1 . When training for my first marathon, I treated myself to an expensive fitness watch that tracked my time, pace and splits.

At the end of my final training run, I threw myself down on the floor the moment I got home, only to see my watch had failed me. Twenty-one miles briefly flashed on the screen before it went blank and disappeared forever. I screamed in pain. That tragic image of me crying on my living room floor pretty much sums up my relationship with exercise tracking technology.

It can be a total joy to watch your data change as you get stronger and faster, but sometimes it became a stick for punishment. I would compare my pace with other people’s or criticize myself for not doing it 30 seconds faster. I never really recognized this as a problem. To me, tracking was the route to self-improvement, and the point was to be better.

In the past year, “being better” has taken on a different meaning. My mental health dropped, and things like brushing my teeth became unimaginably difficult. Being better stopped meaning getting faster or stronger. It meant taking care of myself and feeling some joy. Once I started getting better, I reflected on what made me happy and what did not. So, I stopped tracking my runs and deleted all the data.

I then found I genuinely love running. I run around my local park with a silly little smile. But I do not love running quickly. I do not like races. I do not want to be pushed to be faster. I now notice how my legs feel and how my mind feels afterwards — clear and focused. I notice the smell of the wild plants and the sunshine on my face.

I am better. Sometimes I am worse. But either way I’m moving forward slowly and firmly, and that’s good enough.

1. The author cried after the final training run because she ________.

A．had to stop working out	B．became physically worn out
C．lost the data on the watch	D．felt a sharp pain in the legs

2. The author used to view exercise tracking as ________.

A．a fun hobby for enjoyment	B．a strong need for recognition
C．a method of escaping punishment	D．a way of being a better runner

3. What does “being better” mean to the author now?

A．Getting pleasure out of winning races.	B．Being more focused on her life goal.
C．Freeing herself from demanding tasks.	D．Improving her overall well-being.

4. What can we conclude from this passage?

A．Adjustment brings happiness.	B．Passion is the key to success.
C．Sports contribute to happiness.	D．Success equals self-improvement.

2 . 2024 Illustration Competition

Enter the competition most respected and admired in the industry for creativity in illustration, the Communication Arts Illustration Competition. Selected by distinguished professionals, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Illustration Annual and on commarts.com, ensuring important exposure of the creations. Each winner will receive a professionalized Award of Excellence, made from solid aluminum, and an award certificate. Communication Art’s Award of Excellence is one of the most desired awards. If chosen, winning places you in the highest ranks of your profession.

What To Enter With

Any illustration first published or produced from Jan. 2023 to Jan. 2024 is qualified. Entries may originate from any country. Descriptions in English are necessary for the judges to read.

Entries Can Be Submitted In The Following Formats

Digital Images: RGB images in JPG format with a maximum file size of 2 MB. GIF images may be livelier, but would be turned down, and so would the PNG ones.

Motion Entries: In MOV, MP4 or MPG format, with a maximum file size of 500 MB.

Illustration Competition Categories & Entry Fees

Category	Single illustration	Series of illustrations
Books (covers, jackets, etc.)	$ 40	$ 80 (limit of 5)
Motion (media for films, videos, etc.)	$ 90	$ 180 (limit of 3)
Student Work	$ 20 (Image) $ 45 (Video)	$ 40 (Images, limit of 5) $ 90 (Video, limit of 3)

For more categories, please download the category PDF.

Late Fees

Entries must be registered no later than Jan. 13, 2024. Entries registered after that date will be charged a fee of $10 each. No entries can be registered after Jan. 27, 2024.

1. What will the winner gain?

A．A personalized award certificate.	B．Wide recognition in the industry.
C．Exposure to world-famous works.	D．A bonus from Communication Arts.

2. Which of the following is unfit for the competition?

A．A student work from Argentina.

B．A newly produced motion entry.

C．A PNG image with a file size of 1 MB.

D．A series for covers of three illustrations.

3. How much should be paid for three cover illustrations submitted on Jan. 20, 2024?

A．$ 80.

B．$ 110.

C．$ 150.

D．$ 240.

4 . For people suffering from depression, there’s an all-natural treatment they should use — getting more exercise. It could help fight depression, even if people have a genetic risk, new research shows.

For the study, researchers collected information from nearly 8,000 people and found those with related genes were more likely to have depression over the next two years after examining them. But that was less likely for people who were more active at the study’s start, even if they had a family history of depression. Higher levels of physical activity helped protect even those with the highest genetic risk of depression.

Both high-intensity (高强度) exercise and low-intensity activities were associated with a reduced risk of depression. Adding four hours of exercise a week could lower the risk of a new episode (一段经历) of depression by 17%, according to the study. “Our findings strongly suggest that, when it comes to depression, being physically active has the potential to remove the added risk of future episodes in individuals who are genetically risky,” said lead author Karmel Choi. “On average, about 35 additional minutes of physical activity each day may help people to reduce their risk and protect against future depression episodes.”

Depression is a common mental illness globally, with more than 264 million people affected. “Depression is so ubiquitous, and that underlines the need for effective approaches that can impact as many people as possible,” Choi said. And mental health and primary care providers can use the findings to advise patients that there’s something meaningful they can do to lower their risk of depression.

1. How did the researchers reach their conclusion?

A．By analyzing a mass of data.

B．By conducting genetic research.

C．By comparing various levels of activity.

D．By tracking the subjects for many years.

2. What does the study show about depression?

A．Physical activity betters medical treatment.

B．Exercise is able to decrease and prevent it.

C．Different levels of exercise intensity matter the same.

D．Exercising 35 minutes daily is the most effective treatment.

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

A．Harmful.	B．Complex.
C．Unusual.	D．Common.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To discuss a disease.

B．To introduce a method.

C．To analyze a genetic risk.

D．To explain a phenomenon.

6 . With the cold weather drawing nearer, few people will choose swimming as a daily or usual activity.     1     Here come the reasons.

Good for your brain.

Swimming is one of the best activities you can do all year round, which benefits your body and your mind. Swimming has been found to increase blood flow to the brain, which leads to more oxygen.     2    

Work your muscles.

Every time you swim, it is like doing a mini-resistance workout. Each kicks and pull works your muscles more than you could imagine, especially your arms, shoulders and gluteus — the muscles that are inactive all day when you’re sitting at your desk.     3     So along with building fitness, it is a wonderful full body exercise.

Lift your spirits.

    4     They can cause a positive feeling into your body which makes you happy. Swimming has been shown to reduce stress and tension. The repetition, movement and the breathing can help you to relax , and that’s why swimming is also regarded as a relaxing exercise.

    5    

While swimming is an individual sport, it is also very social. You can meet people from all walks of life when swimming. Have a chat in the lap pool, join a swimming club or get involved in social water sports to get to know people in your community. Besides, the great thing about swimming is that you can do it — rain or shine. Although your backyard pool, the river or beach cools down over winter, most inside swimming pools run heated pools year round, so you’ve got no excuse to stop swimming.

A．Benefit your body.

B．Meet new people.

C．These chemicals can control your thought and action.

D．Swimming also works your abs (腹肌) and will reduce your waist line.

E．Exercise gives off chemicals in your body called endorphins (内啡肽).

F．And that means you’re experiencing better memory and sharp mind.

G．However, swimming in winter is of great benefit in cold days.

7 . People refer to never forgetting how to ride a bike or throw a baseball as examples of “muscle memory”, the result of a motor learning.     1     It is a phenomenon that previously trained muscles acquire strength after a period of disuse.

Previous research has shown that the changes actually persist in the muscles themselves. In one study of mice, the results suggest that after nuclei in muscle cells multiply in response to an overload of training, those extra nuclei aren’t lost during subsequent periods of inactivity. They are retained (保留), essentially waiting to be reactivated. If you fell off the fitness wagon (马车) during the pandemic, don’t be frustrated. Once you have got additional nuclei, you are banking the capacity.     2     In fact, a recent study revealed that less than eight weeks of retraining were needed to regain your former fitness. It depends on how fit you were initially, how long the layoff was, how old you are and how long you’d been exercising.

    3     It means you still have a distinct advantage when it comes to regaining your former level of fitness. And the principle applies to both resistance training and endurance training. The best way to regain your muscle memory is to start at a level below what you were accustomed to doing, and then gradually increase in terms of duration, frequency, then intensity.     4    

Ultimately, muscle memory is a payoff for all the past work you put into learning a sport.     5     You will never know how much muscle memory you may have until you start training again.

A．The best way to tap into it is to “get back on the horse”.

B．Physiologists, on the other hand, define it in a different way.

C．This convinces the researchers that muscle memory may not be long lasting.

D．That is to say, we can do the sports automatically without conscious thought.

E．It is generally safe to increase these elements by 5 percent every week or two.

F．It is evident that the more you exercise, the more muscle memory savings you will have.

G．All this news about muscle memory is encouraging for those who fell off the fitness scheme.

9 . If you’re a real fitness addict, you certainly know the ultimate running challenge is to take part in a marathon. It seems every major city and town around the world hosts an annual marathon, with thousands of athletes running an exhausting 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 viewers 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 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.

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. Being environmentally friendly while training kind of sticks with you and becomes a way of life.”

So while you may not be the top runner in a marathon, let’s hope the event, in terms of sustainability, certainly is!

1. What can we know about a marathon from paragraph 1?

A．Everyone desires to join in it.	B．Athletes can finish it with ease.
C．Local governments disapprove of it.	D．It can contribute to charitable causes.

2. What does this year’s London Marathon mainly feature?

A．Holding a sustainable event.	B．Raising funds for charities.
C．Encouraging people to exercise.	D．Recycling old running facilities.

3. What is Dr Andrea’s attitude to running a marathon?

A．Favorable.

B．Intolerant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Conservative.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Make Marathons Greener	B．How to Run Marathons Properly
C．Participate in Marathons Actively	D．What Is Left Behind after Marathons

10 . Running can be a polarizing (两极分化的) subject. Most people fall into one of two camps: those who love running every morning, and those who would sooner do anything to avoid it. For most of my life, I was planted in the second camp.

I always hated running. I remembered entering a neighborhood 5K race with my dad at age 12; I also remembered that I came in last in the race, followed by only the police car driving patiently behind me. Three years later, I didn’t make the junior volleyball team because I couldn’t run a mile in under 10 minutes. Every time I ran, I felt as though failure — in some form or other — was the only possible result.

The summer after my freshman year, though, I took a job at a summer camp in Connecticut, where I got paid to be a kid again. I spent my days keeping an eye on different camp activities. When it came to exercise, running was my only choice. So, I made a promise myself: Every day, I would run for a while. By most runners’ standards, it wasn’t far; I guessed it was only about a mile. But I decided to do it every day, no matter how long it took. The exercise lasted for 61 days — the entire time I spent at camp that summer.

I started to feel better about myself. But to my great surprise, I learned to love running, too. I went from fearing the sport to loving it. I’ve finished seven marathons (马拉松赛跑) and more shorter races than I can remember, and now I am a running coach. These were the secrets I discovered to changing my way of looking at life.

1. What was the author’s attitude to running at first?

A．He deeply loved it.

B．He refused to do it.

C．He thought it tiring.

D．He thought it a waste of time.

2. What can we know about the author from Paragraph 2?

A．He didn’t like to do any sport.

B．He didn’t believe he could do sports.

C．He didn’t do well in running-related sports.

D．He didn’t join the volleyball team on purpose.

3. What decision did the author make at the camp?

A．To run every day.

B．To do a part-time job.

C．To fully relax himself at the camp.

D．To take part in different activities.

4. How does the author look at running after the camp?

A．It is a difficult thing to do.

B．It has become a boring sport.

C．It makes no difference to him.

D．It has changed his life in a good way.