1 . Fiona Kolbinger, a 24-year-old cancer researcher From Germany with little experience in competitive cycling, took the world by surprise when she became the first female to win the Transcontinental Race this year. She surpassed 225 men and 39 women to finish about 2,485 miles’ race from Bulgaria to France in 10 days, two hours, and 48 minutes.
“When I was coming into the race, I never thought I could win the whole race,” Kolbinger said. While the cyclist’s unexpected victory shocked people worldwide, she’s unimpressed. Despite resting an average(平均) of just four hours a night throughout the ten-day period, Kolbinger says, “I think I could have gone harder. I could have slept less.”
Now in its seventh year, the Transcontinental Race was founded by the late British ultra-cyclist Mike Hall. The race requires not only racers’ biking skills and endurance(耐力), but also their route planning and time management skills. “Riders plan, research and lead their own course and choose when, where and if to rest,” the Transcontinental Race’s website explains. “They’ll take only what they can carry and eat only what they can find.”
Unlike other cycling competitions where the routes are carefully laid out, the Transcontinental Race requires riders to make a map of their own course. The only requirement is to check in at four stops, located at different points along the way. To make sure all competitors experience some of the same challenges, each checkpoint is followed by strict terrain(地形).
The event’s difficulty has meant previous winners have all been experienced ultra-cyclists. Given that this was Kolbinger’s first try at endurance racing, her victory shocked many. However, it didn’t surprise Björn Lenhard, who trained with her for the race in Dresden, Germany. The ultra-cyclist said, “Fiona is so strong. What’s more, she’s a complete rider. Yes, you need to be strong, but in this race, you have to be able to think, to plan, to fix your bike if you have to.”
1. What does the underlined word “surpass” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Treated. | B．Encouraged. |
| C．Helped. | D．Beat. |
| A．They have to be experienced. |
| B．They have to be smart enough. |
| C．They have to be self-supporting. |
| D．They have to ride along the given roads. |
| A．It requires cyclists to go through at least four terrains. |
| B．It requires cyclists to plan courses alone. |
| C．It is much fairer than other races. |
| D．It needs to be carefully laid out. |
| A．It is expected. | B．It is encouraging. |
| C．It is shocking. | D．It is rewarding |
2 . It seems every major city and town around the world hosts an annual marathon, with thousands of athletes running a gruelling 42.1 kilometres. While many runners' motivation is to beat their personal best and cross the finishing line without collapsing, they're also doing it for a good cause—to generate funds for charity. But like other major events, the marathon also generates a massive carbon footprint. Thousands travel —some by plane—to the location, and waste from food packaging and goody bags gets left behind by spectators and runners. This is becoming a big issue for cities—how to host a worthwhile event, encouraging people to exercise and help charities, while protecting the environment? Several cities have developed formal plans to reduce their environmental impact and promote sustainable （可持续的） ideas. One event in Wales, for example, introduced recycling for old running kit .
It's something that this year's London Marathon tried to tackle by reducing the number of drink stations on the running route, giving out water in paper cups and offering some drinks in eatable seaweed capsules. They also trialled new bottle belts made from recycled plastic so 700 runners could carry water bottles with them during their run. London Marathon event director Hugh Brasner told the BBC: “There are a lot of initiatives （倡议） we are using this year that we think will lead to some huge behavioural changes in the future.”
Meanwhile, some people still think running a marathon could be our best foot forward in helping the planet. Dr Andrea Collins from Cardiff University told the BBC: “Training for a marathon makes you more sustainable in day-to-day activities. I started walking or running to work every day and shunning public transport altogether. Being environmentally friendly while training sticks with you and becomes a way of life. ”
1. Why do many people enter for a marathon?| A．To achieve their own ambitions. |
| B．To generate a massive carbon footprint. |
| C．To improve themselves both physically and mentally. |
| D．To challenge their personal limitations and raise money for charities. |
| A．It may bring a large profit to London. |
| B．It saved a lot of water resources and power. |
| C．It may improve people's behaviour in the future. |
| D．It may make Londoners more friendly when running a marathon. |
| A．Damaging. | B．Avoiding. |
| C．Choosing. | D．Changing. |
| A．Running a marathon can make more money. |
| B．Running a marathon can do great damage to the earth. |
| C．Running a marathon can change people's life completely. |
| D．Running a marathon can contribute to protecting the earth. |
A team of researchers at the University of California studied the effects of early exercise on adult physical activity, body mass and eating. They found that early-age exercise in mice has positive effects on adult levels of voluntary exercise in addition to reducing body mass.
“These results may have an effect on the importance of regular physical education in elementary and middle schools,” said Theodore Garland, a professor of biology, who led the research project. “If kids exercise regularly through their school years, then they may be more likely to exercise as adults, which could have far-reaching positive effects on human health and well-being.”
Although the positive effects of early-life exercise lasted for only one week, it is important to note that one week in the life of a mouse is the same as about nine months for humans. “Our results suggest that any positive effects of early-life exercise on adult exercise will need to be kept up if they are to be long-lasting.”
His team of researchers found, too, that all mice that had access to early exercise were lighter in weight than non-exercised mice.
Garland explained that, in general, exercise will stimulate appetite sooner or later. However, it is possible that certain types of exercise, done for certain periods of time or at certain light levels, might not stimulate appetite much, if at all, at least in some individuals.
“If we could understand what sorts of exercise these might be, then we might be able to tailor exercise recommendations in a way that would bring the benefits of exercise without increase in appetite, leading to a better chance of weight loss,” he said.
1. How long do the positive effects of early-life exercise last for a mouse?
| A．One day | B．One week |
| C．One month | D．Nine months |
| A．More study is needed to better understand the effects of different types of exercise. |
| B．Early-life exercise has life-long positive effects on people |
| C．Kids should be encouraged to do exercise as early as possible to ensure physical health. |
| D．The new study on mice mainly focused on how exercise affects appetite. |
| A．decline | B．improve | C．vary | D．harm |
| A．New ways to fight against being overweight. |
| B．The positive effects of mice. |
| C．The possible risks of doing exercise. |
| D．The positive effects of early- life exercise. |
