How does a person become an Olympic champion—someone capable of winning the gold? In reality, a combination of biological, environmental, and psychological factors, as well as training and practice, all go into making a super athlete.
Perhaps the most important factor involved in becoming an elite athlete is genetics. Most Olympic competitors are equipped with certain physical characteristics that differentiate them from the average person. Take an elite athlete’s muscles, for example. In most human skeletal muscles (the ones that make your body move), there are fast-twitch fibers and slow-twitch fibers. Fast-twitch fibers help us move quickly. Olympic weightlifters, for example, have a large number of fast-twitch fibers in their muscles—many more than the average person. These allow them to lift hundreds of kilos from the ground and over their heads in seconds. Surprisingly, a large, muscular body is not the main requirement to do well in this sport. It is more important to have a large number of fast-twitch fibers in the muscles.
The legs of an elite marathon runner, on the other hand, might contain up to 90 percent slow-twitch muscle fibers. These generate energy efficiently and enable an athlete to control fatigue and keep moving for a longer period of time. When we exercise long or hard, it’s common to experience tiredness, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing. These feelings are caused when the muscles produce high amounts of lactate(乳酸) and can’t remove it quickly enough. Athletes with many slow-twitch muscle fibers seem to be able to clear the lactate from their muscles faster as they move. Thus, the average runner might start to feel discomfort halfway into a race. A trained Olympic athlete, however, might not feel pain until much later in the competition.
For some Olympic competitors, size is important. Most male champion swimmers are 180cm or taller, allowing them to reach longer and swim faster. For both male and female gymnasts, though, a smaller size and body weight mean they can move with greater ease, and are less likely to suffer damage when landing on the floor from a height of up to 4.5 meters.
Some athletes’ abilities are naturally enhanced by their environment. Those raised at high altitudes in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco have blood that is rich in hemoglobin(血红素). Large amounts of hemoglobin carry oxygen around the body faster, enabling these athletes to run better. Cultural factors also help some athletes do well at certain sports. Tegla Loroupe, a young woman from northern Kenya, has won several marathons. She attributes some of her success to her country’s altitude (she trains at about 2,400 meters) and some to her cultural background. As a child, she had to run ten kilometers to school every day. “I’d be punished if I was late,” she says.
Although genetics, environment, and even culture play a part in becoming an elite athlete, training and practice are needed to succeed. Marathon runners may be able to control fatigue and keep moving for long periods of time, but they must train to reach and maintain their goals. Weightlifters and gymnasts perfect their skills by repeating the same motions again and again until they are automatic. Greg Lougains, winner of four Olympic diving gold medals, says divers must train the same way to be successful: “You have less than three seconds from takeoff until you hit the water, so it has to be reflex. You have to repeat the divers hundreds, maybe thousands, of times.” Training this way requires an athlete to be not only physically fit but psychologically healthy as well. “They have to be,” says Sean McCann, a sports psychologist at the Olympic Training Center in the U.S. “otherwise, they couldn’t handle the training loads we put on them. Athletes have to be good at setting goals, generating energy when they need it, and managing anxiety.”
How do athletes adjust to such intense pressure? Lougains explains how he learned to control his anxiety during a competition: “Most divers think too much…,” he says. “They’re too much in their heads. What worked for me was humor. I remember thinking about what my mother would say if she saw me do a bad dive. She’d probably just compliment me on the beautiful splash.”
1. What is this article mainly about?| A．Factors that make someone a super athlete. |
| B．The different muscle types of super athlete. |
| C．The size of a super athlete. |
| D．How to qualify for the Olympics. |
| A．Muscles | B．Average people |
| C．Olympic weightlifters | D．Fast-twitch fibers |
| A．A strong sense of culture. |
| B．More muscles in their legs. |
| C．Hemoglobin-rich blood. |
| D．Lower amounts of lactate in their muscles. |
| A．A professional athlete should never feel anxiety. |
| B．Athletes cannot perform well unless they are under pressure. |
| C．It’s key to practice and train hard, but try not to take things too seriously. |
| D．It’s important to joke around with your teammates before you perform any sport. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Sports day! These two words can inspire both joy and terror in the hearts of students everywhere. For many, sports day can be a great day of fun and the chance to bag a prize or two.
Today, more and more schools have recognized the importance of exercise.
However, some people feel that it’s important that sport has winners and that learning to lose is just as important as learning how to win.
There are lots of people who agree with the idea—parents in particular! According to a 2017 survey by Families Online, 82% of parents say they prefer “traditional” competitive sports days.
People have different ideas about whether it is the winning or the taking part that counts when it comes to school sports days. So, should School Sports Day be competitive or not? We want to know your ideas.
| A．What’s the point if no one wins? |
| B．Should sport just be about winning? |
| C．Many of them have “non-competitive” sports days. |
| D．Everyone should be celebrated for trying and playing their part. |
| E．Many adults are worried that their kids can get injured when doing sports. |
| F．For others, it might feel like having to take part in something they aren’t good at. |
| G．Many adults feel that children can learn valuable lessons in both winning and losing. |
【推荐2】It is easy to talk yourself out of exercising. Even when you have the best intentions to work out, excuse are so easy to find -“I’m too tired.” Or “I’m busy” or “the weather is bad”. Don’t worry!
Take baby steps. You would never try to run 10 miles on one day, right? When you do too much too soon, you will end up injured and discouraged. Take it easy as you get started. Maybe you only run a quarter of a mile during your first week.
Show the clock who is a boss. Health experts say you should aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, plus weight training at least twice a week. If you work too late to get to a gym, keep a set of weights at home. If you can’t exercise for 30 minutes once, break the exercise up into several sections, for example, 10 or 15minutes once.
Keep it real. You’re not going to lose 30 pounds in a week.
Celebrate!
| A．Get used to it. |
| B．When it becomes easy for you, you can make it more challenging. |
| C．It takes weeks to see real changes. |
| D．Aim for something that’s realistic as a first step. |
| E．Keep a fitness journal to record your progress. |
| F．The following tricks can keep your fitness routine on track. |
| G．Do it for yourself. |
【推荐3】Staying fit while indoors
During this special time, it’s a good idea to do some indoor exercises. Exercising has many benefits.
Run in place
Start by kicking your feet behind you as you run. Then, bring your knees up as high as possible when you feel like you’ve warmed up. Start by running in place for five minutes.
Work on mountain climbers.
Start by getting into a standard push-up (俯卧撑) position.
Begin by getting into a plank (平板支撑) position. Then, bend your elbows and lower yourself toward the floor but do not touch the floor. If this is too difficult, bend your knees as you do the push-ups. Start by doing a set of 10, and work your way up to three or four sets.
Tone your legs with squats (深蹲)
To do a squat, stand with your feet hip-width (与臀部同宽) apart. Then bend your legs. Bring your bottom as low as you can. Stand back up and repeat the motion. Work your way up to doing three sets of 20.
| A．Try planks (平板支撑) for full body toning (身体紧实) |
| B．If you want an added challenge, hold weights while you squat. |
| C．Do push-ups to tone your upper body |
| D．Then bring your left knee to your chest |
| E．If that is too difficult, lower yourself onto your elbows |
| F．The hard work will pay off big time |
| G．Then, try to run in place for ten minutes |
【推荐1】As many as five billion people, particularly in Africa and South Asia, are likely to face shortages of food and clean water in the coming decades. Hundreds of millions more could face increased risks of severe coastal storms, according to the first-ever model examining how nature and humans can survive together. “I hope no one is shocked that billions of people could be affected by 2050,” says Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer, lead author of the paper Global Modeling Of Nature’s Contributions To People published in Science, who is an ecologist at Stanford University.
Nature sees a frightening sight. Human activity has resulted in the severe change of more than 75 percent of Earth’s land areas and 66 percent of the oceans, putting a million species (物种) at risk of being wiped out, according to the first-ever Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Human well-being is dependent upon nature’s contributions, also known as ecosystem services. The new model looked at three of nature’s contributions or services: providing clean water, coastal protection, or crop pollination (授粉). The model shows that the future declines in those services will hit people in Africa and South Asia hardest because they are more directly dependent on nature, says Chaplin-Kramer in an interview. Wealthier countries can buffer the effects on them through imports of food and other basic things that help their people and economy.
We have got a “deeply worrying picture of the social burdens of losing nature,” writes Patricia Balvanera, an ecologist at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in an accompanying article in Science. “What’s really scary is that the model only looked at three of the 18 contributions to human well-being we’ve identified,” says Balvanera in an interview.
1. What does Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer mean by saying so in paragraph 1?| A．We’ll lack food and clean water by 2050. |
| B．We have much dependence on nature. |
| C．We should face the serious situations. |
| D．We must prevent severe coastal storms. |
| A．We will surely lose its contributions. |
| B．Its contributions do harm to humans. |
| C．It can offer mankind coastal protection. |
| D．Its services have been in sharp decline. |
| A．Discover. | B．Use. | C．Reduce. | D．Predict. |
| A．The relationship between nature and humans. |
| B．Three of nature’s 18 contributions to humans. |
| C．Human activities and environment protection. |
| D．The first-ever model assessing mankind’s needs. |
【推荐2】When people think about British music, for the most part they think about the 60s or 70s with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones or more modern artists like Adele or Ed Sheeran. However, stuck between these two ages was, in my opinion, British music’s best period. The 90s were an optimistic time for Britain and indeed Europe, with the economy recovering from the lows of the 80s and the Cold War ending.
One of the defining features of 90s music was the birth of “Britpop”. This was a style of pop music that aimed to promote “Britishness” and commonly featured electric guitars, drums and male singers. Britpop was the style used by world-famous bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede who became known as “The Big Four”. The summer of 1995 was dominated by the “Battle of Britpop” which was between Blur and Oasis for the number one spot. Eventually, Blur won the battle and Oasis settled for second.
However, the 90s weren’t only for the boys, with major female groups also finding fame, the most well-known of which were “the Spice Girls” who were extremely popular in Britain and around the world. Once again they promoted “Britishness” and had catchy melodies and lyrics, but they also started the “Girl Power” movement which helped empower girls and women worldwide. It isn’t too far to assume that without their music, many female singers and artists who we love today would not have had the confidence to pursue their dream.
British music may have had many great times, however the 90s are often overlooked. Although I was not alive to enjoy the music properly, the 90s had a huge impact on British culture that can be felt today and I feel that the decade should get the recognition it deserves!
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．The Cold War came to an end in the 80s. |
| B．Britain’s economy began to pick up in the 90s. |
| C．The Beatles represented the best British music. |
| D．Adele is better than Ed Sheeran in modern music. |
| A．Britpop. | B．Britishness. |
| C．The Big Four. | D．Battle of Britpop. |
| A．Promoting “Britishness”. | B．Empowering girls and women. |
| C．Creating catchy melodies. | D．Finding fame for female groups. |
| A．underestimated | B．well-recognized |
| C．fairly evaluated | D．reasonably doubted |
【推荐3】When it comes to strategies for slowing down the aging process, don’t ignore the power of mind over matter. Recent research shows that several personality traits predict who will enjoy health into their 80s and beyond. According to studies, the link between personality and longevity is strong.
People who’re conscientious-organized and responsible-tend to live longer. Being conscientious may help overcome major risks to health, such as living in poverty. Besides, many conscientious people seem to have better coping strategies for stressful situations, said Turiano, leading to less inflammation (炎症), which in turn slows down aging.
People can become more conscientious through support from friends, coaches and psychologists. Smart phone apps may help, too. For example, participants in a study increased their conscientiousness significantly by using a digital coach called PEACH. This app strengthens personality change through tips, like reminders to reflect on progress toward one’s goals by keeping a diary.
Another good quality for longevity is being purposeful, or having a direction in life with clear goals that energize you. Many types of purposes are beneficial. “It’s so unique to the individual,” said Patrick Hill, a psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis. Some derive purpose from their jobs, while retirees (退休人员) report feeling more purposeful during the evening if they socialized that day, according to Hill’s research.
Optimism is also associated with exceptional longevity, according to research by Lewina Lee of Boston University. Actually, people who see the positives in aging live an average of 7. 6 years longer. Becca Levy, a psychologist at Yale’s School of Public Health, said they enjoyed this longevity advantage due to exercising more and eating more healthily. You can boost optimism by regularly writing about your best possible self.
Being sociable or outgoing is another trait that can lengthen your span of health. According to Susan Charles of the University of California-Irvine, social butterflies tend to be more active, which protects their health. Adopting a healthier lifestyle has been shown to make people more comfortable in social situations.
1. What personality trait helps reduce one’s pressure according to the text?| A．Being conscientious. | B．Being purposeful. |
| C．Being optimistic. | D．Being outgoing. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By providing an example. |
| C．By making careful observations. | D．By giving a professional opinion. |
| A．They can be kept so long. | B．They can be developed. |
| C．They-are widely accepted. | D．They determine one’s health. |
| A．Your Personality Is the Key to Your Longer Life |
| B．Your Personality Is Closely Linked to Your Moods |
| C．Your Personality Could Determine Your Quality of Life |
| D．Your Personality Could Lengthen Your Years of Healthy Living |
