4 . What sport do the speakers both like?

A．Running.

B．Swimming.

C．Hiking.

6 . Back in January, my partner and I resolved to take exercise seriously. This would mean spending hours every week working out, stretching and sweating our way to better health, which is something that is particularly difficult when you glance at the weather outside and see dark clouds on the horizon.“It looks like it is about to rain. I guess I’ll go for a run tomorrow instead.”But then just as we were on the edge of giving up again, we discovered a brilliant new way to make exercise better: by turning it into a videogame.

SWIFT is a cycling game that you control by pedaling your real bike, which is fixed onto a device called a turbo-trainer. As you pedal, the trainer sends signals back to your computer to control the character on screen. And smartly, the game sends back instructions to the trainer to apply different levels of resistance, so that as you’re cycling up a hill in the game, you can actually feel it on the bike.

So, after restoring our small garage and signing up for a $12 per month subscription, we had our TV, bike and all-important cooling fan ready to go.

Once you’re ready, you can participate in virtual cycle rides in 3D-recreations of real places, like London and New York, or fictional locations. And importantly, other real human cyclists appear alongside you, sharing your journey.

The genius of the design is that it has used lots of the tricks of traditional videogames to keep pushing you a little bit further and harder: go a little faster, and you’ll be rewarded with a little achievement marker, and if you pedal harder, you might win a race against another real player. It’s essentially generating some sort of dopamine（多巴胺）hits that riding along on a traditional exercise bike simply can’t match.

I’m not the only person who has noticed this. Today many other companies in the tech industry are chasing the same users, and they all offer their own unique versions.

1. Why was it very difficult for the author and his partner to maintain exercise routine?

A．They didn’t have enough time.

B．The weather was unpleasant.

C．They lacked proper equipment.

D．Their garage needed restoration.

2. Which is NOT a must for SWIFT users?

A．A real bike fixed onto a turbo-trainer.

B．A subscription to access cycle rides.

C．An all-important cooling fan.

D．Outdoor running equipment.

3. Why does the design of SWIFT attract its users?

A．It offers its own special versions.

B．It helps them to master accurate weather information.

C．It uses videogame tricks that provide rewards for performance.

D．It provides professional training programs tailored individually.

4. What is the attitude of the tech industry towards the idea of SWIFT?

A．Favorable.

B．Objective.

C．Unclear.

D．Doubtful.

7 . I hesitated when my friend suggested that we join the school’s new Tai Chi club. I used to think that tai chi was for the elderly. However, the first class changed my previous understanding of tai chi. A year later, I can say that tai chi has had a huge impact on me.

The first few tai chi classes were fun and easy, and the moves with descriptive names really caught my imagination, like “white crane spreading its wings” and “golden rooster standing on one leg.” When I asked my coach where these interesting names came from, he told me about the history of tai chi. Zhang Sanfeng, a 13th-century Taoist, was said to have invented tai chi after drawing inspiration from a fight between a snake and a bird. However, nowadays people tend to believe that Chen Wangting, a 17th-century master of Chinese martial arts, developed tai chi based on martial arts skills.

After the first few basic tai chi lessons, I found myself bored and aching from doing the same slow moves over and over again. Fortunately, my coach taught me how to relax my muscles and focus on peace of mind during ever, day practice. With these requirements of tai chi in mind, I found to my satisfaction that my balance and flexibility slowly improved, that I was able to do more difficult moves, and that my love for tai chi returned stronger than ever.

Meanwhile, I started to explore the ancient Chinese culture behind tai chi. I discovered that tai chi is deeply rooted in the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, which are believed to form the the unity of opposite. Neither can exist independent of the other. The practice of tai chi aims to keep the balance of yin and yang in the body through opposite movements: forwards and backwards, up and down, left and right, breathing in and breathing out. Ultimately, tai chi brings about a state of physical balance and mental peace.

The experience of a year of tai chi has affected my everyday life positively. I sleep more soundly at night, and feel more energetic during the day. I feel happier and more confident. Tai chi has taught me to relax my mind, enabling me to stay calm in stressful situations. I am sure I will continue to practise tai chi and enjoy the benefits it has brought me.

1. Why did the author join the Tai Chi Club?

A．Because of his friend’s advice.	B．Because of his interest in it.
C．Because of the school’s request.	D．Because of his parents’ suggestion.

2. Which of the following words can describe the moves of tai chi?

A．Quick and beautiful.	B．Quick and free.
C．Slow and beautiful.	D．Slow and boring.

3. What is the Chinese culture behind tai chi?

A．Tai chi is influenced by Laozi’s philosophy of water.

B．Tai chi can have a positive effect in people’s lives.

C．You can find the origin of tai chi in the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang.

D．Tai chi can make people feel energetic and confident.

4. What does the underlined word mean?

A．Finally

B．Sometimes

C．Firstly

D．Constantly

9 . I’m 52, and as surprising as it may seem. I’m a gymnast. In a sport for young girls, I have found an unlikely path to joy. When I enter the gym, no matter how much stress I might be feeling, my mind clears and I forget my life. I think of nothing but what I am doing.

When I was 9, I went every Saturday to a gymnastic academy. The coach had gray hair and wore ballet shoes and had boundless enthusiasm. He would say, “You are going to be a gymnast.” And I believed him. I vividly remember the first time I did a round off back handspring by myself, the weightlessness of it. I lived for Saturday mornings. I only ever did gymnastics recreationally — I didn’t even know real gyms existed — but I always loved it.

That long dormant love came roaring back in my forties. It happened in an instant, at parents’ day for my daughter’s beginning gymnastics class. The bars were just sitting there, and I had this overwhelming urge to grab hold and swing. But I couldn’t make it through the warm-up at the first adult class I went. I felt bad during conditioning. I was the oldest person there. But that spark of memory glowed with possibility. I went back to class again, and again. It was hard and it was humbling. But soon I was doing back handsprings like I used to.

There is nothing like the thrill of getting a new skill, that combination of speed, mechanics, timing, muscles, and bravery. There is an indescribable (不可言喻的) element, too, something like faith. By the time we reach middle age, most of us have had to deal with our fair share of unwelcome surprises, like illness, family crisis or the death of a beloved parent. But gymnastics has brought the most delightful surprises — I keep getting better, overcoming what I thought were limits, amazing myself by what I can do. At a time in life when many things feel like they are sliding down the slope (斜坡) towards old, gymnastics is a gift of fluency and competence in motion. I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m a better gymnast now than I was at 16.

1. What inspired the author to love gymnastics when she was young?

A．Her Saturday routine.	B．The coach’s enthusiasm.
C．Her wish to be a gymnast.	D．Pleasure from gymnastics.

2. What made the author go back to gymnastic classes in her forties?

A．Her duty as a responsible parent.	B．The desire to fit in with her daughter.
C．The strong urge to play with the bars.	D．Her sweet memory of doing gymnastics.

3. Which of the following can describe the author’s personality?

A．Faithful and easygoing.	B．Humble and competent.
C．Passionate and persistent.	D．Ambitious and considerate.

4. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Awake.

B．Inactive.

C．Deadly.

D．Nameless.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where are the speakers?

A．In a park.

B．In a hospital.

C．In a gym.

2. What happened to the woman yesterday?

A．She fell off the bed.

B．She had trouble in breathing.

C．She felt painful in her heart.

3. What was the woman’s decision?

A．To have a physical examination regularly.

B．To get more sleep every night.

C．To change her lifestyle.

4. What annoys the woman most?

A．Getting up early.

B．Giving up fried chips.

C．Having terrible dreams.