If the benefits of physical activity were made into a pill, everyone would be on it. Studies show that moving improves nearly every aspect of health: boosting sleep, strength, and mental well-being. Still, most people don’t exercise nearly enough. According to data published in 2023, less than a third of U.S. adults get the government-recommended amount of physical activity in their free time: at least 20 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per day, plus a couple of muscle-strengthening sessions each week.
Why is it so tough to get people to do something so good for them? Physical limitations, health problems and modern life are certainly factors for many people. But research suggests there’s another factor: our brains don’t want us to exercise. For most of human existence, people had to be physically active to carry out the basic functions of life, such as finding food. Humans evolved (进化) to tolerate a high level of activity-but also to conserve energy for when movement was unnecessary, explains Daniel Lieberman, a human evolutionary biologist. As a society, we no longer move much in daily life, but the evolutionary instinct (本能) to conserve energy remains, Lieberman says. “That voice ‘I don’t want to exercise,’ is completely normal and natural,” he says.
Physical-activity researcher Matthieu Boisgontier demonstrated that phenomenon in a 2018study. He gave people control of a digital avatar (化身) while they were connected to brain-activity monitors. They were instructed to move the avatar away from images of sedentary (久坐的) behavior that appeared on screen and toward images of physical activity. The study found that avoiding sedentary behavior took more brain power, suggesting that we have an “automatic tendency” to pick relaxing over moving.
That conclusion shows up repeatedly in research. Studies show, for example, that people consistently choose to take a lift instead of the stairs. “That natural instinct isn’t bad-it’s just that modern life gives us so many chances to give in to our preference for rest that we have reached an extreme that is no longer beneficial to our health,” Boisgontier says.
1. What do data published in 2023 suggest?| A．U. S. adults have poor health awareness. | B．The recommended activities are impractical. |
| C．Most Americans lack sufficient physical activity. | D．Muscle-strengthening sessions deserve attention. |
| A．The physical limitations. | B．The basic structure of the brain. |
| C．The convenient modern life. | D．The natural energy-saving tendency. |
| A．Sedentary behavior took much brain power. | B．Most people tend to avoid physical activity. |
| C．Humans evolved for a high level of activity. | D．Brain-related activities attract modern people. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Reserved. | C．Approving. | D．Opposed. |
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【推荐1】People have always supposed that there is a huge gulf between animal evolution and human development. However, recent research into animals indicates that animals are continuously designing innovative methods to finish their tasks. Examining the nature and results of their creativity can help us understand evolution.
Research shows that animals too can be creative. By inventing new behavioral patterns and adjusting their behavior to new contexts, as well as to changes in social and ecological environments, researchers show that animal innovation too can be diverse. For instance, chimpanzees (猩猩) use tools such as sharp spines and stalks to remove the hearts of palm vegetables from trees. Herring gulls (鲜鱼海鸥) found out quite a cruel way of killing rabbits—drowning them in the sea.
Innovative species tend to survive when they enter new places, but novel behavior cannot be recognized unless “normal” behavior is studied. Researchers can now count and document the innovations that have been created by species, which would help them to quantify their creativity. Studies also show us that all animals are not equally inventive, with primates (灵长目动物) tending to be more innovative due to their bigger brains.
The greatest scientific significance has been the innovation shown by animals such as apes, capuchins and macaques among primates. These species of primates possess the biggest brains in proportion to their body sizes. They are also heavy tool users. Their broad diets and complex forms of learning are also insightful. They indicate an evolutionary strategy that gave them new solutions to life’s challenges.
However, even if these animals show innovativeness, they do not have the ability to improve upon solutions of others. Unless they share information accurately and copy each other’s inventions, their creative inventions are likely to vanish before they can be innovated further. This ability can be managed only by humans, for we are able to build on shared knowledge.
1. What does the underlined word “gulf” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Connection. | B．Conflict. | C．Balance. | D．Difference. |
| A．They create innovations in different ways. |
| B．They are both heavy tool users. |
| C．They are both creative. |
| D．They kill other animals in the same cruel way. |
| A．It is equally distributed among animals. | B．Animals’ innovations are easy to be identified. |
| C．It helps animals adapt to the environment. | D．Animals’ innovations are facing huge challenges. |
| A．Their inability to better others’ inventions. | B．Their willingness to learn from each other. |
| C．Their ability to share information accurately. | D．Their unwillingness to cooperate effectively. |
When we see something we don’t like，we wish it could be different．We cry out for something better．That may be human nature，or perhaps it’s something ingrained(根深蒂固的) in our culture．The root of the unhappiness isn’t necessarily that we want things to be different．However, it’s that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place．We’ve judged it as bad，rather than saying, “It's not bad or good，and it just is it．”
In one of my books，I said“You should expect people to mess up and expect things to go differently than you planned”．Some readers said it's too sorrowful to expect things to go wrong．However, it’s only negative if you see it as negative and judge it as bad．Instead，you could accept it as the way the world works and try to understand why that is．
This can be applied to whatever you do：how other people act at work，how politics works and how depressing the news media can be．Accept these things as they are，and try to understand why they’re that way．It will save you a lot of sadness，because you’ll no longer say,“Oh．I wish bad things didn’t happen!’’
Does it mean you can never change things? Not at a11．But change things not because you can’t accept things as they are，but because you enjoy the process of changing，learning and growing．
Can we make this world a better place? You can say that you’11 continue to try to do things to help others，to grow as a person，to make a difference in this world．That’s the correct path you choose to take，because you enjoy that path．Therefore，when you find yourself judging and wishing for difference，try a different approach：accept，and understand．It might lead to some interesting results．
1. The author believes that we feel unhappy maybe because ___________.
| A．it is our natural emotion in the life |
| B．culture asks us to be different from others |
| C．everyone has their own opinions on things |
| D．we dislike something in the beginning |
| A．depressing | B．frightening | C．delighting | D．idealistic |
| A．acting well at work and in politics |
| B．feeling depressed for the news media |
| C．accepting and understanding what has happened |
| D．saying something negative when bad things come |
| A．to help others and make a difference |
| B．to enjoy what you have to do in the work |
| C．to judge yourself and make a wish for you |
| D．to try a new way when making the world better |
| A．Expecting things to be different gives us hope． |
| B．Accepting can make our life happier and better． |
| C．Traditional culture becomes root of unhappiness． |
| D．Judging good or bad is important for our world． |
【推荐3】While screen time is known to affect sleep, new research suggests that interactive (互动的) activities, such as texting friends or playing video games, put off and reduce the time spent asleep to a greater degree than passive (被动的) screen time like watching television, especially for teens.
The team studied the daytime screen-based activities of 475 teenagers using daily surveys. They asked the teens how many hours they had spent that day communicating with friends through social media and how many hours they spent playing video games, surfing the internet and watching television or videos. Finally, the researchers asked if they had joined in any of these activities in the hour before bed.
Next, the team measured their sleep time for one week. The researchers found that the teens spent an average of two hours per day communicating with friends via social media, about 1.3 hours playing video games, less than an hour surfing the internet and about 1.7 hours watching television or videos. For every hour throughout the day that they used screens to communicate with friends, they fell asleep about 11 minutes later averagely. For every hour to play video games, they fell asleep about 9 minutes later. Those who talked, texted or played games in the hour before bed lost the most sleep: about 30 minutes later.
Interestingly, David, lead author of the study, said the team found no obvious relations between passive screen-based activities and sleep. “It could be that passive activities are less mentally exciting than interactive activities,” said Anne, co-author of the study. “It’s a tricky situation,” she said. “These screen tools are really important to everyone nowadays, so it’s hard to put a limit on them, but if you’re really looking out for a teenager’s health and well-being, you might consider limiting the more interactive activities, especially in the hour before bed.”
1. Which of the following belongs to interactive screen activities?| A．Seeing movies. | B．Watching videos. |
| C．Texting friends. | D．Surfing the internet. |
| A．Lucy who watched a three-hour movie before going to bed. |
| B．Jack who had a 30-minute video chat with his brother before bed. |
| C．Sam who played computer games for two hours throughout the day. |
| D．Amy who chatted with her friends on WeChat for one hour in the morning. |
| A．Frightening. | B．Awkward. | C．Hopeless. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．Screen time activities cut down our sleep hours |
| B．Interactive screen use reduces sleep time in teenagers |
| C．Passive screen use is better than interactive screen use |
| D．Parents should prevent children from using social media |
【推荐1】“It’s a big hammer to crack a nut.” This is how one angry parent described the recent crackdown (严厉的打击) by London police on parents who drop their kids off at school by car. Yes, you read that correctly—the very way of transportation that many American schools insist is the only safe way to deliver kids to school is now considered illegal in the UK.
The decision to fine any vehicles seen dropping off or picking up kids within a particular zone of east London comes from city councillors’ (议员) long-term efforts to make the area safer and less crowded. They say they’ve been trying for years “to encourage reasonable parking”, but in vain. Neighborhood residents complain frequently about their driveways being blocked by illegally parked cars for 15 minutes or more, often while they’re trying to get to work, and the streets are long overcrowded.
Now the rules have changed. Some parents are angry. Angie is a mother who made the “big hammer” comment and says the crackdown is “way over the top.” The nearest drop-off point for her six-year-old is now a five-minute walk from the school. Others are happy with the decision, serious though it may seem. Councillor Jason Frost said:
“Traffic has significantly reduced, and more children are now walking to school, which is a great result. I would rather have complaints that we are slightly inconveniencing parents than hear that a child had been seriously injured because nothing was done.”
I see daily the disorder created by these in-town drivers, when I walk my own kids to school. There’s a parking lot crowded with vehicles and a slow-moving train of cars moving in circles, many filling the air with harmful smoke. Meanwhile, the conversations around overweight children and the importance of daily physical activities continue to stand out in schools.
1. What can be seen after the crackdown is carried out?| A．Less daily disorder. | B．Favor from all people. |
| C．More over-weight children. | D．Complaints from neighbors. |
| A．She is often fined by London police. |
| B．She will lose her job as a school driver. |
| C．She has adapted to the American practice. |
| D．She thinks it adds inconvenience to her kid. |
| A．Students’ safety. | B．Students’ health. |
| C．People’s complaints. | D．Parents’ inconvenience. |
| A．Parents attempt to resist a school rule |
| B．London police cause widespread anger |
| C．American schools care about kids’ safety |
| D．Different voices are heard on a new traffic policy |
Over the past 400 years the form of the language used in the Americas—especially in the United States—and that used in the United Kingdom have diverged in a few minor ways, leading to the versions now occasionally referred to as American English and British English. Differences between the two include pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, idioms, and formatting of dates and numbers. A small number of words have completely different meanings in the two versions or are even unknown or not used in one of the versions. One particular contribution towards formalizing these differences came from Noah Webster, who wrote the first American dictionary (published 1828) with the intention of showing that people in the United States spoke a different dialect from Britain, much like a regional accent.
It may be the case that increased worldwide communication through radio, television, the Internet and globalization has reduced the tendency towards regional variation. This can result either in some variations becoming extinct (for instance, the wireless, being progressively superseded by the radio) or in the acceptance of wide variations as "perfectly good English" everywhere.
Chief among other native English dialects are Canadian English and Australian English, which rank third and fourth in the number of native speakers. For the most part, Canadian English, while featuring numerous British forms alongside native Canadianisms, shares vocabulary, phonology and syntax with American English, leading many to recognize North American English as an organic grouping of dialects. Australian English likewise shares many American and British English usages alongside plentiful features unique to Australia, and retains a significantly higher degree of distinctiveness from both the larger varieties than does Canadian English. South African English, New Zealand English and the Hiberno-English of Ireland are also distinctive and rank fifth, sixth and seventh in the number of native speakers.
1. Which of the following native English dialects ranks fifth in the number of native speakers?
| A．Canadian English |
| B．South African English |
| C．the Hiberno-English of Ireland |
| D．Australian English |
| A．British colonization |
| B．the spread of the former English Empire |
| C．British trade around the world |
| D．a large British population |
| A．Australian English has developed more characteristics of its own than Canadian English. |
| B．it is obvious that some variations will become extinct due to worldwide communication. |
| C．everyone will be speaking “perfectly good English” in the future. |
| D．almost a quarter of the world’s population spoke British English in 1921. |
| A．to persuade us to speak perfectly good English in the future. |
| B．to draw people’s attention to the extinction of different English dialects. |
| C．to give the readers some useful information on variation of the English language. |
| D．to do a research on how the English language has influenced the world. |
【推荐3】EcoTreasures, a young tour company based in Sydney, have involved a new plan in their Manly Coastal Walks to remove marine debris from Penguin habitats.
The tour company specializes in Ecotourism experiences on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales. Ecotreasures have been lucky to host a range of international study tour students visiting Sydney this winter, who have been participating in the plan. The students arrive in Australia for short stays of generally 7—14 days, which consist of English lessons and Australia tour experiences. EcoTreasures owner, Damien McClellan, has been happy to host the students on his tours and to involve a new element in the half-day adventure, with a purpose to clean up marine debris that accumulates in the natural environment known to be the habitat for little penguins.
McClellan has been very proud to run these tours, which highlight a range of environmental awareness messages, and mentions, “when we visit the little penguin habitat at Collins Beach in Sydney Harbour National Park we conduct a beach clean-up. The students always put in 110% and we remove as much as marine debris from the catchment(积水处) as possible. We are all giving back to the location we are appreciating because of its natural beauty, and I’m proud of all these international guests caring for Australia’s environment.”
The tours offer a great display of Sydney’s natural setting right on the city’s door step. Mr. McClellan also adds, “The students and teachers really enjoy their experience on the walk around Manly. We visit the beach, Sydney Harbour National Park, Cabbage tree Aquatic reserve and Manly suburbs all in a half day adventure. We always keep the walk fun and interesting by identifying native plants & searching for Whales from land with binoculars and other wildlife along the way.”
EcoTreasures was founded in 2010 by Damien McClellan, and the business is looking forward to working with more partners in the future, developing new ecotourism plans for a range of target markets, and keeping it fun is part of the plan. EcoTreasures is Advanced Ecotourism and ROC certified.
1. What does EcoTreasures mainly specialize in?| A．protecting Little Penguins. |
| B．teaching students about environmental protection. |
| C．cleaning up penguin habitats. |
| D．holding ecotours in certain areas. |
| A．water | B．animal | C．trash | D．rock. |
| A．His appreciation for natural beauty. |
| B．His purpose to run the tours. |
| C．His pride to run the tours. |
| D．The importance of raising environmental awareness. |
| A．the tours are pleasant and valuable. |
| B．the tours make the students tired. |
| C．the tours are held far from Sydney. |
| D．the tours are held mainly for students |
