Beijing bids again (P2)

I. Pre-reading 

Discuss the following questions with your partner.

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games once drew the world’s attention to Beijing. Now the 2022 Winter Olympic Games could be coming, too. Beijing is one of the two candidates to host the biggest international event in winter sports. Do you want Beijing to win the bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games? Why or why not?

II. Reading 

Read the article and answer the following questions.

1. Which city is the other candidate besides Beijing to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games?

Almaty in Kazakhstan.

2. When and where will the final host city be announced?

The final host city will be announced on July 31 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

3. Why is the bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games significant for Beijing?

If Beijing wins the bid, it will be the first city in history to organize both the summer and winter Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, as Beijing mayor Wang Anshun pointed, it will be a great opportunity to improve transportation infrastructure in the two cities and reduce Beijing’s air pollution. Around 600,000 more jobs will be created. The events will also encourage more young people to participate in winter sports, Xinhua said.

Fill in the gaps with the correct words according to the article. 

Bidding to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games

CitiesAdvantagesDisadvantages

BeijingThe successful organization of the 2008 Summer Games proved the city’s 1. ________. The city would 2. ________ venues and infrastructures constructed back then for the Winter Games, showing a spirit of 3. ________  development. Beijing plans to host most of the ice events in six 4. ________ venues including the Water Cube aquatics center.

5. ________ events would be held in Chongli County in Zhangjiakou. The county has over four months of 6. ________ a year, which would provide enough snow for the competitions. In addition, the average winter temperature there is around -12 C, which is preferable to extremely low temperatures. The heights of the mountains in Chongli range from 814 meters to 2,174 meters, suitable for 7. ________ competitions as the slopes are mostly between 5 to 35 degrees.8. ________, which hits Beijing and Hebei frequently, may get in the way.

AlmatyThe city will also have venues in place after it finishes hosting the 2017 Winter Universiade. The 9. ________ there is better than that in Beijing and there is a 10. ________ winter sports culture there.The city 11. ________ the experience of hosting world events.

Poor 12. ________ and telecommunications networks are also disadvantages.

Key: 

1. abilities2. make use of3. sustainable4. existing5. Snow     6. snowfall

7. skiing8. Smog9. air            10. stronger  11. lacks   12. transport

III. Language study

Useful expression:

让粉丝们紧张兴奋，坐立不安  keeps fans on the edge of their seats

有能力做某事 be capable of doing sth

机会似乎有利于某人 the odds seem to be in favor of sb

可持续发展精神 a spirit of sustainable development

妨碍，挡路get in the way

优势 strong point

缺乏做某事的经验 lack the experience of doing sth

参加冬季运动 participate in winter sports

  Basketball tournament drives the US crazy (P4-5)

I. Pre-reading 

Discuss the following questions with your partner.

Are you a fan of basketball?

Do you know what drives the US crazy in March?

The national men’s college basketball tournament.

II. Reading 

Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about March Madness according to the article?

A. This year March Madness began on March 15 and ended at the end of March.

B. About a quarter of American people watch the national tournament every year.

C. The more prestigious a college is, the more support it gets from its students in the tournament.

D. It seems unreasonable if an employer doesn’t allow its employees to watch the games.

2. We can infer from the last paragraph that ____.

A. it’s unfair for a big school to lose to a small one in the tournament

B. a big part of the national tournament’s charm is that miracles can happen

C. March Madness provides the biggest stage for players to become famous in America

D. Americans think success that comes unexpectedly doesn’t last long

3. What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?

A. To call on people to watch March Madness this year.

B. To inform the reader of the popularity of March Madness in America.

C. To provide some key facts about March Madness this year.

D. To explain why Barack Obama is fascinated by March Madness.

Key:

1. D。根据第四段可以得此答案。第二段提到今年该赛事的时间是3月15日到4月6日，所以A不对。BC文中都没有提到。

2. B。最后一段里提到，该赛事另一大魅力是它的不确定性，任何结果都可能发生，大校可能会输给小校，而美国人很喜欢看到这样的事情发生，所以答案为B。

3. B。这篇文章开头以奥巴马看该球赛导入，然后具体介绍了人们对它的喜爱，所以B为正确答案。

III. After reading

Further thinking:

What makes March Madness so popular in the US?

The competition’s popularity lies in the fact that players are defending their “college pride”, even though they are not paid. In some people’s minds, that’s worth more than anything else in the world. They feel a strong connection to their schools, whether they are Ivy League universities or less well-known colleges.

But perhaps an even greater part of the national tournament is its uncertainty, knowing that anything could happen. A big school can lose to a small one. Americans love it when there is a chance for an underdog to find success.

A year spent in space (P5)

I. Pre-reading 

Discuss the following questions with your partner.

If you were given the chance to spend a year in space, would you take it right away? Why or why not?

II. Reading 

Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.

1. What is the article mainly about?

A. A new breakthrough in space research. 

B. Two astronauts starting their year of space exploration.

D. How staying in space for a year affects the human body.

C. Astronauts’ incredible difficulties adjusting to living and working in space.

2. Which choices describe how astronauts live in space, according to the article? 

a. All of the food they eat is frozen and ready to eat, and often tastes bad.

b. The fluids in their bodies move very slowly, making them feel sick.

c. Because of the lack of gravity in space, they sleep very little every day.

d. Before sleep, they have to strap their sleeping bags somewhere to stop them floating around.

A. a, b        B. b, c C. a, d         D. b, d

3. According to the article, NASA’s experiment to be carried out on Kelly and Kornienko is intended to _____.

A. study how to suck bodily fluids toward astronauts’ legs to help them feel better

B. better understand what effect ultrasound will have on the human body in space

C. increase our knowledge of how to overcome weightlessness in space

D. study how the human body reacts and adapts to being in space for long periods

Key:

1. B。本文主要讲的是两名宇航员将在太空呆上一年时间，由此谈到他们在太空的生活以及将进行的实验，所以答案为B。

2. C。由第六段的“There’s also no way to cook in space, so space food is already cooked and then freeze-dried and vaccuum-packed (真空包装).”可知a正确；由倒数第三段可知d正确，所以答案为C。b里描述的不对，使他们头疼、恶心的是因为“Bodily fluids move toward your head”；文中没有提到宇航员在太空因为缺乏重力，而睡得很少，所以c也不对。

3. D。由第三段的“They are going to spend a year in space as part of a NASA experiment investigating (调查) why some astronauts adjust better to space than others, as well as space’s longterm effects on the human body.”以及倒数第二段描述的具体实验情况可以推知答案为D，这些实验主要是为了了解人的身体在太空无重状态下，如何长时间适应在那的生活。

III. Language study

1. IF you were given the chance to spend a year in space, would you take it right away?

You probably would – who could say no to such an exciting, fun adventure? However, if you knew the potential health hazards (危险) and the experiments that might be carried out on you, would you have second thoughts? 

文章开头通过设问开篇，激起了读者对将要谈论的话题的兴趣。由于这里的问与答都是一种假设，所以这两段的动词都用了虚拟语气。have second thoughts 三思，慎重考虑。

2. They are going to spend a year in space as part of a NASA experiment investigating (调查) why some astronauts adjust better to space than others, as well as space’s long-term effects on the human body.

本句的主干为They are going to spend a year in space investigating…。why引导的从句与介词短语as well as…并列作investigating的宾语。