Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some kind --- football, hockey, golf, or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer the hardship, and to take risks on high mountains? This astonishment is caused probably by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of a different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obvious team work.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty, and most international tennis champions are in their early twenties. But it is not unusual for a man of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they probably climb with more skill and less waste of efforts. and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TWELVE WORDS)
1.Mountain climbing involves _________________________________.
2.The difference between a sport and a game mainly lies in _________________.
3.Why can mountaineering be called a team sport?
4.What are the advantages of older mountain climbers?
（London）—If it really is what’s on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble.
Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the external fat which can be noticed more easily.
“Being thin doesn’t surely mean you are not fat,” said Dr Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create “fat maps” showing where people store fat.
According to the result, people who keep their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are slim.
Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.
According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They eat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.
Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes. They want to prove that internal fat damages the body’s communication systems.
The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your diet. “If you want to be healthy, there is no short cut. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle,” Bell said.
1.What is this piece of news mainly about?
A. Thin people may be fat inside.
B. Internal fat is of no importance.
C. Internal fat leads to many diseases.
D. Thin people also have troubles.
2.Doctors have found _____.
A. the exact dangers of internal fat
B. internal fat is the cause of heart disease and diabetes
C. being slim is not dangerous at all
D. being slim doesn’t mean you are not fat inside
3.According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?
A. Exercise can help to reduce the internal fat.
B. People can get rid of internal fat by improving diet.
C. Men are more likely to have too much internal fat.
D. People with heart disease all have internal fat.
4.From the last paragraph, we can find that _____.
A. whether internal fat can lead to disease has been proved
B. exercise plays in important role in people’s life for keeping healthy
C. thin people usually have internal fat even if they are slim
D. it is easier to burn off internal fat than external fat
Tim Richter and his wife, Linda, had taught for over 30 years near Buffalo, New York—he in computers, she in special education. “Teaching means everything to us.” Tim would say. In April 1998, he learned he would need a heart operation. It was the kind of news that leads to some serious thinking about life's purpose.
Not long after the surgery, Tim saw a brochure describing Imagination Library, a program started by Dolly Parton's foundation (基金会) that mailed a book every month to children from birth to age five in the singer's home town of Sevier, Tennessee. “I thought, maybe Linda and I could do something like this when we retire.” Tim recalls. He placed the brochure on his desk, “as a reminder”．
Five years later, now retired and with that brochure still on the desk, Tim clicked on imaginationlibrary.com. The program had been opened up to partners who could take advantage of book and postage discounts.
The quality of the books was of great concern to the Richters. Rather than sign up online, they went to Dollywood for a looksee. “We didn't want to give the children rubbish.” says Linda. The books—reviewed each year by teachers, literacy specialists, and Dollywood board members—included classics such as Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day and newer books like Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama series.
Satisfied, the couple set up the Richter Family Foundation and got to work. Since 2004, they have shipped more than 12,200 books to preschoolers in their area. Megan Williams, a mother of four, is more than appreciative：“This program introduces us to books I've never heard of.”
The Richters spend about $400 a month sending books to 200 children. “Some people sit there and wait to die.” says Tim. “Others get as busy as they can in the time they have left.”
1.What led Tim to think seriously about the meaning of life?
A. The news from the Web. B. His love for teaching.
C. The influence of his wife. D. His health problem.
2.What did Tim want to do after learning about Imagination Library?
A. Give out brochures.
B. Write books for children
C. Do something similar..
D. Retire from being a teacher.
3.According to the text, Dolly Parton is ________.
A. a wellknown surgeon
B. a singer born in Tennessee
C. a mother of a fouryearold
D. a computer programmer
4.What can we learn from Tim's words in the last paragraph?
A. He considers his efforts worthwhile.
B. He wonders why some people are so busy.
C. He tries to save those waiting to die.
D. He needs more money to help the children.
Have you ever monitored something about yourself? Perhaps you’ve tracked how many kilometers you’ve run, how many hours you’ve slept or how many calories you’ve _______ in a day.
If so, you’ve ________ a movement called the “Quantified Self Movement.” Individuals gather information about their daily activities in this widespread movement, also called self-tracking. This may sound _____, but technology is making the process easier.
Perhaps you’ve wanted to _____ a bad habit and couldn’t. Self-tracking may be our answer. The idea is to take information about your everyday activities and analyze it to help get a _______ lifestyle.
Recently, tools such as smartphones, journals and apps, along with newly ________ wearable gadgets (工具), are making self-tracking extremely easy. Today, one can use Fitbit, the Jawbone UP, Google Glass or a smart watch to ________ personal data including hours slept, stress levels, heart rate and mood.
So why does a person self-track? Someone may be trying to lose weight or improve their sleep patterns. Another person feels tired after eating. Self-tracking could help him to _______ what foods make him sleepy and modify his diet accordingly.
Monitoring daily activities isn’t a new concept. In years past, athletes and their coaches kept notes detailing nutrition, training and sleep patterns in order to achieve an athletic goal. ______, doctors have also helped patients to document parts of their lifestyles and eating habits to help fight allergies (过敏反应), headaches and other health issues. ______, it wasn’t until 2007 that Wired magazine editors Gary Wolf and Kim Kelly, who started tracking every move they made, coined the ________ “Quantified Self.”
Although self-tracking has many advantages, Dennis Nash, president of Data Speaks Health Solutions, says self-tracking has its ________. Once people start tracking their daily activities, it can become an addiction. Also, they might begin to worry too much about their health.
While self-tracking doesn’t ________ that one’s quality of life will improve, it can highlight the importance of eating well and exercising daily. ______, the quantified Self Movements’ primary focus is _______ people to employ enough energy to make healthier choices.
1.A.gatheredB.managedC.eatenD.counted
2.A.taken part inB.taken notice ofC.known aboutD.carried out
3.A.strangeB.interestingC.valuableD.difficult
4.A.changeB.acquireC.learnD.reduce
5.A.happierB.healthierC.clearerD.simpler
6.A.discoveredB.trackedC.releasedD.built
7.A.exchangeB.searchC.processD.record
8.A.identifyB.increaseC.decreaseD.choose
9.A.ParticularlyB.SimilarlyC.SurprisinglyD.Generally
10.A.FurthermoreB.HoweverC.ThereforeD.Meanwhile
11.A.movementB.subjectC.termD.equipment
12.A.characteristicsB.functionsC.reasonsD.drawbacks
13.A.guaranteeB.expectC.concludeD.prove
14.A.In generalB.As a resultC.After allD.At last
15.A.forcingB.applyingC.persuadingD.motivating
Many people believe that classical music is not relevant to young people today. However, this issue ___1.__ caused heated debate.
Some people say that classical music is __2.__ only with old people. For example, if you look at the audience at a classical concert, the ___3.__ is over the age of fifty.
Other say it is more popular than we first imagine. Many young people listen to classical music without realizing it. It is often used in films and advertisements. For example, a famous piece of classical music was used as the ___4.____ music for the 1990 World Cup. Not many people could have given its name, but millions enjoyed it..
Also, some people point out that young people produce new music ___5.___ on classical ideas: for example, it is said that rap music was ___6.____ by a classical musician in 1912, but it is now used by young people in pop music.
However, young people point to the fact that classical music has been outstripped by technology. To pay a classical instrument, such as a violin, you need to study hard and practise for hours. Nowadays, you don’t need to get ___7.____ arms from practicing. A teenager can write and make music using a computer program in the comfort of their own bedroom.
A final point to ___8.___ in mind is that the term “classical music” is used to ___9.____ to a great variety of music, from jazz to pieces for large orchestras. This makes it even more difficult to say whether classical music is relevant to young people.
So, it may be only a ___10.___ of young people who play classical instruments, but when it comes to enjoying classical music, it depends on the piece of music. It may be more relevant to young people in the modern world than they realize!
A. themeB. referC. bearD. associatedAB. invented AC. frequentlyAD. achingBC. minorityBD. majorityCD. rarely ABC. based |
There can be little doubt _____ bombing Libya would drive thousands more to take up arms.
A. why B. Whether C. that D. How
