A new urban sport, parkour, is hitting the streets. It has evolved from obstacle course training into a fitness option for young people. In parkour, the outside world is the gym! 1. The goal of parkour is a direct route from one place to another. You meet an obstacle, you overcome it.
Mark Toorock, who teaches the techniques of parkour at his fitness gym, says that parkour is a method to train the body and mind using obstacles as the medium. He says that this new sport is demanding and takes years to master. 2.
But Toorock, who used to be a martial arts expert, says that everyone can benefit from learning the basic skills involved in parkour like running, jumping and crawling (爬行). These are the things that humans used to have to do all the time. 3. The original idea of parkour was to return to running and jumping as basic elements in moving from one place to another.
Georges Hebert, a French navy officer, was so impressed by the effortless athleticism of African tribes that he devised a training method based on running, climbing, jumping, balancing and throwing. The word parkour comes from parcours de combatant, the French term for a military obstacle course. 4.
Dr Kenneth Kao explains that the sport of parkour is not extreme — it is the environment which is extreme and dangerous. Being outside, jumping off railings and flipping over park benches can be quite frightening, so parkour courses in gyms concentrate on practicing all the individual moves to make everything easier. 5. However, that is not real parkour because it’s indoors with a fixed obstacle. The goal for everyone is to go outdoors.
A.Gyms provide thick floor matting (垫子) for rolling and rubberized boxes for jumping over.
B.The bridges, buildings and railings (栏杆) of each and every city are the equipment.
C.Every action in parkour is natural, so everyone must have the ability to move in this way.
D.Parkour was introduced into china in recent years and has gained popularity.
E.But today, due to modern transport, these basic skills are no longer used on a regular basis.
F.The French word for people who participate in the sport is traceurs or traceuses.
G.Beginners should realize that they won’t be jumping over buildings any time soon!
Humankind has tried to improve its standard of living since the very beginning of civilization. Back then, as well as today, providing food and security was the basic task for a person. However, nowadays the range of required goods has expanded significantly. People feel the need for not only some primary things, such as a piece of bread and a roof over their heads, but also for various facilities and luxuries. Providing humanity with these things is connected to the use of natural resources, which requires energy. In turn, the common sources of energy we use today cause pollution, so economic growth is almost unavoidably associated with environmental damage.
Economic growth is the increase in numbers of goods and services produced over time by an economy, and it is calculated in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Before growth is calculated, inflation (通货膨胀)is adjusted in order to take into account its misleading effect on the price of goods and services. Economic growth can also be explained as the increase in expected output, which results from an increase in actual output, or total demand.
There are certain aspects of economic growth which affect the environment. The first of these is the fact that in order to produce more goods and products, at a faster rate, the construction of large industrial plants is required. These plants produce a lot of waste, leading to the pollution of water and the atmosphere, which may cause negative long term health effects to nearby populations of animals, or people.___They___also lead to global warming.
Industrial manufacturing leads to the constantly increasing energy consumption. The traditional energy sources, which are commonly used nowadays, are considered to be the greatest polluters to the environment. There also exist so-called eco-friendly sources of energy. They are sometimes preferred but replacing the traditional sources with them also requires time, during which people have to make some sacrifices to support these undertakings.
In order to produce economically practical energy, a sometimes significant transformation of the natural site is often inevitable. This is expensive and, has harmful effects on the environment. Application of wind energy would block airflows’ natural speed which is the reason for their decrease in strength, after crossing the windmill. Consequently, the pressure balance that is brought about by this current will be affected, and it is important to remember that the environment and weather conditions are directly affected by atmospheric pressure.
For these reasons, bringing about economic growth without any resulting environmental damage, whatsoever, is impossible.
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Pollution caused by plant construction.
B.Effects of windmills on the environment.
C.Economic growth and human civilization.
D.Economic growth and environmental damage.
2.What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?
A.Goods and products B.The industrial plants
C.Water and atmosphere D.Negative health effects
3.According to the passage, the author holds the opinion that ______.
A.economic growth should be calculated in terms of GDP
B.use of natural resources causes no damage to the environment
C.industrial manufacturing may cause damage to the environment
D.a windmill is a perfect way to produce economically practical energy
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
A.
B.
C.
D.
A breathtaking trick potentially left over from our ancestors might be found in us — the ability to sense oxygen through our skin.
Amphibians, animals such as frogs that can live both on land and in water, have long been known to be capable of breathing through their skin. In fact, the first known lungless frog that breathes only through its skin was discovered recently in the rivers of Borneo.
Now the same oxygen sensors found in frog skins and in the lungs of mammals (哺乳动物) have unexpectedly been discovered in the skin of mice.
“No one had ever looked,” explained Randall Johnson, a biologist researcher.
Mice and frogs are quite distant relatives, so the fact they have these molecules (分子) in common in their skin suggests they might well be found in the skin of other mammals, such as humans.
“We have no reason to think that they are not in the skin of people too,” Johnson said.
These molecules not only detect oxygen, but help increase levels of vital red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Normal mice breathing in air that is 10 percent oxygen—a dangerously low level similar to conditions at the top of Mount Everest, and about half that of air at sea level. However, mice that had the oxygen sensor HIF-1a genetically removed from their skin failed to produce this hormone (荷尔蒙) even after hours of such low oxygen.
These findings, if they hold true in humans, suggest one could raise the level of oxygen circulating inside the body. This could help treat lung diseases and disorders such as anemia (贫血症) without injecting drugs, which make up a multibillion-dollar market, Johnson said.
Athletes also often try to get more oxygen delivered to their muscles in order to improve their performance. They often do this by training at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents. The new study suggests they might want to expose their skin as well as breathing in low-oxygen air to improve their performance. “It’s hard to say what exactly might be done, however—there’s a lot we don’t know yet,” Johnson explained.
The scientists detailed their findings in the April 18 issue of the journal Cell.
1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Johnson believes that Oxygen sensors also exist in human skin.
B.People have to surf the Internet to read detailed findings.
C.It has been proved that these findings help treat lung diseases.
D.It has long been expected oxygen sensors exist in mice’s skin.
2.One of the functions of the molecules mentioned above is _______.
A.carrying oxygen around the body B.improving athletes’ performance
C.detecting oxygen D.increasing level of oxygen
3.What is Johnson’s attitude to the application of the findings to the athletes’ training?
A.Negative B.Doubting
C.Positive D.Hesitating
4.The best title of the passage may be _______.
A.Great Findings Benefits Athletes A Lot
B.Frogs And Mice Are Distant Relatives
C.First Known Animal Breathes Through Skin
D.Humans Might Sense Oxygen Through Skin
Exploring Caves — Suit up with a helmet and light, and take Cave Crawl（爬行）. Bring your own knee pads. Learn about equipment used by cavers and rules for safe cave exploration. Spend the morning viewing stalactites（钟乳石）— rock formations that hang from the ceiling — and their opposites, stalagmites（石笋）.
Cave Alive — Take a look and learn about bats, salamanders, and other interesting creatures that grow up in caves. See crickets, crayfish, and even beetles. Learn why bears like to live in caves.
Fossils（化石）— Learn how remains of ancient plant and animal life became set in rocks, and discover how they provide clues about Earth’s history. Examine fossils in the cave.
Caves — Learn how changes in underground rock formation cause openings and caverns to develop. Find out how acidic water dissolves（溶解）limestone to create caves.
Manners — Learn how to preserve and protect beautiful, interesting, and educational caves. Learn why bats should not be disturbed when they are hibernating. Never go caving alone. Take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but footprints.
JOIN TODAY. RECEIVE THESE EARLY BIRD BENEFITS:
● A membership card.
● A membership certificate.
● A Caves and Caverns activity book.
● A newsletter with games, activities, and special offers.
THAT’S NOT ALL. MEMBERS ALSO RECEIVE:
● Free unlimited admission to Echo Cove Cave.
● One-week Echo Cove Youth Camp enrollment（注册）at half price.
● Ten tickets for you and your friends to a private “off the beaten track” tour of the cave.
● Two free admission tickets to Echo Cove Cave for friends or family members.
● Admission to “Caves Around the World” lectures given by world famous cavers every month.
1.If you are interested in rock formations, which activities are the best choices?
A. Caves and Fossils. B. Fossils and Manners.
C. Caves and Exploring Caves. D. Exploring Caves and Manners.
2.If you are members’ friends, what benefits can you receive?
A. Two free lectures every month. B. A membership card and certificate.
C. Favorable price for Youth Camp. D. Two free tickets to Echo Cove Cave.
3.The purpose of this poster is to invite more people to ________.
A. join the Cave Club B. enjoy the underground world
C. work as volunteers D. protect the educational caves
I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with the easy carelessness of youth. But the words, Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years later, and ever since have been of great value to me.
Carl Walter was my piano teacher. During one of my lessons he asked how much practicing I was doing. I said three or four hours a day.
“Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?”
“I try to.”
“Well, don't.” he exclaimed. “When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life.”
When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading, and committee meetings filled my days and evenings. For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time. Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said. During the next week I conducted an experiment. Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so. To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal method. Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, in every day there were idle moments which could be caught and put to use. I even took up piano-playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided sufficient time for both writing and piano practice.
There is an important trick in this time-using formula: you must get into your work quickly. If you have but five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four chewing your pencil. You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes. Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize.
I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes. But life can be counted on to supply interruptions. Carl Walter has had a tremendous influence on my life. To him I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I plunge in without delay.
1.What is the best title of this passage?
A.Concentrate on Your Work B.Good Advice
C.How I Became a Writer D.A Little at a Time
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A.The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long stretches.
B.The writer didn't take the teacher's words to heart at first.
C.Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer’s life since he became a student.
D.Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine.
3.The underlined part “counted on” can be replaced by __________.
A.expected B.concentrated
C.valued D.enriched
4.We can infer that the writer ____________.
A.can find sufficient time for mental preparations beforehand, so he’s devoted to work instantly
B.is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy
C.has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels
D.has new books published each year however busy his teaching is
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.不可否认的是他用这个靠谱的方法扭转了局势。(apply) 3’
2.大家都想当然认为英雄都是流血不流泪的，其实不然。(granted) 4’
3.他的父母达成共识，要提醒他适度使用电子产品，不要沉迷于网络游戏。(obsess) 4’
4.我们不仅在被他人质疑时要坚持自己的原则，在遭受他人歧视时也不要觉得低人一等。(Not only) 4’
5.虽然专家建议保持社交距离，美国政府却始终把重点放在复苏经济和刺激就业上，因此未能有效防止病毒的传播。(despite, failure) 5’
