One month ago, my friends persuaded me
On the day of the race, runners
2 . If a president and one of the best authors of all time believed the same secret of their success, would you try to follow it too? Here's what Thomas Jefferson wrote "Walking is the best exercise.” And Charles Dickens made his point: “If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and die.”
Are you still sitting there reading? Go walking! Researchers have found out many connections between walking and creative ideas. A Stanford University study found that participants were 81 percent more creative when walking. According to the study, walking outside produced the most novels and the highest quality analogies in participants who walked and then sat down to do creative work.
The movement aspect of walking is obviously key. You've probably heard the phrase “Exercise your creativity”, which refers to the brain as muscle. Our creative minds is triggered by physical movement, which is exactly why walking with your dog, a friend, or alone feeds creative thinking.
Our brains work harder to get used to different environments, so walking outside can foster our ability to collect new ideas, and take in new sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Forest bathing is a common form of relaxation and medicine in Japan. Recent studies show that being in the forest and walking among the trees lowers your stress levels. But you don't have to live near a forest to receive the psychological benefits. Research has shown that getting close to nature and keeping media and technology away increase performance on a creative problem-solving task by a full 50 percent in a group of hikers.
So instead of setting a fitness goal, why not set a creativity goal that starts with walking?
1. Why does the author mention Thomas Jefferson and Charles Dickens?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To list some examples. |
| C．To compare the two great minds. | D．To show how successful they were. |
| A．health | B．feeling | C．happiness | D．thinking |
| A．Damage. | B．Judge. | C．Develop. | D．Save. |
| A．We must walk outside with our friends. | B．We must solve problems while walking. |
| C．Walking in the forest makes us feel relaxed. | D．Walking has the same function as medicine. |
Walking Is Not Enough
All of us need to exercise. However, not everyone has the time or desire to join a gym. Everyone can walk, though! But how can a person with an inactive lifestyle walk for exercise? The key is to set an attainable goal. Just by doing daily chores, an inactive person probably already takes around two thousand steps per day. For exercise purpose, the aim should then be to walk more over time. A popular exercise goal for people these days is ten thousand steps per day.
Reaching a certain number of steps is not enough, however. Casual, slow walking does not really exercise the heart. It does not burn many calories, either. Health benefits result from at least thirty minutes of daily moderate-intensity exercise.
The intensity of a workout only needs to be enough to increase a person’s heart rate. Simply walking fast can do that. Keep in mind, though, that such fast walking needs to continue for at least ten minutes. Five minutes of fast walking six times a day will not benefits one’s health. Three 10-minute sessions can total thirty minutes per day. And that daily goal should be met five times per week.
Dr Vicki Harber is a researcher at the University of Alberta in Canada. She says, “People might not pay much attention to the pace or effort invested in taking those steps.” With a ten-thousand step daily target, Harber recommends that about one-third of those daily steps should be at a faster pace.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wushu, widely
With a long history and deep roots in our traditions, Wushu unites the body and spirit. China wishes to share these qualities with the world. It is a long-held
In the past few years, Chinese Wushu Association
China’s effort to get Wushu recognized as an official Olympic event speeds up its internationalization. In 2020, a total of 48
There is a photo hanging above my desk. Whenever I look at that photograph, it takes me back to those early years
I can still remember the shouts of the spectators as I
While I was walking across to the start, I began
I ran as fast as I could, not looking at anything but the finishing line. By the time I crossed the line, I was so exhausted that I
“Well done!” said
6 . Is there a way to turn back the clock on your age? A new study says yes. Exercise can make you look younger. At least it can lower your fitness age—that is the measure of how well your body works.
A study of athletes in the National Senior Games found that their fitness age was more than 20 years younger than their chronological age. The games took place in the Midwestern state of Minnesota.
Tony Diamond took part in the games. Every morning he went to a local park and walked fast for an hour. Then, the retired navy captain ran for an hour.
Two or three times a week, he went to a gym for muscle(肌肉) training. Mr. Diamond won three medals at the 2015 National Senior Games.
“My current age is 86 years old, and my fitness age is 44. I think I am in such good physical condition because I do a lot of exercise during my life. I have been exercising since I was a little boy,” said Mr. Diamond.
“I'm 62 years old and my fitness results showed that I was 32 years,” said Ms White.
Ms. White and Mr. Diamond are some of the 5,000 Senior Games participants who took part in the fitness age study.
Pamela Peeke was an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland. She worked on the study with Ulrik Wisloff at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Mr Wisloff developed a fitness calculator.
An online calculator is available for anyone to use for free. Ms. Peeke says there are benefits from attending this test.
The National Senior Games take place every two years. They are the competition for athletes older than 50. The games include a variety of sports.
This year the average age of the people competing was 68. But their average fitness age was 43.
1. What can make us look younger?| A．Taking exercise. | B．Becoming an athlete. |
| C．Walking fast every day. | D．Going to the park every day. |
| A．Mental age. | B．Psychological age. |
| C．Actual age. | D．Full age. |
| A．support the main idea of the passage |
| B．prove more people like taking exercise |
| C．encourage more people to take exercise |
| D．show many people pay attention to beauty |
| A．the faster you walk, the healthier you are |
| B．the older you are, the more exercise you need |
| C．the more active you are, the younger you look |
| D．the more exercise you take, the longer you live |
Table tennis first
The International Table Tennis Federation has taken table tennis to a
World Table Tennis Day is celebrated by
8 . The modern Olympics, which appeared in ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago, have become the world’s most important sporting competition. From the 8th century B. C. to the 4th century A. D., the the ancient Olympics were held every four years in Olympia in honor of the god Zeus. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, and featured 280 participants from 13 nations, competing in 43 events. Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately every two years. The 2020 Summer Olympics, delayed one year because of the COVID-19, was held in Japan in 2021.
The ancient Olympics were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 during a festival honoring Zeus. The Games were named for their location (位置) at Olympia, a place near the western coast in southern Greece. Their influence was so great that ancient historians began to measure time by the Olympic Games held every four years.
After the Roman Empire conquered (征服) Greece in the mid-2nd century B.C., the Games continued, but their standards and quality dropped. For example from 67 A. D., the Emperor Nero entered an Olympic horse race, announcing himself the winner even after he fell off his horse during the event. In 393 A. D., Emperor Theodosius Ⅰ ended the ancient Olympic tradition.
It was another 1,500 years before the Games rose again, largely thanks to the efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) of France. Working hard at the development of physical education, the young man became inspired by the idea of creating a modern Olympic Games after visiting the ancient Olympic building. In November 1892, at a meeting of the Union des Sports Athlétiques in Paris, Coubertin suggested the idea of making the Olympics an international athletic competition held every four years. Two years later, he got the approval (批准) he needed to found the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ), which would become the governing body of the modern Olympic Games.
1. What do we know about the modern Olympics?| A．The modern Olympics became famous in the 18th century. |
| B．The first Winter Olympics was held in 1994. |
| C．The first modern Olympics dates back to 1896. |
| D．The latest Winter Olympics will delay for two years. |
| A．Every year. | B．Every other year. |
| C．Every three years. | D．Every four years. |
| A．In 393 A. D. | B．In 67 A. D. |
| C．In the mid-2nd century B. C. | D．About 1,500 years ago. |
| A．The ancient Olympics |
| B．The modern Olympics |
| C．The Olympics developed through years |
| D．The Olympics are popular in modern time |
9 . Many students love competing in contests. If you’re one of such students, here are some contests that might catch your attention.
Team America Rocketry Challenge
This is the world’s largest student rocket contest. The contest was created in the fall of 2002 as a onetime celebration of the Centennial of Flight, but by popular demand became a yearly program. It is meant to build a stronger US workforce (劳动力) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Creative Communication Poetry Contest
Many students love writing poems, which can benefit them in various ways. Now this contest is a good choice for them. In addition to the winning poems, other poems of high quality are accepted to be published and will be read by more people. There is no entry fee and no required purchase (购买) in order to become published. But entries must be students in 9th grade or lower living in the United States.
Math Contests—Homeschool Division
The goal of the competition is to encourage students’ interest in math and to inspire students to do well in math. The contest is for students in grades 2, 3, 4 and 5. Any teacher from a public school or a private school is welcome to ask their students to compete. Open to homeschool students in grades 28.
National Constitution Bee
The National Constitution Bee will be held at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, DC. To reach the standard of joining in the contest, students must finish in the top 3 in their State Constitution Bee. The firstplace winner will receive a $25,000 college scholarship (奖学金). The secondplace winner will receive one fifth of what the firstplace winner will receive. And the thirdplace winner will receive half that much of the secondplace winner.
1. Who would be interested in taking part in Team America Rocketry Challenge?| A．Students enjoying outdoor challenges. |
| B．Students loving joining in celebrations. |
| C．Students wishing to have a scientific career. |
| D．Students hoping to find a highlypaid job in the future. |
| A．win a tour around the US |
| B．get some cheap reading materials |
| C．be offered free training in poetry writing |
| D．have a chance to get their good poems published |
| A．National Constitution Bee. |
| B．Team America Rocketry Challenge. |
| C．Math Contests—Homeschool Division. |
| D．Creative Communication Poetry Contest. |
10 . Brazil sports are out of control! Brazil may be one of the most sportscrazy countries in the world. Whether you are into watching or playing, Brazil sports have a lot to offer everyone.
Football in Brazil is more than a sport. It's a way of life. Football is popular in Brazil for several reasons. One reason is that it is fast paced and fun to watch. This is the reason why the World Cup Soccer is the most watched sports event in the world aside from the Summer Olympics. Also, you don't need anything to play soccer except for something to kick, and a big area in which to play. Few will argue if you say that Brazil leads the world in football. No nation has won as many world cups as Brazil.
Volleyball is a close second in Brazil sports. In the world of international volleyball, Brazil wins many championships of all kinds, including indoor and beach volleyball. Brazil has nearly 5,000 miles of coastline. If you go to a beach in Brazil, there will always be a volleyball game going on somewhere, and usually two or three.
Footvolley was created in Brazil in the 1960s. It is a mix of football and volleyball, where the players must use their feet and head to get the ball over the net and into the opponents' court, and is also played in sand. It is one of the most popular beach sports in Brazil.
Swimming, tennis, rugby, boxing, judo, sailing, golf, surfing, and handball are all greatly popular in Brazil.
1. We infer that this passage was written to ________.| A．explain why football is so popular in Brazil |
| B．encourage us to do sports as people in Brazil do |
| C．tell us the history of several sports in Brazil |
| D．introduce several very popular sports in Brazil |
| A．Sports are extremely popular in Brazil. |
| B．All kinds of sports are played in Brazil. |
| C．Brazil athletes are out of control. |
| D．Brazil athletes are not well educated. |
| A．football is the most popular sport in every country |
| B．people don't need anything to play soccer |
| C．Brazil has won every World Cup Soccer |
| D．Brazil leads the world in football |
| A．Football. | B．Volleyball. | C．Footvolley. | D．Tennis. |
