There was a sweet smell of incense (香) in the air as the wellmuscled man moved his legs into a position well behind his head.It was something that the human body really should not be able to do.But what else would you expect at the First World Yoga Championships?
On September 25，the world’s leading yoga experts arrived in the US to find out who was the best.But the real prize was to turn yoga into a proper Olympic event.
“Yoga is a combination of bodybuilding，Miss World，Mr Universe and gymnastics，” said championship organizer Bikram Choudhury.“There are some 70 people from more than 20 countries competing in this event.Why not have yoga at the Olympics？”
The public cannot decide whether or not Choudhury’s dream will come true.But he is right about one thing：yoga has become popular with young and old people all over the world.In the US alone,15 million people practise yoga.Everyone is at it，including Madonna and Ricky Martin.
Yoga started in India more than 5,000 years ago.The name means “to join together”．That is to bring the body and mind together into one pleasing experience.The whole system of yoga is built on three things：exercise，breathing and meditation (沉思)．
The yoga that we know today is mostly physical yoga.It’s seen as a type of exercise，but is different from sports like football or running.When we do yoga，we move our body into positions that stretch the muscles and joints，making them stronger.
One of the best things about yoga is the fact that everyone can do it.To women，it means a flat stomach，more shapely legs and a graceful body.To men，it is a way of becoming stronger and more athletic.
There are also speciallydesigned yoga classes for pregnant women or children suffering from mental disabilities，such as autism (孤独症)．As for teenagers，meditation and simple breathing exercises can help them learn to calm down，relax and concentrate better.But teenagers under 16 are not supposed to do the body exercises as it could have a bad effect on their natural growth.What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Something sportsmen should not do in practising yoga. |
| B．Basic skills that are required in performing yoga. |
| C．The performance of the sportsmen at the First World Yoga Championships. |
| D．The unique setting where yoga is performed. |
What is Choudhury’s dream in the passage?
A．Turning yoga into a proper Olympic event.
B．Making all Americans practise yoga.
C Winning the First World Yoga Championships.
D．Getting the public support for promoting yoga.Why does the author mention Madonna and Ricky Martin in the fourth paragraph?
| A．To compare the differences between the young and the old. |
| B．To describe the extensive popularity of yoga in the US. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of practising yoga. |
| D．To explain the strong influence of public figures in the US. |
Which statement is NOT true about yoga?
| A．It is a type of exercise which benefits the body and mind. |
| B．It makes muscles and joints stronger by stretching. |
| C．It contains exercise，breathing and meditation. |
| D．It is similar to the sports like football or running. |
According to the passage，who does not need to pay special attention in practising yoga?
| A．Women to be mothers. | B．Teenagers under 16. |
| C．Adult men. | D．Children with autism. |
A euphemism (from the Greek words eu--well and pheme--speak) is a word or expression that is used when people want to find a polite or less direct way of talking about difficult or embarrassing topics like death or the bodily functions. Most people, for example, would find it very difficult to say in plain language that they have arranged for their sick old dog to be killed. They would soften the pain by saying：We had Ruby put down or We had Ruby put to sleep. Many people prefer to call someone plain than ugly, or cuddly rather than fat.
Euphemisms are an important part of every language, but it seems that English has an ever-growing number of them. The non-native speaker not only has to make sense of the euphemisms he hears, he also has to learn which euphemisms are appropriate in any particular situation. He might be aware that his American friend needs to use the toilet when she asks where the bathroom (or restroom, or comfort station) is, but he is less likely to guess that his English friend has the same need when he says he has to see a man about a dog. He might have learned, for example, that in the family way is a euphemism for pregnant. If, however, he says to his boss," Congratulations! I hear your wife is in the family way," he would be using an expression that is too familiar for the circumstances.
Schools are full of euphemisms. At Frankfurt International School, for example, the special lessons given to students who are having difficulties in their school subjects are called Study Center (in the middle school) and Academic Workshop (in the high school). Teachers rightly do not want to upset students or parents by being too frank or straight-forward, and usually choose a softer word or expression to convey the same message.According to the passage, people use euphemisms in order to.
| A．make themselves understood |
| B．attract attention |
| C．to sound straightforward |
| D．avoid embarrassment |
A person who is described as plain and cuddly is in fact.
| A．tall and handsome | B．ugly and fat |
| C．ugly but tall | D．pretty and slim |
When an English lady says she has to see a man about a dog, she might want to.
| A．go to the toilet |
| B．see an ugly friend |
| C．have her old dog killed |
| D．see a pregnant woman |
The main purpose of Paragraph 2 is to.
| A．stress that euphemisms are an important part of every language |
| B．inform readers that English has an ever-growing number of euphemisms |
| C．warn English learners to be careful about the meaning and use of euphemisms |
| D．suggest non-native speakers use euphemisms as often as possible |
At Frankfurt International School, the students who receive lessons in Study Center.
| A．work hard at their lessons |
| B．do well in school |
| C．have poor grades in the subjects |
| D．prefer to learn more |
“I will never marry，” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.
For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married. In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous. A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organize and lead her military campaigns. More important, she needed male heirs to avoid a civil war after her death.
There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them. Indeed , although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation. This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.
There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage. The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics. The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one. Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.
There were other, deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife. Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.
She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents.
Some writers, based on very fragile evidence, have argued that Elizabeth was frightened or incapable of the sex act, but it is more likely that she feared childbirth. Two of her stepmothers, her grandmother and several acquaintances had died in child bed.
Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.
Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent.The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes，Elizabeth ________.
| A．held back the truth |
| B．gave a definite answer “no” |
| C．kept them expecting deliberately |
| D．said she preferred the single state |
If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.
| A．prejudice against her |
| B．separation of the court |
| C．jealousy among English courtiers |
| D．a negative impact on English politics |
Which of the following implications is right according to the passage?
| A．Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic. |
| B．Some foreign princes made war on Britain. |
| C．Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn. |
| D．Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII. |
What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?
| A．Pitiful. | B．Approving. | C．Negative. | D．Neutral. |
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride.Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it .But Lee Gray,PhD,of the University of North Carolina,US,has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport.He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette(礼仪)is sort of odd(奇怪的),”Gray told the BBC.“They [elevators] are socially very interesting but often very awkward places”.
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in,we may have to move.And here ,according to Gray, liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements . He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.
If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.
When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.The main purpose of the article is to _____.
| A．remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator |
| B．tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette |
| C．share an interesting but awkward elevator ride |
| D．analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator |
According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.
| A．turn around and greet one another |
| B．look around or examine their phone |
| C．make eye contact with those in the elevator |
| D．try to keep a distance from other people |
Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?
The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．judge | B．ignore | C．put up with | D．make the best of |
According to the article, people feel awkward in lifts because of _____.
| A．someone’s odd behaviors |
| B．the lack of space |
| C．their unfamiliarity with one another |
| D．their eye contact with one another |
Sometimes people come into your life and they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be-----a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover or even a complete stranger------but when you lock eyes with them, you know at the very moment they will affect your life in some profound(深刻的) way.
Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection(反思中), you find that without overcoming those obstacles(障碍), you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart. Every thing happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, lost moments of true greatness, and pure stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you want to become. Even the bad experience can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones. If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things. If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.
_________________________________. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they say. Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.From the first paragraph, we can know that ______________.
| A．we are bound to be affected by your friends |
| B．we should love everyone we meet in the life |
| C．it’s impossible for us to know in advance who can help us |
| D．we can’t become who we want to be without others’ help |
The author may agree that ____________.
| A．sometimes things may happen because of luck |
| B．with tests in life, we shape our personalities |
| C．we shouldn’t let other people affect us |
| D．life with those small tests can be dull |
If someone betrays you and hurts you, you should _________.
| A．just let it go |
| B．forgive them and learn from the lesson |
| C．teach them how to love |
| D．give them a lesson |
Which sentence in the following is probably the beginning of Paragraph 4?
| A．Make every day count. |
| B．Walk your own road. |
| C．Listen to others modestly. |
| D．Keep optimistic whatever happens. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．How to face obstacles |
| B．Love those around you |
| C．Learn to forget and forgive |
| D．Create your own life |
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most beautiful pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment.
The outlines were: in a commonplace(普通的) environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we enjoy beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected situation?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?Few people stopped to listen to Joshua Bell playing because____________.
| A．people were in a hurry |
| B．they were not interested in music |
| C．it was too cold in the subway |
| D．the performance was not good enough |
When children stopped to look at the violinist, their parents ____________.
| A．would give him some money |
| B．would stop to enjoy the music |
| C．would applaud for the performance |
| D．would urge them to continue walking |
Which of the following is true about Joshua Bell’s performance?
| A．Nobody gave him money |
| B．Nobody recognized him. |
| C．Nobody appreciated it |
| D．Nobody organized it |
Joshua Bell played in the metro station in order to ____________.
| A．make more money |
| B．practice his skills in playing music |
| C．made an advertisement for his concert |
| D．find out people’s reaction under such a circumstance |
The purpose of the passage is to _________.
| A．set us to think about our life |
| B．show us how to play music |
| C．tell us the importance of music |
| D．report a subway performance |