Plans kick off soon (P2)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
Are you a fan of soccer? Many people never expect much from our national soccer team, as they have rarely had the chance to cheer for a triumph from the national team. What do you think should be done to improve the performance of the Chinese soccer team?

II. Reading
Read the article and answer the following questions.
1. What are the details of China’s soccer reform plan?
According to the plan, by 2025, 50,000 elementary and middle schools will include soccer in the curriculum. Students will be given textbooks that teach the positions of players and soccer tactics. They will also be encouraged to form soccer teams and participate in competitions regularly. The elite young players will be enrolled into local leagues and training camps, helping to build up a large soccer talent pool.

2. What do critics think is the biggest reason for the poor performance of the Chinese soccer team?
Critics say the biggest reason is a lack of a well-built youth training system, which is key to creating a strong soccer culture.

3. What is La Masia in Barcelona well known for?
The FC Barcelona youth academy is widely known for producing skillful and creative soccer talents.

4. What measures did Germany take to produce good young players after its failure at the 2000 European Championships?
In 2001, the German Football League required that all Bundesliga clubs set up academies with youth teams from U12 to U23. The clubs now spend over 100 million (800 million yuan) on youth development each year. And they have successfully raised the standards of young German players.

Read the article again and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. When Chinese soccer development is reformed, ____.
A. middle schools will be required to form soccer teams and organize competitions
B. the outstanding young soccer players will have access to better training
C. students will learn more about the history of soccer and famous soccer players
D. all elementary schools across the country will include soccer in their curriculum
2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
A. Tuition fees at La Masia are so high that many kids cannot afford to study there.
B. Those admitted into La Masia are required to receive a 10-year training plan.
C. The teams in Germany’s Bundesliga academies are divided into 11 levels.
D. Germany’s failure at the 2000 European Championships pushed it to improve its soccer education.
3. Which of the following words best describe President Xi Jinping’s tone in the last paragraph?
A. Encouraging.
B. Critical.
C. Worrying.
D. Approving.
4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?
A. To call on the reader to get more involved in soccer.
B. To introduce China’s new reform plan for soccer education.
C. To point out that China must learn from Spain and Germany about soccer education.
D. To analyze why Spain and Germany dominate the world of soccer.

解析:
1. B。第二段里提到，出类拔萃的年轻运动员们将会加入当地的联赛球队和训练营，所以B为正确答案。
2. D。根据第六段可以得此答案。根据第六段的“Studying there is free of charge”可以排除A；B文中没有提到。第六段里提到，这些俱乐部分U12到U23级，一共是12级，所以C也不对。
3. A。最后一段里，习近平提到，“想要得到好结果需要长时间的努力……中国的足球梦看上去遥不可及，但是我们不能停止前进的步伐。”，此时他的语气应该是encouraging。
4. B。结合全文来看，本文的目的应该是介绍中国足球方面的教育改革。作者以西班牙和德国举例说明，加强在青少年足球方面的教育，能有效地帮助提高该国的足球水平。

III. Language study
Useful expressions:
为国家队的胜利欢呼 cheer for a triumph from the national team
点燃对……的希望 ignite hope for something
促进中国足球事业的发展 boost the development of soccer in China
定期参加比赛 participate in competitions regularly
落后于很多其他国家 lag behind many other countries
在世界足球界占主导地位 dominate the world of soccer
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Mammoths may return (P5)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
If you’ve ever seen a movie from the popular Ice Age animated movie series, you’re no stranger to woolly mammoths. If there were a technology that could bring back this extinct species, would you want to use it? Why or why not?

II. Reading
Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. We can infer from the article that ____.
A. scientific studies on mammoths didn’t begin until May 2013
B. the technology to revive mammoth genes is already mature
C. George Church and his colleagues tried to reproduce mammoth DNA
D. Church and his team managed to list all the genes that separate mammoths from elephants
2. According to Church, what is the significance of his study?
A. It could help prevent the extinction of the Asian elephant.
B. It could help people better tell elephant DNA from mammoth genes.
C. It could help bring back some extinct species and save fragile ecosystems.
D. It could help bring mammoths back to life via cloning from frozen remains.
3. The underlined word “unethical” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ____.
A. wrong  B. unworthy
C. impractical  D. interesting
4. According to the article, Professor Alex Greenwood believes that _____.
A. there is no need to worry about the extinction of African and Asian elephants at present
B. it’s necessary to bring back species that are beneficial to human beings from extinction
C. the return of the woolly mammoth would help to balance ecosystems
D. it’s more important to protect present species than to bring back extinct ones

Key:
1. C。第四段里提到，科学家们先是找到不同于大象的猛犸象的基因，将其用来再造14个猛犸象的基因。第六段里Church说，他更愿意通过分析现存猛犸象遗骸的DNA、然后再将其放入与其亲缘关系最近的现存物种即亚洲象的细胞中的方法，来重建猛犸象的完整基因组。所以C是正确答案。
2. C。根据第七段可以得此答案。
3. A。下文Alex Greenwood反驳道，为什么不努力去保护好现有的物种，而是想要把已经灭绝的物种复活？这样传达的信息就是我们可以对环境为所欲为、不负责任。所以持反对意见的科学家应该是觉得复活猛犸象的研究是不对的，A的意思最为接近。
4. D。根据最后一段可以得此答案。

III. Language study
1. According to The Telegraph, woolly mammoths (长毛猛犸象), which featured in the popular Ice Age animated movie series, “may walk the earth once more” now that scientists have taken another step toward realizing a long-held dream – recreating their DNA.
这句话的主干成分是woolly mammoths … “may walk the earth once more”。句中which引导非限制性定语从句，修饰先行词woolly mammoths；now that引导原因状语从句。Feature的意思是“在……中扮演主要角色”，例如：Jon featured in one of the show's most thrilling episodes. 乔恩主演剧中最引人入胜的剧集之一。。句意为：《每日电讯报》称，《冰河时代》系列动画电影中的主角猛犸象也许会重返地球，因为科学家们长久以来一直梦想重造它们的DNA，现在他们离梦想更近一步了。

2. He said he “preferred to focus on rebuilding the full mammoth genome by analyzing DNA from preserved remains and putting it into the cells of its closest living relative – the Asian elephant,” reported The Telegraph.
在said后面的宾语从句中，主干结构为：he preferred to focus on …，其后的by analyzing … and putting …作方式状语。句意：他说，他更愿意侧重于通过分析现存猛犸象遗骸的DNA、然后再将其放入与其亲缘关系最近的现存物种即亚洲象的细胞中的方法，来重建猛犸象的完整基因组。

IV. After reading
Further thinking:
Reread the last two paragraphs of the article and think about the following question.
 Are you for or against Professor Alex Greenwood’s view? Why?

Dealing with pain (P6)
I. Skimming
Read the story quickly and answer the following questions.
1. What caused the author’s feet to hurt? How did she deal with it?
It was arthritis. She had thought the pain would gradually disappear, but it didn’t. So after a week of pain, she went to see a foot doctor.

2. What did the author learn from her experience?
It’s easy to take some things for granted. But it should never be the people we love.

II. Scanning
Read the article again and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. Why didn’t the author go to see the doctor for the first week?
A. Because she thought it was too cold to step out of her room.
B. Because she believed that she could endure the pain like her brother did.
C. Because she was afraid that her brother would laugh at her.
D. Because she expected that the pain would gradually disappear.
2. Who had a disease that was different from the other people mentioned?
A. The author.  B. The author’s brother.
C. The author’s parents.
D. The author’s grandparents.
3. After having the injection, the author ____.
A. felt regretful because it hurt so much
B. was satisfied with her recovery
C. felt better but could still feel the “ice pick” pain
D. was busy with housework that had been delayed for days
4. From her experience of arthritis, the author learned that _____.
A. we should be grateful to people who help us relieve pain
B. a stabbing pain in the heart is as painful as one in the foot
C. we should always remember to show our love to the people we love
D. we should never take for granted the pain we experience in life

Key:
1. D。从I kept thinking that the little man would get tired of stabbing me and go pick on somebody else. 及We often take things for granted until we lose them or they start to hurt.可知，作者最初寄希望于疼痛自己消失，并不当回事。
2. B。从文中My brother deals with pain every day. He’s also blind and suffers from cerebral palsy以及I’d often heard it hissed angrily by my grandparents and parents, all attacked by Arthur’s ice pick when they got older.可知，作者和父母以及祖父母都患有关节炎，而其兄弟则是脑瘫。
3. B。从It hurt just a bit, but no ice pick.可知，治疗的效果很好，作者很满意。
4. C。从文章最后一段It’s easy to take some things for granted. But it should never be the people we love. 可知，作者从自身的经历想到，我们不应该把一切都认为理所当然，尤其对我们爱的人。

III. Language study
1. My whole body hurt. Even my hair.
释义：甚至连头发都觉得疼。
分析：Even my hair是夸张的修辞手法，就是故意夸大事实，给人以深刻的印象，起强调作用。作者这样说也增加了行文诙谐幽默的色彩。再如：The waves were as high as a mountain. 海浪像山一样高。

2. We often take things for granted until we lose them or they start to hurt.
释义：通常我们认为很多东西是理所当然的，直至我们失去它们或者开始感到疼痛。
分析：take sth/sb for granted是固定用法，意为“认为……是理所当然的”，通常暗含不去表示感激或不去重视的含义。如：One of the problems with parents is that after a while you just take them for granted.与父母相处中会遇到的一个问题是，日久之后，你就会把父母的付出看成理所当然的了。