A
On a bright early summer morning, many young swimmers gather at a local swimming pool in the state of Maryland. They are members of a competitive summer swim team, and that's a regular part of their daily life. As they train and cut seconds off their times, which makes them closer to the championship in the following largescale (大规模的) competitions, they are getting lots of physical exercise and vitamin D from the sun. However, the benefits of belonging to a sports team are not just honor or health related. You can learn useful life skills.
Paul Waas, coach of the swim team, explains, “The discipline (自制力) comes into play when you're talking about concentrating on the details that your coaches are saying as it makes you faster rather than just going up and down the pool the same way you have every time. When you focus on what you're doing right and what you can do better, then you'll see the improvement.”
Besides, there is also responsibility, goals and workings within a group. Again, here is Coach Waas. “It's really great! It's so fun to watch from year to year. I've had kids who as 7yearolds on the team could barely pay attention in practice and were only interested in who was going first. Now they've come back as 8yearolds, having set some goals and having things that they want to achieve. These skills can help them a lot.”
But playing the sports is not without harm. Some can be hard on the body. Young athletes suffer serious injuries that follow them into adulthood. Coach Waas says that in fact, swimming is different from most others. First, it poses a lower risk of injury. The second one relates to how swim teams are structured. Actually, children are not the only ones who can benefit. Adults can also benefit from team sports.
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了参加团队体育运动不仅让人们身体更健康，还会教会人们许多有用的生活技能，无论是小孩还是大人都能从中得益。
1．Why do the swimmers gather at a swimming pool in the early morning?
A．To obtain vitamin D from the sun.
B．To build practical skills for future.
C．To join in a largescale competition.
D．To carry out their routine practice.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“that's a regular part of their daily life”可知，游泳者们聚集在游泳池的目的是练习游泳，这已是他们的惯例。
2．What do Paul Waas' words imply in Paragraph 2?
A．Swimmers should concentrate on details.
B．Members get disciplined and focused in the team.
C．Coaches play a key role in players' improvement.
D．Most swimmers enjoy swimming in the same way.
解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“The discipline (自制力) comes into play when you're talking about concentrating on the details”可知，教练的话暗示在团队里练习时，队员会变得自律和专注，故选B。
3．What happens to the kids after a year's training?
A．They care more about who goes first.
B．They pay less attention to training.
C．They devote more time to practice.
D．They are more aware of what to do.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“Now they've come back as 8yearolds, having set some goals and having things that they want to achieve”可知，孩子们经过一年的训练后知道自己想要得到什么，应该做什么，故选D。
4．What does the author want to convey in the text?
A．Exercise benefits everyone.
B．Swimming is better than other sports.
C．Team sports teach life lessons.
D．Physical exercise should be a habit.
解析：选C 主旨大意题。综合全文内容可知，本文主要讲了团队体育运动会教授许多对生活有用的技能和经验，比如自律、专注等。故选C。
