1. Who gave the woman her first mountain bike?
| A．Her uncle. | B．Her father. | C．Her brother. |
| A．The road was full of rocks. |
| B．She was too tired to speed up. |
| C．Someone appeared on the road suddenly. |
| A．Doing sports to keep fit. |
| B．Looking at the route in advance. |
| C．Making sure the bike is in good condition. |
| A．They’re tight. | B．They’re pretty. | C．They’re comfortable. |
2 . There is a saying in France that states: “The government could fall, the Louvre could be broken into, or aliens could land on Earth, but if any of the these things happened during the Tour de France (环法自行车赛), no one would notice.”
The Tour de France, held in July every year, consists of twenty one-day stages, plus several rest days. The course follows a clockwise route around France, and often neighboring countries, including Luxembourg, Belgium, and Italy. The winner is the rider who completes all twenty stages of the race in the shortest overall time.
The Tour de France first started on July 1, 1903, when sixty cyclists left from in front of The Alarm Clock Café, just outside of Paris, and rode 467 kilometers to Lyon. Maurice Garin, the most popular cyclist in France at that time, won the first race and received 2,000 francs. It took him 94 hours and 33 minutes to ride all 2,428 kilometers of the race. Over the weeks during the race, the idea of the Tour de France slowly caught on with the people of France. The race has been held every year since that time, except during the years of World Wars I and Ⅱ.
The Tour de France has developed several special honors for which racers compete. The yellow jersey is given to the leading racer each day of the Tour de France. Each day, the officials who keep track of the all of the rider’s time compare each rider’s total time up to that point. The racer with the lowest overall time wears the yellow jersey during the following day’s race. Green jersey is for the best racer in a fixed short distance, and the white jersey with read dots for the best rider in the mountains along the route.
Over the years of the race, the competitors have gained more than a medal. If a lead rider falls off his bike, the following riders would slow down to allow the fallen rider to catch up. German rider Jan Ullrich, who came in runner-up in.2002 after waiting for winner Lance Armstrong, says, “Of course I would wait. If I would have won this race by taking advantage of someone’s bad luck, then the race was not worth winning.”
1. What can we infer from the saying?| A．Strange things often happen in France. | B．The Louvre is attractive for thieves. |
| C．The Tour de France enjoys great popularity. | D．Aliens come for the Tour de France. |
| A．The cyclist ride along the borders of France. |
| B．The winner is the first cyclist to finish all stages of the race. |
| C．The Tour de France has been an annual event since 1903. |
| D．It took French people several years to accept the race. |
| A．The best racer of two days. | B．The fastest cyclist over short distances. |
| C．The fastest cyclist up to a point in a day. | D．The best racer in the valleys. |
| A．Some interesting stories in the race. | B．Sportsmanship in the race. |
| C．Great cyclists in the race. | D．Strict rules about the race. |
3 . Halfway through the women’s slalom event at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, 18-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin held a commanding lead over the greatest women’s slalom skiers in the world. On her final run, she burst from the start house at top speed, zigzagging around the poles. Suddenly, her left ski slid out, causing her to temporarily lose control. It seemed as if her dreams of a gold medal might slide down the mountain, out of her reach. But in the blink of an eye, Mikaela stopped her mini-skid and rocketed through the rest of her run. She became the youngest slalom skier ever to win an Olympic gold medal.
Skiing has always been a big part of Mikaela’s life. At two and a half years old, Mikaela made her first ski run down her steep driveway on plastic skis. From ages 8 to 11, she worked hard, repeating hundreds of training runs on small hills to learn the correct techniques. When Mikaela was 11, she enrolled at the Burke Mountain Academy, a Vermont boarding school for skiers.
According to headmaster Kirk Dwyer, “What separated Mikaela from others was the degree of her commitment to be the best. Mikaela practiced more than anyone and believed in herself then and now.” At age 14, Mikaela began her international career when she raced in the world championships for 13-and 14-year-olds. And she won! By the time she was 17, she had already won her first World Cup race.
For Mikaela, working hard is a full-time job. In the summer, when Mikaela is off the ski slopes and in the gym, her daily training consists of six to seven hours of weightlifting, core body work, and biking to improve her strength and agility.
“If you’re passionate about your goals, whatever they are,” she says, “there’s no limit to what you can achieve. Give it your all!”
1. What happened to Mikaela at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games?| A．She fell behind others at first. |
| B．She overcame the accident and completed her run. |
| C．She lost control and slid down the mountain. |
| D．She was the first slalom skier to win an Olympic gold medal. |
| A．One | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Demanding and curious. | B．Ambitious and diligent. |
| C．Caring and brave. | D．Patient and intelligent. |
| A．Zigzagging to Success | B．The Strength of Confidence |
| C．The Value of Failure | D．An Exciting Slalom Event |
4 . A brand of salami (萨拉米香肠) known as Galileo is celebrating 75 years of making the cured (腌制的) meats by welcoming salami fans into their family with a chance to win a unique cooking experience in a seaside region of Italy.
But don’t worry; you don’t have to speak Italian. All you have to do is simply share a photo of yourself on Instagram using the hashtags #GalileoFamily and #Sweepstakes and tag @GalileoSalame. If you follow the rules of the contest, you are automatically entered for a chance to win a weeklong trip for two to Italy to explore the history and cooking riches of the seaside region.
“For the better part of a century, we’ve been curing authentic Italian salami with the idea of family and tradition,” said Jeremy Kross, Brand Manager at Galileo, a company that was started in 1945 by Frank Sorba in San Francisco. “The ‘Welcome to the Family’ program celebrates our Italian heritage and, of course, the deliciousness of salami.”
The winners will learn about the history of the Galileo brand and explore incredible destinations there like Ancona, a city and seaport that sits along Italy’s Adriatic coast; Mount Conero, known as a “small piece of heaven” on the Adriatic Sea with some of the clearest water; and finally, San Marino, said to be the world’s oldest surviving republic. While in Sant’Angelo in Vado, the winners will visit La Tavola Marche, a unique hands-on cooking experience where guests can immerse themselves in Italian culture and food.
The trip for two will last for seven days, six nights, and is valued at $7,500 U.S. The contest ends on October 21, after which they will do a random drawing to determine the winner.
1. What is essential if you want to win the chance?| A．Learning to speak Italian. | B．Sharing a photo online. |
| C．Knowing Italian history. | D．Having good cooking skills. |
| A．It is more than sightseeing. | B．It offers winners $7,500 U.S. |
| C．It ends on October 21. | D．It includes a random drawing. |
| A．Galileo Is Celebrating His 75th Anniversary of Birth |
| B．Volunteers Are Wanted to Practice Cooking at Home |
| C．Match Is Held to Promote Tourism in Italy. |
| D．Food Family Invites Fans to Experience Traditional Cooking |
5 . Each year, the women of Olney and Liberal compete in an unusual footrace. Dressed in aprons (围裙) and headscarves, they wait at both towns’ starting lines. Each woman holds a frying pan with one pancake inside. At the signal, the women flip (轻抛) pancakes and they’re off!
This “pancake racing” tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday, 1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent (大斋戒) begins. During Lent, many people decide to give up sugary or fatty foods.
Legend says that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes to use up some of her sugar and cooking fats before Lent. She lost track of time and suddenly heard the church bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the door still wearing her apron and headscarf and holding her frying pan with a pancake in it. In the following years, the woman’s neighbors imitated her dash to church, and pancake racing was born.
The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They must flip their pancakes twice - once before starting and once after crossing the finish line. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and declare a winner.
In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney’s festival is an all-day event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a talent show, and contests that feature eating and flipping pancakes. Although the women’s race is still the main event, both towns now hold additional races for boys and girls of all ages.
1. How did pancake racing start?| A．A woman in Olney created it. |
| B．Women made pancakes before Lent. |
| C．A woman dashed to church with a pancake. |
| D．People followed the suit of an interesting incident. |
| A．They can wear fashionable headscarves and aprons. |
| B．They must flip their pancakes once in the race. |
| C．They must flip their pancakes at the beginning of the race. |
| D．They can flip their pancakes in the middle of the race. |
| A．People can show their talent in Olney festival. |
| B．People can enjoy a one-day holiday in Liberal. |
| C．The race is not only intended for women now. |
| D．People can have a big pancake breakfast in both towns. |
| A．The origin of pancake racing. |
| B．The history of pancake racing. |
| C．The development of pancake racing. |
| D．The introduction to pancake racing. |
