选择知识点

    Race walking shares many fitness benefits with running，research shows，while most likely contributing to fewer injuries．It does，however，have its own problem．

    Race walkers are conditioned athletes．The longest track and field event at the Summer Olympics is the 50-kilometer race walk，which is about five miles longer than the marathon．But the sportˈs rules require that a race walkerˈs knees stay straight through most of the leg swing and one foot remain in contact（接触）with the ground at all times．Itˈs this strange form that makes race walking such an attractive activity，however，says Jaclyn Norberg，an assistant professor of exercise science at Salem State University in Salem，Mass．

    Like running，race walking is physically demanding，she says．According to most calculations，race walkers moving at a pace of six miles per hour would burn about 800 calories（卡路里）per hour，which is approximately twice as many as they would burn walking，although fewer than running，which would probably burn about 1，0000 or more calories per hour．

    However，race walking does not pound the body as much as running does，Dr． Norberg says．According to her research，runners hit the ground with as much as four times their body weight per step，while race walkers，who do not leave the ground，create only about 1.4 times their body weight with each step．

    As a result，she says，some of the injuries associated with running，such as runnerˈs knee，are uncommon among race walkers．But the sportˈs strange form does place considerable stress on the ankles and hips，so people with a history of such injuries might want to be cautious in adopting the sport．In fact，anyone wishing to try race walking should probably first consult a coach or experienced racer to learn proper technique，she says．It takes some practice．

Why are race walkers conditioned athletes？
A. They must run long distances． B. They are qualified for the marathon． C. They have to follow special rules． D. They are good at swinging their legs．
What advantage dose race walking have over running？
A. Itˈs more popular at the Olympics． B. Itˈs less challenging physically． C. Itˈs more effective in body building． D. Itˈs less likely to cause knee injuries．
What is Dr． Norbergˈs suggestion for someone trying race walking？
A. Getting expertsˈ opinions． B. Having a medical checkup． C. Hiring an experienced coach． D. Doing regular exercises．
Which word best describes the authorˈs attitude to race walking？
A. Skeptical． B. Objective． C. Tolerant． D. Conservative．

   Some parents will buy any high﹣tech toy if they think it will help their child，but researchers said puzzles help children with math-related skills．

    Psychologist Susan Levine，an expert on mathematics development in young children at the University of Chicago，found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills．Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of cognition（认知）after controlling for differences in parentsˈ income，education and the amount of parent talk，Levine said．

    The researchers analyzed video recordings of 53 child-parent pairs during everyday activities at home and found children who play with puzzles between 26 and 46 months of age have better spatial skills when assessed at 54 months of age．

    "The children who played with puzzles performed better than those who did not，on tasks that assessed their ability to rotate（旋转）and translate shapes，" Levine said in a statement．

    The parents were asked to interact with their children as they normally would， and about half of the children in the study played with puzzles at one time．Higher-income parents tended to have children play with puzzles more frequently，and both boys and girls who played with puzzles had better spatial skills．However，boys tended to play with more complex puzzles than girls，and the parents of boys provided more spatial language and were more active during puzzle play than the parents of girls．

    The findings were published in the journal Developmental Science．

In which aspect do children benefit from puzzle play？
A. Building confidence． B. Developing spatial skills． C. Learning self-control． D. Gaining high-tech knowledge．
What did Levine take into consideration when designing her experiment？
A. Parentsˈ age． B. Childrenˈs imagination． C. Parentsˈ education． D. Child-parent relationship．
How do boys differ from girls in puzzle play？
A. They play with puzzles more often． B. They tend to talk less during the game． C. They prefer to use more spatial language． D. They are likely to play with tougher puzzles．
What is the text mainly about？
A. A mathematical method． B. A scientific study． C. A woman psychologist． D. A teaching program．

Awesome Renaissance Festivals
The Renaissance（复兴）is often romanticized in books． But there's a specific type of live event that caters to（迎合）those who want to pretend they're walking through the 16th-century England．
Texas Renaissance Festival
The Texas Renaissance Festival is the largest event of its kind in the country． It takes place over nine weekends in Todd Mission． When it first started over four decades ago， the festival drew 30，000 people． Now， it sees over a half-million attendees during its run each October and November． Each weekend has a different theme to keep happenings fresh for repeat visitors．
Sterling Renaissance Festival
The Sterling Renaissance Festival， held on weekends in July and August， takes place in Warwick， which has been created to look like a 16th century English town． Actors play the role of real historical figures like Queen Elizabeth I． The performers not only play on stages， but also wander around interacting with attendees． This gives the Sterling festival more of a "living history" feel than other similar events．
Bristol Renaissance Faire
The Bristol Renaissance Faire is held in July and August． Like Sterling， this one is set during the period of Elizabeth I． An actor playing the part of the famous English ruler makes an appearance with her "court" each year． Other actors also take part in the Bristol Faire． Many of these performers are professionals from Second City and the Players Workshop．
Arizona Renaissance Festival
Renaissance festivals are often summertime affairs． But that's not the case in Arizona， where the Arizona Renaissance Festival kicks off in February and runs through the end of March． This helps the fest-goers avoid the hot Southwest summertime， and it also allows for special themed weekends． The Renaissance Festival is a big attraction here， drawing about 250，000 people per year．



Where can visitors enjoy the largest Renaissance Festival？ ______

A. In Warwick．
B. In Second City．
C. In Todd Mission．
D. In Arizona．

What makes Sterling Renaissance Festival special？ ______

A. People can see "Queen Elizabeth I"．
B. It is held on weekends in July and August．
C. It gives people more of a "living history" feel．
D. It takes place in a town built in the 16th century．

Which festival takes place in spring？ ______

A. Bristol Renaissance Faire．
B. Texas Renaissance Festival．
C. Sterling Renaissance Festival．
D. Arizona Renaissance Festival．

    For those who can stomach it，working out before breakfast may be more beneficial for health than eating first，according to a study of meal timing and physical activity．

    Athletes and scientists have long known that meal timing affects performance．However，far less has been known about how meal timing and exercise might affect general health．

    To find out，British scientists conducted a study．They first found 10 overweight and inactive but otherwise healthy young men，whose lifestyles are，for better and worse，representative of those of most of us．They tested the menˈs fitness and resting metabolic （新陈代谢的） rates and took samples （样品） of their blood and fat tissue．

    Then，on two separate morning visits to the scientistsˈ lab，each man walked for an hour at an average speed that，in theory，should allow his body to rely mainly on fat for fuel． Before one of these workouts，the men skipped breakfast， meaning that they exercised on a completely empty stomach after a long overnight fast（禁食）．On the other occasion，they ate a rich morning meal about two hours before they started walking．

    Just before and an hour after each workout，the scientists took additional samples of the menˈs blood and fat tissue．

    Then they compared the samples．There were considerable differences．Most obviously，the men displayed lower blood sugar levels at the start of their workouts when they had skipped breakfast than when they had eaten．As a result，they burned more fat during walks on an empty stomach than when they had eaten first．On the other hand，they burned slightly more calories（卡路里）， on average，during the workout after breakfast than after fasting．

    But it was the effects deep within the fat cells that may have been the most significant，the researchers found Multiple genes behaved differently，depending on whether someone had eaten or not before walking．Many of these genes produce proteins （蛋白质） that can improve blood sugar regulation and insulin（胰岛素） levels throughout the body and so are associated with improved metabolic health．These genes were much more active when the men had fasted before exercise than when they had breakfasted．

    The implication of these results is that to gain the greatest health benefits from exercise，it may be wise to skip eating first．

The underlined expression "stomach it" in Paragraph 1 most probably means "____"．
A. digest the meal easily B. manage without breakfast C. decide wisely what to eat D. eat whatever is offered
Why were the 10 people chosen for the experiment？
A. Their lifestyles were typical of ordinary people． B. Their lack of exercise led to overweight． C. They could walk at an average speed． D. They had slow metabolic rates．
What happened to those who ate breakfast before exercise？
A. They successfully lost weight． B. They consumed a bit more calories． C. They burned more fat on average． D. They displayed higher insulin levels．
What could be learned from the research？
A. A workout after breakfast improves gene performances． B. Too much workout often slows metabolic rates． C. Lifestyle is not as important as morning exercise． D. Physical exercise before breakfast is better for health．

Rainforests are home to a rich variety of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals. Can you believe that a single bush （灌木丛） in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the whole of Britain! About 480 varieties of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest.
  Rainforests are the lungs of the planet - storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world's oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own survival；the tall trees make a canopy（树冠层） of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain,intense dry heat from the sun and strong winds.
  Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is the plants' way to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects like caterpillars. To survive in the forest, animals must climb, jump or fly across the gaps. The ground floor of the forest is not all tangled leaves and bushes, like in films, but is actually fairly clear. It is where dead leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.
  They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can generate 75% of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal - and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain - your umbrella may protect you in a shower, but it won't keep you dry if there is a full rainstorm. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. The humidity（湿气）of large rainforests contributes to the formation of rainclouds that may travel to other countries in need of rain.



What can we learn about rainforests from the first paragraph？ ______

A. They produce oxygen.
B. They cover a vast area.
C. They are well managed.
D. They are rich in wildlife.

Which of the following contributes most to the survival of rainforests？ ______

A. Heavy rains.
B. Big trees.
C. Small plants.
D. Forest animals.

Why do the leaves and branches of different trees avoid touching each other？ ______

A. For more sunlight.
B. For more growing space.
C. For self-protection.
D. For the detection of insects.

What can be a suitable title for the text？ ______

A. Life-Giving Rainforests
B. The Law of the Jungle
C. Animals in the Amazon
D. Weather in Rainforests

    Challenging work that requires lots of analytical thinking，planning and other managerial skills might help your brain stay sharp as you age，a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology suggests．

    Researchers from the University of Leipzig in Germany gathered more than 1，000 retired workers who were over age 75 and assessed the volunteersˈ memory and thinking skills through a battery of tests．Then，for eight years，the scientists asked the same group to come back to the lab every 18 months to take the same sorts of tests．

    Those who had held mentally stimulating（刺激），demanding jobs before retirement tended to do the best on the tests．And they tended to lose cognitive（认知）function at a much slower rate than those with the least mentally challenging jobs．The results held true even after the scientists accounted for the participantsˈ overall health status．

    "This works just like physical exercise，" says Francisca Then，who led the study．"After a long run，you may feel like youˈre in pain，you may feel tired．But it makes you fit．After a long day at work—sure，you will feel tired，but it can help your brain stay healthy．"

    Itˈs not just corporate jobs，or even paid work that can help keep your brain fit．Then points out．A waiterˈs job，for example，that requires multitasking，teamwork and decision-making could be just as stimulating as any high-level office work．And "running a family household requires high-level planning and coordinating（协调），" she says．"You have to organize the activities of the children and take care of the bills and groceries．"

    Of course，our brains can decline as we grow older for lots of reasons—including other environmental influences or genetic factors．Still，continuing to challenge yourself mentally and keeping your mind busy can only help．

Why did the scientists ask the volunteers to take the tests？
A. To assess their health status． B. To evaluate their work habits． C. To analyze their personality． D. To measure their mental ability．
How does Francisca Then explain her findings in paragraph 4？
A. By using an expertˈs words． B. By making a comparison． C. By referring to another study． D. By introducing a concept．
Which of the following is the best title for the text？
A. Retired Workers Can Pick Up New Skills B. Old People Should Take Challenging Jobs C. Your Tough Job Might Help Keep You Sharp D. Cognitive Function May Decline As You Age

Poetry is the artistic expression of the human thoughts and feelings in rhythmical and emotional language． Compared with prose （散文） ， it lays more stress on rhythm， imagery （意象）， emotion， and imagination． As its language is rhythmical， its sound is highly musical． We may say， "No rhythm， no poetry"， no matter the rhythm of poetry is traditional as in metrical （格律的） style or "natural" as in free verse．
So the poet must write carefully and reflectively in order to find words that not only fulfills the demands of meter and rhyme， but also expresses the meaning in a manner that complements the imagery and tone of the rest of the poem． This careful use of language is the most significant difference between ordinary prose and poetry．
The ordinary prose writer neatly builds an argument using words the way a mason （石匠）builds a house using bricks； the poet is an artisan who creates a fieldstone hearth （大卵石壁炉炉床）- each stone or each word is turned over， examined， and often laid aside until it can be placed where its shape， weight， and color will contribute to the strength and beauty of the whole． Prose， according to Samuel Taylor Coleridge， is "words in their best order"， and poetry is "the best words in their best order"．
The reader's chief delight in reading poetry comes from his response to its musical effect， which comes from many metrical patterns represented in conventional iambic （抑扬格） feet or from repetitions and parallel phrasing shown in free verse and from other elements of poetry．



What's the purpose of saying "No rhythm， no poetry" in paragraph 1？ ______

A. To show the importance of rhythm in poetry．
B. To show rhythm is the most important element．
C. To show there is no limit on the use of rhythm．
D. To show rhythm is more important than poetry．

What is the most important difference between ordinary prose and poetry？ ______

A. The degree of emotion．
B. The careful choice of words．
C. The delicate use of the metric style．
D. The demands of meter and rhyme．

Where is the reader's main joy in reading poetry？ ______

A. The experience of the poet's emotion．
B. The appreciation of the metrical pattern．
C. The reader's reaction to the musical effect．
D. The comprehension of the thoughts and feelings．

How is the text mainly developed？ ______

A. By definition．
B. By examples．
C. By quotation．
D. By comparison．

A Russian spacecraft traveling to the International Space Station Thursday had to make an emergency landing when a rocket engine failed to fire． It was the latest in a recent series of failures for the Russian space program， which is also used by the U．S． to carry its astronauts to the station．
United States astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Alexei Ovchinin landed safely about 20 kilometers from Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan． The city is about 450 kilometers from the Russia's Baikonur space center， which Russia operates through an agreement with the Republic of Kazakhstan．
Both the U．S． space agency NASA and Russia's Roscosmos reported that the two were quickly recovered from the landing area by rescue crews． A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said， "Thank God the crew is alive" after they had landed safely．
About two minutes after launching， the three-stage Soyuz booster rocket suffered an unspecified failure of its second stage． Russia's TASS news agency said the capsule carrying the two men separated from the troubled rocket safely． This caused the capsule to drop very sharply into the Earth's atmosphere． Parachutes（降落伞）helped slow the returning capsule． Search and rescue teams were sent to recover the crew．
Russia's RIA news agency reported that Russia has immediately put off all manned space launches after the failure． Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said he had ordered a state commission to carry out an investigation into what went wrong． He said Russia will share all relevant information with the U．S．
The TASS news agency said that the ISS crew has enough supplies and that the failed launch will not affect operations．
The U．S． and other nations have depended on Russia to carry astronauts to the ISS since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011． In coming years， American aerospace companies SpaceX， with its Dragon 2， and Boeing， with its Starliner， are expected to return to space．



What can be the best title of the text？ ______

A. The Rescue of Two Astronauts
B. The Launch of Russian Spacecraft
C. Cooperation between Russia and America
D. Emergency Landing in Failed Space Launch

What caused the failure of the launch？ ______

A. The problem of the engine．
B. The terrible weather．
C. The drop of the capsule．
D. The wrong operation．

What can we infer from the last two paragraphs？ ______

A. SpaceX is sure to go back to space soon．
B. America carried astronauts to the ISS by itself before 2011．
C. Now only Russia can carry astronauts to space．
D. the ISS crew lives a very good life in the space station．

What can we learn about the launch？ ______

A. The capsule landed safely in Dzhezkazgan， Russia．
B. Russia had never failed in the space launch before this failure．
C. The failed launch will have a serious effect on the operations．
D. At first the capsule dropped very rapidly into the Earth's atmosphere．

If you feel sick or uncomfortable， you might seek out a doctor． But what to do if you don't quite know where you fit into this world and you're tired of carrying that burden alone？
I answered strangers" questions on life puzzles at the entrance to the New York City subway at 57 th and 8th． A group of strangers had stopped by because they were carrying around some deep， meaningful questions that had long gone unanswered， like "why can't I be happier in my life？"
And then I spotted her， who would be my toughest questioner of the day． She was about 6 years old and held her mother's hand as she craned（伸长脖子）her neck to stare at as． Her mother stopped， but the girl hesitated． "It's OK，" I offered． "Do you have a question？" The girl smiled at her mother， then let go of her hand to walk over towards us． She looked me dead in the eye and said： "How do I know I'm real？"
Suddenly I was back in graduate school． Should I talk about the French philosopher Rene Descartes to prove our existence， with the phrase "I think， therefore I am？" Or， menlion English philosopher G．
Moore and his famous uhere is one hand， here is the other，" to prove the existence of the external world？ But then the answer came to me． I remembered that the most important part of philosophy was feeding our sense of wonder． "Close your eyes， I said． She did． "Well，did you disappear？" She smiled and shook her head， then opened her eyes． "Congratulations， you're real． "
She grinned（露齿而笑）broadly and walked over to her mother， who looked back at us and smiled．



Why did the author show up at the entrance of the subway？ ______

A. To take the subway．
B. To look for strangers" help．
C. To offer advice on life puzzles．
D. To help strangers carry their bags．

What made the little girl stare at the author？ ______

A. Curiosity．
B. Horror．
C. Excitement．
D. Nervousness．

How did the girl find the answer？ ______

A. By hearing a story．
B. By learning philosophy．
C. By referring to others" words．
D. By having a real experience．

Which of the following can best describe the author？ ______

A. Strict and smart．
B. Honest and brave．
C. Clever and helpful．
D. Humorous and sociable．

One day your pocket might power your smartphone． Soon you may never have to worry about your smartphone running out of juice． Your clothing will simply power it back up for you． That's the word from scientists at China's Chongqing and Jinan Universities in a study just published in the journal ACS Nano．
Researchers have been hard at work during the last few years trying to create wearable energy， or clothes that can charge things． The assumption is simple． People today rely heavily upon devices such as smartphones and tablets． And they're looking for ways to recharge these devices on the go． So if you could design clothing fabric that could make use of solar power -one of the most widely available and inexhaustible renewable energy sources - you'd be able to charge your various devices with ease．
Scientists have had some past success creating energy-harvesting fibers． But there was always one problem when they tried to fashion these threads into self-powered smart clothes： The fibers they designed got damaged during the clothing manufacturing process， namely during the weaving and cutting． The Chongqing and Jinan University scientists say they've solved this problem because the energy-collecting and energy-storing threads they created are highly flexible - each individual thread is easily bendable， and not simply the fabric as a whole．
The team's sample textile can be fully charged to 1.2 volts in 17 seconds by exposure to sunlight - enough voltage that your future smart T-shirt or smart dress might be able to power small electronics． It's durable， too； their research showed there was no descent in the fabric after 60 days． But don't worry that this means the fabric is similar to rough cloth． The scientists note their textile can be fashioned into numerous different patterns， and tailored into any designed shape， without affecting performance．



What does the underlined phrase "running out of juice" in Paragraph 1 mean？ ______

A. Being lacking in energy．
B. Wanting to have some juice．
C. Being picked out of a drink．
D. Having some water running out．

Why could smart dress charge a phone？ ______

A. A solar cell is attached to the dress．
B. The fabric of the textile contains current．
C. The fabric of the textile is easily bendable．
D. The fabric of the textile could collect and store the solar energy．

What is the scientists" attitude towards the scientific technology？ ______

A. Optimistic．
B. Pessimistic．
C. Neutral．
D. Doubtful．

This passage is written to ______ ．

A. persuade readers to buy new clothes
B. inform readers of the ways to use their devices
C. introduce new wearable energy to readers
D. remind readers to wear smart clothes