1 . Scientists are now digging into precisely why exercise holds so many benefits for our mental health and memory. The answer, studies say, lies in our brain chemistry.

Each time you work up a sweat, your body releases feel-good happy hormones (荷尔蒙), including endorphins, dopamine and endocannabinoids, the latter being responsible for the so-called runner’s high. Now researchers are also pointing to myokines (肌肉因子) as an important contributor to the mental health benefits of exercise. When our muscles contract, myokines are released into the bloodstream, helping your muscles and organs communicate. They think this communication increases resilience to stress, reduces symptoms of mental suffering and anxiety and has a direct effect on depression.

A 2021 scientific report published in Neuropharmacology showed evidence that myokines boost brain function, like improving memory and mood. “Myokines reduce systemic inflammation (炎症), which is especially beneficial for people with drug-resistant depression whose low mood is linked to high inflammation,” explains Dr Jennifer Heisz, an expert in brain health and associate professor in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that treatment for depression can be much more effective when physical activity is added to the usual care. Participants found benefits after 12 weeks of exercising for 30 to 60 minutes a day. “While exercise is not a replacement for professional mental health treatment, physical activity can complement and enhance the effects of the treatment,” says lead researcher Ben Singh, a research fellow at the University of South Australia.

“It is amazing to consider how moving our bodies can heal our minds,” says Heisz. Whether you’re cycling, walking around your neighbourhood or doing yoga, getting sweaty is good for your body and mind. To get the biggest overall health boost, the key is to zero in on sports and activities you enjoy, so you’ll keep going back to them.

1. How do myokines boost our mental health?

A．By bonding muscles with organs.

B．By slowing down our bloodstream.

C．By contracting muscles through the body.

D．By releasing happy hormones in our brain.

2. What is Ben Singh’s attitude towards physical activity in treatment for depression?

A．Doubtful.	B．Negative.
C．Uncertain	D．Approving.

3. What does the underlined phrase “zero in on” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Adapt to.	B．Give up.
C．Focus on.	D．Put off.

4. How does the author develop the text?

A．By making comparisons.

B．By presenting research findings.

C．By offering suggestions.

D．By conducting some experiments.

2 . Tai chi, a traditional, slow-moving form of Chinese physical exercise, is known to increase flexibility and improve balance. New research has been conducted to determine whether tai chi has an influence on lowering blood pressure in people with prehypertension (高血压前期).

In the study, Chinese scientists put 342 adults with prehypertension into two groups. The average age of people taking part in the study was 49. About half the participants (参与者) took part in aerobic exercise, including jogging, climbing stairs and cycling. The other half was trained to practice tai chi. Both groups got hour-long exercises four times a week.

Nearly 22% of the people who practiced tai chi saw their blood pressure fall to be normal, compared with nearly 16% of people in the aerobic exercise group. And fewer patients in the tai chi group went on to develop high blood pressure than patients in the aerobic exercise group.

So what is it about tai chi that helps lower blood pressure? “The practice tends to get more of a response from the parasympathetic (副交感的) nervous system, which is the network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger,” says Ruth Taylor-Piliae, a professor at the University of Arizona’s College of Nursing.

“I think the beauty of tai chi is that you don’t have to have a special gym membership, you don’t have to have special clothing,” Taylor-Piliae says. “Once you learn tai chi, you can do it anytime and anyplace. And it does provide a calming and relaxing effect.”

Evidence suggests it can also help protect against cognitive fall and even improve memory. But you have to practice it continually to get the most benefit.

1. What is the function of paragraph 1?

A．To offer some examples.	B．To explain a definition.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To give people suggestions.

2. What can we know about the participants in the study?

A．They were divided into two groups.	B．They suffered from heart disease.
C．They were 49 years old.	D．They got exercises five times a week.

3. What might Taylor-Piliae agree with about tai chi?

A．It can make people calm down.

B．It requires training and specialized equipment.

C．It has no influence on the parasympathetic nervous system.

D．It is suitable for individuals with aerobic exercise experience.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．A Traditional Sport	B．The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
C．Exploring Chinese Physical Exercise	D．Managing Blood Pressure with Tai Chi

3 . Starting a daily running routine needs determination. Looking back on my old running routine, it wasn’t so much the passion that affected my sticking to a regular schedule — but it was the environment. There had to be no rain pouring down, there had to be not many people on the basketball court and the ambient (周围的) temperature had to be just right. Or maybe I was just making an excuse for myself not to get up at 5 in the morning?

I was quite successful at doing so when I was 15 and when it was summer. When I was overweight, I ate more snacks than the actual full meals in a day, and I hardly got off the sofa. One summer day, I decided that it was time to put a stop to the idea that I was just the fat kid. I didn’t want to put in that box anymore. There was a tipping point (临界点) where inspiration happened, and discipline (自律) just took over from there. I needed to make sure that I ran 10 laps of the park a day — this was the contract (契约) I made with myself that summer. And if I achieved that, I knew I’d be closer to my goal of being just a kid with normal weight.

Ten laps, six days a week — sometimes no breakfast, hardly a bite at dinner, one snack a day—this lasted two months. I’d lost over 30 pounds that summer, which was roughly a quarter of my body weight. Some days, I didn’t have the motivation. But the contract I made with myself kept reminding me — if I’d break it, would I even bother making future self-contracts anymore? There were sleepy days, and there were days when I should have rested my trembling knees, but discipline won over them all.

1. What do we know about the author’s past running routine?

A．It was made by the author’s parents.	B．It mainly depended on the environment.
C．It referred to many people at site.	D．It failed in the end.

2. What can we infer from the fact that the author was overweight?

A．The author didn’t live a healthy lifestyle.

B．Summer is a season for people to be fat.

C．Good eating habits could make one put on weight.

D．Getting up late made him a fat kid.

3. Why did the author keep the contract that made with himself?

A．He felt looked down upon when he was fat.

B．He couldn’t find a right word to describe his size.

C．He made up his mind to achieve his goal of losing weight.

D．He was too fat to find the right size of clothes or shoes.

4. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．My Running Routine Was Affected by the Environment.

B．It Was Unpleasant to Be Overweight.

C．I Made a Contract on Running.

D．Discipline Helps Achieve My Goal.

5 . Common Mistakes New Runners Make

Running is a great way to get in shape and just about everyone can do it. However, many make a number of common mistakes, which can interfere (妨碍) with training or lead to injury.     1     , keep these things in mind to help you increase your chances of running success.

·Doing too much too soon

One of the biggest mistakes new runners make is doing too much too soon. Slowly easing into a training program will help reduce the risk of injury, so you can continue on with your new running routine     2     .

·     3    

Beginners might think they need to run every day (or nearly every day) to meet their fitness or weight-loss goals, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Running is a high-impact activity which can be really hard on your body. So it’s important to give your body a rest between workouts.

·Not wearing the right equipment

    4    , it’s important that you wear properly for your workouts. The most important piece of equipment for running is a good pair of running shoes, so be sure to do some research before you purchase a pair. Visit a running specialty store and ask an employee to fit you for a shoe.

•Running through pain

    5     If something hurts when you run, you need to stop and treat the pain. Remember: It doesn’t make you less of a runner if you listen to your body to keep it healthy.

A．Not taking rest days

B．If you’re just starting out

C．Comparing yourself to others

D．Running can be uncomfortable at times

E．It’s important not to use the same muscles

F．While it may be true that you don’t need expensive equipment to take up running

G．Experts suggest increasing your running distance by no more than 10% each week

6 . One of the reasons why so many people listen to music during exercise is that it has a number of benefits. The research around the positive influences of music during exercise was reviewed in a paper in the February 2020 issue of Psychological Bulletin.

Probably the biggest influence of music on exercise, based on these findings, is that listening to music during exercise can make you feel better about what you have done. Experiments find that people feel more positive about the exercise when they have listened to music than when they have not. The impact of music didn’t depend on the intensity of the exercise, and the effect appeared for both trained and untrained athletes.

Music also seems to reduce people’s feeling of how much they are exerting themselves. That is, at the same level of intensity of activity, listening to music can make you feel like you are exerting less effort than you would feel without music. Some studies have also shown that when athletes are free to set their own exertion level, they are willing to exercise more intensely with music than without. For some people (particularly when they are early in their training), music helps them focus on the music rather than on pain.

Music also appears to have a small effect on performance overall. Athletes perform better both during exercise and while engaging in their sport when there is music. In the studies analyzed, fast music, with a tempo greater than 120 beats-per-minute, was more effective than slow music. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to matter whether the athlete chooses the music or whether it is chosen by someone else. So, the playlists selected by the teachers of an exercise class you’re taking may work even if you don’t love all of the songs.

The one place where music doesn’t seem to have much of an impact is on physiological functioning. The heart rate of an athlete is not consistently affected by music.

1. What is the main benefit of listening to music during exercise?

A．Improving performance.

B．Providing entertainment.

C．Reducing the effort of training.

D．Feeling better about the workout.

2. What does the underlined word “exerting themselves” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Try hard.

B．Break down.

C．Growing up.

D．Come back.

3. What type of music has been found to be most effective in improving athletes’ performance?

A．Soft music.

B．Calm music.

C．Gentle music.

D．Rapid-paced music.

4. How does music affect an athlete’s physiological functioning during exercise?

A．It consistently increases their heart rate.

B．It consistently decreases their heart rate.

C．It depends on the intensity of the exercise.

D．It has no consistent influence on their heart rate.

9 . Competing for a Trip to Soma Bay, Egypt

Soma Bay is a perfect place for sunny relaxation. If you take a trip there, you can also take part in the competition we organize.

The Destination

Lapped by the Red Sea on three sides and with views of sandy beaches and desert mountains, Soma Bay can attract nature lovers most, Spreading across almost 2,500 acres, the Egyptian tourist attraction has an 18-hole golf course designed by Gary Player, a golfing enthusiast, as well as the largest Thalasso spa in Africa. Kiteboarding, diving and horse riding are all on offer, too.

Of Soma Bay’s five accommodation options, a five-star hotel enjoys a fantastic location on the highest point of the Soma Bay peninsula. It has a number of guest rooms and suites with private balconies, as well as four on-site restaurants, You can enjoy beach-side pizza, take afternoon tea, or stop for a drink by the 18th hole. They are all offered by the hotel.

The Prize

With the official permission of Soma Bay, the winner can enjoy a four-night stay in a classic room at the five-star hotel on a half-price basis. The prize includes return economy class flight tickets with overhead cabin luggage from the UK to Hurghada International Airport up to the value of £650 per person, with direct routes available from cities including London, Manchester and Bristol, plus return airport transfers to Soma Bay (UK transfers aren’t included).

To Enter

Answer the following question online at natgeotv,com/uk/competitions:

ON WHICH SEA IS SOMA BAY LOCATED?

Competition closes on 31 October 2023.

The winner must be a UK adult resident, aged 18 or over.

1. What does the five-star hotel offer?

A．Games on a golf course.	B．Tickets for kiteboarding.
C．Something to eat and drink.	D．Accommodation on the beach.

2. What can the winner get?

A．A free stay in the perfect hotel.	B．A return airport transfer to the UK.
C．A possible direct flight ticket from Bristol.	D．A first class flight from the UK to Hurghada

3. What do we know about the competition?

A．It welcomes children.	B．It covers multiple questions.
C．It targets at Egyptian citizens.	D．It ends on the last day of October.