When I was a kid, my parents were busy working so they enrolled (登记) me in the Spartak Tennis Club in Moscow. Every day after school my parents would take me to Spartak and I would be there until maybe nine o'clock. All we did was play tennis, eat, do homework, have fun and hang out. It was basically my second family.
In that second family was a woman who was like a mother to me, my first coach, Larissa. I still refer to her as my second mother. She taught me everything I know about how to play tennis, but she’s also a wonderful person. She’s kind and patient, which is not what you expect from one of the top tennis coaches in Russia.
Her program when I was little was based on tricking us into doing our exercises. She would put a candy under the cones (锥形物), and we would try to hit the targets with balls, you got to have an ice cream.
Of course we worked hard and I didn’t let her down.
My second-ever tournament was the Moscow Championships, and I won. Afterwards Larissa came up to me and said, “Congratulations, Enjoy today because tomorrow it’s back to work.” She was always telling us to celebrate and have fun with any particular achievement but to always remember there is something more you can do, something more you can achieve.
Now every time I go back to Russia I go to Spartak to see Larissa. We look at all the pictures from all the birthday parties and tournament and celebrations. It is really cool to have someone like her in my life. Larissa is still coaching, but we don’t talk much about tennis any more. We just talk.
1. Why did the author go to Spartak every day? (no more than 15 words)2. What does the author think of his coach? (no more than 10 words)
3. What’s Paragraph 3 mainly about? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined phrase “let her down” in Paragraph 4 mean? (no more than 5 words)
5. What can you learn from Larissa? (no more than 25 words)
| A．hold | B．are held | C．are holding | D．were held |
| A．had lost | B．would lose | C．would have lost | D．should have lost |
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he will read a book every two weeks, and he’s invited people all around the world to join him.
The “year of books” is Mark Zuckerberg’s 2015 goal. The billionaire is famous for his quirky New Year’s plans. Two years ago, he challenged himself to meet a new person a day. Last year he attempted to write a “thank-you note” every day. He said, “Although I’m very busy, I always have many strange ideas and I still have time to achieve my goals. If you set a goal, you must try your best to make it come true.”
It will come as no surprise that he’s already launched a Facebook page — entitled “A year of books” — to serve as the reading group’s discussion center. Over 62,000 people from all around the world have liked the page in the first 24 hours. Many of them expressed their desires to join Mark Zuckerberg in reading a book every two weeks in their message of the page.
“I hope all the people who participate in the discussion actually have read the books and have relevant points to add. The group will keep it continuously focused,” he stressed on his Facebook page. “With the development of technology, fewer people in the world read books. I do hope people read more books in their spare time rather than surf the Internet or play with their mobiles,” he added on his Facebook page.
The plan is to select books about various topics and cultures. “The Bible” and “Quran” (《可兰经》) have been popular suggestions among hundreds of other titles. The first book is “The End of Power” by Moisés Naím, a former Foreign Policy editor. It’s a 300-page deep dive into the changing nature of leadership today that was published in March 2013.
1. What is Mark Zuckerberg’s New Year’s plan in 2015? (No more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word “quirky” most probably mean in English? (1 word)
3. Why did Mark Zuckerberg start a page named “A year of books”? (No more than 10 words)
4. What is the book “The End of Power” about? (No more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of Mark Zuckerberg? Give your reasons. (No more than 25 words)
5 . Biking is an amazing family activity, but finding a route that can accommodate a wide-range of ages can be a challenge.
Lee McNeil and his family are crazy about biking. They have seven children, from 4 to 24 years old. When looking for a route, they look for enough protection from traffic, good surface condition, easy access and interesting views.
With that in mind, here are some great routes for biking with your whole family, as are suggested by McNeil.
Iron Horse Trail
This is the McNeil family’s favourite ride. The route is 26 miles and goes through the 2.1mile Snoqualmie Tunnel.
“Beautiful views, the thrill the tunnel, and places to stop and watch the rock climbers make it special,” McNeil said. “All our kids have taken their turn at braving the black tunnel bravely for the first time, which we celebrate it at the end of the ride.”
How to get there: If you prefer, check http://bit.ly/Mlt9y4 for more information.
Centennial Trail
The Centennial Trail runs for 23 miles from Snohomish to Bryant. The trail is wide and smooth, and is safe for kids as it is off the roads. A nice stop is Lake Cassidy east of Marysville. A dock on the lake is fun to explore. It also has picnic tables and washrooms for a convenient lunch time stop.
How to get there: The trail can be accessed from a number of trailheads. For a map, go to http://bit.ly/L5qCeY.
Cascade Trail
The Cascade Trail follows an abandoned Burlington Northern railroad grade for 23 miles between Sedro-Woolley and Concrete. Because it’s on a railroad grade, the slope is gentle and it makes for an easy family ride.
McNeil said it is a “beautiful ride up the Skagit Valley, with lots of places to watch wildlife along the river.”
How to get there: Go to http://bit.ly/PR4wOW to see a map showing the trail, parking areas and bus stops .
Other good choices
Snoqualmie Valley Trail: http://l.usa.gov/nWGWO
Guemes Island: http://bit.ly/LJ3RxL
Burke-Gilman Trail: http://l.usa.gov/s33li
1. We can learn from the passage that Lee McNeil ________.| A．has a large family |
| B．often travels with his family |
| C．teaches his children how to bike |
| D．spends lots of money on bike rides |
| A．Cascade Trail | B．Iron Horse Trail |
| C．Centennial Trail | D．Burke-Gilman Trail |
| A．see a small valley | B．go through a tunnel |
| C．have a picnic for lunch | D．watch the rock climbers |
| A．http://bit.ly/Mlt9y4 | B．http://bit.ly/LJ3RxL |
| C．http://bit.ly/L5qCeY | D．http://bit.ly/PR4wOW |
| A．ask people to learn from Lee McNeil |
| B．tell people how to make a family ride |
| C．introduce some routes for family rides |
| D．encourage more people to ride bikes |
| A．regulation | B．principle | C．schedule | D．movement |
－______, and I’ll go swimming.
| A．It isn’t my cup of tea |
| B．It’s all the same to me |
| C．With pleasure |
| D．Never mind |
8 . Fast walkers may live longer than dawdlers (缓慢的人)— regardless of their weight, a new study suggests.
Researchers at Leicester University analyzed data on 474, 919 people with an average age of 52 in the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2016. They found women who walked briskly had a life expectancy of 86.7 to 87.8 years old, and men who kept up the pace had a life expectancy of 85.2 to 86.8. Slow walkers hadn’t much encouraging prospects (前景): women had a life expectancy of 72.4, and men of 64.8 years old, if they were more leisurely in their movements. According to the paper, published last week, that ratio held true even if the fast walkers were severely overweight. It does not necessarily mean fast walkers will live longer. Experts say it suggests walking speed could be a simple way for doctors to judge their patients’ general health alongside other tests.
It is hardly the first study holding up walking speed as a powerful evidence that appears to improve and determine our health.
In 2011, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study by Stephanie Studenski, who found the same: walking speed was a reliable predictor of life expectancy.
In 2013, US researchers found walking pace was linked to lower heart disease risk and longer life expectancy. In 2018, a study from the University of Sydney found picking up your walking pace to even an “average speed” could cut your risk of premature death by a fifth.
And Tom Yates, the physical activity professor at Leicester who's behind the latest study, has been publishing findings on this connection for years.
In 2017, he analyzed the same UK Biobank data and found walking speed appeared to affect the risk of dying from heart disease — concluding that the slowest walkers were twice as likely to suffer a heart-related death compared to quick walkers.
1. What does the underlined word “briskly” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Casually. | B．Quickly. | C．Actively. | D．Energetically. |
| A．Most fast walkers are overweight. |
| B．Fast walkers have a simple way of living. |
| C．Walking speed can help doctors know about their patients’ general health. |
| D．Doctors will surely have better ways to cure their patients of their illness. |
| A．Walking slowly is bad for people's health. |
| B．Walking speed can predict a person’s life expectancy. |
| C．People won't die early by increasing their walking pace. |
| D．Lower heart disease risk is determined partly by walking pace. |
| A．Fast Walkers May Have a Long Life Expectancy |
| B．Life Expectancy Is Determined by Exercise |
| C．Researchers Try to Improve Life Expectancy |
| D．The Public Doubt Researches on Walking Speed |
1.询问当地的天气情况以及你要的准备的东西；
2.询问当地的景点以及收费情况；
3.请Bob帮你在宾馆预定一个房间；
4.询问Bob 当地的法规以防出错。
Dear Bob,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
| A．will it be | B．it will | C．will it | D．it will be |
