Gary McKee ran 365 marathons in as many days to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria.
Gary McKee, 53, from Cleator Moor in Cumbria raised his arms in victory and was cheered by a crowd of supporters as he completed his 365th marathon of the year on New Year’s Eve. As of 4 pm on Saturday, he had raised more than £ 890,000 for the charities Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria, just shy of (缺少) his £1 million fundraising target. The father of three has gone through 22 pairs of sports shoes and has run 9,563 miles in rain, snow and sunshine to raise money for the charities.
“The support has been amazing and it always is and the West Cumbrians get behind us, but cancer affects everybody so it isn’t just a West Cumbrian thing, it’s a national thing,” said Gary. “I just hope that people do get behind us and we do raise those million pounds.” Gary has not only raised money for two fantastic charities, but he has also sprinkled magic on the local community and brought people together to support him with the challenge.
Chris Young, 29, ran 90 marathons with Mr. McKee. “Gary set a good example to me this year when I began running frequently with him and has given me both physical and mental resilience (适应力) that I don’t know if I would have ever discovered in myself in a million years. I know I don’t just speak for myself on that front as he has inspired not just me or the few, but the entire local community and beyond,” said Chris, “This challenge has raised a great amount of money for two fantastic charities, but the impact Gary has provided to the community and people around him is immeasurable. A lot of people’s lives will be much better off thanks to Gary’s efforts, mine included.”
1. What did Gary do when he completed his 365th marathon? (no more than 10 words)2. What is Gary’s goal of running 365 marathons? (no more than 10 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
4. In what ways has Gary McKee influenced Chris Young? (no more than 5 words)
5. What does Gary’s story inspire you? Put it in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
2 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.
Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular (心血管的)fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "
For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak (最大值的) cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.
A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.
These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.
"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.
1. What is on the ever-growing list mentioned in the first paragraph?A.Positive effects of doing exercises. |
B.Exercises suitable for the middle-aged. |
C.Experimental studies on diseases. |
D.Advantages of sporty woman over man |
A.To predict their maximum heart rate. |
B.To assess their cardiovascular capacity |
C.To change their habits of working out |
D.To detect their potential health problems |
A.It aimed to find a cure for dementia. |
B.Data collection was a lengthy process. |
C.Some participants withdrew from it. |
D.The results were far from satisfactory. |
A.More Women Are Exercising to Prevent Dementia |
B.Middle-Aged Women Need to Do More Exercise |
C.Fit Women Are Less Likely to Develop Dementia |
D.Biking Improves Women's Cardiovascular Fitness |
3 . EVENTS
Bicycle tour and race
A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27 (Sat & Sun.). At 5:30 am, the riders will leave Tian’anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometres as a training leg. Then the next 55-kilometre-leg, from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be takern from Jixian to Changli.
The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaihe, covering a distance of 20 kilometres. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.
Cost: 200 yuan
Telephone: 4675027
Brazilian footballers
The Brazilian Football Club will play Beijing Guo’an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26. The club has four national team players. Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Romario who has promised to play for at least 45 minutes.
Ticket prices: 60; 100; 150 yuan
Time/Date: 4:30 pm, August 26 (Sat. )
Telephone: 5012372
Rock climbing
The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26-27 at the Huairou Mountain-climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators (观众).
Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou.
Time/Dates: 9-12 am, August 26 and 27
Telephone: 7143177, 7144850, Wang Zhenghua
1. The main purpose of announcing the above events is to give information about_________.A.visiting teams | B.famous players |
C.things to do for the weekend | D.prices to pay for the sports events |
A.35 kilometres | B.55 kilometres |
C.75 kilometres | D.110 kilometres |
A.race | B.practice |
C.part of the training | D.part of the tour |
A.A foreign team takes pan in it. |
B.You can watch it without paying. |
C.You don’t have to be a sportsman to take part. |
D.The bus trip to the place of the competition is free. |
A.4675027 | B.7143177 | C.5012372 | D.7144850 |
4 . Why play games?Because they are fun,and a lot more besides.Following the rules...planning your next move...acting as a team member...these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child,such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek.Such games are entertaining and fun.But perhaps more importantly,they translate life into exciting dreams that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives,such as taking turns and cooperating(合作).
Many children’s games have a practical side.Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups.For instance,some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones,which sharpens the hand-eye coordination(协调) needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride.The most famous games of all,the Olympic Games,bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition.People who watch the event wave flags,knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country,not just the athlete who earned it.For countries experiencing natural disasters or war,an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people.Soccer is the most popular sport in the world.People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living.Nicolette Iribarne,a Califomian soccer player,has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer.He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport,think about why you enjoy it,what skills are needed,and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
1. Through playing hide-and-seek,children are expected to learn to .A.be a team leader |
B.obey the basic rules |
C.act as a grown-up |
D.predict possible danger |
A.describe life in an exciting way |
B.turn real-life experiences into a play |
C.make learning life skills more interesting |
D.change people’s views of sporting events |
A.It inspires people’s deep love for the country. |
B.It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
C.It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
D.It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
A.bring fun to poor kids |
B.provide soccer balls for children |
C.give poor kids a chance for a better life |
D.appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
A.Games benefit people all their lives. |
B.Sports can get all athletes together. |
C.People are advised to play games for fun. |
D.Sports increase a country’s competitiveness. |