For 365 days a year, come rain or shine, Ruth Rose, 87, has taken a morning swim in Seaford, a small coastal town on the south coast of England. What started as a personal habit has developed into an almost full-time occupation（工作） over the past eight years, with Rose gathering a group of over 150 swimmers each day.
“It's a social event of the day,” she said. “The community needs this sort of grouping of people. We're doing something together and making our lives better.” Rose's group, called the Seaford Mermaids, has grown in number since last year.
While cold water swimming is nothing new in the U.K., its popularity has grown massively over the past few years. According to a recent nationwide study of the popularity of open water swimming, 7.5 million swim in outdoor pools or open water every year. 2.1 million of those say their preference is to swim in cold water. And supporters say swimming in cold water isn't just a form of exercise.
Jo, a recent addition to the Seaford Mermaids and one of the younger members of the group, lost her job last summer. She said that after being encouraged by a friend, swimming each morning had made a “huge difference” to her life.
“While precautions (预防措施) must be taken, especially for first-timers, to enter the water slowly and be well aware of an exit strategy in case muscle movements slow down in the cold water, there may be some potential (可能的) benefits of cold water swimming in treating anxiety and depression（抑郁), though the science is still unclear,” said Dr. Heather Massey, a senior lecturer at School of Sport Health and Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth.
“One of the ones that is a bit of a hot topic at the moment is that it may have some potential health benefits,” Massey said. “This is a hugely under-researched area and there's lots of anecdotal(传闻的) evidence that may support an improvement in people's health and well-being, whether that's physical or mental health. However, we don't have the scientific evidence to support that yet.”
1. What has Rose gained from her daily swimming?| A．A full-time job. | B．A habit of rising early. |
| C．Relief from her illness. | D．Good human relationships. |
| A．She was an organizer of the Seaford Mermaids. |
| B．She was lifted up by the Seaford Mermaids. |
| C．She preferred swimming in cold water. |
| D．She encouraged her friends to swim. |
| A．Cold water swimming is a risky sport. |
| B．Cold water swimming is beneficial to the old. |
| C．Benefits of cold water swimming remain to be confirmed. |
| D．Research on cold water swimming has been done globally. |
| A．To discuss the relationship between swimming and health. |
| B．To show a popular outdoor sport in the U.K. |
| C．To call attention to the risks of swimming. |
| D．To introduce an influential group. |
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【推荐1】Record fires sweeping across the Amazon this month have been catching global headlines as scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will worsen climate change and threaten biodiversity(生物多样性).
As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is often called “the lungs of the world”. It is also home to about 3 million pieces of plants and animals, and one million local people. The vast lands of rainforest play an important role in the world’s ecosystem because they take in heat instead of it being reflected back into the atmosphere. They also store carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) and produce oxygen, making sure that less carbon is given off, mitigating the effects of climate change.
“Any forest destroyed is a threat to biodiversity and the people who use that biodiversity,” Thomsa Lovejoy, an ecologist at George Mason University told National Geographic. “The shocking threat is that a lot of carbon goes into the atmosphere,” he stressed. “Facing the global climate change, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected.” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
Data from the National Institute for Space Research(INPE) Show that the number of forest fires in Brazil quickly increased by 82% from January to August this year from a year ago. A total of 71,497 forest fires were recorded in the country in the first eight months of 2019, up from 39,194 in the same period in 2018, INPE said. “It’s reported that the forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon have decreased something between 20 and 30% compared to the last 12 months,” Carlos Nobre, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Brazil owns about 60% of the Amazon rainforest, whose drop could have severe results for global climate and rainfall. The size of the area burned by fires has yet to be determined, but the emergency has transcended Brazil’s borders, reaching Peruvian, Paraguayan and Bolivian areas.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly talking about?| A．The effects of climate change? |
| B．The role of the Amazon rainforest. |
| C．The results of the Amazon rainforest fires. |
| D．The courses of the decreasing biodiversity. |
| A．Reducing. | B．Causing. | C．Worsening | D．Benefiting |
| A．The biodiversity makes the rainforests unique. |
| B．The rainforest fires result in serious results. |
| C．The global climate crisis brings more rainforest fires. |
| D．The dry weather leads to the rainforest fires. |
| A．Sports and music. |
| B．Science and technology. |
| C．Nature and geography. |
| D．Business and culture. |
【推荐2】Last year, the bushfires in Australia burned more than 12.35 million acres of land. At least 25 people were killed and 2000 homes destroyed. According to the BBC, that was the most casualties(伤亡) from wildfires in the country since 2009. The University of Sydney estimates that 480 million animals have died in South Wales alone.
Zeke Hausfather, an energy systems analyst and climate researcher at Berkeley Earth, said warmer temperatures and extreme weather made Australia more susceptible to fires and increased the length of the fire season. "The drier conditions combined with record high temperatures in 2019 created main conditions for the disastrous fires. Australia's fires were worsened by the combination of those two. 2019 was the perfect storm for being the warmest year on record for Australia and the driest year on record for Australia," Hausfather added on Friday.
Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, said warmer ocean temperatures are also contributed to more variable weather around the world. Trenberth believes that global warming contributed to energy imbalances and hot spots in the oceans, which can create a wave in the atmosphere that locks weather patterns in places, causing longer rain events in Indonesia, for example, and at the same time contributing to drought in Australia. He said that once an area experiences drought conditions for two months or more, it increases the risk of fires catching and spreading. Those changing weather patterns due to global warming make drought events longer.
Climate experts stress that climate change is not the only factor in the severity(严重) of wildfires. How land is managed can also impact the amount of fuel available for fires. Practices like controlled bums and other factors can impact the risk to people and property, such as warning systems and the type of development in a given area. Changing those policies has great potential to limit future damage from wildfires along with changes to how fire management resources are dispatched(派遣).
1. What are the numbers about in paragraph 1?| A．The causes of Australian fires. | B．The results of Australian fires. |
| C．The damaged areas of Australian fires. | D．The property destruction of Australian fires. |
| A．Very quickly to adapt to. |
| B．Very seriously to focus on. |
| C．Very likely to be influenced by. |
| D．Very easily to be protected against. |
| A．Longer dry weather contributes to global warming. |
| B．Global wanning is also a main cause of the bushfires. |
| C．Warmer ocean temperatures leads to the fires directly. |
| D．The imbalanced energy leads to the temperature rising. |
| A．To stress the effects of Australia fires. |
| B．To show the methods for land management. |
| C．To predict the seriousness of Australia fires. |
| D．To provide some advice about reducing fire damage. |
【推荐3】According to A Guide for Families by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children, preteens, and teens can lie for varying reasons.
What should a parent or caregiver do? Try to keep in mind that kids can be quite self-absorbed and they often don’t understand how hurtful lies can be. With this in mind, here are a few tips to help promote truthfulness in your child at any age.
Keep in mind that addressing lying behaviours is a process not a quick fix.
While in the short term you may just get a shrug, keeping yourself calm to create a sense of emotional safety will help your voice of truth and reason be heard throughout their lives.
| A．Get them to know that you understand them or their situations. |
| B．Try to seek some help from experts who understand them well. |
| C．Some kids may take a while before they feel safe to level with you. |
| D．When I coach parents, I help them learn not to take lies from their kids personally. |
| E．They try to avoid getting into trouble or lie because they are too upset to talk about painful experiences. |
| F．Lying is not only harmful to kids then selves, but also it hurts people around them. |
| G．The best you can do as a parent is to keep yourself from overreacting to your child’s lies. |
【推荐1】Doing exercise regularly not only helps you keep slim, but also improves your overall health and well-being. Different exercises produce different results, as they concentrate on alternate parts of the body. There are four broad exercise categories: endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Many people often only focus on one exercise type, but including all four in your workout will produce better results and reduce your risk of injury.
Endurance
Endurance exercises boost your breathing and heart rate. By doing endurance exercises, you are working to keep your heart, lungs, and blood-flow system healthy while improving your total fitness. Over time these activities will make daily activities seem easier.
Strength
If you want to build up your muscles, then strength exercises, which are also known as “resistance training”, are right for you. Even the slightest increase in strength can make a huge difference in your ability to carry out daily tasks. Developing strong muscles also reduces your risk of weak bones.
Flexibility
Flexibility exercises help stretch your body’s muscles. This allows for more freedom of movement for other exercises and can also improve your range of motion, posture, ability to breathe deeply, and blood flow. Also, it reduces the muscle tension caused by stress.
Balance
Balance exercises help prevent falls and are especially important to older adults, helping them stay independent. Most good balance exercises are ones that keep you constantly moving with your feet on the ground. Heel-to-toe walking and standing on one foot are simple ways to improve balance.
1. How can a person benefit most from their exercise routine?| A．By combining different exercise types together. |
| B．By having sufficient rest between their workouts |
| C．By concentrating on one training aspect at a time. |
| D．By increasing the frequency of their training gradually. |
| A．By doing endurance exercises |
| B．By developing strong muscles |
| C．By moving with your feet constantly. |
| D．By taking deep breath frequently. |
| A．Strength and Balance. | B．Flexibility and Balance. |
| C．Endurance and Strength. | D．Endurance and Flexibility. |
【推荐2】How much physical activity do you do in a week? Are you getting enough exercise? Adults who do exercise for just 150 minutes a week can reduce their risk of serious illness by 50%. Regular exercise reduces the risk of early death by 30%.
Alternatively, if you don't want to spend any money at all, go for a run. The only equipment needed for this is a pair of trainers
Although adults should do two and a half hours of exercise a week, you don't have to do it all at one time.
| A．Divide the time into ten-minute periods! |
| B．You can do a range of activities to keep fit. |
| C．Exercise can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. |
| D．This lack of regular physical activity is a big concern. |
| E．It also improves your mood, self-esteem and sleep quality. |
| F．Besides, booking a court at off- peak times saves money too |
| G．Similarly, getting off the bus one stop early and walking the extra distance helps. |
【推荐3】Do you like to exercise?
You know that exercise is good for your body. It helps you grow stronger. It can also help keep your heart and other important organs in excellent shape. But can it make you smarter?
Maybe! The work you do at school every day is like exercise for your brain. Learning and thinking can help you become smarter.
Some researchers point out that exercise stimulates the body’s nervous system, causing it to release chemicals that make us feel happy and calm. This helps to explain why many people feel more alive and active after exercising.
Others point to studies that show that exercise can stimulate the growth of new brain cells. As your brain gets bigger, the areas in connection with memory and learning get bigger and brain function improves.
Exercise is good for your body in so many ways, so include as much exercise as you can into your daily or weekly routine.
| A．But how can physical exercise help? |
| B．Can you explain why exercise matters? |
| C．What is your favorite way to exercise? |
| D．Basically, exercising can help you do whatever you do better. |
| E．And if you feel better, you can think more clearly and focus better. |
| F．Just take it easy starting until your body is ready to get more exercise. |
| G．So how much exercise do you need to help your brain work at its best? |
