When movie star Scarlett Johansson was photographed naming in Los Angeles recently, she attracted a lot of attention; for the 27-year-old actress was wearing Vibram FiveFingers, so called because they look more like gloves than shoes, with a space for each toe.
Strange though they may look, these so-called barefoot shoes, which reproduce the effect of barefoot running but with less pain, are just one brand in a range of minimalist footwear. These super-thin sports shoes are causing a stir in the world of running and fitness. Why? Because some experts believe they could make you a better, more efficient runner and that traditional trainers could be doing you more harm than good.
"Wearing a shoe that has lots of cushioning and support affects the way your body naturally moves and studies suggest that this carries a higher risk of injury," explains Matt Wallden, an athlete performance expert. "But with barefoot shoes, the foot can actually feel the firmness and shape of the ground, which allows your body to respond effectively.'"
But before you rush out to invest in minimalist footwear, be careful. These kinds of shoes are not meant for everyone, or at least not straight away.
"Ordinary sports shoes with support are good for beginners whose bodies are not used to the impact of running," explains Patrick Davoren, former Olympic athlete. "If you are not in great condition, then running in minimalist footwear may cause injuries and will turn a lot of people off exercise and running.
If you are currently injured, and figures show that in any given year 65% of all runners are, it can be tempting to try anything that promises to get you back on the road, trail, or beach. But barefoot running is not a method of treating injury nor is it a magical way of suddenly turning you into a great athlete.
Even if you're used to running, when you start using minimalist shoes you should build up your distance gradually. Start_off'by doing just 10% of what you'd normally run and increase the distance by no more than 10% every week. And a word of warning - you may never have soft feet again
1.The Vibram FiveFingers are shoes ______.
A．specifically designed for women
B．that have lots of cushion inside
C．safest for people who enjoy sports
D．that are much thinner than normal sports shoes
2.The underlined word "they" in paragraph 2 refers to ________.
A．experts B．feet C．shoes D．runners
3.According to Matt Wallden, the new shoes ________.
A．make feet more sensitive to the running surface
B．will produce immediate improvements
C．force your body to move less naturally
D．increase the chances of getting hurt
4.The author suggests that new users of Vibram FiveFingers should ________.
A．run in the shoes every day at top speed
B．begin with a shorter running distance than normal
C．occasionally run barefooted to harden their feet
D．make sure they are already very fit before using them
5.Where would you probably read this article?
A．A travel book. B．A movie website.
C．A sports magazine. D．A science journal.
Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.
1.The purpose of the text is to _______.
A．tell us what life is like in Yemen
B．draw our attention to water shortage
C．remind us how important water is
D．show us ways of solving problems
2.The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A．buying water from shops
B．drinking dirty water
C．suffering from water shortage
D．washing clothes with used water
3. Hannan described _____.
A．what her life is like
B．how beautiful Lahej is
C．how people use water fully
D．how heavy the traffic in Lahej is
4.The Yemen Government _____.
A．has found a practical solution
B．only cares about rich people
C．may try to make use of seawater
D．can do nothing about the water supply
5.We can infer from the text that _____.
A．Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years
B．Hannan is a teenager from a rich family
C．the capital of Yemen is developing fast
D．private companies make a lot of money
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up(混合)and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor(幽默感),you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It’s better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning Englsih is：“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”
1.The writer thinks that the best way for you to learn a language is_______.
A．writing B．using it C．listening D．learning grammar
2.What should you do in learning Englsih?
A．Be careful not to make any mistake. B．Write as quickly as you can.
C．Speak English as much as you can. D．Laugh more often.
3.When people laugh at your mistakes, you should______.
A．not care B．be happy C．feel worried D．be unhappy
4.When you make a mistake, you should______.
A．keep quiet B．get angry C．be kind D．keep your sense of humor
5.The story tells us,“________”
A．Only foolish people make mistakes
B．Few people make mistakes
C．People never make mistakes
D．There is no one who doesn’t make mistakes
Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in Lon-don. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry,“Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.
1.We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.
A．a conductor B．a worker C．a thief D．an umbrella maker
2.The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ______.
A．his ticket B．his bag C．his drawing D．his umbrella
3. Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?
A．Because he was lost in thought.
B．Because it was much like his own umbrella.
C．Because he thought the woman would not notice it.
D．Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown.
4.When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman felt ______.
A．surprised B．angry C．fortunate D．sad
5.How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?
A．He picked them on the train.
B．He brought them from his small town.
C．He bought them in London.
D．He stole them from four women.
“At last, no more exams.” It’s a common feeling among high school graduates who have just completed the college entrance examination. What a relief! However, rather than fill the next three months with sleep, eating, and 1. (watch) TV, some students have started working on finding a good choice of foreign college.
Different from those who begin their 2. (apply) for foreign colleges in Senior 2, Li made a late decision on a US education. She began to think about it in Senior 3, but decided not 3. ( give ) up the college entrance exam.
Li’s classmate Mao Bingxin 4. (consider) studying in Canada after the top exam. She began a TOEFL course on June 11.
He Wei, 5. 18-year-old who studies at Shenzhen Bao’an High School, isn’t allowing 6. much freedom this summer vacation either, devoting her time to looking for a language school 7. she can study French and some overseas study consulting agencies.
He Wei considers 8. worthwhile spending the summer preparing for college rather than hanging out with friends. “ 9. we don’t really know what the future holds for us, we are sure that the better preparations we make 10. it, the more choices we will be given.” she said.
It was a sunny day. A city man was driving along a country road with a new wagon（马车）and a beautiful pair of horses. He didn’t pay a lot of 11 to where he was going. Pretty soon 12_ that he was lost, but he continued to drive, expecting to refind his way or to 13 someone who could tell him how to get back to the 14 .
It was a long 15 road. For many __16__ he kept on driving. When it was almost dark ，he saw in a field a tall 17 ploughing（犁地） the land. He stopped his 18 team of horses near the fence and called out，“Hello，farmer.”
“Hello，yourself，”the farmer___19____，still ploughing .
“Where does the horse go？”he asked without knowing his language mistakes.
“I haven’t seen it go anywhere. It 20 stays right where it is，”said the farmer，withoutstopping his work.
“How far is it to the next town？” said the city man，speaking a little more 21 .
“Don’t know. I never 22 it,” replied the farmer. By this time the city man was getting 23 .“What do you know？You’re the biggest fool I ever saw.”
Finally stopping, the farmer turned and looked for a long time 24 at the city man. Then he said，“Maybe I don’t know much. 25 I am a fool. But at least I’m not lost！”
1. A．signs B．orders C．attention D．direction
2. A．realized B．recognized C．accepted D．received
3. A．miss B．meet C．look D．lose
4. A．town B．country C．capital D．village
5. A．lonely B．busy C．dirty D．crowded
6.A seconds B. minutes C. hours D years
7. A．driver B．policeman C．farmer D．worker
8. A．strong B．tired C．weak D．tiring
9. A．asked B．demanded C．replied D．ordered
10. A．always B．often C．sometimes D．seldom
11. A．politely B．friendly C．loudly D．angrily
12. A．judged B．measured C．saw D．studied
13. A．sad B．lovely C．friendly D．angry
14. A．gladly B．immediately C．silently D．excitedly
15. A．Generally B．Fortunately C．Certainly D．Perhaps
