1 . What is the best soccer club in the world? The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) has named FC Barcelona the best world club of the decade (2011-2020). The Spanish club also topped the rankings(排名) for this century's first decade (2001-2010).
The ranking is determined by rating (打分) results from each of a club's matches. During the past 10 years, Barcelona won 22 trophies, including two Champions Leagues(欧洲冠军杯) and two UEFA Super Cups(欧洲超级杯), earning a score of 2,877 points. Its rival (对手) Real Madrid earned 2,782 points, while FC Bayern München ended up with 2,594 points.
The club obviously won based on its success. But what is it that truly makes a soccer club great? For one thing, the club has its own style, which is also one of the reasons it has been so successful. Instead of relying on physical strength, Barcelona players use more technical skills, especially when it comes to passing. This style works well on the field and is very entertaining(有观赏性的) to watch as well.
This style is used by some of the world's best players. Many clubs have great players, but “Barcelona is able to bring them together in a way that fans love”, said the sports website Bleacher Report. The club once had superstars like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar who played together like a “goal-scoring machine”.
Although the club has the spending power to buy big stars, they often prefer to use players from their youth team. These young players are very loyal to Barcelona. Messi is one player who has risen up through the ranks of the Barcelona academy(青训营).
When Barcelona fans cheer on their team at their home stadium, Camp Nou, they often hold signs saying “Més que un club”, which means“More than a club”. This seems to have been proven true during the past decades.
1. What title did FC Barcelona win recently?| A．The UEFA Super Cup. | B．The Champions League. |
| C．The biggest rival club from 2001 to 2010 | D．The best world club of the past 10 years. |
| A．How many matches the club has won. | B．Why the club was ranked as the best. |
| C．How each match the club won was rated. | D．Who the club will compete with. |
| A．It trains its players to win with physical strength. |
| B．It spends large sums of money buying star players. |
| C．It often uses loyal players from its own youth team. |
| D．It plays most of its matches at its home stadium. |
| A．How to manage a football club. | B．Great football clubs around the world. |
| C．What fans like best about FC Barcelona. | D．What makes Barcelona a great football club. |
“No 7, Jobie Nymble, takes the lead,” cried the announcer. “Just one more hurdle (跨栏) and ...” Cheers broke out. “Jobie Nymble from Riverside Middle School takes first place in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles!” The crowd went wild.
“County championships (锦标赛), here we come,” screamed Jobie, patting her green track spikes (钉鞋). They were her lucky shoes and she loved them. “Next Saturday, we’re taking home the gold,” Jobie whispered to her spikes, excitedly retying them.
“Don’t forget, guys,” said Marisol, one of her teammates. “My birthday party is next Friday at Hidden Park.”
Next weekend couldn’t come soon enough. Jobie smiled with excitement all week long. At track practice, she leaped over those hurdles faster than she’d ever leaped before. And it wasn’t long before everything in her path was a hurdle: flowerpots in her front yard, sidewalk cracks on the way to the bus stop and even her little sister, Teka!
The day of Marisol’s party, Jobie put on her favorite outfit: her blue shorts, an old track T-shirt from her dad, and her lucky spikes. “Perfect.” She smiled at herself in the mirror.
The party was under way when Jobie arrived at Hidden Park. She stopped by the track first, planning to do some practice.
“Jobie!” Two of Jobie’s teammates rushed toward her, breathless and barefoot. “Come on,” they yelled. “You have to try the slide.”
Jobie looked toward the party area. Suddenly, she saw it. The biggest slide she had ever seen was on the far side of the park. Smiling kids zoomed down the slide at unspeakable speeds. Without thinking twice, Jobie took off her spikes and dashed (猛冲) toward the slide. Its ladder stretched to the sky, but she reached the top in no time, closed her eyes and let go.
Jobie couldn’t get enough. She tried again and again. When it was finally time to go home, she unwillingly made her way back to the track where she’d left her shoes.
续写部分：
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语以为你写好；
Paragraph 1：
As she eyed the area from a distance, panic set in.
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Paragraph 2：
The next day, Jobie turned up in a new pair of spikes for the championships.
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3 . Every year, hundreds of hopeful students arrive in Washington, D. C., in order to compete in the National Spelling Bee, which has been held every year since 1925.
In the competition, students under 16 take turns trying to properly spell words. The champion is the only remaining student who does not make a mistake. American students are familiar with the competition because it is practiced in many schools throughout the country. The National Spelling Bee, however, is a much bigger setting and showcases only the best spellers from all parts of the nation. Winning the competition nowadays requires the ability to perform under much pressure against so many talented students in front of a large audience. A student who wins the event in the twenty-first century will experience a much different challenge than the first winner, Frank Neuhauser, did in 1925 when he defeated only nine other competitors.
Clearly, the 90 years of the National Spelling Bee’s existence proves the importance of spelling in the English language. However, struggles with spelling English words go back much more than 90 years. The charming thing about spelling correctly in English is that it is in many ways without rules. English language can absorb new words from other languages and in doing so make them “English” words. Because of this, the number of words in English is much higher than any other languages. Thus, spelling in many other languages has fewer words and fewer strange exceptions to rules. It turns out that a spelling bee in most other languages would be a waste of time. Why is that? Well, without so many exceptions to common vocabulary, there would be very few words that everyone didn’t already know.
1. How is today’s competition different from the first National Spelling Bee?| A．It produces more winners. | B．It draws more talented audience. |
| C．It attracts more competitors. | D．It tests more strange words. |
| A．To introduce the new rules of the competition. | B．To gather students from other countries. |
| C．To explain the difficulty in English spelling. | D．To show the strict rules of written English. |
| A．Unfavorable. | B．Supportive. | C．Responsible. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Ways to win a Spelling Bee. | B．The most difficult language. |
| C．The best spellers. | D．A competition about spelling. |
4 . Many students love competing in contests. If you’re one of such students, here are some contests that might catch your attention.
Team America Rocketry Challenge
This is the world’s largest student rocket contest. The contest was created in the fall of 2002 as a onetime celebration of the Centennial of Flight, but by popular demand became a yearly program. It is meant to build a stronger US workforce (劳动力) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Creative Communication Poetry Contest
Many students love writing poems, which can benefit them in various ways. Now this contest is a good choice for them. In addition to the winning poems, other poems of high quality are accepted to be published and will be read by more people. There is no entry fee and no required purchase (购买) in order to become published. But entries must be students in 9th grade or lower living in the United States.
Math Contests—Homeschool Division
The goal of the competition is to encourage students’ interest in math and to inspire students to do well in math. The contest is for students in grades 2, 3, 4 and 5. Any teacher from a public school or a private school is welcome to ask their students to compete. Open to homeschool students in grades 28.
National Constitution Bee
The National Constitution Bee will be held at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, DC. To reach the standard of joining in the contest, students must finish in the top 3 in their State Constitution Bee. The firstplace winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship (奖学金). The secondplace winner will receive one fifth of what the firstplace winner will receive. And the thirdplace winner will receive half that much of the secondplace winner.
1. Who would be interested in taking part in Team America Rocketry Challenge?| A．Students enjoying outdoor challenges. |
| B．Students loving joining in celebrations. |
| C．Students wishing to have a scientific career. |
| D．Students hoping to find a highlypaid job in the future. |
| A．win a tour around the US |
| B．get some cheap reading materials |
| C．be offered free training in poetry writing |
| D．have a chance to get their good poems published |
| A．National Constitution Bee. |
| B．Team America Rocketry Challenge. |
| C．Math Contests—Homeschool Division. |
| D．Creative Communication Poetry Contest. |
5 . Brazil sports are out of control! Brazil may be one of the most sportscrazy countries in the world. Whether you are into watching or playing, Brazil sports have a lot to offer everyone.
Football in Brazil is more than a sport. It's a way of life. Football is popular in Brazil for several reasons. One reason is that it is fast paced and fun to watch. This is the reason why the World Cup Soccer is the most watched sports event in the world aside from the Summer Olympics. Also, you don't need anything to play soccer except for something to kick, and a big area in which to play. Few will argue if you say that Brazil leads the world in football. No nation has won as many world cups as Brazil.
Volleyball is a close second in Brazil sports. In the world of international volleyball, Brazil wins many championships of all kinds, including indoor and beach volleyball. Brazil has nearly 5,000 miles of coastline. If you go to a beach in Brazil, there will always be a volleyball game going on somewhere, and usually two or three.
Footvolley was created in Brazil in the 1960s. It is a mix of football and volleyball, where the players must use their feet and head to get the ball over the net and into the opponents' court, and is also played in sand. It is one of the most popular beach sports in Brazil.
Swimming, tennis, rugby, boxing, judo, sailing, golf, surfing, and handball are all greatly popular in Brazil.
1. We infer that this passage was written to ________.| A．explain why football is so popular in Brazil |
| B．encourage us to do sports as people in Brazil do |
| C．tell us the history of several sports in Brazil |
| D．introduce several very popular sports in Brazil |
| A．Sports are extremely popular in Brazil. |
| B．All kinds of sports are played in Brazil. |
| C．Brazil athletes are out of control. |
| D．Brazil athletes are not well educated. |
| A．football is the most popular sport in every country |
| B．people don't need anything to play soccer |
| C．Brazil has won every World Cup Soccer |
| D．Brazil leads the world in football |
| A．Football. | B．Volleyball. | C．Footvolley. | D．Tennis. |
6 . The Olympics and COVID-19 were never going to coexist. The basic rule when it comes to controlling an infectious disease is to limit the contact people have with one another. Yet the very essence of the two weeks of competition, which begin on July 23 in Tokyo, is to invite the world to meet, greet and engage in friendly — and often socially not so distant — contests.
An estimated 70,000 athletes, coaches, staff, officials and media will be marching in Tokyo from July to August for the Olympics — at a time when infections in the city are rising again. On July 8, the government declared a fourth COVID-19 state of emergency in Tokyo, which will extend through the end of the Games.
New cases of COVID-19 emerging from any of the Olympic visitors could not only disrupt(扰乱) the Games but also forever fade this year’s Olympics as an exercise in a global pandemic that has claimed the lives of 4 million people.
Olympic organizers are working desperately to prevent that from happening. After consulting with infectious-disease experts, Tokyo 2020 officials have created guidelines for everyone who will be traveling to Japan for the Olympics. Many of the measures are familiar: frequent testing, mask orders and social-distancing procedures.
The strategy is also realistic. While it might not be possible to prevent the virus from entering secretly the Olympic community, the countermeasures are meant to contain it as much as possible. Infections will happen. The challenge lies in minimizing the risk of those infections and the impact they might have—on not just the Games but also the Japanese public and, ultimately, the world at large when Olympic delegations return home.
1. What is the basic principle of controlling an epidemic?| A．To prevent people from communicating with each other. |
| B．To keep people from participating in activities. |
| C．To stop people from chatting online. |
| D．To limit the contact people have with each other. |
| A．The possible threat brought by new cases of COVID-19. |
| B．The spreading of virus caused by new cases of COVID-19. |
| C．The treatment of new cases of COVID-19. |
| D．The decrease of new cases of COVID-19. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. |
| C．Conservative. | D．Negative. |
| A．A news magazine. | B．A biology textbook. |
| C．A research paper. | D．A travel brochure. |
7 . There are many ways we can enjoy sport—watching it on TV or a smartphone, attending an event at a stadium or even playing the game. Bu for those who enjoy getting competitive with their computer gaming, there are realistic-looking games to be played without leaving home. And people’s interest in this type of sport—if that’s what we can call it—has gone to a new level.
Initially, grabbing a controller and playing a game was individual activity. But around 20 years ago computers became cheaper and the Internet became faster, which made it much easier for more people to get involved with computer gaming. This led to gamers connecting with each other around the word, so they could go head-to-head online. It also became a spectator sport, with people watching others play. The whole experience has been given the name “esports”—Electronic Sports.
Now, huge esports tournaments take place all over the world in big arenas (竞技场) with large crowds. Diehard enthusiasts, who have become first-rate players, are now well-known—some play together in teams. Its top stars can earn millions of dollars a year, without even breaking into a sweat! And fans from around the world tune in to watch the action online. The global audience is now estimated at more than 200 million and growing. Annual profits from esports, currently around 650 million dollars for events, continue to rise with billions more through the video games sales.
Famous football clubs are now trying to get in on the action. England’s Football Association for example launched its first esports team this year, known as the eLions. It recruited (招募) FIFA 19 players to represent them at the FIFA eNations Cup. Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief commercial and football development officer, said “The FA prides itself on being a modern, innovative organization that tries to engage and inspire all generations of football fans.”
But while this virtual version of football might give footballers a chance to get closer to the real game, some might argue the lack of physical activity means it shouldn’t be called a sport—and the biggest winners are the companies who promote and sell esports.
1. What contributed most to the popularity of esports?| A．The support from the public. | B．Cheaper computers and faster Internet. |
| C．The advanced sports equipment. | D．People’s preference for individual activities. |
| A．They have become a big industry. | B．They make players get rich easily. |
| C．They will replace traditional sports. | D．They have a great impact on other sports. |
| A．To explain why it has become interested in esports. |
| B．To tell readers it is taking the lead in hosting esports. |
| C．To state the officers are proud of its achievements in esports. |
| D．To show famous football clubs are getting involved in esports. |
| A．The Rise of Esports |
| B．The Advantages of Esports |
| C．Esports Teams: Famous for Star Players |
| D．Esports Tournaments: Exciting and Fantastic Events |
8 . ★The 13th annual Dubuque Senior Tri-State Hoopfest will take place on Saturday,Oct.31 at Nora Gymnasium.
There will be boys divisions for grades 3-8 in the morning and grades 9-12 in the afternoon.The cost is $15 per player. Each player receives a T-shirt, and individual prizes go to winning teams. The past two years, more than 65 teams competed in the event. For more information or a camp registration, contact Wendell Eimers at weimers @dbqschools. org.
★The University of Dubuque Men's Basketball team will host junior varsity high school shootout on Sunday, November 8th. Each team is guaranteed a minimum of three games and games will be hosted by certified officials.
The cost of the shootout is $175 per team.For more information contact coach Rob Siever ding at 563-590-6711 orrsieverd@dbq.edu.
★The University of Dubuque Men's Basketball team will host a youth tournament for boys in grades 3-8. The tournament will take place on Sunday,November 1st and each team is guaranteed a minimum of three games.The cost of the tournament is $100 per team. For more information please contact coach Rob Sieverding at 563-580- 6711 or rsieverd@dbq.edu.
★The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dubuque is now taking teams for its 3rd/4th grade boys and girls basketball league. The league starts on Monday, Sept. 7, with two games per week for five weeks.Games are played from Monday to Friday at 5, 6 and 7 p.m., and the cost is $25 per player for 10 games. For more information,email tsully5@aol.com or call Tom at 563-585-0599. Sign-up for other grades will be at a later date.
1. Which is TRUE about Dubuque Senior Tri-State Hoopfest?| A．There are prizes for winning teams. |
| B．It is held yearly for boys aged 3 to 12. |
| C．More than 65 schools join in the match. |
| D．Each team will have to play at least three games. |
| A．The youth tournament. |
| B．The junior varsity high school shootout. |
| C．The 3rd/4th grade boys and girls basketball league. |
| D．The 13th annual Dubuque Senior Tri-State Hoopfest. |
| A．To inform the dates of basketball events. |
| B．To introduce several events of basketball. |
| C．To advise young children to play basketball. |
| D．To attract more students to join basketball clubs. |
9 . Clocking 16 hours, 46 minutes, nine seconds, the athlete Chris Nikic didn’t finish with the shortest time when he recently completed his first Iron Man Race, but he did quite well.
After swimming 2.4 miles, the 21-year-old Floridian cycled 112 miles. Even after suffering a fall from his bike during the second leg of the race, he called on his inner strength to get back up, keep going and get the job done. And then he ran a 26.2-mile marathon to become the first competitor with Down’s Syndrome (唐氏综合征) in the world to successfully cross the finish line in the history of the Iron Man Race. For his efforts, Nikic also earned himself a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
“To Nikic, this race was more than just a finish line and a celebration for the success,” his dad said. The race has served as a chance to become one step closer to his goal of living a normal life. It’s about being an example to other kids and families that face similar difficulties. Those with Down’s Syndrome will be prompted to live a life like normal persons.
Nikic trained between four and six hours a day to prepare for the event, and that training paid off.
Goal set and achieved, Nikic posted on Instagram, where he has 33,000 new followers. “Time to set a new and bigger goal for 2021.”
One of Nikic’s biggest fans, all-time tennis great Billie Jean King, tweeted the perfect response: “No limits. No boundaries. Keep dreaming big and going for it!”
As for that medal he won for completing the race, he gifted it to his loving mom. With hope of competing in the 2022 Special Olympics scheduled in Orlando, it looks as if Chris Nikic has plenty of big dreams yet to come true.
1. What did Nikic’s performance during Iron Man Race prove?| A．He is strong. | B．He is confident. | C．He is kind. | D．He is careful. |
| A．Praised. | B．Surprised. | C．Supported. | D．Encouraged. |
| A．He wanted to make Nikic famous. |
| B．He wanted to encourage Nikic. |
| C．He wanted to show respect for Nikic. |
| D．He wanted to show his relationship with Nikic. |
| A．Chris Nikic encourages people to exercise |
| B．Chris Nikic won first place in Iron Man Race |
| C．Athlete with Down’s Syndrome makes history |
| D．Special Iron Man Race was held for special athletes |
