Although considered an excellent exercise, jumping rope has never received widespread acceptance because of two reasons. First, most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular(心血管的)exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes in order to achieve a beneficial physical effect. Second, many regard it as somewhat boring and overly repetitive(重复乏味的)—not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun as long as you find a proper way to practise it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce(跳)over and over again, players good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps: a single bounce, a double-bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping.
Nowadays researchers are discovering that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres(半球)to perform equally to each other.
In short, jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life. One reason that can explain why rope-jumping has not spread widely is that
.
| A．it benefits the cardiovascular system |
| B．it is too difficult for people to learn to jump |
| C．it is believed to be boring and repetitive |
| D．it requires little equipment, time and space |
The first sentence in Paragraph 2 means that in rope-jumping.
| A．there is only one proper way to follow |
| B．the usual way should not be used again |
| C．the easiest way is always the best one |
| D．there are different kinds of ways to follow |
According to the researchers, jumping rope .
| A．only prepares the brain for learning |
| B．is suitable for students only |
| C．helps both brain hemispheres work together |
| D．can be dangerous for old people |
What does the writer think of rope-jumping?
| A．He is strongly against it. |
| B．He is for it. |
| C．The passage doesn’t mention it. |
| D．He knows little about it. |
From cosy cabins and yurts to campervans and huts with character and mod-cons, winter camping can be cool, rather than just chilly, in these beautiful UK settings.
Great Langdale, Cumbria
Winner of the Great Outdoors accommodation of the year award 2014, this campsite at the head of a valley is a beautiful spot for winter walks. But while hiking should keep you warm by day, a selection of cosy hideaways will keep you snug at night. Visitors can choose from double-glazed wooden camping pods, which include heating and lighting or, for those who want a more boutique outdoors experience, luxury yurts furnished with Moroccan-style rugs and throws, fairy lights, lanterns and a wood-burning stove. And with the Sticklebarn pub – known for its real ales and good local grub – nearby, you should be able to slip into a pretty comfortable routine in no time.
Standard pods from £35 a night (two adults, one child), 01539 432733, nationaltrust.org.uk
Vanellus, Elmley national nature reserve, Isle of Sheppey, Kent
In the stunning surroundings of the Isle of Sheppey nature reserve, Vanellus is a large shepherd’s hut. From the comfort of your abode (which is hooked up to electricity), you can gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows as the sun rises and sets, watching birds of prey and other wildlife. The reserve can be explored on foot, or you can book a 4WD tour of the area. The farm has a lounge in a converted barn, where you can hang out or eat communally, but if you really can’t bear to step into the cold, you can have meals – including hot bacon rolls for breakfast – delivered to your door.
From £180 for a two-night stay (sleeps two), 0117 204 7830, canopyandstars.co.uk
The Cabin at NantyrOnnen, near Llandovery, Wales
The Cabin is an unusual octagonal wood structure, built by local craftsmen keen to make an eco-friendly home. The electricity supply, for example, is powered by the nearby stream. From the sheltered veranda you can enjoy views across the hills, and the surrounding countryside is perfect for walking all year round. Inside the cosy hut is a wood-burning stove, and you can also warm up in a recently built spring-fed hot tub.
From £85 a night throughout December (sleeps two), mulled wine available 15 Dec-4 Jan, 0117 204 7830, canopyandstars.co.uk
Guilden Gate Glamping, Hertfordshire
Just 35 minutes by train from London, the Guilden Gate campsite is ideal for an easy rural family escape from the capital. Set in a woodland glade, a campervan is your main bedroom, and a bell tent can act as another bedroom, or a lounge. There’s also a huge wok-shaped hot tub, big enough for six adults. The site is close to Cambridge (20 minutes’ drive), so you can explore the city by day – if the icy countryside gets too much.
From £65 a night (sleeps four, minimum two-night stay), 01763 243960, goglamping.net
Which of the following explains the underlined word “snug”?
| A．cold | B．awake | C．warm | D．comfortable |
Which of the following is correct about Vanellus?
| A．Vanellus is the biggest shepherd hut around the nature reserve. |
| B．Tourists cannot continue to use their electronic devices in the hut. |
| C．People can either walk or cycle to travel around the nature reserve. |
| D．The shepherd hut provides different dining options for the tourists. |
Joseph plans to have an eco-friendly travel. Which of the site is suitable to him?
| A．Great Langdale | B．Vanellus |
| C．The Cabin | D．Guilden Gate Glamping |
A family of 6 (grandparents, parents and twins) wants to go for winter camping for 4 days. Which of the site is cheapest?
| A．Great Langdale | B．Vanellus |
| C．The Cabin | D．Guilden Gate Glamping |
Arthur Miller(1915-2005)is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller` s father had moved to the USA from Austria Hungary,drawn like so many others by the“ Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early l930s.
Millers' s most famous play, Death of a Salesman , is a powerful attack on the American system ,with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman , the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with his worth. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment : if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949 ,the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews ,and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics` Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut ,on the evening of February 10,2005,the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.The play Death of a Salesman
| A．exposes the cruelty of the American business world |
| B．discusses the ways to get promoted in a company |
| C．talks about the business career of Arthur Miller |
| D．focuses on the skills in doing business |
What can we learn about Willy Loman?
| A．He treats his employer badly. |
| B．He runs the Wagner Company. |
| C．He is a victim of the American system. |
| D．He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues. |
After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman
| A．achieved huge success |
| B．won the first Tony Award |
| C．was warmly welcomed by salesmen |
| D．was severely attacked by dramatists |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Arthur Miller and his family. |
| B．The awards Arthur Miller won. |
| C．The hardship Arthur Miller experienced. |
| D．Arthur Miller and his best-known play. |
“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton (骨骼) in the closet (衣橱)?”Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it's something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad's family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family's closet’. He really wouldn't want any neighbor to know about it. ”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica's father said with anger. “Your family history isn't so good, you know. Wasn't your great－great－grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?”“Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners. ” “Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now, ” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica's parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica's mother sank into a faint(晕倒), waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened?Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school's skeleton, Mum, ” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad. ” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They're both crazy, ” she thought. According to Jessica's mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means______.
| A．a family honor |
| B．a family secret |
| C．a family story |
| D．a family treasure |
Jessica's mother fell down into a faint because she was______.
| A．knocked |
| B．frightened |
| C．injured |
| D．surprised |
Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home?
| A．She was curious about it. |
| B．She planned to keep it for fun. |
| C．She needed it for her school task. |
| D．She intended to scare her parents. |
Jessica's parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because______.
| A．they were crazy |
| B．they were overexcited |
| C．they realized their misunderstanding |
| D．they both thought they had won the quarrel |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift . Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap(包装).
On September 11th ，1958，Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift , and here it is.” What an honor！I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories .I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing bad been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days I Heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. “If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I’d never seen him cry before .
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home !”
“Thank God !” I heard Mum cry .
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love! what happened to the author on September 11th , 1958?
| A．He got a baby brother. |
| B．He got a Christmas gift |
| C．He became four years old. |
| D．He received a doll. |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A．Impossible. |
| B．Boring |
| C．Difficult |
| D．Fearful |
What is the passage mainly about ?
| A．A sad Christmas day |
| B．Life with a lovely baby |
| C．A special Christmas gift. |
| D．Memories of a happy family |
Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain(抱怨) about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties stand for a special kind of suffering
especially forced on them or else on their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one.Problems, depending on their nature, cause sadness, or loneliness(孤独) or regret or anger or fear.These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes a lot of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn.As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things that hurt, instruct(指导)." It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.From the passage,it can be inferred that .
| A．everybody has problems |
| B．we become stronger by meeting and solving the problems of life |
| C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain |
| D．people like to complain about their problems |
The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ___.
| A．save space |
| B．persuade readers |
| C．make readers laugh |
| D．get readers' attention |
The main idea of paragraph 3 is that _________.
| A．most people feel life is easy |
| B．the writer feel life is easy |
| C．the writer likes to complain about his problems |
| D．most people complain about how hard their lives are |
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ______.
| A．encourage them to learn |
| B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problems |
| C．help them learn to deal with pain |
| D．teach them how to respect problems |
The saying from Benjamin Franklin "Those things that hurt, instruct" suggests that ______.
| A．we do not learn from experience |
| B．we do not learn when we are in pain |
| C．pain teaches us important lessons |
| D．pain cannot be avoided |
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