When movie star Scarlett Johansson was photographed naming in Los Angeles recently, she attracted a lot of attention; for the 27-year-old actress was wearing Vibram FiveFingers, so called because they look more like gloves than shoes, with a space for each toe.
Strange though they may look, these so-called barefoot shoes, which reproduce the effect of barefoot running but with less pain, are just one brand in a range of minimalist footwear. These super-thin sports shoes are causing a stir in the world of running and fitness. Why? Because some experts believe they could make you a better, more efficient runner and that traditional trainers could be doing you more harm than good.
"Wearing a shoe that has lots of cushioning and support affects the way your body naturally moves and studies suggest that this carries a higher risk of injury," explains Matt Wallden, an athlete performance expert. "But with barefoot shoes, the foot can actually feel the firmness and shape of the ground, which allows your body to respond effectively.'"
But before you rush out to invest in minimalist footwear, be careful. These kinds of shoes are not meant for everyone, or at least not straight away.
"Ordinary sports shoes with support are good for beginners whose bodies are not used to the impact of running," explains Patrick Davoren, former Olympic athlete. "If you are not in great condition, then running in minimalist footwear may cause injuries and will turn a lot of people off exercise and running.
If you are currently injured, and figures show that in any given year 65% of all runners are, it can be tempting to try anything that promises to get you back on the road, trail, or beach. But barefoot running is not a method of treating injury nor is it a magical way of suddenly turning you into a great athlete.
Even if you're used to running, when you start using minimalist shoes you should build up your distance gradually. Start_off'by doing just 10% of what you'd normally run and increase the distance by no more than 10% every week. And a word of warning - you may never have soft feet againThe Vibram FiveFingers are shoes ______.
| A．specifically designed for women |
| B．that have lots of cushion inside |
| C．safest for people who enjoy sports |
| D．that are much thinner than normal sports shoes |
The underlined word "they" in paragraph 2 refers to ________.
| A．experts | B．feet | C．shoes | D．runners |
According to Matt Wallden, the new shoes ________.
| A．make feet more sensitive to the running surface |
| B．will produce immediate improvements |
| C．force your body to move less naturally |
| D．increase the chances of getting hurt |
The author suggests that new users of Vibram FiveFingers should ________.
| A．run in the shoes every day at top speed |
| B．begin with a shorter running distance than normal |
| C．occasionally run barefooted to harden their feet |
| D．make sure they are already very fit before using them |
Where would you probably read this article?
| A．A travel book. | B．A movie website. |
| C．A sports magazine. | D．A science journal. |
第二部分：阅读理解（共25小题；第一节每小题2分；第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A,B,C,D）中，选出最佳选项，并将答案写在答题卡上。
Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follows? You are not alone.
Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worded about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.
With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to tam away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you.
Do not miss meals. Before yon leave home for a feast(宴会),have a small, low-fat snack(小吃). This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods.
Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.
Better not have high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them.
Choose lean meat(瘦肉 ).Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.
If you have a sweet tooth, try mints (薄荷) and fruits. They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate.
Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess(过多的) calories.
1. Holidays are happy days with pleasure but they may .
A. bring weight problems
B. bring you much trouble in your' life
C. make you worried -about your foods
D. make you hate delicious foods
2. In order to really enjoy your holidays without putting on weight, you'd better
A. drink much water and lave vegetables only
B. not eat much food in high fat
C. not accept invitations to feasts
D. turn away from delicious foods
3. According to the passage, ______is a necessary part to stop you from putting on weight.
A. vegetables B. water
C. calories of energy D. physical exercise
4. Excess calories can be found in your body in the form of ______ .
A. energy B. fat
C. food D. something you cannot see
HANGZHOU－As a major province neighboring Shanghai, Zhejiang is set to benefit from the Expo in the city this year in more ways than one.
According to a survey from the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, 80 percent of the respondents (回答者) going to the Expo have plans to travel and 75 percent of them will go to nearby places, such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing and Wuxi are the most popular sites, where tourism will be the best winner.
It is estimated (估计) that 70 million visitors will come to the Expo. During the peak time, as many as 700,000 people will visit Shanghai every day.
When all services such as hotels, meeting rooms, and transportation in Shanghai are full, it is possible for other activities to be held in nearby cities. And this is the golden opportunity for developing local tourism. The local hotel industry will benefit directly from the event.
Due to the Shanghai World Expo, Zhejiang will attract 20 million visitors within half a year. It will encourage local industries, such as catering, tourism, entertainment and shopping. More than 50 travel routines (线路) connecting Shanghai and other tourism spots, such as the West Lake in Hangzhou, gardens in Suzhou, and the waterscape in Shaoxing, will be introduced to the world. So far, local travel bureaus in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Huzhou, Shaoxing, Zhoushan, and Wenzhou have already sent special work teams to Shanghai to present their special tourism attractions to visitors.
The sharing and the connections of tourism resources as well as customer and service systems will also promote the areas in the Yangtze River Delta, which will in turn help to shape sustainable (可持续的), healthy tourism for the future.What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Hangzhou－the Heaven on earth |
| B．The Expo Shanghai 2010－a great success |
| C．Being at right place, right time for traveling |
| D．A good chance to develop tourism and others |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．There will be more than 50 travel routines in Shanghai. |
| B．75% of the people in Zhejiang will go to visit the Expo. |
| C．The local tourism will benefit a lot due to the Expo. |
| D．Hangzhou will benefit the most from the Expo. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．More cities in neighboring provinces will be better known to the world. |
| B．Work teams have been sent to Shanghai to present the attractions to visitors. |
| C．As many as 700,000 people will visit Shanghai every day. |
| D．The Shanghai World Expo will promote all industries. |
Which section of a newspaper may the article be taken from?
| A．opinion | B．advertisement | C．news | D．sports |
“It’s our tradition to help each other”, added Tenpa, a medical official in neighbouring Madoi County, who said Yushu has always been quick to help other areas in times of trouble. “We have suffered many dangers and each time people in Yushu have sent food and clothes. We are always thankful to them and hopefully we proved it by being the first rescue team to arrive in Yushu after the earthquake.”
The Madoi medical team arrived just hours after the violent 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu. In two weeks, they have treated at least 1,800 people, while the county has donated 400,000 yuan.
The biggest fear in the earthquake area is the outbreak of diseases. Tenpa said, “Keeping things clean in the shelter is very hard. Even hand washing is almost impossible because of lack of water. Our team is spraying disinfectant (喷洒消毒剂) and we hope that will work.”
After driving for 13 hours with his medical team, Tian Jiancan said he immediately found a 40-year-old who was seriously injured after being trapped in a toppled house. Tian had to operate on the man in his emergency medical van. “If we had been one hour later, he would probably be dead. It’s good to see him out of danger now.” Tian’s medical team has treated over 3,200 people, including a 15-day-old baby and a 105-year-old man. They also helped to put up tents against winds, where patients are protected well.
One local man said although most doctors cannot speak Tibetan, they have shown their care and love through their actions.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．This is the first time that Tibetans have faced great dangers. |
| B．People in Yushu have always been ready to help each other. |
| C．Madoi was also hit by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake. |
| D．Tian’s team is the second rescue team to arrive Yushu. |
What is the closest meaning to the underlined words in paragraph 7?
| A．a house on the top floor | B．a house which had no roofs |
| C．a house which fell down | D．a house which was poorly built |
How many people have been rescued by the medical teams according to the passage?
| A．About 1,800. | B．3,200. | C．At least 5,000. | D．4000,000. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．People in Yushu are encouraged by the medical team workers. |
| B．The doctors went along quite well in spite of the language trouble. |
| C．The Madoi medical team was the first to arrive at the earthquake-hit area. |
| D．The medical workers made great efforts to help the people suffering from the earthquake. |
Few people realize that there is a big difference between formal English and informal English. Formal English is used for most writing, and often in public speaking and formal meetings. It pays close attention to grammar rules, because if we use proper grammar, our meaning is often more precise. Also, on important occasions, we do not want to appear uneducated or to offend (冒犯) others, so we are very careful about how we speak. Informal English is used in speaking or writing to our friends and family. It often does not pay such close attention to grammar rules, because when we speak or write to them, we want our words to flow quickly. Also, with our friends and family, we are usually not so worried about appearing uneducated or about offending them by how we write or speak.
A big difference between formal and informal English is the use of contractions. A contraction is where we make a word shorter or where we put two words together and take away some of the letters. For example, instead of saying “do not”, many people say “don’t”. Using contractions in our speech is fine because it sounds natural, especially when we speak to our friends. In formal writing, however, contractions are usually avoided because people might think that you have made a mistake, or that you do not know proper grammar.
In the same way we might make words shorter, in informal English we often make sentences shorter as well. For example, if someone asks you your name, you will likely answer with one word: your first name. However, in formal English we usually use complete sentences. For example, we might write “My name is John”. In most speaking, we may not need to use every word in a sentence because the person we are speaking to will probably still understand us. In most writing, however, every word in a sentence must be written out in order to make sure that we can be understood. When we use formal English, _______.
| A．we will offend others |
| B．we will appear educated on important occasions |
| C．we needn’t pay more attention to grammar rules |
| D．we can express ourselves more directly and more quickly |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “precise”?
| A．simple | B．direct | C．puzzling | D．clear |
Contractions are best used when we are _______.
| A．speaking at a formal meeting | B．speaking to our friends |
| C．speaking in public | D．writing an application (申请) letter |
In speaking, we do not always use complete sentences because ______.
| A．we do not care about grammar | B．we do not want to sound stupid |
| C．we can still be understood | D．we don’t want to waste time |
It was a Sunday morning, and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib (肋骨) might have pierced (穿透) a lung....”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled (愤慨地说出) those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy... I am so sorry....”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay.”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said, “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because ________.
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father. |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning. |
| C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident. |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital. |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that ________.
| A．he had a poor memory |
| B．he didn’t want to forgive his son |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son |
| D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly. |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words. |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident. |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things. |