1 . As the parent of two teenagers who have played multiple sports over the years, I’ve seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the absolutely cruel.

However, when I think about the value of sports and why my kids continue to play sports teach kids lessons to become successful adults. Through sports, kids learn how to work in teams, have to take risks, how to challenge themselves to be better, and how to behave when they lose—and when they win.

Whether kids play soccer, baseball, football, or cheer, they learn they are part of a team where one person depends on another. When my son plays baseball, he’s not the only one who needs to play well; he depends on his defense to make the plays in the field. When my daughter plays tennis, she depends on her partner to cut off the ball at the net and win the point, and the tennis team depends on each person in order to win the overall match. Sports also teach children to trust and respect the decisions of someone who understands how the entire team needs to work in order to succeed.

Sadly, though, youth sports have suffered from the “winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” attitude. They have become too much of a refection of professional sports. Winning is a happy result, but the lessons from losing are even more important. When my daughter loses tennis match, her coach reminds her that you learn more from losing than from winning. Losing makes you focus on improving your skills and your strategy. We’re going to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.

I believe that participating in youth sports is much more than building a sound body winning a scholarship to college. Sports are the best way to shape and build more self-motivated and happier children and help them become more self-motivated and happier adults.

1. What is the author’s attitude to youth sports?

A．Critical.	B．Positive.
C．Doubtful.	D．Unclear.

2. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．What sports the author’s kids take.

B．What the author’s kids do in sports.

C．How sports benefit the authors kids.

D．How the author’s kids continue to play sports.

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

A．Teenagers don’t have to win every time.

B．Winning is the only goal for teen players.

C．Teenagers should work together to succeed.

D．Winning is not the most important in sports.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Youth Sports Build Better Adults

B．Teenagers Suffer from Youth Sports

C．Losing Brings More than Winning Does

D．Teenagers Perform Better than Adults in Sports

2 . It is probably the strangest sport anyone has ever invented. And at first sight, it looks like the easiest. Competitors have to do two things. The first is to stand still. The second is to place their hands anywhere on the body of a car, and keep it there.

This is where things start getting difficult. Lots of people are doing the same thing. And the winner of the “handathon” contest is the person who can carry on doing it for the longest time. That person gets to own the car.

It still seems to be an easy thing to do. At the beginning it is. Anyone can stand still. But when the contest has been going for four or five days, standing still seems like the most difficult job in the world. And keeping the hand in place over this time becomes an act of serious attention. After a few days, the hand seems to belong to someone else—someone who wants to go home and get some sleep.

Competitors are allowed to take a five-minute break every hour to eat, drink or do whatever else is necessary. No one is allowed to lean on the car for support. Winners need to be able to show great powers of attention. They also need to be able to develop special skills.

Maybe the popularity of the handathon is due to the fact that it is not necessary to be a trained athlete to enter. Competitors in the Longview handathon certainly don’t seem to do much preparation. Most say they will prepare by “getting lots of sleep”. Others say they will “eat healthy food” or “pray for success”. The whole event gives ordinary people the chance to do something interesting and win something in the end.

Handathons are competitions, but there is little rivalry (敌对) between competitors. They help each other out and keep each other’s spirits up. People who drop out early return with food, drink and encouragement.

1. What does the word “handathon” probably mean?

A．A sport involving walking a long distance.

B．A sport involving moving hands fast.

C．A sport involving keeping hands in place for long.

D．A sport involving holding up hands steadily for long.

2. What might make handathon seem to be the strangest sport?

A．It seems to be a very easy sport but in fact very difficult.

B．At first sight people think it obviously very difficult.

C．It is very interesting and an easy to all kinds of people.

D．It requires people to have strength instead of attention.

3. Why is handathon popular?

A．Specially trained athletes can enter the competition.

B．Competitors don’t need to make any preparations.

C．Anyone who is interested can be specially trained for it.

D．Ordinary people can have the chance to play and win something.

4. Which of the following is against the rule for handathon?

A．Standing still.

B．Changing the place of hands.

C．Placing hands in one place.

D．Taking a four-minute break.

3 . When I was in my third year at university, my roommates were American footballers, so I decided to join them. I remember seeing them in front of me wearing pads (防护垫), and thinking they were going to kill me. I got tackled (阻截) so hard that I was frightened. But then I realized it was just physical contact. I’ve been addicted since.

The fundamental aim of the game is to score by running with the ball into, or receiving the ball inside the opposition’s end zone. Every player on the field has a set responsibility. I’m a running back. My job is using my speed, strength and skill to carry the ball and keep running until either I score or I get put down. And it does hurt.

I’ve broken two fingers and hurt my shoulder, but the worst was when I trapped the ligaments (韧带) in the back of my leg. I had to take a year out. But none of that put me off—all I could think was how I was going to come back stronger. Besides training with the team, I now have my gym routine to get fitter, faster and stronger.

Although people think American football is aggressive, there’s much more to it. Every team has its own playbook, outlining everyone’s role in different scenes. My playbook was 73 pages long. Words can’t describe how it feels when it all comes together on the field.

American football has changed my life for the better. I’ve learned time management, how to take responsibility for my action, and how much I treasure being part of a team. Within the four lines of the field, it is physical. Emotions run high. If you’re on the opposing team, you are my enemy. But once the game is done, we’re like a big family.

1. The author’s body parts were hurt EXCEPT________．

A．his arm	B．his shoulder
C．his leg	D．his finger

2. What can we infer (推断) from the text?

A．The author was very delighted when first playing.

B．The author has benefited more than suffering from the sport.

C．The author began to play at the beginning of his university life.

D．Playing American football is very popular among university students.

3. How does the author find his playing American football?

A．Relaxing.	B．Challenging.
C．Boring.	D．Rewarding.

4. The passage is mainly about________．

A．the rules of playing American football

B．how painful it is to play the sport

C．how the sport has changed the author’s life

D．the reason for the author’s playing American football

4 . All over the world people are hooked on sports, which help them to strengthen their body and build their character.     1     They improve the participants’ physical skills, and provide entertainment for the audience as well.

Many people like to watch others play games.     2     Often they get very excited when “their” player or team wins. If they are crazy about the game or the player, then they’ll become their die-hard fans. Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.     3     And think of people in cold countries. Masses of people love to skate or ski in Japan, Norway or Canada.

    4     Chinese boxing, also has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new, which started in the late of the nineteenth century. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water skiing, as a modern game, is one of the newest in the family of sports.

People from different countries or races may not be able to understand each other, but after a game, they get to know each other better and they often become good friends.     5     They learn to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace. They also learn to be competitive and optimistic, which will equip them for life challenges in the future.

A．They buy tickets or turn on the TV to watch the games.

B．What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy!

C．Some sports or games date back thousands of years, like running or jumping.

D．Sports help to train a person’s character.

E．Chinese people liked doing sports even in ancient times.

F．Sports are competitive physical activities or games through casual or organized participation.

G．And the friendship may last for a life time.

5 . How to keep fit

Nowadays, with the high pace of modern life, more and more people are in the state of sub-health (亚健康). A healthy body is very important to every one of us. The steps to good health aren’t complex. Here are some suggested ways.    1    

• Form good healthy habits. Better your healthy lifestyle by adopting a variety of healthy habits, including getting enough sleep. Sleep is one of the most important bodily functions to make cells healthy again.    2    Do your best to manage stress through healthy activities. Cutting down on alcohol use, quitting tobacco, and staying connected to friends and family members can also keep you healthier.

• Do exercise. I don’t know whether you discover that most of the ancient people are healthy.    3    It is approximately equal to doing exercise every day. If people want to be healthy, they had better do exercise frequently. As for what kind of exercise you should take, I would say just depending on yourselves. If you are a busy person and have no special time allocated to do these things, there are still some ways useful to keep fit. The easiest way is to walk to your office instead of taking a bus.

•    4    people in the modern society have many choices to pick food. What people pick the most is meat and high caloric (热量的) food. Those foods can easily make people get fat.    5    Therefore, keeping a good diet is necessary, which means eating more fruits and vegetables in the meat world. However, this doesn’t mean you have to completely give up your favorite foods. A healthy diet is all about balance.

A．Keep a good diet.

B．And then the health problem comes.

C．Realize the importance of keeping fit.

D．You should get at least six hours of sleep a night.

E．If you try, a life of good quality will be the reward.

F．The reason is that they have to do labor work every day.

G．It is said that keeping a good mood will lead to a good body.

6 . 阅读理解
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Canyoning (蹦谷运动)
The sports of canyoning explore the high-energy environment where water meets rock on the coast. Protected by wetsuits and helmets (头盔), people jump from cliffs (悬崖) and waterfalls and discover caves that would not normally be arrived at.
It was first done in the U.K. by TYF Adventure (01437 721611, www.tyf.com) and several thousand people jump from the cliffs near St David’s each year. A half day canyoning trip costs ￡50 (￡30 for children under 16).
Diving (潜水)
Diving is not popular with British people. The difficulties of wild waters are greater because the water is colder and not clear enough, but the coasts of Cornwall, Wales and Scotland have some of the best diving in the world.
The British Sub Aqua Club (0870 112 9133, www.bsac.com) and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (01580 819688, www.padi.com) run courses teaching the important skills.
Surfing (冲浪)
The best surfing places in the UK are on the southwest coast where it is warmer, especially in Cornwall. The best time of year to surf in the UK is late summer and autumn when water temperatures are warmer.
The British Surfing Association (01479 861256, www.britsurf.co.uk) has a list of famous surf schools around the country.
Rock climbing
The most popular natural rocks in Britain include the Peak District, the Lake District, while large areas of Scotland are a climber’s ideal place. Climbing courses and climbing walls can be found on the website of the British Mountaineering Council (0870 010 4878, www.thebmc.co.uk) which offers a series of short films that take the new climber through a step-by-step guide to visiting a climbing wall for the first time.
1. If a couple with their child of 15 join in Canyoning for a day, they will pay ______.

A．￡130

B．￡160

C．￡260

D．￡320

2. To go surfing, you may phone ______.

A．01479 861256	B．0870 010 4878
C．01437 721611	D．0870 112 9133

3. Which of the following is NOT well accepted by British people?

A．Canyoning.	B．Diving.
C．Surfing.	D．Rock climbing.

7 . For some people, choosing which sports to play throughout high school is hard because they have never really played an organized sport before and aren’t sure what they’ll enjoy most.     1    .

    2     If you’re great at basketball but would rather play football because you think it’s more fun, then give it a go (just make sure it’s coot with mom and dad).

Sports are meant to be fun.     3     What’s the worst that can happen? If you get cut, you can always try another sport. And sports like track don’t typically cut participants from the team. You can still participate even if you’re not in the team for the competition.

Some sports, like basketball or baseball, require every person on the field to be working well together.     4    .

Sports like tennis, track and field, swimming, gymnastics, and wrestling are all sports where individual performances are tallied (计分) into team scores.     5     However, for the most part it’s possible to win a solo event in these sports and still have your team lose or vice-versa (反之亦然).

No one knows you better than you do. Maybe you enjoy the spotlight. Maybe you get annoyed by the way teammates act. Luckily, there are many individualized sports to choose from.

A．Many people are attracted to team sports.

B．Besides swimming, try fishing, sailing, skiing, and surfing.

C．Of course there are exceptions, like relays in track and swimming.

D．For others it’s tough because their friends don’t like to play the same sports.

E．No matter what your problem is, you have to make the decision that is best for you.

F．If there is a sport you really enjoy but you aren’t sure if you can make the team, try out anyway.

G．Sure, certain people perform much better than others, but superstars don’t necessarily make a good team!

8 . Recently a study，led by Pedro Hallal of the Federal University，suggests that nearly a third of adults，31%，are not getting enough exercise. That rates of exercise have declined is hardly a new discovery. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution，technology and economic growth have helped to create a world in which taking exercise is more and more an option rather than a necessity. But only recently have enough good data been collected from enough places to carry out the sort of analysis Dr. Hallal and his colleagues have engaged in.

There are common themes in different places. Unsurprisingly，people in rich countries are less active than those in poor ones，and old people are less active than young ones. Less obviously，women tend to exercise less than men—34% are inactive，compared with 28% of men. But there are exceptions. The women of Croatia，Finland，Iraq and Luxembourg，for example，move more than their male countrymen.

Malta wins the race for most slothful country，with 72% of adults getting too little exercise，and Swaziland and Saudi Arabia are in close behind，with 69%. In Bangladesh，just 5% of adults fail to exercise enough. Surprisingly，six Americans in ten are active enough according to Dr. Hallal’s study，compared with fewer than four in ten British.

These high rates of inactivity are worrying. Human beings seem to have evolved to benefit from exercise while deliberately avoiding it whenever they can. In a state of nature it would be impossible to live a life that did not provide enough of it. But that is no longer the case. Actually lack of enough activity these days has nearly the same effect on life span as smoking.

1. We may learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.

A．the decline of exercise rates is newly discovered

B．the study suggests 31% of female adults get too little exercise

C．the industrial revolution has changed the way people live to some degree

D．the good enough data has been collected from only one country

2. According to the study, women of Luxembourg ________.

A．have little time to exercise

B．hate to get regular exercise

C．take more exercise to lose weight

D．exercise more than men in their country

3. The underlined word “slothful” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “________”．

A．lazy	B．rich
C．powerful	D．unpopular

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Benefits of Taking Exercise

B．New Health Discovery

C．Evolvement of Human Beings

D．Worldwide Lack of Enough Exercise

9 . If you want to keep fit, please refer to the following.

Move More

Make it a daily thing to find ways to move your body.     1     Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. Walk your dog. Play with your kids. It doesn’t have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute dance class. But that’s great when you’re up to it. At the same time, move more.

Quit Smoking

Ever since 1960 when it was announced that smoking was harmful to health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products. Just recently, we’ve seen more and more teens smoking. Could it be the Hollywood influence?     2     Take care! Warn your children against smoking.

    3    

While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney(肝肾)disease and cancer.

Reduce Stress

Easier said than done, stress comes in many ways.     4       Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like such as walking on the beach or in a park, reading a good book, visiting a friend, listening to relaxing music, and watching a funny movie.

Protect Yourself from Pollution

If you can’t live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms.     5    Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good.

A．Avoid Excessive（过度的） Drinking

B．Keep a Positive Mental Outlook

C．Think carefully about what you will do.

D．Exercise outside when the smog rating is low.

E．It seems that the stars in every movie smoke cigarettes.

F．There are many things you can do to move your arms and legs.

G．Some techniques given by experts are to think positive thoughts.

10 . Swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, dancing, walking or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart.    1     Whether it is a structured exercise program or just part of your daily routine, all exercise adds up to having a healthier heart. Here are some tips for exercise success.

●Choose activities that are fun and add variety. Develop several activities that you can enjoy.    2    

●Wear comfortable, properly fitted shoes and comfortable, loose-fitting clothing appropriate for the weather and the activity.

●Find a convenient time and place to do activities.    3     If you miss an exercise opportunity, work activity into your day another way.

●Use music to keep yourself entertained.

●    4     Decide what kind of support you need. Do you want them to remind you to exercise? Exercise with you regularly or occasionally? Be understanding when you get up early to exercise? Spend time with the children while you exercise? Try not to ask you to change your exercise routine? Share your activity time with others. Ask your family members, friends or co-workers for help.

●Don’t overdo it, especially at first. You can slowly increase the time and intensity (强度) of your activities as you become more fit.    5    

●Keep a record of your activities. Reward yourself at times. Nothing will inspire you more than success!

A．Try to make it a habit, but be flexible.

B．They all cause you to feel warm and breathe heavily without being out of breath.

C．Be an active role model for your children.

D．That way, exercise will never seem boring.

E．If you are overweight or have a high risk of heart disease, see your doctor for medical advice before exercising.

F．Surround yourself with supportive people.

G．Gradually, work up to exercising on most days of the week for 30-60 minutes.