【推荐1】The Side Effects of Overexercising

If you are putting in too many hours at the gym or training too hard for sports, your body may begin to respond negatively. Overexercising is common among athletes and fitness enthusiasts with a variety of side effects, both physical and mental.

One person’s definition of excessive (过量的) exercise might differ from another’s.     1     The main sign of it is declining physical performance in your sports, despite ongoing or increased amounts of training.

If you are overexercising, you might notice the negative physical effects first. You might experience unexplained weight loss and decreased appetite. Overexercising can also cause ongoing muscle and joint pain unrelated to a specific injury, difficulty sleeping or not feeling rested when you wake up.     2    

If you are not feeling your usual excitement for sports, or if you do not feel mentally prepared for exercise or competition, you could be experiencing the mental effects of overexercising.     3     For example, increased anger, or a lack of enthusiasm you once felt toward your sports. This condition can also cause other poor performances in your life.

    4     The first and most vital step for treatment is simply recognizing that you have the condition. Then follow a training schedule that varies your training load and includes adequate rest.     5     Whether the rest period last for weeks or several months depends on the individual.

A．You might even get sick more often.

B．Never should it be looked down upon.

C．You might notice frequent mood swings.

D．However, it affects whoever overexercises.

E．Doctors might mistake it for a major illness.

F．Actually, the most effective treatment is to rest.

G．Therefore, address the problem once you realize it.

【推荐2】As a child, being sent to bed early seemed like the biggest punishment you could possibly get, but nowadays we know better. A good night's sleep ensures that you feel fit during the day, and it is therefore not an unnecessary luxury. Are you not sleeping well at night?     1     Fortunately, there are some small things you can do to help you sleep better at night.

Don't drink that cup of coffee in the evening.

It can be so nice to have a cup of coffee after dinner, but if you have trouble falling asleep in the evening, it is best to avoid “the cup of comfort”.    2     Even if you've always been able to handle caffeine (咖啡因) well, it can still cause some sleep problem.

Take more magnesium (镁).

    3     Eating magnesium-rich foods can help you sleep better at night. Some examples of this are fish, chicken, bananas and leafy vegetables.

    4    

If you want to be in dreamland by eleven o'clock, it sounds a bit extreme to put your phone away at eight o'clock. It takes some time getting used to, but according to lifestyle website, Her, it makes a big difference.

Create a playlist with calming music.

Some enjoy phone checking before going to sleep, but you could also listen to calming music before going to bed.    5     Instead of talking on the phone before you go to bed, listen to the calming music you have chosen, and you will fall asleep a lot more relaxed.

A．Then you know how annoying this can be.

B．You can make a list of your preferred songs.

C．Put your phone away three hours before bed.

D．Good bedding also promotes your night's sleep.

E．We all know that caffeine can keep us awake at night.

F．It can be nice to take a quiet moment before bed with a cup of coffee.

G．Some studies find a link between poor sleep and insufficient intake of this element.

【推荐3】Feeling sleepy in the middle of the day? There are many reasons why we get sleepy in the afternoon. Bad lighting, a poor night’s sleep, a boring job, large (carb-heavy) lunches, and more can all contribute to head-bobbing at your desk or falling into a light sleep during a meeting. The best course of action would be to find the root cause of your sleep issue and fix it, but most of us simply head for the coffee pot or the cafe. Instead of that, try climbing some stairs.

Well, now exercise researchers have discovered that walking up and down lights of stairs for about 10 minutes actually gives you a more effective boost (提高) of energy than drinking 50 milligrams of caffeine greedily (the average amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee, tea, or soda).

In a study called Stair walking, the researchers enlisted 18 “physically active” college women between the ages 18 and 23. The participants reported experiencing chronically poor sleep, adding up to an average of fewer than 45 hours of shuteye each week in the past few years. And they are often a lack of available time during the workday for a dedicated exercise session.

The researchers chose stair climbing as the exercise of choice. Walking up and down the stairs requires no specific clothing, travel time, or even a shower afterward. During the study, on some days the participants alternated (交替) between taking 50-milligram caffeine pills or a placebo. On the other days, they skipped the caffeine (real or otherwise) and climbed up and down the stairs, at a moderate pace, for 10 minutes.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers acknowledged that there is more research to be done (when isn’t that the case?) but concluded that “A short period of low-to-moderate intensity stair walking has temporary energizing effects that exceed a low dose of caffeine for active young women with chronic insufficient sleep.”

So, the next time you find yourself nodding off mid-afternoon, why not give stairs a try?

1. What is the main purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To describe a phenomenon.

B．To explain reasons of poor sleep.

C．To present the topic of stair climbing.

D．To remind people to drink less coffee.

2. According to the passage, college women ________.

A．suffered from sleep disorder

B．were active in physical workout

C．were too busy to fall sound sleep

D．volunteered to participate in the study

3. What does the underlined word “skipped” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Released.	B．Exchanged.
C．Became addicted to.	D．Missed out on.

4. What message does the text seem to convey?

A．Proper stair walking can refresh people.

B．People tend to fall asleep in mid-afternoon.

C．A moderate intake of caffeine will be harmless.

D．Climbing stairs can effectively solve sleep issue.

【推荐3】ACL 500 Word Story Competition

We are pleased to announce the launch of the ACL 500 Word Story Competition. This time the theme is “Awakening”. We’re looking for our community to pen a story that quickly catches our attention and tells a great tale. You can submit (提交) an entry as an individual achievement or as a team effort — we want to read both kinds! Our judges will include a range of our experienced instructors, staff and local Essex Author Sarah Armstrong.

Sarah Armstrong is the author of three novels, most recently The Wolves of Leninsky Prospekt and The Starlings of Bucharest, the first and second in the Moscow Wolves series. She is also the author of A Summer of Spying, a book mainly about her own experience. Sarah teaches undergraduate and postgraduate creative writing with The Open University, and lives in Essex with her husband and four children.

Rules:
◆ Your story can be a poem, an essay or any other kinds of writing.
◆ Entries will need to be in a Word format. PDF files are unacceptable.
◆ Please ensure your story is suitable for all to read.
◆ Use the given submission form to submit your details and story. The deadline for submissions is 12th April.
Benefits:
◆ Prizes include a book voucher (代金券), a short creative writing course, and your work published.
◆ Discover new and exciting skills at writing while exploring your creative writing and sharing inspirational moments with others. We have a fantastic range of Creative Writing courses for you to choose from.
1. What do we know about the competition?

A．It’s organized in honor of Sarah Armstrong.

B．It looks for both individual and group works.

C．It aims to awaken an interest in writing.

D．It’s targeted at undergraduates and postgraduates.

2. Which is a requirement for the entries?

A．They should be submitted as a Word file.	B．They must be poems or essays.
C．They must be based on personal experience.	D．They should be about life in Essex.

3. What can participants get?

A．A voucher for a course.	B．An expert training class by Sarah.
C．A vast range of courses.	D．An improvement to writing skills.