世界最长沙漠超级马拉松在迪拜举行

        When Greek messenger Pheidippides burst into Athens in 490 BC, having run the first marathon, he probably never imagined his superhuman effort would one day be considered a race. For a growing number of athletes, 26.2 miles (42.19km) is not enough. 
        The rise of ultramarathon running has been unstoppable in the 21st century. Steve Diederich, the founder of global race database Run Ultra, says 12 years ago he had around 60 events listed. Now he estimates there’s somewhere between 2,200 and 2,300. Set in a national conservation area, the Al Marmoom Ultramarathon claims to be the longest desert ultra in the world. The 270km (168 mile) route was run over five days in December in temperatures as high as 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
        This year, 19 runners (four women) completed the race, with 36-year-old Moroccan Rachid El Morabity crossing the finish line first in 31 hours and 17 minutes. Eleven runners didn’t make it, as well as many others in the shorter 100 km and 50 km versions of the race.
        Race manager Ole Brom took care of the health of the athletes. Running these distances across the sand is really an extreme sport. “On the first day after about 40 km, about 12 km from the end, one athlete collapsed unconscious,” says Brom. “He ignored the signs of dehydration and he suffered the consequences.”
        Running across the dunes was not without its rewards. “It’s really peaceful,” says 45-year-old female race winner Magdalena Boulet, “you can’t really see anything for miles and miles.” “It’s wonderful,” Boulet adds. “On certain routes there were Oryx, there were sand gazelle, mountain gazelles, which was really beautiful. We saw eagles and a lot of different migrating birds.” As a conservation area, runners were punished for dropping trash and required to bury human waste.

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1.What didn’t Pheidippides imagine according to the first paragraph?

A He could run to Athens.

B He was the first to run marathon.

C His running led to the birth of a sport event.

D Many athletes today could run 26.2 miles.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章第一段第一句的he probably never imagined his superhuman effort would one day be considered a race可知他没想到的是他的奔跑会带来一个新的赛事：马拉松。故选C。

2.Which of the following about the the Al Marmoom Ultramarathon is TRUE?

A It was held in the hot desert.

B It was the longest ultra in the world.

C It lasted more than a week.

D It attracted 34 runners in total this year.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据文章第二段最后两句Set in a national conservation area, the Al Marmoom Ultramarathon claims to be the longest desert ultra in the world. The 270km (168 mile) route was run over five days in December in temperatures as high as 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).可知该马拉松是在炎热的沙漠中举行的。故选A。

3.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 mean in Chinese?

A “障碍”.

B “干旱”.

C “脱水”.

D “缺氧”.

解析：选C。词义猜测题。根据文章第四段画线单词所在句子的前后语境可知，有一个运动员昏倒在地了，结合常识和前文可知，在炎热的沙漠奔跑很容易“脱水”。故选C。

4.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

A The desolation of the desert.

B The beautiful scenery in the desert.

C The feeling of the female winner during the ultra.

D The different kinds of birds in the desert.

解析：选C。段落大意题。根据文章最后一段第一句Running across the dunes was not without its rewards.可知该句是此段的主题句，后面的内容都是对该句的具体阐释，因此此段的主要内容是写该参赛者在此次马拉松中的感受。故选C。