1 . The famous magazine, Runner’s World, has chosen some of the best, most difficult and enjoyable UK races.
Top of the Wolds 10K Challenge
This 10-km countryside track in Yorkshire is all fun until you take the left turn at Nunburnholme. At this point, you enter a serious uphill part, but thankfully the uphill part only lasts for around 1.5 km. You’ll have about a kilometre to enjoy the views before the way takes you downhill again, and back to where you started in Warter—a cute little village.
Scurry2Bridges Run
This 161-km relay race (接力赛) is divided into 16 parts, so you each run 4 separate parts. Over the course of this day-long adventure, you’ll each run about marathon distance while the workers will drive around for pick-ups and drop-offs at relay exchange points between the start in Dundee and the finish in Edinburgh.
Scafell Sky Race
Here’s a trail run (越野跑) that is not suitable for beginners. With a total of 3,500 m of ascent (上坡路), this is unquestionably one of the hardest events around. Good thing is that the views are beautiful, and that there’s hot food and a bottle of apple juice waiting for you in the end.
Offa’s Dyke 15
The traditional 15-mile distance begins at the Clock Tower in Hay-on-Wye and includes a few hard climbs before finishing in Kington. This year the hard event has added a less challenging 10 km around Kington.
1. What do we know about Scurry2Bridges Run?A.It is made up of 16 parts. |
B.It is a 16-mile relay race. |
C.It has a uphill part about 16 km. |
D.It requires runners to run and drive. |
A.Top of the Wolds 10K Challenge. | B.Scurry2Bridges Run. |
C.Scafell Sky Race. | D.Offa’s Dyke 15. |
A.They are rather difficult races. |
B.They are held in the countryside. |
C.They ask runners to take part alone. |
D.They can provide the runners with food. |
The year 2022 will be a big year for sports in China, for China will hold not only the 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing, but also the 19th Asian Games(亚运会) in Hangzhou.
On August 6th, 2018,the official emblem(徽章) for the Hangzhou Asian Games came out. The city won the hosting right for the 2022 Asian Games in 2015. It will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.
First held in 1951, the Asian Games is the largest multi-sport event in Asia. It also means a lot to China.
The Beijing Asian Games was the first large international sports event hosted by China.To make the Games a great success, Chinese people worked hard to prepare. Beijing built a great number of roads and stadiums(体育馆),including the famous Beijing Olympic Sports Center and Asian Games Village. The Games helped the world see China and its achievements. Since then. China has improved its global image(全球形象).
For the upcoming 2022 Asian Games, Hangzhou has already started building 33 sports venues. The idea of the Hangzhou Asian Games is’green,smart.economical(节俭的)and civilized(文明的)”.All the Games’ buildings will be environmentally friendly.
1. Which city will host the 2022 Asian Games?A.Shanghai. | B.Beijing. | C.Guangzhou. | D.Hangzhou. |
A.hosted the Beijing and Guangzhou Asian Games. |
B.had two cities for the international sports events. |
C.won the hosting right for the 2022Asian Games. |
D.showed people the emblem for the2022 Asian Games. |
A.It was the second Asian Games held in China. |
B.Beijing built lots of roads and stadiums for it. |
C.It helped the world know China better. |
D.It was China’s first large international sports event. |
A.Hangzhou is the best place to hold the Asian Games. |
B.A large number of tourists will visit Hangzhou in 2022. |
C.More and more people will live and work in Hangzhou. |
D.The 2022 Asian Games will care a lot about the environment. |
3 . Tropical nations have never won a medal at the Winter Olympics. But this has not stopped more and more countries from striving to break this fate. At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, some of these countries are “coming for gold”. Let’s check them out.
From Arabian Dunes to Ice Slopes
Fayik Abdi, 24, was Saudi Arabia’s only representative at the Winter Olympics and competed in alpine skiing. The Winter Olympics, which opened in the Chinese capital on February 4, was the first participation in Saudi Arabia’s history. In this part of Saudi Arabia, snow falling from the sky is a rarity, enough to make news all over the world.
So, how did Abdi get here? His Olympic dream had an unusual start. Abdi initially responded to an ad, like more than 100 other applicants. It was handed out by the newly established Saudi Arabian Winter Sports Federation, looking for potential candidates to join the Olympic team. Abdi learned to ski at the age of four, and when he was in college in the United States, he took to the slopes whenever he had time. And his journey, as a trend representative of more and more “snowless” countries participating in the Winter Olympics, is a perfect fit. When the first Winter Olympics were held in 1924, only 14 European countries and the United States and Canada participated. By the last Winter Olympics hosted by Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018, a record 92 countries had participated.
Jamaica Snow Team
When it comes to a “layout country participating in the Winter Olympics”, you often think of Jamaica, a Caribbean island country, mainly because Hollywood had a movie Cool Runnings in 1993. The film is based on the Jamaican four-person snow team at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics in Canada. The film not only entertained audiences all over the world, but also inspired other “snowless countries” to try it out.
Although Jamaica had participated in the two-person snowmobile event in several Winter Olympics since then, the Beijing Winter Olympics was the first time the country had participated in the men’s four-person snowmobile event since the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998.
In Beijing, the Caribbean island nation also had a men’s duo sled team, while Jazmine Fenlator-Victoria competed in the women’s sled.
1. What does the underlined word “rarity” mean in Paragraph 2?A.Something common. | B.Something rare. |
C.Something expensive. | D.Something important. |
A.Abdi learned to ski when he was six. |
B.Only fourteen countries took part in the first Winter Olympics. |
C.More and more countries participate in the Winter Olympics. |
D.The movie Cool Runnings is based on the Jamaican four-person snow team at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics Winter Olympics. |
A.A science fiction. | B.A novel. |
C.A travel guide. | D.A sport magazine. |
A.Snowless tropical nations want to fight for gold. |
B.Jamaica Snow Team competed in Winter Olympics in Beijing. |
C.Different Winter Olympics in history. |
D.Beijing Winter Olympics. |
4 . The Andler Hillclimb is an annual dirt bike competition that has dirt bikers from around Europe try, to reach the top of a dangerous hillside course in Belgium. It’s been held every year for the last two decades, but so far, no one has been able to reach the top.
The so-called “impossible climb” starts out as rough gravel and then switches over to a rough uneven cliff (悬崖) face designed to throw riders off and roll them and their bikes back down to the base of the hill. It’s not the angle of the course that is the problem, according to most riders, but the sudden change of ride surface that makes keeping control of the bike and reaching the top so hard. Some fly off their bike early during the climb. While others get painfully close to the finish line, yet in the end they all succumb to the power of gravity (重力) before reaching their goal.
Despite gathering the most talented dirt bikers in Europe at the start line every year, the Andler Hillclimb has so far remained unconquered. The closest one to success was a Suzuki bike rider who once reportedly crossed the finish line with the front wheel before rolling back down the slope like the rest of the competitors. Sadly, his achievement didn’t count as a valid climb, as the entire bike and its rider must make it to the top of the hill.
With so many riders having failed to conquer the Andler Hillclimb over the last 20 years, why are people still trying every year? Why not just call the climb impossible and stop it? Well, maybe it has something to do with the bragging rights (胜者为王)? Can you imagine what it would be like to be the very first dirt biker to reach the top of this famous hill?
In case you want to try your luck, or if you simply want to see the hill make fools of dozens of daredevils (蛮干者), this year’s event is scheduled for August.
1. What makes it difficult for bikers to reach the top of the Andler Hillclimb?A.The bikers’ poor riding skills. | B.The steep angle of the slope. |
C.The rough gravel road surface. | D.The sudden changes in ride surface. |
A.Give in to. | B.Break through. |
C.Learn about. | D.Fight against. |
A.To criticize the strict rules of the competition. |
B.To express regret over the Suzuki bike rider’s failure. |
C.To show how difficult it is to win the competition. |
D.To explain why the competition is popular with bikers. |
A.It is the most dangerous European competition. |
B.It is expected to be held in August this year. |
C.It is attended by the world’s best dirt bikers every year. |
D.It aims to throw riders and their bikes back down the hill. |
5 . Zheng Qinwen announced herself as a major new force in women’s tennis with an import French Open debut (首秀) last month. Now the Chinese teenager hopes the fighting spirit she showed at the Grand Slam (大满贯) tournament can encourage kids starting out in the sport to chase their dreams on the court with the same determination.
“If tennis is your dream, I think you always have to fight for your dream. Because we only have one life, you shouldn’t have any regrets,” Zheng said last week in an interview.
The 19-year-old showed she possesses the talent to be a contender at the very top level of tennis with a breakout campaign at French Open.
Accounting for two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep along the way, Zhengs journey was ended in the fourth round by a three-set defeat to eventual champion Iga Swiatek. Zheng, though gave the Polish world No. 1 a big scare, battling back from 3-0 down in the first set to force, and win, a tiebreak (平分决胜局)。
“That was the first time I had played the world No.1, so I really wanted to grab this chance so I could judge her level and test myself,” said Zheng. “I didn’t want to give her the match so easy like that. It was pretty difficult for me to hold on in that match because of what my body was going through, but I wanted to show her I'm not easily beaten.
Looking back at Zheng Qinwen’s performances in this year’s French Open, there’s no doubt that she’s a true fighter. Zheng says she avoids being discouraged by higher-ranked opponents by simply focusing on the next point, one shot at a time.Supported by her team, she hopes she can one day win a Grand Slam title.
Zheng’s impressive French Open run has inevitably led to comparisons with China’s solitary Grand Slam singles championLi Na, who won the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open titles.
“When I was a kid, Li Na showed that Asian people also can do something really good in tennis. She was the first one. I will just focus on my own game and then let’s see if I can really compete at the highest level,” said Zheng.
1. What does the underlined word “contender” in paragraph 3 mean?A.Organizer. | B.Announcer. | C.Competitor. | D.Designer. |
A.Iga Swiatek beat Zheng easily. |
B.Zheng lost to Iga Swiatek at last. |
C.Zheng won the match despite her pain. |
D.Iga Swiatek lost because of her mistakes. |
A.To explain why Li Na has achieved a lot |
B.To prove failure is the mother of success. |
C.To show how excellent Zheng Qinwen is. |
D.To compare the difference between Zheng Qinwen and LI Na |
A.Optimistic and generous. |
B.Struggling and determined |
C.Independent and helpful. |
D.Adventurous and realistic. |