Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses（球场） in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?
| A．Cycling around a lake. |
| B．Motor racing in the desert. |
| C．Playing basketball in a gym. |
| D．Swimming in a sports center. |
What do we know about golf from the passage?
| A．It is popular in Portugal and Spain. |
| B．It causes water shortages around the world. |
| C．It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes. |
| D．It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green. |
The author uses power walking as an example mainly because______.
| A．it is an outdoor sport |
| B．it improves our health |
| C．it uses fewer resources |
| D．it is recommended by experts |
The author writes the passage to_______.
| A．show us the function of major sports |
| B．encourage us to go in for green sports |
| C．discuss the major influence of popular sports |
| D．introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |
Cambridge graduates are the most employable in the world，according to a global league table．The ancient university is the best at producing graduates who are‘ready to work’，a poll of major employers found．
Oxford slipped to fourth place in the rankings having taken top spot last year．Harvard and Yale—part of the US‘Ivy League’of universities—were second and third respectively．
Five British universities were ranked in the top 20—one more than last year—and 12 were in the full list of 150．
But the UK as a country came third—behind the US and Germany—when companies were asked to name the best nation for producing work—ready graduates．
The table—the Global Employability(就业能力)University Ranking published by the International New York Times—also showed that universities in Asian countries were rapidly gaining ground on their western counterparts (对手)．
Asian universities claimed 20 percent of the top 150 places in 2014 compared with only 10 percent when the tables were first published in 2010．
The other British universities in the top 20 were University College London，in 14th place，Imperial College London，in 15th，and Edinburgh，18th．
The table showed the gap between a small number of top UK universities and less famous institutions．
Laurent Dupasquier，managing partner at Emerging，a French human resources consultancy，said：“The top tier players．global brands (which tend to be all American and British)．continue to lead，while other Anglo—Saxon universities，those that are mainly regional players，tend to develop less well，with an average of five places lost in comparison with last year．”
“Like the Premier League(英超联赛)，the champions have an international community of students and think internationally，unlike their more locally oriented counterparts．”
The table was made following a survey of 2,500 major companies in 20 countries．Employers were asked to rank universities against a range of criteria including their production of graduates who are ready to work and their links with business．
The study claimed that‘the days of ivory towers are over’．Which university had the best work-ready graduates last year?
| A．Cambridge． | B．Oxford． |
| C．Harvard． | D．Yale． |
The underlined phrase“gaining ground”in Paragraph 5 probably refers to ____________．
| A．falling behind |
| B．coming into conflict |
| C．making room |
| D．becoming more successful |
What can we learn about the UK universities from the text?
| A．There are many quality gaps between UK universities． |
| B．The UK produced the most work-ready graduates this year． |
| C．Universities in the UK make up most of the top 20． |
| D．Almost all UK university graduates are employable． |
Why do regional UK universities tend to develop less well this year?
| A．They couldn’t raise enough education fund． |
| B．They have students from all over the world． |
| C．They lack international students and think locally． |
| D．The UK government didn’t support them at a11． |
A team of scientists from University of Freiburg in Germany are developing a shoe with a sensor to automatically tie its laces(鞋带)that could be taken off when users click their heels together．
It’s been 26 years since we saw them magically tightening Marty McFly’s Nike boots in the film Back to The Future．
Now，self-tying shoelaces could actually become a reality this year，proving right one of the film’s fantastical predictions for what 2015 would be like．
Engineers have designed a shoe that can automatically lace up，adjusting itself to the shape of your foot．
Simply slip the controller on and pressure sensors will tell the ‘smart shoe’ when your foot is in position，triggering(触发)a tiny motor in the heel that pulls the laces tight.
When you want to take off the shoes，you click your heels together twice and the motor will release a spring(弹簧)in the shoe’s tongue，which loosens the laces enough for you to slip them off．
And the invention doesn’t even need to be plugged in to charge or have its battery replaced because it runs on power generated by the swing of your foot as you walk.
Engineer K1evis Ylli，of the Institute for Micromachining and Information Technology in southern Gemany，said the shoes could help a variety of different people.
“One focus is that it could be used in shoes for elderly people who have mobility problems，”he said．“But it could also work for children，or as a lifestyle product．”．
The design，which is still in a prototype(雏形)stage，cleverly gets the energy of the foot’s swing when opposing magnets in each shoe move past each other. It then uses that power to charge a battery．An hour of walking is enough to tighten the laces once，and it requires no energy to undo the shoes because that relies on the spring alone.Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
| A．A fantastical prediction |
| B．A great invention in Germany |
| C．A shoe with self-tying laces |
| D．A popular lifestyle product |
What can we learn about the shoes?
| A．They can automatically take off． |
| B．They can adjust themselves to your foot． |
| C．They need to be charged once． |
| D．They have been in design for 26 years． |
From the last paragraph we can know ____________．
| A．the shoes have been put into use |
| B．the shoes need power to take off |
| C．the shoes promise to be popular |
| D．how the shoes work to produce energy |
Amazon just released its list of the 10 best-selling books of 2014，and chances all you’ve already seen people reading them on the train．It's not too late to read—or reread—the bestsellers of the year．The following are the top four of them．
“The Invention of Wings”by Sue Monk Kid
Set in the south in the early 1800s，this Oprah Book Club book follows the complicated relationship between Handful，a slave，and Sarah，her owner，as they grow up together from childhood．Their confusing friendship，in the face of politics and societal norms，becomes a beautiful and difficult thing to watch as it changes over time．
“Gray Mountain”by John Grisham
When the economic recession(萧条)causes Samantha Kofer to lose her Wall Street law firm job．she takes a job at a legal aid clinic in Virginia until she can hopefully get back to big law．But while her new job，for the first time，puts her front and center in the court room，it also puts her in terrible danger．
“All the Light We Cannot See”by Anthony Doerr
This National Book Award Finalist follows both Marie—Laure，a blind French girl living with her father during World War II，and Werner，a German orphan with a skill for building and fixing radios．As their paths cross，this moving story will question how life and art are influenced by war．
“Twenty Seconds Ago(Jack Reacher，#19)”by Lee Child
After years of being out of the Army，Jack Reacher is pulled back into service at the CIA and State Department after someone tried to shoot the president of France．In Child’s latest Jack Reacher installment(系列丛书)，Reacher finds himself face to face with all old enemy and old memories．If you prefer emotional(情感)stories，you’ll choose _______________.
| A．The Invention of Wings and Gray Mountain |
| B．All the Light We Cannot See and Twenty Seconds Ago |
| C．The Invention of Wings and All the Light We Cannot See |
| D．Twenty Seconds Ago and Gray Mountain |
What is Samantha Kofer?
| A．A lawyer． | B．A doctor． |
| C．A merchant． | D．An official． |
Which book has won the top honor?
| A．The Invention of Wings |
| B．All the Light We Cannot See |
| C．Gray Mountain |
| D．Twenty Seconds Ago |
What type of writing is this text?
| A．A test report． | B．An announcement. |
| C．A book review． | D．Introduction of books． |
Exhausted，covered in mud and desperately hungry，a team of Swedish athletes sat down for a meal as they prepared to take on a dangerous 20-mile trek through the Ecuadorian rainforest．
As they opened their canned meat，a tired Mikael Lindnord noticed a miserable stray dog staring at him out of the corner of his eye．
Feeling sorry for him，he fed the dog a meatball and thought nothing of it，but as the team stood up to continue their race the animal started to follow them—and he didn’t stop．
As the group of four navigated the final two stages of the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship，the dog befriended them and was eventually given the name Arthur．
Every tiring task the team face，Arthur would do the same．He swam alongside them while they kayaked down rivers，dragged himself up hills during hikes and pulled through knee—deep mud during treks．
Even when the team tried to get rid of their new member out of concerns for his safety—he refused to leave．This meant when he was tired they stopped for a break and when he got stuck in the mud they pulled him out．
After six days the team finished the race，and the dog had suffered．They therefore decided to take him to a vet(兽医)while still in South America to have him checked out．
During that time Lindord thought to himself that after their experience，they could not leave Arthur，so he decided to adopt him and take him back to Sweden．He applied to the Swedish Board of Agriculture and was made to wait to see if his application was successful．After a tense few days，the team arrived at the airport with Arthur and boarded the plane with him back home．
Lindord said：“I came to Ecuador to win the World Championship．Instead，I got a new friend．”After meeting the dog，the team ______________．
| A．abandoned the dog immediately |
| B．fed the dog with enough food |
| C．adopted the dog for convenience |
| D．continued the race with the dog |
Why did the team try to get rid of the dog during the race?
| A．They were concerned about his safety． |
| B．They couldn’t afford the race with him． |
| C．The dog was a burden to the team． |
| D．The dog couldn’t follow the team successfully． |
Which of the following can best describe the team?
| A．Friendly and caring． |
| B．Helpful and generous． |
| C．Risky and harsh． |
| D．Cautious and sensitive． |
What can we infer from the text？
| A．The dog was sad to have suffered from the race． |
| B．The team won the World Championship many times． |
| C．Lindord was overjoyed to befriend the dog． |
| D．The team felt tense to take Arthur to the airport． |
There are 67 counties in the state of Alabama. Each county is rich with history and its own unique stories. Colbert County, located in the northwest corner of the state, has its share of exciting stories and claims to statewide fame. The county was created on February 6, 1867, and Tuscumbia became the county seat (the town in which the offices of the county government are located).
One of the most famous residents of Tuscumbia was Helen Keller. Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880. Her home was a white frame cottage built by her grandparents. Since ivy (常春藤) grew everywhere, the house was called Ivy Green. It was here, at the water pump in the backyard, that Keller learned the word “w-a-t-e-r” with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Visitors to Ivy Green can walk under boxwood trees that are 150 years old. The home has furniture that the Keller family used. It also has Keller’s Braille (盲文) books and her original Braille typewriter.
Spring Park is Tuscumbia’s most popular park and favorite tourist attraction. This park has the world’s largest manufactured waterfall called Coldwater Falls. The Spring Park Light and Water Show is an amazing sight to see. It takes place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at sundown. The water appears to dance to music and colored lights. The music played during the show is recorded by singers and musicians from Alabama.
Fame Recording Studios is in the city of Muscle Shoals in Colbert County. The studio is the first successful recording studio in Alabama. It is best known for creating “Southern rock,” “Southern soul,” and “county soul.” Well-known performers like Aretha Franklin and musical groups such as Alabama and Lynyrd have made recordings at this studio.
Visitors can continue to explore music in Alabama by visiting the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia. Built in 1990, this site recognizes the musical talents of more than 500 Alabama residents in a wide variety of musical styles, including country and rhythm and blues.
Truly, Colbert County has a lot of wonderful locations to visit. Guests will not be disappointed in a visit to this delightful place.Which of the following is TRUE about Alabama and music?
| A．Alabama musicians have established exhibits for visitors. |
| B．There are a great many talented musicians in Alabama. |
| C．Music is the most important industry in Alabama. |
| D．Alabama residents enjoy listening to music. |
How many locations related to music in Colbert County are mentioned in the text?
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
The author writes the text mainly to persuade the reader __________.
| A．to learn from Helen Keller |
| B．to visit businesses in Alabama |
| C．to stop for a visit in Colbert County |
| D．to listen to Southern styles of music |
The text is most probably taken from __________.
| A．a story book | B．a book review |
| C．a personal diary | D．a travel magazine |
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