.
In China he’s known as “the Flying Fish”; in America they call him ‘the Baltimore Bullet’.
Whatever you call him, American swimmer Michael Phelps looks destined (命中注定) to become a household name across the world after breaking the Olympic record for most gold medals in a single Games.
Phelps’s total of eight gold medals in Beijing put him one ahead of Mark Spitz’s previous record set in 1972.
Now people are already calling him the greatest Olympian of all time. But whether he is or not, what is it that makes Michael Phelps so good?
A good place to start might be his physique. Phelps has the perfect body shape for a swimmer: his arm span is longer than his height, he has very flexible joints, huge lungs, and his incredibly large feet (size 14 in the US, size 49 in China) act like flippers in the water.
To feed his huge swimmer’s body, Phelps eats an astonishing 12,000 calories a day, six times the average for a man of his age.
He then owes it to a swimsuit which has been making waves in the world of swimming. Designed by NASA, the American space agency, the suit is made of a special material which is said to help athletes swim 2% faster.
Michael Phelps should spare a thought for his mum, who first pushed him into swimming as a way of making friends, and who believed in him when one teacher said he would never be a success.
Whatever the reason for his success, Phelps admits there was perhaps also a bit of luck involved in winning his eight medals.
“I guess eight is a lucky number for me, too, now. The opening ceremony started on 8/8/08. Maybe it was meant to be.” he said.
45. How many gold medals did Mark Spitz's won?
A. 6 B. 7 C. 8 D. 9
46. What makes Michael Phelps so popular?
A. He has broken the Olympic record for most gold medals in a single Games.
B. He is equipped with the best swimsuit which is said to help athletes swim 2% faster.
C. He is a very lucky person and he has the perfect body shape for a swimmer.
D. He has a very good appetiteand he eats an astonishing 12,000 calories a day.
47. According to the passage, how many calories does a man need a day on average?
A. 4,000 B. 3,000 C. 2,000 D. 6,000
48. Which of the following is the reason for his success, in Phelps’ opinion?
a. his physique b. the swimsuit designed by NASA
c. his mother’s encouragement d. good luck e. his confidence
A. a, c, d, e B. a, b, c, e C. a, b, d, e D. a, b, c, d
Grandma celebrated her fifty-third birthday just weeks before grandpa died of cancer in 1965. Although his passing was very difficult for her, I think their shared struggle to make his life longer taught grandma that good health was not to be taken for granted, and she made up her mind to live the rest of her own life as fully and as long as she could. One day, when she announced to attend lessons at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Portland, Oregon, where she lived, we rolled our eyes in embarrassment and helplessly wished she would just stay home and bake cookies as normal grandmothers did. Many years filled with countless dance lessons passed before we learned to appreciate the wonder of having a dancing grandma.
I suppose grandma's primary motivation for wanting to learn to dance was social. She had been a shy girl, always very tall and heavy, and had married into grandpa's quiet lifestyle before developing any elegance or confidence in her personal appearance. Dancing, on the other hand, filled her life with flash lights, wonderful parties, beautiful dresses, handsome young dance instructors, and the challenge of learning. Although the weekly dance lessons did not change her ample, two-hundred-pound figure, grandma surprised everyone with energetic performances on the dance floor, which soon gave her as much elegance and confidence as any Miss American competitor.
Having taken weekly dance lessons for years, my grandma learned various dances easily and was soon participating in dancing matches all over the Northwest. When I was fourteen, grandma proudly invited me to watch her compete in one of these matches to be held in the grand ballroom of the Red Lion Inn. My attitude was still unenthusiastic at that point, but to make her happy, my mother and I attended the match. As if to prove me wrong, grandma made a wonderful showing in every event she entered. I thought she was truly the queen of the ball during the dance, and my thoughts were shared by the judges a short time later when she was awarded a gold cup for her outstanding performance.What did grandma learn from grandpa's death?
| A．Good health was not there for everyone. |
| B．She should take dance lessons. |
| C．She had to struggle to live a better life. |
| D．She should wear beautiful dresses. |
Normal grandmas usually ________ in the author's point of view?
| A．took dance lessons |
| B．did some exercises at home |
| C．took care of grandchildren at home |
| D．did some housework at home |
The author felt ______ when he was invited to watch grandma's match.
| A．happy | B．proud |
| C．excited | D．uninterested |
Many people turn to doctors or self-help books, but they ignore(忽视) a powerful thing that could help them fight illness: their friends.
Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship in health. A 10-year Australian study found that old people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the risk(风险) for obesity (肥胖) among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties could improve brain health as we age.
“In general, the role (作用) of friendship in our lives isn’t well realized,” said Rebecca, a professor at the University of North Carolina. “Friendship has a bigger effect on our psychological (心理的) health than family relationships.”
While(尽管) many friendship studies are about the close relationships of women, some research shows that men can benefit, too. In a six-year study of 736 middle-aged men, having friendships reduces the risk of heart attack. Only smoking was as important a risk factor (因素) as having little social support.
Exactly why friendship has such a big effect isn’t entirely(完全) clear. While friends can send a sick person to the hospital or pick up medicine, the benefits go well beyond physical assistance. Friendship clearly has a big psychological effect. “People with stronger friendships feel like there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen, a doctor. “The message of these studies is that friends make your life better.”The three studies in the second paragraph show that ______.
| A．old people need friends the most |
| B．friends can help us lose weight |
| C．social ties are connected to health |
| D．more friends make us healthier |
What do Rebecca’s words in the 3rd paragraph mean?
| A．Friendship is more important to women than to men. |
| B．What people need most is a friend’s care. |
| C．Friendship is more important than family relationship. |
| D．The value of friendship hasn’t been fully understood. |
The author mentioned smoking in the 4rd paragraph to discuss ______.
| A．the cause of heart attack | B．the risk of having no friends |
| C．smoking is bad for men | D．friends’ influence on habits |
What would be the best title of the text?
| A．Friends are better than medicine |
| B．Friends are as important as a family |
| C．Having good friends leads to a healthier life |
| D．Friendship makes people happy |
French lessons in France
Whatever your level is, choosing to take French lessons in France is the best way to learn French. Place yourself in the local culture and practice your newly found skills in your free time.
You will be taught by native (本地的) French speakers who have a love for teaching and use excellent teaching techniques. Lessons are interesting and you will speak French on the first day both inside and outside the classroom.
Learners
● Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced (高级的)
● Over 18 years old
Class Schedule (课表)
● Classes start on Mondays and run throughout the summer.
● Please arrive at the school by 8:15 am on your first day for a short level test. It will help to place you in the right class.
● Classes run from Monday to Friday each week.
● Classes start at 8:45 am each day depending on your level.
● You will have 3 classes per day lasting 55 minutes each.
● You will have a short break between classes.
Free Time and Tours
● The school offers a lot of cultural activities throughout the week. These activities can include cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting, visits to Paris, cycling, movies and much more.
● You will have plenty of free time to explore (探索) the local area and practice your newly found language skills or just relax on this learning holiday with a difference.
Other Information
● You should bring a small dictionary, pens and paper with you.
Get more from your holiday, have fun, meet new people and take home a new language skill that will stay with you forever.What is special about the French courses?
| A．They are taught in small groups. |
| B．The teachers are young French speakers. |
| C．People learn French in and out of class. |
| D．They will offer a wine tasting license.(执照) |
On the first day, the students should ______.
| A．take a language test | B．pay for their study |
| C．do a survey | D．introduce themselves to the class |
How many lessons are there in a week?
| A．21. | B．30. | C．15. | D．12. |
We can learn from the text that the course ______.
| A．is not suitable for teenagers |
| B．offers cooking classes as well |
| C．provides dictionaries for students |
| D．has a short game between classes |
Where do the turtles go?
Every summer, thousands of endangered green sea turtles climb onto beaches around the world. Each mother sea turtle produces 100 or more eggs in a hole, and covers the hole with sand before she swims away.
Two months later, the eggs hatch(孵化), and the baby turtles climb out of the sand and swim into the ocean. They don’t reappear until they have grown as large as dinner plates. Until now, no one knows where the baby turtles go or what they do.
“if we don’t know where these little turtles are, we can’t protect them,” says Kim Reich, who helps solve part of the mystery.
Her teacher, Karen Bjorndal, has studied green sea turtles for more than 30 years. Every year, Bjorndal goes to the Bahamas Islands. Many young sea turtles come here to live and eat at the end of their childhood.
These turtles are the only sea turtles that live as plant eaters. In fact, their name may be a result of what they eat. The turtles don’t look green but they do have green fat. Scientists learned that the turtles eat green sea plants, which may turn their fat green.
Between 2002 and 2004, Bjorndal caught 44 green sea turtles in the Bahamas. After testing them, she found something to support the 20-year-old idea: baby green sea turtles eat meat before they turn to a diet of plants. In fact, they eat animals that live in the open ocean.
Scientists still need to find where exactly green sea turtles grow. We now know that baby green sea turtles are out in the open ocean, but the open ocean is a big place.
“It is really a problem,” says Bjorndal. The discovery may help us do a better job of protecting this sea animal.What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
| A．baby turtles go to the ocean when they are two months old. |
| B．Mother turtles leave the eggs alone after they produce them. |
| C．No one knows when turtles appear on the beach. |
| D．Mother turtles are as large as dinner plates. |
Kim Reich does research on where baby turtles go because she wants to _________.
| A．help her teacher | B．prove an idea |
| C．protect turtles | D．become a scientist |
What does Karen Bjorndal’s research prove about green sea turtles?
| A．the young live in the Bahamas Islands. |
| B．The young eat meat before turning to a diet of plants |
| C．They live in the open ocean for a lifelong time |
| D．They are the only sea turtles that live as plant eaters. |
What does the underlined word “It” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．Finding out where young turtles grow. |
| B．Protecting this endangered sea animal. |
| C．Changing young turtles’ eating habits. |
| D．Living in the open ocean. |
I hate nosy (爱管闲事的) neighbors and it’s very unlucky that I had one for myself. They moved in a couple of months back and although I never felt that they were a strange family, I’ve always hated the way they get “too close” to me, my house, my garden, and even my garbage cans.
One day, my neighbors were mowing their lawn (草坪). My garbage cans were near their lawn. For some strange reason, I found the wife looking through my garbage cans. I felt angry but since they were from a different culture, I thought that maybe it was “normal” from their ideas.
That afternoon, the couple knocked on my front door. When I opened, they gave me a plastic bag. Inside were my old daily bills, credit cards and bank statements, and an old birthday card that my old uncle sent. They said that they were returning them to me because these documents contained very private information that may be used by others.
I’ve heard of it before. I asked them how those documents can be used by others and they started telling me their very own experience, which forced them to leave their home and move next door to us. The wife told me that she never destroyed the bills. They also had a “nosy neighbor” who looked through their garbage cans which they actually thought was pretty strange. Little did they know that this “nosy neighbor” was collecting their personal information from their rubbish. Then all their money was taken out from the bank by their neighbor.
It was a very painful experience for all of them and they wanted to leave it all behind so they left. I was very thankful. They were not nosy neighbors. They simply didn’t want us to experience the same thing that they did.What made the author angry?
| A．His neighbor’s wife was looking through his rubbish. |
| B．His neighbors were mowing their lawn one morning. |
| C．His neighbors got too close to his own home. |
| D．His neighbors came to knock at his door at night. |
Why did the couple come to the author’s home?
| A．To introduce themselves to the author. |
| B．To get to know each other better. |
| C．To return the documents to the author. |
| D．To borrow some money from the author. |
Which of the following can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．The author was kind and helpful to the neighbors. |
| B．The neighbors had to move from place to place. |
| C．The neighbors didn’t have enough money. |
| D．The author changed his idea about his neighbors. |