1 . On August 23, 2008, three Chinese flags were raised at the Peking University Gymnasium. People clapped and cheered for Ma Lin, Wang Hao and Wang Liqin, the Chinese athletes who had just won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Beijing Olympics for the men’s singles table tennis. Just like the women’s singles event the day before, China had ruled the medals podium (领奖台). But podium domination (主导) soon became a thing of the past. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2010 limited each team to two athletes per singles event for the upcoming London Olympics, down from the previous three, after changing qualification rules to involve more countries and widen support for the sports.
“To be honest, the standards of the National Games (全国运动会) are higher than those of the Olympics,” said Chen Meng, the Olympic gold medallist in Tokyo for women’s singles and team table tennis. Hou Zhihui, Olympic gold medallist in weightlifting, finished her National Games lift with a total weight of 214 kg, one more than her world record. “It’s difficult. Could only win National Games by doing better than the world record. It’s harder than the Olympics. Could this be the secret of Chinese weightlifting?”, Hou wrote on Weibo after the event.
The Chinese Table Tennis Association said it disagreed with the new rule but accepted it “with regret” in the best interests of the sport. That made the 2008 three Chinese flags at the Olympics a forever history.
“Each province is developing its sports programme at the same time and has produced high-quality athletes. That’s why the National Games are more competitive than the Olympics,” Chung, a sports professor of Hong Kong Baptist University said. The IOC wants each country to be well represented and to prevent any single one from dominating the medal podium, he said. “One of the Olympic values is participation. When you have more than 200 nations and let athletes compete purely based on their skills, then many of them won’t have the chance to compete at all.”
1. What’s the reason for the IOC introducing the new Olympic attending rules?| A．To involve more countries to compete in the game. |
| B．To reduce China’s opportunities to gain gold medals. |
| C．To cultivate more high-quality athletes around the world. |
| D．To make the athletes practice harder to compete for the championship. |
| A．World record is easy for them to break. |
| B．Many nations have no opportunities to gain medals. |
| C．Internal competition is greater than the world-class game. |
| D．They have great complaints about the new Olympics rules. |
| A．China has a large population of athletes. |
| B．Athletes from other countries are less skillful than China’s. |
| C．Athletes around the country are trained in well-developed programs. |
| D．The National Games have more strict rules than Olympics Games do. |
| A．The podium domination by China | B．Unfair Olympics new rules for China |
| C．Every nation can get equal chances to compete | D．Three Chinese national flags — a forever history |
2 . Below is a brief description of the process involved in selecting the Nobel Laureates in Chemistry.
September-October-
February-
June-August-Writing of the report. The Nobel Committee puts together a report with recommendations to be submitted to the Academy.
September-Committee submits recommendations. The Nobel Committee submits its report with recommendations on the final candidates to the members of the Academy.
October-Nobel Laureates are chosen. In early October, the Academy selects the Nobel Laureates in Chemistry through a majority vote.
December-The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony takes place on 10 December in Stockholm.
| A．Nomination forms are sent out. |
| B．Deadline for submission of nominations. |
| C．The decision is final and without appeal. |
| D．Consultation with experts. |
| E．Nobel Laureates receive their Prize. |
| F．The report is signed by all members of the Committee. |
| G．The report is discussed at two meetings of the Chemistry Section of the Academy. |
3 . Japan's Momiji Nishiya, 13, made history on Monday. At the Tokyo 2020 Games, she took home the first women' s street skateboarding Olympic gold medal. Standing next to her on the podium (领奖台) was Rayssa Leal, also 13, from Brazil. Japanese skater Funa Nakayama, 16, took bronze.
The women's skateboarding final was a huge moment for the Games. Some of the Olympic youngest competitors appeared there. Half of the skaters in the final were younger than 18. In Tokyo's burning heat, they decided to try their best. They managed to fill the mostly empty skatepark with joy as hip-hop music sounded in the background.
After winning gold, Momiji was asked what she wanted to tell young skaters.“Skateboarding is fun and interesting,” she said. “I hope everyone can give it a try.”
And the young medalist is already offering powerful inspiration for new skaters. Outside of the skateboarding field, 9-year old Keito Ota and 8-year-old Ayane Nakamura were eagerly waiting to catch sight of the new Japanese medalists. The two friends started skateboarding about a year ago. They arrived at the park wearing Team Japan skateboarding shits. Every time a bus left the field, they held up pieces of paper that said,“Thank you for your hard work" and “Congratulations on your gold medal.”Keito says he' s adding Momiji to his list of favourite skateboarders. In August, Keito will enter his first competition at a skateboarding student cup.
Just 13 years and 330 days old at the time of her win, Momiji is Japan's youngest-ever gold medalist. She’s one of the youngest in Olympic history. That record, though, goes to American diver (跳水选手) Marjorie Gestring. Gestring to the gold medal at the Berlin 1936 Games at the age of 13 years and 267 days. At age 13 years and 203 days, Leal would have set a new record had she finished first.
1. What can we know about the women’s street skateboarding at the Tokyo 2020 Games?| A．It is included in the Olympic Games for the first time. |
| B．It produced the first gold medal of the 2020 0lympic Games. |
| C．It was the first event in which the Japanese won the gold medal. |
| D．It was the sport whose winner was the youngest in the Olympics. |
| A．No audience. | B．Difficult moves. |
| C．The hot weather. | D．The background music. |
| A．To present a fact. | B．To give an example. |
| C．To introduce a topic. | D．To make an expectation. |
| A．Rayssa Leal. | B．Momiji Nishiya. | C．Funa Nakayama. | D．Marjorie Gestring. |
4 . LETHBRIDGE SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization comprised of members from the community who remember, recognize, and celebrate achievements of Lethbridge and area athletes and builders. Here are some of our 2020 nominees (提名者).
ATHLETE — JOLENE WATSON
Jolene Watson’s fierce efforts on the soccer pitch (球场) carried her all the way from Lethbridge to Oklahoma, where she carved out a record-breaking university career. Growing up in Lethbridg, she stood out on the pitch from early in her life as a three-time MVP of the Lethbridge City Select team from 1993 to 1996.
BUILDER — EUNICE DAVID
For nearly half a century, Eunice David has been the face of figure skating in Lethbridge. She is a hands-on volunteer, literally, as her introduction to the sport was helping to sew costumes when her children joined the Lethbridge Skating Club in the early 1970s. Within two years, she was elected to the club’s board of directors and had served the club for much of the next 37 years.
BUILDER — MARY DYCK
Mary Dyck’s passion for the spirit of sport has inspired her to make sure that spirit is accessible for as many others as possible. A university volleyball player, Dyck transferred to the University of Lethbridge in 1980. To stay involved while sitting out a year because of transfer regulations, she took a spot as an assistant coach, which motivated a passion that has carried her through nearly 40 years of coaching and organizing.
BUILDER — HOWARD RASMUSSEN
Howard Rasmussen is as close to a resident expert in southern Alberta volleyball as one will find. His coaching career started in Drumheller in 1972 when he took off the fall semester from university. He coached the high school boys’ volleyball team to a provincial championship.
1. What enabled Eunice David to be elected to the club’s board?| A．Athletic skills. | B．Sewing skills. | C．Building skills. | D．Coaching skills. |
| A．Jolene Watson. | B．Eunice David. | C．Mary Dyck. | D．Howard Rasmussen. |
| A．To introduce some famous athletes. | B．To promote some sports events in Lethbridge. |
| C．To motivate people to get involved in sports. | D．To honor some contributors to Lethbridge sports. |
5 . What would it be like to live on the moon? Students in the 2021 Future City Competition were challenged to find out. Nine middle school students from AI-Hadi School of Accelerative Learning in Huston, Texas, America took home the prize in the competition.
Middle school teams from the United States, Canada, Nigeria and China joined in the 29th yearly competition. The students used their STEM (science, technology, math and engineering) skills to create a city on the Moon.
The minerals and other resources(矿物质和其他资源) from the Moon helped the team design solutions to the problems humans might face on the planet, including providing enough water, as well as gases(气体) that are necessary for people, animals and plants to live. When asked if they’d like to live in their city on the Moon in the future, the students showed great excitement and interest in the possible moving from the planet Earth.
One winning student Sukaina Salim said, “One of our members had to leave the project because of his bad health. What was worse, COVID-19 created several difficulties for us. But we always encouraged each other to keep trying to achieve our common goals. It was a hard but great experience.”
Team teacher Syeda Batool encouraged the students and offered practical advice for their project.
“The most important thing we learned from our teachers was how to work together to do our job well,” said Mohammad Hani Mirza, who is a seventh grader. “That’s one thing we were missing because we all came from different backgrounds with different ideas, and we worked together to create a beautiful city.”
The winners were given a chance to go on an all-term trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and $7,500 for their school’s STEM program.
1. What do we know about the Future City competition?| A．It is designed for STEM students. | B．It is an international competition. |
| C．It is held in America every other year. | D．It is set up to protect the environment. |
| A．To list their challenges. |
| B．To show us their goals. |
| C．To advise us how to work with team members. |
| D．To encourage others to take part in the competition. |
| A．Hard work will pay off. | B．One should set a goal first. |
| C．Teamwork is the key to success. | D．Creativity comes from challenges. |
| A．Important skills to win a competition |
| B．The best way to achieve common goals |
| C．Middle school students wanted to live in a city on the Moon |
| D．Students from America won the 2021 Future City Competition |
6 . Here are some sports in the Winter Olympics:
Sledging
Sledging has been an Olympic sport since 1924. It came from the Swiss town of St. Moritz in the late 1800s and looks great fun! If you want to do this sport, you should be able to run on the ice! Top athletes can sometimes reach speeds about 130 kilometers an hour. Germany picked up the gold for both the two and four men bobsleigh at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Curling
Curling has also been an Olympic sport since 1924 and its birthplace is Scotland. Curling is a competition between two teams with four players on each side. The game is played on the ice, and the two teams take turns pushing a 19.1kg stone towards a series of concentric circles. The object is to get the stone as close to the centre of the circles as possible. You need to be light on your feet and have good balance to walk on the ice.
Hockey
Hockey is an Olympic sport since 1920. It is fun, fast but also a little dangerous. Women were not allowed to play in the Olympics until 1998. Teams consist of 12 people, but each team can’t have more than six players on the ice at one time. The game lasts for three 20-minute periods, with a 15-minute break after the first and second periods. Canada holds the gold for both the men and women’s ice hockey teams, but ice hockey is a growing sport in the UK, with lots of clubs and teams.
1. What do Sledging and Curling have in common?| A．They come from the same place. |
| B．They need the same skills in each game. |
| C．The number of players in each team is the same. |
| D．They become an Olympic sport in the same year. |
| A．have a good sense of balance | B．learn how to run on the ice |
| C．walk carefully on the ice | D．practice a lot on the ground |
| A．Women are not able to take part in the game. |
| B．Teams compete by pushing a 19.1kg stone. |
| C．Players can rest for 20 minutes in each break. |
| D．Up to 12 players can be on the ice during the game. |
7 . Marathoning has come a long way since 1896. With no hopes of winning a gold medal or getting one's name carved in sport history books, some may wonder why people run marathons at all. After all, the training requires a major commitment of time energy and sweat, and the races can be extremely tiring. So, why are the races so popular?
The most obvious reasons are the positive health and mental happiness effects. On one hand, while the benefits for weight loss and cardiovascular（心血管的）health are well known, research is continually revealing new upsides, such as cutting years off your "artery（动脉）age". On the other hand, for the psychological motivations, each runner will give you different answers. Eller with communication barriers challenges her life by running marathons to show people that even disabled people can achieve great things. And Kailey Bennet runs with the belief that one of the best way to experience a new city culture is on their marathon day.
However, while every runner has different personal reasons, there are some general trends that attract people to race over long distances. Carys Egan-Wyger at Sweden's Lund University found that aspects of daily life are huge and measurably mirrored in marathon running, such as the tracking of progress, along with the necessity of productivity and efficiency. In her surveys, runners tended to mention three important motivators: freedom, achievement and competition. But less obviously. Egan-Wyger also suggests marathoning can also be a way of gaining social status. Showing you have the ability of a long-distance race means qualities of health, productivity and efficiency to others.
Although marathoning brings many benefits, few people are willing to repeat the challenge than 58-year-old runner Andy Glen who has completed 176 marathons in 42 different countries. "I am often asked whether running a marathon after all this time becomes easier," he says. "The simple answer is no. The last six miles are just as challenging as they were when I ran my first."
1. Why does the author mention "Eller" and "Kailey Bennet" in paragraph 2?| A．To explain a rule. | B．To present a fact. |
| C．To clarify an opinion. | D．To make a prediction. |
| A．Progress is less obvious in Marathoning. |
| B．Marathoning can be measured by a big mirror. |
| C．Marathoning is a reflection of many sides of life. |
| D．Qualities of health is not relevant to their social position. |
| A．Marathoning is always a tough sport. |
| B．Only the last six miles are hard for him. |
| C．It takes a lot of patience to run a marathon. |
| D．Marathoing requires great strength at the start. |
8 . In every Summer Olympics since 1952, with two exceptions, the host country has won not only more golds but also more medals than it did in the previous summer games.
Japan, who hosted this year’s games, won far more medals than it got from the previous Summer Olympics in Rio in 2016. Brazil more than doubled its golds in 2016. In the 2008 games in Beijing, China harvested 37 more than it took home in 2004. Only Finland, in 1952, and the United States, in 1996, saw their medal counts drop at home.
Why?
The biggest plus to competing at home is the positive energy from a supportive crowd, according to athletes. Briana Scurry, a former goal keeper for the US women’s national soccer team, said playing in the US during the 1996 Summer Olympics helped her team beat China to win gold that year. “We had 76,000 people at the final in Athens, Georgia, all cheering for us, while China had a much smaller cheering audience,” she said.
Another factor(因素)that can hurt athletes from other countries is travel. International competitions often require long flights across multiple time zones, which can impact(影响)their sleep. Foreign athletes may also be unaccustomed to the food and training equipment available at the competition. Even the weather may throw off a competitor used to a different climate.
The host countries have additional benefits to help their athletes succeed. Competitors from host countries have to meet lower qualification(资格)standards than their foreign competitors. That may contribute to the phenomenon of host countries sending much bigger teams to their Olympics than the previous summer games when they competed abroad.
Japan got yet another benefit this year thanks to a new policy adopted by the International Olympic Committee(IOC)in 2016, which allows the host countries to add several new sporting events to their games. It meant that baseball, softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing-all popular sports in Japan-were Olympic events in Tokyo. And Japanese athletes have already medaled in four of the five sports.
1. Which host country got fewer medals than it did in the previous Summer Olympics?| A．Japan. | B．China. | C．Brazil. | D．The US. |
| A．Bigger supportive crowds. | B．Having shorter flights and better sleep. |
| C．Lower qualification standards. | D．Being more used to the food and climate. |
| A．The newly added sports are popular all over the world. |
| B．Host countries may unfairly benefit from the new rule. |
| C．Host countries can select any sport for the competition. |
| D．The new rule adds an additional variety to the competition. |
| A．To explain the Olympics new rules. | B．To show the problems of IOC’s policy. |
| C．To review the host countries’ performances. | D．To analyze the benefits for the host countries. |
9 . Defeating her Russian competitor with the last shot. Yang Qian, 21, won the first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday in the women’s 10-meter air rifle.
The junior student from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, who is studying at the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, became an immediate hit at home thanks to the calmness and confidence she has displayed.
It was Yang that drew the nation’s attention to the Games, which have been delayed from last year due to the COVID-19. Although wearing a mask, her smiling eyes and the gesture she made on the podium, forming the shape of a heart with her arms, have touched audiences around the world.
For too long, the world has longed for such a moment when countries can come together. The openness, courage and self-control Yang showed during and after the event have proved to be a common language.
With her baby face and fashionable appearance, and her enthusiasm for her sport, Yang has shown young people that the Olympic Games is not only an opportunity to win honor for the nation, but also a personal stage for the athletes to enjoy themselves, show their skills, display their personal charm, and actively interact with audiences.
Compared with the predecessors, the young Chinese athletes are more likely to enjoy the moment with smiles instead of tears. And while most Chinese Olympic gold winners of the last generation regarded winning as a reward for their countless hours of practice, the young athletes tend to view winning as a new beginning rather than the end of their sporting journey.
Competing for the country and enjoying it for oneself in the Games will attract more young people to enjoy sports, and doing so can also bring more honor to the motherland.
1. Why could Yang Qian win the hearts of so many people in the world?| A．She appeared stylish and always wore a smile. |
| B．She beat all the other competitors and won the gold medal. |
| C．She enjoyed herself and paid no attention to the winning. |
| D．She showed many positive qualities during and after the Games. |
| A．Last generations. | B．Competitors. |
| C．Modern youths. | D．Teammates. |
| A．They are more confident and self-centred. |
| B．They attach little importance to winning medals. |
| C．They compete for the country while enjoying the sport. |
| D．They view the Olympics as a chance to make new friends. |
| A．Young Chinese athletes compete for the nation |
| B．Baby-faced shooter wins hearts as well as gold |
| C．Chinese athletes start a new journey after winning gold |
| D．A change in Chinese people’s attitude towards the Olympics |
10 . Clothing decorated with lucky animals such as Chinese dragons and phoenixes (凤凰), and designers devoted to making China's Olympians look good, all these reflect that the Chinese Olympic Team is not only focused on winning medals, but also showing the beauty of China to the world.
The first impressive moment for Chinese fashion started from the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The Chinese team's uniforms used red as a main color, which represents wishes for a good start for Team China. The Team's uniforms, combining red with white, were designed by a group of designers from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. The uniforms are decorated with a peony (牡丹), which is China's national flower, and the style of the flower was inspired by an ancient Ming Dynasty bowl at the Palace Museum.
Some Chinese gymnastics' uniforms also use the traditional Chinese symbols such as the Chinese phoenix. China's trampoline (蹦床) gold medalist Zhu Xueying said she was pleased with her uniform that looked like a traditional qipao decorated with a phoenix. The bright red uniforms have traditional elements (元素) on the neckline—a qipao knot (结) and a Chinese phoenix. The pattern on the front of the chest represented the hope that the gymnasts would dance in the sky.
The uniform for Chen Meng, another gold medalist in the women's table tennis event, was designed especially for her. The uniform is pink because that is Chen's favorite color and the designers embroidered (刺绣) a Chinese dragon on her right shoulder to represent the hope that she can take off like a powerful dragon.
“I have been watching the Olympics. The uniforms for the Chinese team have added many fashionable elements,” Zhang Yan, a young Chinese designer told the reporter. The most impressive uniforms for him have been those that the Chinese athletes wore on the podiums (领奖台). The elements formed in the clothing designs, including the curving shapes, the colors and the Chinese standing collar, make them both beautiful and practical. “When the athletes stand on the podium, I think the Chinese design is not only attractive, but also a kind of new fashion. The confidence shown in the clothing is really strong.” Zhang Yan said.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The colors the Chinese team's uniforms. |
| B．The designers of the Chinese team's uniforms. |
| C．The characteristics of the Chinese team's uniforms. |
| D．The style of the Chinese team's uniforms. |
| A．The same color. | B．The same style of Qipao. |
| C．The same phoenix. | D．The similar wishes. |
| A．Clothes Chinese athletes wore on the podiums were the most attractive. |
| B．Strong confidence is shown in the clothing of Chinese athletes. |
| C．Zhang Yan took part in designing the Chinese Olympic uniforms. |
| D．The Chinese design will be No.1 in the fashion market. |
| A．Chinese Athletes Realizing Dreams in the Olympics. |
| B．Chinese Uniforms is Different at the Olympic Games. |
| C．Chinese Olympic Uniforms Shining at the Olympic Games. |
| D．Chinese Team Becoming better and better at the Olympics. |
