happy heart will lead you to further success and fulfillment in your life abroad.
| A．Be open and respectful. |
| B．Make time for those moments. |
| C．The language barrier can also be a struggle. |
| D．So instead of doing things blindly, just ask! |
| E．Showing your gratitude will take you a long way. |
| F．You may well recall the memorable moments with friends back home. |
| G．Here are some tips on making the most of your host family experience. |
9 . New research paints a lifestyle picture of the beloved pandas in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve, and the new study indicates pandas are around others more than previously thought. They use scent (气味) marking to keep track of both family members and friends, leave updates about life events, and check out the dating scene.
Thomas Connor, lead author of the study, spent months watching for signs of pandas. “Once you’ve gotten an eye for it, you can see on hill tops and different trails the scent-marking trees, and the pandas seem to be doing this a lot,” Connor says. “It is pretty evident that they are exchanging information through scent marking behavior.”
To link the marked trees with an understanding of panda’s social structure, the researchers needed to document nearby panda communities. Connor teamed up with coauthor Ken Frank who said, “I told him that once he has data on which pandas are close to each other, we can use the techniques and theories that apply to humans to understand their social networks. And these scent trees are a social media. Like Facebook, you don’t have to be in the same place at the same time. It allows one to broadcast to many, and it’s a record.
Connor dug into a wealth of data he had collected in the form of fresh panda waste, which is the gold standard of panda watching. Information from the waste allowed them to identify specific pandas in the area around the scent-marking trees, and showed if these pandas were related to each other.
The discoveries in this study show that pandas are a part of coupled human and natural systems where humans share their habitat. Anything about how they live and what they need can ultimately help inform good conservation policies and maybe understand our own behavior a little more.
1. Who tend to go around the pandas’ scent-marking trees?| A．Their family. | B．Some strange pandas. |
| C．Their keepers. | D．Meat-sourced animals. |
| A．Because they need to extend their domain. |
| B．Because they use them to exchange information. |
| C．Because they want to expose themselves to others. |
| D．Because they tend to keep away from humans. |
| A．The purpose of the study. | B．The research strategy of the study. |
| C．The further finding of the study. | D．The influence of the discoveries. |
| A．To introduce a new research on pandas. |
| B．To explain the pandas’ scent marking behavior. |
| C．To emphasize the significance of knowing pandas. |
| D．To call for action to protect pandas. |
10 . A Virginia family whose home was destroyed by a fire last week recently received the gift of some old-fashioned Christmas cheer from “Santa Claus” (圣诞老人).
In the spirit of Christmas, the Ferrum Volunteer Fire Department delivered presents to the family who lost their home and belongings in a house fire on Thursday.
“It was a working structure fire and unfortunately the family lost everything. We as volunteers knew that we couldn’t let this mom and her three kids go through Christmas without anything,” the fire station wrote on Facebook. “Yes, they’re OK but it’s Christmas, right?”
The fire station officials delivered Christmas gifts to the mother and her three children the following day at the local church shelter they were staying at, and in photos posted on the site, the children appeared joyful.
“We brought gifts and more gifts! The kids were overjoyed and very grateful.” the station said on its post.
“They were very happy to see all the gifts and the fire trucks that we brought the gifts in,” the department told USA TODAY. The kids received Barbies, Pokémon, artworks, remote control cars, blankets, clothes and shoes. The mother also received a gift card.
The Facebook post was flooded with what seemed to be comments from community members touched by the generosity. “The best Christmas gifts are the ones you give! Thank you all for your wonderful service and your big hearts!” one user commented.
“So thankful they are alright! We are truly blessed to live in such a giving and helping community, and our fire department and rescue teams are amazing! Great job! So proud!” another user wrote.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．The Fire Department provided the family with shelter. |
| B．The volunteers saved some belongings for the family. |
| C．The family went through Christmas in sorrow. |
| D．Receiving a Christmas gift is a traditional joy. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Appreciative. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By using quotation. |
| C．By making comments. | D．By analysing causes. |
| A．Firefighters or Santa Claus? | B．Firefighters Safeguarded Us |
| C．A Fire Brought Gifts | D．Love Can Cure |
