1 . Farmers and runners have a lot in common. There is the drive to struggle in tough conditions. There is the ability to do hard labor, outside in any condition. There is also the restlessness, which, however, might be unique to Elle Purrier St. Pierre, a farmer and a professional runner, who admits she has a tough time sitting still, as a result of her growing up on a dairy(奶制品)farm, where she developed a working attitude that is hard to change. "Cows need to be fed; they need to be milked. And if something breaks, you have to figure out a way to fix it, and you have your responsibilities no matter what," she says. "That attitude really helps me in my career now."
Purrier St. Pierre will run for Team USA in the Olympic Games in Tokyo this year, where she’ll compete in the 1,500-meter run. In February 2020, she broke the American record for fastest indoor mile, with a time of 4:16.85. A year later, she broke the American record for the indoor two-mile, at 9:10.28. And sure, she trains hard, and is diligent and naturally athletic. But according to Purrier St. Pierre, farming is what initially set her up for success on the track.
"Runners and farmers are similar in their lifestyle. It’s just something that they do every single day. They’re kind of addicted," says Furrier St. Pierre. "It’s just who you are."
While farming is a central part of who Furrier St. Pierre is, running is a more recent addition. She started running in high school, despite the school not actually having a track. Instead, she trained on the dirt roads near her farm or the mountain biking trails that surround the hilly town. They proved to be good training grounds. It was in college that she started to identify as a runner and pursue it as a career. Now, running is what she’s known for, and there are high hopes for her to bring home a medal from Tokyo.
Whatever happens at the games, Furrier St. Pierre is excited to come home to the support of her husband, who is unsurprisingly, also a dairy farmer. As much as running is her life and career at this moment, Furrier St. Pierre keeps one eye on her future, and that’s on the farm.
"I am such a homebody and very true to my roots. I’ll always be a farmer. I’m pursuing this career right now, as a runner, but I’m still very much a farmer."
1. What does Elk Purrier really mean by what she says in the first paragraph?| A．Life on the dairy farm is boring. | B．Farming is actually too much work. |
| C．Her time spent on running is limited. | D．It’s hard for her to stop moving around. |
| A．Winning the 1,500-meter run in America. |
| B．Setting two American records in running. |
| C．Winning the 1,500-meter run at the Olympics. |
| D．Setting a record for the indoor two-mile in Tokyo. |
| A．Beneficial. | B．Unsatisfactory. | C．Beautiful. | D．Unique. |
| A．An athlete who devotes herself to sports. |
| B．An athlete who has made great achievements. |
| C．An athlete who combines running with farming. |
| D．An athlete who prefers to be an ordinary farmer. |
2 . Syria’s 12-year-old table tennis athlete Hend Zaza will come to China for professional training, China Central Television (CCTV) said in a report on Tuesday. The young athlete just finished her first trip to the Olympic Games after losing a match in Tokyo. On hearing that Syria’s 12-year-old table tennis athlete Hend Zaza wishes to come to China for training, the Chinese Olympic Committee immediately invited her, helping to fulfill her wishes, she will arrive in September.
“I’m looking forward to training abroad. I want to make progress and take the championship one day,” Zaza told CCTV. “I want to reach the same level as the Chinese team does, and I’m looking forward to having the same training as the Chinese team.”
On July 24, the young Zaza lost her match to Chinese-Austrian athlete Liu Jia 4-0. The night before her match, she was a lag bearer of Syria at the opening ceremony. A late night, plus the lingering six-hour jet lag, meant that she barely slept — not great preparation against Liu, who is making her sixth Olympic appearance.
“I was hoping for a winning match and for better play, but it’s a tough opponent so it’s a good lesson for me, especially with the first Olympics,” Zaza said. “I will work on it to get a better result next time, hopefully.”
Still, with her long hair bouncing as she did around the table, Zaza showed ability that impressed her seasoned opponent. “I had to remind myself not to underestimate her,” Liu said. She called Zaza “a great talent” with good rhythm and instincts who simply needed more experience.
In 2011, complaints about high unemployment and corruption led to severe violence inside Syria. As the violence rapidly escalated (升级), the country descended into a civil war that still rages today. Zaza said as long as she can remember she found it difficult to go to school or play outside, let alone train for her chosen sport. At 12 years and 204 days, Zaza became the youngest table tennis player ever to compete in the Olympics.
Zaza has previously told media that Chinese world champion table tennis athlete Ding Ning is her idol and she hoped that she could play with Ding Ning one day. Ding once posted on Weibo in 2020 that she was looking forward to meeting Zaza in China soon.
With a desire for world peace, Zaza said that participating in the Olympics is not her final goal. She hopes that the small white ball in her hands can deliver a message of peace. She also hopes that Syria will stop the war as soon as possible, and every child will be able to chase their dreams freely.
1. Why did the Chinese Olympic Committee invite Zaza to China?| A．To help Zaza accomplish her dream. |
| B．To improve Chinese team’s pingpong techniques. |
| C．To show that China is a greater country than hers. |
| D．To spark her love for pingpong. |
a. Lack of confidence b. Jet lag c. Not enough sleep d. Competitive rival (对手)
| A．abc | B．acd | C．bcd | D．abcd |
| A．Ambitious but lazy. | B．Dishonest but grateful. |
| C．Honorable and humorous. | D．Competent and respectable. |
| A．Syrian Table Tennis Player Invited to China |
| B．Zaza’s Wish for Peace |
| C．Table Tennis Diplomacy (外交) |
| D．A Harmonious World Connected by Table Tennis |
3 . Simone Biles is widely considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time. In America, she is the "face" of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. When the games began, she was expected to win five gold medals.
But she withdrew from the team final. She made the choice after her vault in the competition's first round. She later said her mind was not in the right place to let her safely perform the difficult moves. In other words, her mind was not letting her body do what it needed to do. So, she made the decision to protect her mental health and give her teammates a better chance at winning a medal.
Biles is not the only Olympian in recent months to talk about the pressure and mental effects of competing at the highest level. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka decided not to compete at the French Open earlier this summer. She said she made that decision to protect her mental health.
This week, Osaka lost in the second round of Olympic competition. She said she felt extreme pressure to win for Japan.
Many Olympic athletes have discussed the stress they have felt. COVID-19 has greatly changed the way the Games are being held. Liz Cambage is a top basketball player for Australia. She left her team one week before the start of the Games because she was worried about entering the Olympic "bubble" in Tokyo without the support of her friends and family.
The IOC, or International Olympic Committee, said it is paying more attention to the mental health of athletes. The IOC said it has websites and phone numbers athletes can call if they need help with a mental health problem.
1. What do these athletes mentioned above have in common?| A．They are all excellent at the Games. | B．They are not used to the "bubble" in Tokyo. |
| C．They feel confident enough to win a medal. | D．They feel too stressed to go on with their games. |
| A．escaped from | B．went through | C．pulled out of | D．left out |
| A．Help to these athletes is on the way | B．Much attention has been paid to these athletes. |
| C．The IOC has got approaches to the problem | D．Proper cures will be in place in near future. |
| A．Athletes' New Challenges at Olympics | B．Great Pressure Leads to Frequent Failure |
| C．Ways to Make Athletes Confident at Olympics | D．Mental Health Gets Spotlight at Olympics |
4 . The modern Olympics, which appeared in ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago, have become the world’s most important sporting competition. From the 8th century B. C. to the 4th century A. D., the the ancient Olympics were held every four years in Olympia in honor of the god Zeus. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, and featured 280 participants from 13 nations, competing in 43 events. Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately every two years. The 2020 Summer Olympics, delayed one year because of the COVID-19, was held in Japan in 2021.
The ancient Olympics were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 during a festival honoring Zeus. The Games were named for their location (位置) at Olympia, a place near the western coast in southern Greece. Their influence was so great that ancient historians began to measure time by the Olympic Games held every four years.
After the Roman Empire conquered (征服) Greece in the mid-2nd century B.C., the Games continued, but their standards and quality dropped. For example from 67 A. D., the Emperor Nero entered an Olympic horse race, announcing himself the winner even after he fell off his horse during the event. In 393 A. D., Emperor Theodosius Ⅰ ended the ancient Olympic tradition.
It was another 1,500 years before the Games rose again, largely thanks to the efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) of France. Working hard at the development of physical education, the young man became inspired by the idea of creating a modern Olympic Games after visiting the ancient Olympic building. In November 1892, at a meeting of the Union des Sports Athlétiques in Paris, Coubertin suggested the idea of making the Olympics an international athletic competition held every four years. Two years later, he got the approval (批准) he needed to found the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ), which would become the governing body of the modern Olympic Games.
1. What do we know about the modern Olympics?| A．The modern Olympics became famous in the 18th century. |
| B．The first Winter Olympics was held in 1994. |
| C．The first modern Olympics dates back to 1896. |
| D．The latest Winter Olympics will delay for two years. |
| A．Every year. | B．Every other year. |
| C．Every three years. | D．Every four years. |
| A．In 393 A. D. | B．In 67 A. D. |
| C．In the mid-2nd century B. C. | D．About 1,500 years ago. |
| A．The ancient Olympics |
| B．The modern Olympics |
| C．The Olympics developed through years |
| D．The Olympics are popular in modern time |
5 . Japan's prime minister encouraged the decision to ban viewers, even family members, by issuing a state of emergency order in Tokyo earlier this month in response to rising COVID-19 case numbers.
From the perspective of sports psychologists, an Olympics without fans is a real-life science experiment that is helping researchers and clinicians to comb through the true impact of a crowd of fans on its players—and on viewers at home. The strange circumstances under which the games are held may place unexpected pressure on some athletes. On Tuesday, superstar gymnast Simone Biles dropped out of the women's team event, telling teammates and reporters she wasn't in the right “headspace” to compete. “It's been really stressful this Olympic Games. There are a lot of different variables going into it,” Biles told the Washington Post.
The 2020 Summer Olympics bears similarities and differences to other major sporting events without viewers. The English Premier League supplemented (增加) game broadcasts with crowd noise from the soccer video game FIFA 20, mixed with game audio in real time. A Taiwanese baseball team and German soccer team began populating stands with cardboard cutouts of fans, and the trend caught on internationally.
Jamey Houle, the lead sports psychologist for Ohio State University Athletics and a former Al-American gymnast, says competitive athletes are trained in visualization— imagining performing a certain action or motion, such as doing a roundoff back handspring in gymnastics. Without moving a muscle, players using visualization can solidify neural (神经的) connections and activate their motor cortex (皮层). To visualize most effectively, Houle says, athletes working with sports psychologists will try to simulate as closely as possible the conditions of actual gameplay. Empty stadiums may thus have a measurable impact on players' performance. This phenomenon is grounded in a psychological concept called “social facilitation”, referring to a change in a person's performance that occurs when others are around compared to when a person is alone.
1. What caused Biles to drop out of the women's team event?| A．The poor physical condition. | B．The absence of the audience. |
| C．The fiercely competitive event. | D．The influence of crowds of fans. |
| A．The Taiwanese baseball team is a success. |
| B．The tendency mentioned is popular among some sporting events. |
| C．The 2020 Summer Olympics is stricter in preventing the pandemic. |
| D．The crowd noise plays a leading role in the English Premier League. |
| A．By doing a roundoff back handspring. | B．By simulating the conditions of actual gameplay. |
| C．By using the concept called social facilitation. | D．By changing the viewers of a player. |
| A．Athletes should be trained in visualization. | B．Audience should be admitted to the Olympics. |
| C．Social facilitation is helpful to sporting events. | D．Viewers present may influence players' performance. |
6 . 100 Great Black Britons is part of the history and our society.This is a fantastic way to attract, encourage and improve pupils and young people to understand and diversity of Britain.
Schools were encouraged lo gel involved by developing some exciting ideas which not only support their work for Black History Month but also provide a (投入) into lesson plans of the contribution of Black People in Britain over years.
100 Great Black Britons ran from 1st Oct 2020 to 1st Jan 2021. The competition was open to all subject areas. Teachers will find that it opens up a unique, refreshing and authentic way of teaching and learning.
TASK：
Schools are to research, and vote or celebrate for their 100 Great Black Britons @ www. 100 greatblackbritons. com. They are then to submit their votes in a creative form. They had to consider exploring the various categories to develop ideas and themes.
Here are just some ideas for each Key Stage：
KS1: Collage, jigsaw and song
KS2: Wordsearch, poem, dance and story
KS3: Drama, animated computer story, assembly presentation
KS4: Debate, poem, interviews, poll/survey, design own website
But we suggest that they improve a session in which pupils can brainstorm and come up with their own creative ideas. They can use the notice board to share ideas and experiences and gain knowledge of the issues raised about 100 Great Black Britons with other members.
Prizes of black/multicultural educational resources (books, games, software packages) will be awarded in the following categories with the following value：
| KS1: £100 | KS2: £100 | KS3: £200 | KS4: £200 |
1. What is probably 100 Great Black Britons?
| A．A game. | B．A festival. | C．A school. | D．A software. |
| A．£100. | B．£200. | C．£300. | D．£400. |
| A．To instruct. | B．To entertain. | C．To compare. | D．To advertise. |
7 . 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. |
8 . A 24-year-old Ethiopian runner Shura Kitata won the men’s race in the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon, crossing the line in 2:05:41.
Kitata finished second in the 2018 London Marathon behind the world record holder Eliud Kipchoge. However, this weekend, Kitata won the Virgin Money London Marathon and thanked fellow Ethiopian, Kenenisia Bekele for his win when he talked to a reporter from the BBC. Kitata said Bekele was helping him for the race and advised him how to run. He trained hard for the same course in this way. Fortunately, he won the race for his hard training.
Kitata showed his excellent performances including victories at the 2017 Rome Marathon and 2017 Frankfurt Marathon title victories, where he finished separately with the times 2:07:30 and 2:05:50.
Kitata was born on a family farm in central Ethiopia, not far from the capital of Addis Ababa, and has four sisters and three brothers. As a youngster at school, he learned quickly about his country’s marathon history. The names Abebe Bikila, Kenenisia Bekele and Derartu Tulu left a deep impression on him. They seemed to be everywhere t—textbooks, news-papers and on the radio so that even before he started running, he knew about the marathon, and thought it very thrilling.
He loved sports and began running at primary school. When he performed well, he just rode the wave. Kitata took part in his first marathon five years ago in Shanghai, finishing third in 2:08:50 and soon joined an elite training group in Addis Ababa.
Now he appears calm to join the ranks of great Ethiopian marathoners. He is a famous sportsman, like the ones he read about and heard so much about during his childhood. He said it would be a great joy to add his story to the stories of those who came before him.
1. What’s Shura Kitata’s attitude towards Kenenisia Bekele?| A．Doubtful | B．Tolerant |
| C．Grateful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．He attended two marathons in total. |
| B．He learned about marathon from his brothers. |
| C．He became a marathon runner at primary school. |
| D．He had a passion for marathon when he was young. |
| A．Young children | B．Great marathon runners |
| C．High ranks | D．Joyful stories. |
| A．Focused and athletic. | B．Modest and brave |
| C．Warm-hearted and humorous. | D．Open-minded and helpful |
