Nearing the age of 101 has not slowed down one Japanese woman.In fact,in the swimming pool—she is only getting faster.
Recently,a 100-year-old Japanese woman became the world’s first centenarian to complete a 1,500-meter freestyle swimming competition in a 25-meter poo1.
Her name is Mieko Nagaoka.Ms.Nagaoka set a world record for her age group at a recent Japan Masters Swimming Association event in the western city of Matsuyama.She swam the race in 1hour,15 minutes and 54 seconds.
By comparison,the overall female world record holder completed the same distance in just under 15 and a half minutes.But that swimmer,Katie Ledecky,is only 17 years old.And Ms.Nagao.ka was not competing against her.In fact,Ms.Nagaoka was the only competitor in the 100-104 year old category.Her race was not a race of speed but of endurance,or not giving up.
Breaking swimming records is nothing new to Ms.Nagaoka.So far she has broken 25 records.But she began competing when she was much younger—at 88.
Ms.Nagaoka sufferred a knee injury in her 80s,so she began swimming to help her body recover.Since her first international swimming competition,she hasn’t looked back,except maybe to see if her competition is catching up.
In 2002.at a masters swim meet in New Zealand,Ms.Nagaoka took the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke.In 2004,she won three silver medals at an Italian swim meet.
Masters swimming is a special class of competitive swimming to promote health and friendship among participants.Swimmers compete within age groups of five years.
Japan has a large number of people who live beyond 100 years old.Until she passed away this month,the oldest person in the world was also from Japan.Misao Okawa was born in 1 898.She said her secrets for longevity,or long life,were good genes,regular sleep,sushi and exercise.
1.The underlined word“centenarian”refers to someone who is____.
A.from Japan
B.100 or older
C.an old competitor
D.a new swimmer
2.Which is possibly the age category of the masters swimming competition?
A.82 to 87 years old.
B.93 to 97 years old.
C.95 to 99 years old.
D.106 to 110 years old.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.
A.some people are born with longevity genes
B.people who like swimming live longer
C.the Japanese are interested in swimming
D.woman usually live much longer than men
4.Which can best explain the spirit of Ms.Nagaoka?
A.Not to advance is to go back.
B.After a storm comes a calm.
C.The early bird catches the worm.
D.Keep on going,never give up.
Think about the last time you felt afraid.Was it a fear of height?Did you oversleep on a weekday and fear you’d get into trouble at the office?In any case,you know what it feels like to feel fear.
But one woman doesn’t.The woman,code-named“UM”,gave her first-ever interview after years of being studied by a team of researchers.The woman is given a code name because the researchers want to protect her from anyone who would take advantage of her inability to feel afraid.
UM can’t tell you what fear is because she’s never experienced it.“I wonder what it’s like to actually be afraid of something,”she said.The formal name for the disease is Urbach-Wieth disease,which is characterized by a hoarse(粗哑的)voice,small bumps around the eyes,and calcium deposits(钙沉积的)in the brain.
In the case of UM,the disease has transformed the part of her brain that controls the human response to fear.In the interview,UM talks about an event in her life where she was held at knifepoint and gunpoint,“I was walking to the store,and I saw a man on a park bench.He said.‘Come here,please,’so I went over to him.He grabbed me by the shirt,put a knife to my throat and told me he was going to cut me.I told him,‘Go ahead and cut me,’I wasn’t afraid at a11.And for some reason,he let me go.”
Doctors who have been studying UM’s condition for years have been trying different things that could strike fear into her.They finally figured something out—increasing UM’s carbon dioxide levels.Extra carbon dioxide concentration in the blood is known to cause fear and panic in health individuals.Increasing UM’s carbon dioxide levels did manage to give her a fright.
1.The text starts by_______.
A.challenging the reader
B.solving daily problems
C.1isting situations
D.giving explanations
2.Why is the woman with Urbach-Wieth disease given a code name?
A.To tell her case from other patients.
B.To respect her privacy.
C.To meet the researchers’demands.
D.To ensure her safety.
3.From UM’s case,we can know that Urbach-Wieth disease may________.
A.stop the brain from functioning normally
B.1ead to a decrease in calcium deposits
C.stop the brain from responding quickly
D.1ead to an increase in carbon dioxide
4.What will probably happen to UM?
A.Dying of the Urbach-Wieth disease.
B.Getting the sense of panic.
C.Experiencing another danger.
D.Speaking with a hoarse voice.
Traveling to Cuba as an American is like jumping through hoops(环).To help you better prepare for your trip,here are what you need to know about traveling to Cuba.
You wilI need to obtain a visa to travel to Cuba.You’11 need to apply for the visa associated with your travel purposes,such as religious or medical travel,family visits,or people-to-people travel,which is the most common type of visa attained by Americans.
Because of the U.S.restriction,banks have not yet been able to establish a foothold in Cuba,meaning it’s a cash—focused country.You can exchange currency at the José Martí International Airport or at your hotel.Keep in mind that there is a 10 percent fee to exchange U.S.currency for Cuban currency.You’11 also want to be sure to carry change for tips.
You can reserve a hotel room in Cuba online.Then you can call to confirm your reservation.You can also book through a travel agency.However,payment can be tricky:Even if you pay for your room through your travel agent,the restriction may prevent your payment from reaching your hotel in time(another reason to book well in advance).Come prepared with enough cash to cover the cost,just in case.
If you expect to find the blue waters,volcanic landscapes and beautiful villages of other nearby islands,you’11 be disappointed.But beauty is not hard to find here.Old Havana—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—is home to splendid architecture and a bit of paladars(privately owned res—taurants).Limited economic opportunities have led Cubans to be creative in other ways.You can’t go two blocks without coming across street paintings,art studios and joyful ballet music.
1.Most Americans get the visa to Cuba by________.
A.family visits
B.people-to-people travel
C.religious travel
D.medical travel
2.How much will you pay if you want to exchange$1.000 for Cuban money?
A.$20
B.$50
C.$100
D.$200
3.Which does the author think is worth seeing in Cuba?
A.Fantastic buildings
B.Blue waters
C.Beautiful villages
D.Volcanic landscapes
4.Which can be the best title of the passage?
A.How to prepare a travel?
B.Tips on Visiting Cuba
C.Restrictions in Cuba
D.Be careful,Americans
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
International Exchange Programme
The application form for participation on the exchange programme for 2016/17 can be found in Application Procedures.
Applying Qualification—Current Queen Mary undergraduate students(with the exception of students in Biomedical Sciences,Chemistry,Dentistry and Medicine)have qualifications to apply.
Law Students—Students enrolled in The School of Law should contact Sheila Shirley(s.shirley@qmul.ac.uk)for details of study abroad opportunities.
English and Drama Studen—Students cannot study abroad for the full academic year. Students will be able to spend only the autumn semester studying at one of our exchange partners·
Applications
A complete application will consist of the two-page application form,a personal statement and a supporting academic reference.Students should follow these application procedures. Applicants must ensure they have spoken to their departmental study abroad instructor before submitting their application.Applications can be submitted in person at The Study Abroad Office(E09,Ground Floor,Queens’Building)or by email to h.gibney@qmul.ac.uk
New Exchange Partners for 2016/2017
For 2016/17 we hope to offer students the opportunity to study abroad at the following new partners:The University of Pennsylvania—UPenn(USA),The University of Sydney(Australia) and Waseda University(Japan).Should we be unable to send students to any of these new institutions on exchange,and if you intend to include one or more of these destinations with your application,please provide at least one alternative destination from the list of other partner programmes.
1.Who can apply for the exchange programme?
A.Students in Biomedical Sciences
B.Students in Chemistry
C.Students in Dentistry
D.Students in English and Drama
2.The law students who want to study abroad should______.
A.email to h.gibney@qmul.ac.uk
B.email to s.shirley@qmul.ac.uk
C.go to E09,Ground Floor,Queens’Building
D.go to Masons Lecture Theatre Hall,Bancroft Building
3.What will you do if you can’t be sent to the new exchange partners?
A.Wait for another proper opportunity.
B.Cancel your exchange programme.
C.Provide another university from the list.
D.Contact the university by yourself.
书面表达(共1小题)
假定你是小明 你在这次高考中被自己心仪的大学入取。请写信向恩师Mr.Lee表示感谢,感谢在校期间他给予你的教导和帮助。并邀请他参加你的庆祝party。内容包括以下要点:
1.被入取的心情, 对大学生活的憧憬;
2.感谢老师的教导;
3.邀请参加8月20日的庆祝party。
注意:
1.词数100左右;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3.开头和结尾已给出,但不记入总词数。
参考词汇: 入取通知书 offer
Dear Mr.Lee,
I’m glad to write to share with you my happiness of being admitted to my ideal college, and particularly I’m writing to convey my sincere thanks to you.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Thanks again, my beloved teacher.Wish you all the best.
Yours sincerely,
Xiao Ming
短文改错(共1小题)
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处;每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(^),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last Sunday, the Student Association of our school was organized an activity to visit the children in the poorest village of our city.As one of the volunteer, I took part in it.We took many books as well many kinds of school supplies and toys for the children.They were excited to receive our gifts.In the morning, we played some games with them which were played in our childhood.Then we cooked and have lunch there.In a afternoon, we gave them some performances.Before leaving the village, we had photos take with them and gave them our contact details so that they could keep in touch with one another.Each of us had a happily time.We gave the children our care and help, but in return, they gave us their thanks and smiles.