The ' Olympics' brought together men from war-torn tribes and states in Greece and its colonies, A sacred truce was declared to allow men to travel to the games in safety. Women could not take part and were forbidden, on pain of death, even to attend the Games.
The ancient Olympics were abolished by the Roman Emperor Theodosius in 393 AD, after Greece had lost its independence. But the idea never died and the Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and educator and scholar, founded the modern Olympics. His aim was to bring together, once every four years, athletes from all countries on the friendly fields of amateur sport. No account was to be taken of national rivalries, nor politics, race, religion, wealth or social status. The first modern Games were held in Athens in 1896, and four years later, in Paris, women began to take part. Although the winter Olympics did not begin until 1924, figure skating was part of the 1908 London summer Olympics, both skating and ice hockey were included in the Antwerp Games in 1920. But generally winter sports were felt to be too specialized. Only cold-weather countries had much experience of activities such as skiing-a means of transport overland across ice and snow during long winters .The Scandinavians, for whom skiing is a part of everyday life, had objected to a winter games. They feared it would threaten their own Nordic games, which had been held every four years since 1901. But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed to stage an International Sports Week in Chamonix, France ,in 1924. It was a success and the Scandinavians won 28 of the 43 medals, including nine golds. They dropped their objections and the event was retrospectively named the First Olympic Winter Games.
Apart from the Second World War period the Winter Olympics were held every four years, a few months before the summer Olympics. But in 1986 the IOC changed the schedule so that the summer and winter games would be held in different years. Thus, for the only time in history, the Lillehammer (Norway) Games took place just two years after the previous Winter Olympics which were held in Albertville, France.
Since the Winter Games began, 55 out of 56 gold medals in the men's nordic skiing events have been won by competitors from Scandinavia or the former Soviet Union. For teams from warm weather countries, cross-country skiing can pose problems, At the Calgary Games in 1988, one competitor in the 50-kilometre even was so slow that race officials feared he was lost and sent out a search party. Roberto Alvarez of Mexico had never skied more than 20 kilometres before and finished 61st and last 52 minutes behind the 60th place.
Questions 28-31
Complete the table below. Write a date for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 28-31 on your answer sheet,
DATE EVENT
...(28)... Ancient Olympics came to an end
...(29)... First women's events
Example ...1901... First Nordic Games
...(30)... First winter team game included in Olympics
...(31)... First Winter Olympic Games
Questions 32-28
Look at the following statement. In boxes 32-38 on your answer sheet write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage
32. The spectators, as well as the participants , of the ancient Olympics were all male.
33. Only amateur athletes are allowed to compete in the modern Olympics.
34. The modern Olympics have always demonstrated the political neutrality intended by their founder
35. The Antwerp Games proved that winter sports were too specialized.
36. Cross-country skiing events are a specialty of cold-weather countries.
37. Only Scandinavians have won gold medals in men's winter Olympics nordic skiing events.
38. One Winter Olympics has succeeded another every four years since 1924 with a break only for the Second World War.
GENERAL TRAINING READING-ANSWER KEY
Each question correctly answered scores 1 mark.
Section 1. Questions 1-14
1. A
2. E
3. A AND F (both for 1 mark-any order)
4. B AND E (both for 1 mark-any order)
5. 166
6. 010
7. 130
8. 101
9. 170
10. 101
11. (staircase) J
12. (in) (the) front courtyard
13. (still/continue to) evacuate (the building)
14. reception
Section 2. Questions 15-27
15. 9.00 (am) AND 3.00 (pm)/ nine (o'clock) AND three (o'clock) (both required for 1 mark)
16. 4/four
17. (the) lecture hall/room
18. (all) full-time students
19. (a/the) teacher
20. 80 / eighty % / per cent
21. NP
22. NP
23. SP
24. SH
25. SC
26. NP
27. NP
Section 3, Questions 28-38
28. 393(AD)
29. 1900
30. 1920
31. 1924
32. TRUE
33. NOT GIVEN
34. NOT GIVEN
35. FALSE
36. TRUE
37. FALSE
38. FALSE
雅思学术类阅读理解辅导
雅思考试(IELTS)学术类阅读理解辅导
第一部分 阅读理解学前自测试题
INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH
LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM
ACADEMIC READING TEST
TIME ALLOWED: 1 hour
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS: 40
Instructions
WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET
The test is in 3 sections:
Reading Passage 1 Questions 1-13
Reading Passage 2 Questions 14-26
Reading Passage 3 Questions 27-40
Remember to answer all the questions. If you are having trouble with a question, skip it and return to it later.
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
A New Menace in the Air
The death of Emma Christofferson, 28, just after flying from Australia to England set alarm bells ringing among frequent airplane passengers, and triggered an avalanche of lawsuits. Christofferson died of a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and of all the health fears associated with the skies, it is DVT that has captured most public attention. Erroneously referred to as “economy class syndrome," DVT can strike cramped passengers in any section of an aircraft. In some victims, the effect of the blood clots might be a sharp stabbing pain and swelling in the lower leg. In others, it might be much more serious: Part of the clot may detach itself and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, where it can cause a pulmonary embolism, an obstruction that can prove fatal. Part of the clot can also lodge in other organs, including the brain, where it can't rigger a stroke.
Those at greatest risk of developing DVT while travelling, according to experts, are people with an inherited predisposition to blood clots—people who have suffered previous incidents of thrombosis or who have close family members with a history of the disease. But other factors can also increase the likelihood of DVT. Age is important, said Patrick Kesteven, a consultant hematologist at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital. A person in his or her mid-20s has a less than one-in- 10,000 chance of developing DVT; by the age of 75, the risk is closer to one in 1,000. Also at higher risk are people who have suffered or are suffering from cancer, women taking contraceptive pills and women who are pregnant or have recently given birth. And even generally healthy passengers are at some risk if they stay immobile during a long flight. “There's no doubt that sitting still can be a factor," said Kesteven.
The airline companies are being blamed. “We are talking about a real risk, with real and appreciable harm," said Paul Henderson, of the Melbourne law firm of Slater and Gordon. “It's a small risk, and easy to reduce by taking some fairly simple steps, which are not very expensive for airlines to do. And yet, if they do not take them, you might die." Slater and Gordon has collected 2,300 cases of DVT, of which 120 involved deaths. “The cases involve just about every airline flying to and from Australia," said Henderson, “and we're the top of theiceberg."
The airlines' defense rests on lack of conclusive evidence linking flying to dying, or even to getting sick. “There is no scientifically valid evidence that the cabin environment in commercial aircraft is unhealthy," declared Dr. Russell Rayman, executive director of the Aerospace Medical Association. As for risk, the airlines maintain that so far there is no evidence that suggests that sitting in an aircraft cabin might be more dangerous than sitting still anywhere, whet her on a crowded train or bus, or in a car, or even at home. The airlines insist that the passengers are primarily responsible for their own health. After all, cramped conditions can lead to stress, and even disruptive and unruly behavior, but no one blames the airlines for air rage. “DVT has been around for a long time. It's linked to immobility, not flying," said Patrick Garrett of Cathay Pacific. According to Yoshie Otaka of Japan Airlines, “Basically, it's a matter of primary self-care."
But in Asia, risk awareness is thin, and no pan—Asian transport body exists to c all upon the air carriers to take precautionary measures, as the European Commission has done. During the Moslem pilgrimage season, when tens of thousands of the faithful go to Mecca, Pakistan International Airways routinely refits aircraft in order to cram as many passengers in as possible. Li Ru, spokeswoman for Air China, dismissed the danger of DVT on her company's carrier, saying, “We are s h orter and smaller than Westerners, so we are less uncomfortable in airplane seat s."
Doctors suggest that if you have a proven predisposition to thrombosis, you should consider an injection of anti-coagulant within 24 hours prior to flying. Though taking aspirin may ward off clots for some people, pregnant women (among others) should not take aspirin. Once inside the plane, make sure you have enough room to move your legs as possible, and even consider wearing support stocking s, which can improve the blood flow in the veins of the legs. While some doctors recommend moving around the cabin every half hour or so, the airline companies prefer passengers to do gentle exercises in their seats—both for safety reasons and to avoid getting in the way of the cabin crew.
Questions 1-6
Match the following statements or points of view 1-6 with the names A-F below. W rite the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
1. Immobility is the cause of DVT.
2. Chinese passengers run less risk of DVT.
3. It is up to the passenger to look after his or her own health.
4. The risk of DVT increases with age.
5. There is no proof that airplane cabins are any more unhealthy than other enclosed environments.
6. Airline companies should take steps to reduce the risk of DVT.
A. Li Ru
B. Patrick Kesteven
C. Paul Henderson
D. Russell Rayman
E. Patrick Garrett
F. Yoshie Otaka
Questions 7-13
Complete the notes below. Choose ONE OR TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 7-13 on your answer sheet.
Following the death of Emma Christofferson, airline companies faced a sudden onslaught of...7...accusing them of endangering passengers' health and lives.
Blood clots can form in the leg of a long-distance airplane passenger. Part of aclot may become detached and cause a...8...in the lungs.
There is a risk of DVT to all airline passengers if they remain...9...during a long flight.
The number of cases of DVT involving Australian airlines is described metaphorically in the passage as the top part of an...10...
Stress and other health risks often result from...11... Asia lacks an organization which could urge airlines to take...12... against DVT.
...13...can assist the blood to flow in the lower limbs.
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
Calm in the Midst of Bustle
A Finding it difficult to cope with the ever-accelerating treadmill of m odern life? Perhaps the Zen Buddhist monks had the answer in sixth-century China . Zen psychotherapy is even more relevant today than it ever was, according to D avid Brazier, a British psychotherapist with a doctorate in Buddhist psychology.
B According to Brazier, the sense of community decays in the frenetic pace of modern life, and individuals become helpless in their self-seeking quest. We ca n, he says, return to the beauty of simplicity even in the middle of a city street. He points out that even in the midst of a tornado there is a point of stillness: Zen helps us find that point in any situation, no matter how stressful. It allows us to ask, “What are we running from? What are we running to? "
C Brazier, a Buddhist for 35 years, became concerned with the problem of “rig ht livelihood ", which led him to adopt psychotherapy as a career. He was intrigued by the prospect of combining what he learned from psychotherapy with what he gleaned from his Zen studies and practice. However, he was troubled by the contradiction that whereas Buddhism rejects the self, Western psychotherapy confirms it. Brazier finally realized that a complete integration was impossible; as a result, the approach to healing the mind that he advocates is based purely on Buddhist psychology.
D He defines Zen therapy as being about accepting our inability to control the future, while recognizing that we can influence it by how we act now. Rather than striving to excel and find pleasure, we must learn to let go of ambition and desire through the cleansing process of meditation. He cites the specific benefits as a much fresher, more direct “encounter "with existence, coupled with a deeperinner tranquillity. “That means that one can handle more without losing one's cool," he says. “It keeps you young. It keeps you sharp." He adds that it helps you to appreciate little things and leave behind the life—long resentments that block many from ever making anything of their lives. Zen therapy turns you r attention “away from self-obsession towards engagement with what needs to be done and with the sheer beauty of being alive in this world."
E However, Brazier eschews presenting Zen within a traditional religious framework, because it can then veer towards dogmatism, supernaturalism and the occult. Likewise, he is against presenting Zen as a philosophy, because in his view this tends to separate it from our lives. Indeed, in the past Zen has not been untouched by charlatanism. Take Zen Master Rama—alias Frederick Lenz—for example. This American businessman charged as much as US$5,000 per seminar for the privilege of enlightenment. He branded thinking “a very inefficient method of processing data." He drowned himself while on the run from the tax authorities.
F Of course, any unusual method of healing which offers hope to the distressed is open to abuse because of the potential for making money while offering little concrete evidence that the method works. The founding editor of The Skeptic magazine, Wendy Grossman, says that Zen therapy “sounds like the usual sort of mishmash of Eastern philosophies.” She adds caustically that for some its appeal may lie merely in its exoticism.
