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Sit Up Straight: Tips for Improving Your Terrible Posture
The more time we spend sitting in front of our computers, the worse our posture gets. Modern technology is turning us into literally twisted creatures.
In addition to being detrimental to how your body functions, bad posture isn’t cute. It causes you to jut(突出) your hips forward, slump your shoulders, and even breathe inefficiently, according to Pat Davidson, a trainer with a PhD in Exercise Physiology who is the Director of Training Methodology and Continuing Education Coordinator at Peak Performance in NYC.
Davidson explained that bad posture compromises your diaphragm(隔离), the big muscle right below the ribs that helps you take deep breaths. So instead, you start using other muscles, like your shoulders, to help you breathe. It turns out that people with lousy posture don’t walk correctly, and they count on their lower back muscles to help propel themselves forward.
Here are a few quick fixes recommended for correcting your slump:
• If you sit at a desk all day, don’t perch on the edge of your chair at work trying to sit up straight. The best thing you can do is keep your hips against the back of the chair and use it for support—that’s what it’s there for.
• Get up frequently and walk around.
• If you carry a heavy shoulder bag, make sure to carry it on both your right and left shoulder, switching off as each gets tired. Even better: wear a cross-body bag so that the weight’s more evenly distributed.
• Work out your core muscles. You can try backwards jump-roping. If the rope hits you, you have the wrong posture. Hula hooping is also a good choice.
• Focus on the upper back and shoulder muscles. One of her favorite exercises is having clients stand up against a wall, with your hips touching the wall. Put a tennis ball between your shoulder blades and try to squeeze the ball. Boating is also excellent for improving posture, since it causes you to pull your shoulders up and back.According to the passage, a bad posture can_____.
a. stop us from taking deep breathes
b. functionally change our body
c. hurt our diaphragm
d. make our walking posture incorrect
| A．bcd | B．acd | C．abc | D．abcd |
What does the underlined word “detrimental” in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．harmful | B．helpful |
| C．meaningless | D．vital |
Which of the following tips is true for a good sitting posture?
| A．Sitting on the edge of the chair. |
| B．Using the back of the chair to support your back. |
| C．Sitting up straight at a desk all day. |
| D．Keep your back against the chair. |
We may find the above introduction _____.
| A．in a travel booklet | B．in a fiction story |
| C．in a health magazine | D．in s science journal |
TOUR THE BLUE MOUNTAINS IN COMFORT WITH OZ TRAILS
Known as “The Grand Canyon” of Austr
alia, it is located a short distance （55 km） from Sydney ．
In 2000 this area was added to the “World Heritage List” of UNESCO as it has: deep valleys, impressive waterfalls, excellent bushes and rich plants and animals．
The Blue Mountains covers about 10,000 km and extends 220 km．
The Blue Mountains area contains eight conservation areas, six Aboriginal language groups ．It is also home to 127 kinds of rare or threatened plants and 52 kinds of rare or threatened animals．
LET OZ TRAILS SHOW YOU AUSTRALIAN NATURE AT IT’S BEST!
Oz Trails has been in operation since 1999 and has shown the Blue Mountains to thousands of travelers from all over the world．
OZ TRAILS is recommended by the "LONELY PLANET" and "LET'S GO" travel guides, both of which are popular travel books in Australia．
We also offer special tours in and around Sydney．Taking small groups only, we pride ourselves on customer service．We offer travelers individual attention that is not available on other
large tours．
All the tours are also available at charter rates （包租费） whether you wish to bring a whole group or have the tour just for yourself．We can make a tour to meet your special needs．
6 REASONS TO TOUR THE BLUE MOUNTAINS WITH OZ TRAILS
1．Small groups only （max 24 passengers in each bus）．
2．Free hotel pickup anywhere in city centre （and also in Coogee, Bondi and Manly） by arrangement in advance．
3．Perfect guides with a broad knowledge．
4．We are able to take you to see all the famous places in Australia．
5．Our tours are both affordable and satisfying．
6．Comfortable—air-conditioned buses．
1．The author wrote this passage to________．
A．introduce famous scenic sports around Sydney
B．attract tourists to the Blue Mountains
C．advertise a tour agency named Oz Trails
D．give advice on how to choose a tour company
2．Which 
of the following does Oz Trails offer?
A．Small group tours with not more than 24 tourists．
B．Buses without air conditioners．
C．Charter rates for groups of 24．
D．One-to-one service at a low price．
3．We can learn from the passage that________．
A．Coogee and Bondi are located in the city center
B．travelers need to book their pickup in advance
C．OZ TRAILS can take you to foreign countries
D．“Lonely Planet” is a famous travel company
4．Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A．The price of the tour service．
B．The services the agency can offer．
C．Some of the features of the Blue Mountains．
D．A brief introduction to Oz Trails．
When you enter a crowded room or go on a picnic or to a party, who is the most attractive and appealing person? It is the person who is cheerful, has a smiling face and behaves as if he or she is enjoying every moment of the event! Such people have an optimistic opinion on life．They are the ones with a positive attitude．On the other hand, let’s see that fellow in the corner with a long face．He is most probably thinking about the time and money wasted in having fun．He is a pessimist, one with a negative attitude．
A person with a positive attitude gets on well with the job at hand．He doesn’t worry about what’s gone before or what might happen in the future．If there is a problem, he quickly thinks of ways to solve it．If the problem cannot be solved singly, he seeks help from someone else．He doesn’t feel that it’s beneath his dignity to seek assistance．
When Sonal lost her history notes days before an important examination, she sat down and cried．Then she pulled herself together, borrowed a friend’s notes, worked day and night and managed to copy down whatever she had lost．Sonal passed the exam with flying colors．
It’s just not possible, even for the greatest optimist, to smile all the time and feel good all day．Everyone has a period of blues now and then, when everything seems sad and without cheer．But once you develop a positive attitude, once you realize that life is a series of ups and downs, dark clouds and bright sunshine, in no time at all, you’ve bounced back, ready to welcome the world again with open arms and a huge smile! So from this moment on, keep your face to the sunshine and you’ll never see the shadows．
1．What might be the best title of the passage？
A．To live with an aim in life B．To be a pessimist or optimist
C．Life is full of ups and downs D．Develop the positive attitude
2．The case of Sonal suggested that _______．
A．a person can solve the problem once he thinks of a way
B．Sonal made up for what she had lost by working day and night
C．Sonal was a pessimist because he lost her history notes
D．the history notes that she lost was not important for her
3．The underlined phrase bounced back in the last paragraph means_______．
A．moved back and forth B．jumped up
C．returned to active state D．came back
4．According to the last paragraph, which of the following statement is TRUE?
A．If you always look at the shadows, you will be in high spirits．
B．It is impossible for a person to be in a good mood all the time．
C．A negative attitude will make you welcome life with a big smile．
D．When someone feels sad, he thinks the world comes to an end．
How did a high school football coach build a championship dynasty by never playing to win? In Smith Center, Kansas, Roger Barta, 64, a longtime coach and former math teacher at Smith Center High School, wearing a red shirt, stood before his players．“…Guys．We don't talk about winning and losing．We talk about getting a little better every day, about be
ing a team．” Over the next four months, his team went on to beat other teams, winning another perfect season．
Barta grew up in Plainville, and when a back injury ended Barta's playing career, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be a college student．One summer, he took a job in the Kansas oil fields．It took him a single rainy day of working in the field to realize that university was for him．“I almost froze to death,” he says．He looked around at his co-workers, who were aged beyond their years．"They were all missing fingers and teeth．I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life．"
He returned to Fort Hays State to earn a mathematics degree and went on to get a master's in math education at the University of Georgia．Today, Barta spends as much time helping players figure out what they want to do with their lives as he does coaching．
To most kids here, Barta is not just a winning coach but also a mentor（导师，顾问）．Barta insists that the members of his team be well-rounded．During last year's playoffs（附加赛）, for instance, Joe Osburn was struggling with Macbeth in English class．Barta told him that either he mastered Shakespeare or his season was finished．Barta got the captains involved, and they took turns quizzing Osburn on his lines of Shakespeare．He pulled his grades up and kept playing．
“Roger likes everything about football,” says Barta's wife, Pam．“But what he loves most is watching the boys learn a little more．”
1．What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A．How Barta built a championship dynasty?
B．Barta’s career as a coach．
C．How Barta taught his students football skills．
D．Barta’s attitude towards winning and losing．
2．From the the passage we know Barta ．
A．hurt his back in an oil field
B．didn’t want to be a college student
C．wasn’t satisfied with being an oil worker
D．began his playing career at high school
3．Which of the following statements about Barta is TRUE??
A．He earned his master’s degree from Fort Hays State．
B．He helps his players deal with life．
C．He likes Shakespeare very much．
D．He loves football more than anything else．
4．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A．How to Be a Good Football Coach
B．A Brief Introduction to Roger Barta
C．Coach and Math Teacher—Roger Barta
D．Life Coach—Roger Barta
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和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When you think of snowy winter festivals, Sapporo in J
apan probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind．In Japan, there are winter festivals every year that draw great crowds and offer lots of attractions to everybody．
The biggest one is the Sapporo Snow Festival which is held every year in February on Japan's snow covered northern island, Hokkaido（北海道）．The Sapporo Snow Festival was the first of its kind held in Japan, and it is still the biggest．Every year, 2 million snow lovers rush to Sapporo, the biggest city in Hokkaido, to enjoy the Snow Festival in the first two weeks of February．At the Festival, you can see hundreds of snow sculptures made by artists from all over the world．Some are a couple of building stories high and weigh tons．There are ice sculptures too, and ice bars where you can go inside and have a beer．
The Sapporo Snow Festival was started in the 1950's by a group of high school kids．Feeling very bored in winter, they started a snow sculptures competition．Every year, more kids took part in the competition and n
ow the festival draws snow artists from 15 different countries．There are also musical performances, light shows, and snowball fights．
Every major area has its own snow festival．One of the most popular is the Iwate Snow Festival．It's held in the small town of Shizukuishi in early or mid-February．Iwate is also famous for its yearly fireworks displays, where festival-goers can watch the colors reflected off the snow．In Iwate, you can see traditional Japanese musicians and dancers perform on floats．
If you want a truly unique winter festival experience, northern Japan is a great place to go．Just make sure you dress warmly．
1．Why is the Sapporo Snow Festival famous in Japan?
A．The snow in Hokkaido is very thick．
B．it is the first and the biggest in Japan
C．There are lots of snow sculptures there．
D．its snow sculptures are the highest．
2．When is the Sapporo Snow Festival held in Japan?
A．In late February．
B．From January to February．
C．In the first two weeks of February．
D．Two weeks before February．
3．Who started the Sapporo Snow Festival at first?
A．The government of Sapporo．
B．Artists from all over the world．
C．Kids who liked outside activities．．
D．A group of high school students．
4．The author wrote the passage to _______．
A．introduce Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival
B．attract people to take part in northern Japan’s winter festival
C．introduce Japan’s winter festival activities
D．tell us the history of Japan’s winter festivals
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和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Bill Clinton was born on August 19, 1946 in a town called Hope, with the birth name William Jefferson Blythe. His birth father died in a car accident just three months before his birth. When he was born, his mother sent him to live with his grandparents because she couldn’t possibly support a child by herself. He lived with his grandparents for two years while his mother was away at a nursing school in New Orleans, trying to advance her career. When Bill was four, his mother returned to Hope, where she met and married Roger Clinton Sr. A few years later, Bill and his family moved to Hot Springs, where Bill attended school. When he was nine years old, he changed schools and went to Ramble Elementary. When Bill was ten, Roger Clinton Jr. was born, and at age fifteen, Bill took his stepfather’ s last name in hopes of helping his mother’s troubled relationship.
While Bill was growing up in Hot Springs, the town was troubled by gambling (赌博), but Bill had little contact with this part of society despite his parents’ frequent participation (参与) in these illegal practices. As time went by, his mother’ s relationship with Roger Clinton Sr. became more and more unstable. His parents often separated. In high school, Bill was a member of the band, student government, honor society and many other organizations. One summer at a political summer camp called Boys State, Bill ran for delegate (代表) to Boys Nation. He won this election and was on his way to Washington to meet John F. Kennedy, the president. Bill said of his victory, “I didn’t know if I could win a race like that... ”. After that, Bill became determined to enter politics.
1 . William Jefferson Blythe moved to Hot Springs ________.
A. when he was born B. before he was nine years old
C. when his mother remarried D. when he was two
2. Bill Clinton once stayed in the following places EXCEPT ________.
A. the town of Hope B. the nursing school in New Orleans
C. Hot Springs D. Ramble Elementary
3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Roger Clinton Sr. was always kind to Bill and his mother.
B. Bill Clinton was once called William Jefferson Blythe before 15.
C. Bill’ s mother and stepfather were interested in gambling.
D. Roger Clinton Jr. was Bill Clinton’ s half (同母异父) brother.
4. It can be learned from the passage that ________.
A. Bill wanted to be a president while studying at school
B. Boys Nation was a political summer camp
C. members of Boys State could see the president
D. Bill decided to enter politics after meeting John F. Kennedy
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