“Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move,” said David Belle, the founder of parkour(跑酷).
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond’s wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that’s parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy(理念) behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back from them in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said, “I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything.”
Another philosophy we’ve learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself that you earn energy and confidence.
1.Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of .
A. its founder, David Belle B. the film, Casino Royale
C. its risks and tricks D. the varieties of participants
2.The underlined word “obstacles” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. streets B. objects C. barriers D. roofs
3.Which of the following is true of parkour?
A. It challenges human abilities. B. It is a good but boring sport.
C. It needs special training. D. It is a team sport.
4.As its participants move around a city, .
A. they can ask for help B. they may choose to escape
C. they should run to extremes D. they must learn to survive
5.Which of the following is the philosophy of parkour?
A. Sports and extremes. B. Excitement and popularity.
C. Dreams and success. D. Determination and freedom.
From a very early age, some children show better self-control than others. Now, a new study that began with about 1,000 children in New Zealand has tracked how a child’s low self-control can predict poor health, money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years.
Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now. They observed the level of self-control the youngsters displayed. Parents, teachers, even the kids themselves, scored the youngsters on measures like “acting before thinking” and “Persistence in reaching goals.”
The study led by Moffitt of Duke University and colleagues followed 1,000 children from birth to age 32 in Dunedin, New Zealand.
“The children who had the lowest self-control when they were age three to ten, later on had the most health problems in their 30s,” Moffitt said，“and they had the worst financial situation. They were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.” Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed, and weren’t just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.
Moffitt said it’s still unclear why some children have better self-control than others, though she said other researchers have found that it’s mostly a learned behavior, with relatively little genetic influence. But good self-control can be set to run in families because children with good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents. But the good news, Moffitt said, is that self-control can be taught by parents, and through school curricula that have been shown to be effective.
1.From the first two paragraphs we learn that .
A．the research has been carried out for five years
B．self-control in kids tends to determine their future
C．self-control was assessed by children’s intelligence
D．children’s self-control is almost the same at early age
2.Children with low self-control are more likely to .
A．become wealthy in later life B．get good school performance
C．have better financial planning D．adopt negative behaviors
3.According to Moffitt， .
A．only good genetic factors can shape their lives in the future
B．scientists know well why some children have better self-control
C．self-control in childhood has nothing to do with criminal activity
D．willpower as a child really influences people’s chances of adulthood
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Self-control cannot be taught in schools.
B．The study is restricted within few participants.
C．It’s never too late to deal with self-control problems.
D．Good parenting can improve self-control and life success.
5.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage？
A．Child’s self-control predicts future health and success
B．Kids are encouraged to take risks at an early age
C．Children’s development cannot be changed by teachers
D．How to teach the kids a bit of self-control in schools
Most American students go to traditional public schools. There are about 88,000 public schools all over the US. Some students attend about 3000 independent public schools called charter schools.
Charter schools are self-governing. Private companies operate some charter schools. They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools. They receive tax money just as other public schools do. Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning. These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits them to operate.
Charter schools are different because they do not have to obey most laws governing traditional public schools. Local, state or federal governments cannot tell them what to teach. Each school can choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach them. Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools.
The Bush Administration strongly supports charter schools as a way to re-organize public schools that are failing to educate students. But some education agencies and unions oppose charter schools. One teachers’ union has just made public the results of the first national study comparing the progress of students in traditional schools and charter schools.
The American Federation of Teachers criticized the government’s delay in releasing the results of the study, which is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Union education experts say the study shows that charter school students performed worse on math and reading tests than students in regular public schools.
Some experts say the study is not a fair look at charter schools because students in those schools have more problems than students in traditional schools. Other education experts say the study results should make charter school officials demand improved student progress.
1.If a private company wants to operate a charter school, it must .
A．try new methods of teaching B．prove its management ability
C．obey the local and state laws D．get the government’s permission
2.Charter schools are independent because .
A．they make greater progress B．their class size is smaller
C．they enjoy more freedom D．they oppose traditional ways
3.What’s the government’s attitude toward charter schools?
A．Doubtful. B．Supportive. C．Subjective. D．Optimistic.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A．More students choose to attend charter schools.
B．Charter schools are better than traditional schools.
C．Students in charter schools are well educated.
D．People have different opinions about charter schools.
5.It can be inferred from the text that .
A．charter schools are part of the education system
B．one-on-one attention should be paid to students
C．the number of charter schools will be limited
D．charter schools are all privately financed
It was a cold winter’s night when I stopped for gas on my way home from work. I was tired and had a slight 36 .
I worked in a 37 doctor’s office and this was one of those days when the unexpected happened, making the schedule run 38 than usual. It seemed I was going to be late 39 home and my husband, being the 40 person, would be ready to pronounce me late once again. Maybe 41 I hurried, I could still make it home.
I was heading inside to 42 for my gas when I noticed an older couple at the counter. I heard them asking for 43 to the local hospital. It was the same hospital that I had just 44 a few minutes ago.
The young man at the counter was trying to be 45 in explaining how to get there, with two other people making 46 . One of them was 47 trying to give them a whole different route back. It was then that I walked over to the couple and said, “Would you like to follow me to the 48 ?”
A look of 49 crossed the woman’s face.
“I’m going right by there,” I said, which wasn’t a(an) 50 since I had just made up my mind to do 51 that.
I got in my car and began the journey back. I was trying to watch to be sure they were right 52 me. It took only fifteen minutes to get there as rush hour traffic was beginning to 53 . I felt better than I had all day and my headache was nearly gone.
Later, as I arrived home, my husband 54 , “So you aren’t ever late any more.”
I said, “Sometimes it’s 55 to be late.”
1.A. break B. fever C. cold D. headache
2. A. foreign B. common C. busy D. noisy
3.A. earlier B. later C. easier D. simpler
4. A. getting B. cooking C. calling D. working
5. A. tough B. punctual C. generous D. careful
6.A. as B. since C. while D. if
7.A. pay B. change C. wait D. search
8.A. opinions B. trouble C. directions D. money
9.A. reached B. visited C. called D. left
10.A. skilled B. helpful C. experienced D. active
11.A. comments B. promises C. jokes D. offers
12. A. only B. still C. even D. ever
13.A. station B. office C. hospital D. hotel
14.A. panic B. relief C. sadness D. peace
15.A. duty B. fact C. reason D. lie
16.A. partly B. properly C. exactly D. perfectly
17.A. across B. before C. beside D. behind
18.A. go up B. die down C. speed up D. turn down
19.A. teased B. shouted C. burst D. laughed
20.A. possible B. usual C. good D. safe
----I can’t thank you more for the present you sent me the other day.
----____________.
A. With pleasure B. No, thanks C. Please don’t say so D. You are welcome
Do you remember those days _______ we spent together along the seashore very happily?
A. when B. where C. which D. what
