1 . Last year, I raced the Acura Ten Miler in Toronto. With 1-2 miles left, I noticed a female runner ahead of me who was weaving (穿行) in and out of a group of people, looking pale. Realizing something was wrong, I found a police officer and told him about it, and waited until she was close enough that I could point her out. He immediately called for an ambulance. I ran off and wondered how many people passed me, but I knew I did the right thing.
This Saturday, I raced the Canada Day 5K in Burlington. I’ve raced the course many times. My friend Monica and I went together with a goal to run competitively. I wanted to finish faster than I did in June, when my 5K time was 21:57. I felt it realistic to beat that time.
When the starting gun sounded, I went out fast and happened to run shoulder to shoulder with Monica’s daughter, but I soon pulled ahead. Shortly after, though, I heard “Please help me” from behind. Monica’s daughter is athletic, but she’s learning to run faster with her asthma (哮喘). Knowing that she had trouble, I stopped.
We finished the last 2K together. It troubled me when some runners passed me, and I had to stop to walk with her for a bit. But I thought making sure she was okay was more important, so I talked to her through the rest of the race. We finished together and cheered for her mom as she crossed the finishing line.
At last, my time was a bit longer than I wanted, but I was okay with that. If I had based my time on my age group’s winning time, I would have met my goal time. But I thought I made the right decision to help this girl get to the finishing line safely. For me, that was what mattered on Sunday morning. There will always be another race.
1. What did the author do during the Acura Ten Miler race?| A．She made new friends. | B．She helped a woman get rescued. |
| C．She broke her past record. | D．She stopped halfway due to illness. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Nervous. | C．Bored. | D．Confident. |
| A．By keeping her company. | B．By finding her mother. |
| C．By calling her an ambulance. | D．By cheering for her courage. |
| A．Honest and dependable. | B．Amazing and hard-working. |
| C．Helpful and kind. | D．Talkative and cheerful. |
| A．Learn to walk before you run. | B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．All roads lead to Rome. | D．Winning is not everything. |
2 . Youth Speech Competition
UNICEF is working towards a world where every child has what they need to survive and develop. But we can’t do it without big ideas from young people — young people who are brave enough to share their brilliant ideas with the world. UNICEF USA and TED-Ed invite young people to create their own talks on the rights of children and the problems young people face around the world.
One winner will be invited to UNICEF USA’s Annual Student Summit to make his/her speech on stage!
Criteria (标准)Youths aged 10-18 (if you are under 13, you must have a parent or teacher to help you register (报名)).
Must register online.
Your video must be under 2 minutes.
Deadline (截止时间): Your video must be handed in by midnight, January 27, 2023.Topics of Discussion:
●Migration ●Sustainable (可持续的) Development ●Values and Beliefs
Prizes
Winners will be announced on February 4, 2023.
One winner will be invited to make his/her speech on stage on UNICEF USA’s Annual Student Summit in Washington, D. C. on March 16-17, 2023!
UNICEF USA will pay for all travel expenses (flights and hotels). The student will be responsible for personal meals and personal expenses. If you are under the age of 18, you will need to travel with a responsible adult chaperone (监护人). UNICEF USA will pay for the chaperone’s travel expenses as well.
How to RegisterCreate an account (账户) using this link: ed.ted.com/unicefusa.
Once your account has been created, return to the TED-Ed Student Talks page and register!
Once you’ve handed in your registration, allow 2-3 days for processing.
Once you’ve recorded your talk, upload it using the “Upload” tab in your Resource Library on the TED-Ed website.
1. What will UNICEF USA and TED-Ed welcome?| A．Excellent paintings. | B．Brilliant articles. |
| C．Interesting stories. | D．Creative ideas. |
| A．Pay an entry fee. | B．Attend a training class. |
| C．Send a speech video within 2 minutes. | D．Perform on stage in Washington, D. C. |
| A．It has no age limit. | B．It focus on social issues. |
| C．It provides free meals. | D．It is held every two years. |
| A．On January 27, 2023. | B．On February 4, 2023. |
| C．On April 18, 2023. | D．On March 16-17, 2023. |
| A．visit TED-Ed’s website | B．send an e-mail |
| C．sign up in a library | D．call workers from TED |
3 . ISA Summer Camps of Figure Skating in Prague 2023!
Thanks to our considerable experience in organizing international figure skating camps for children, we have again prepared special programs for our summer training camps. The summer figure skating program has been developed with the requirements of international standards in mind, taking into account the age and physical abilities of young figure skaters.
Training week schedule
Monday to Saturday
22 hours of training: 11 hours on ice and 11 hours of training off ice.
On Saturday-shortened program, demonstration performances on ice, awarding all participants with memorable diplomas (奖状) and cups (costumes required).
* Group workouts on ice 2 hours a day.
* Group off-ice training 2 hours a day.
* The possibility of individual lessons on ice 2 hours a day (optional).
What you need to have with you at ISA Summer Camps
On ice: Tremo suit on the ice, a few gloves for a change.
For training off-ice: Air sneakers, sportswear for training off-ice.
Price
Package price for a week stay in ISA Summer Camps for a skater: € 550 (Price per day € 92)
Package price for a week stay in ISA Summer Camps for an accompanying (陪同的) person: € 350 (Price per day € 58)
Package price includes: 7 nights at the hotel, 3 meals a day.
Health insurance
Participants signing up for this event agree that the price does not include insurance and that the organizer is not responsible for any injuries. Each participant must have health insurance concluded with one of the insurance companies valid (有效的) in the Czech Republic and a certificate of good health provided by the parent. Participation in this event is at your own risk.
1. Which of the following is included in the schedule of the training week?| A．22 hours of training on ice. |
| B．Group off-ice training 3 hours a day. |
| C．Individual lessons off ice 1 hour a day. |
| D．Demonstration performances on Saturday. |
| A．€ 900. | B．€ 644. | C．€ 550. | D．€ 406. |
| A．Professional diplomas. |
| B．A recommendation letter. |
| C．Health insurance provided by the camp. |
| D．A certificate of good health provided by a parent. |
4 . Dealing with Stress in Sports
Sports are a great way to have fun while staying fit. Sports also teach important life lessons like working as a team.
Competing always leads to some stress. And that can be good.
Keep stress levels down when you aren’t competing.
Finally don’t forget that no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes in sports. It is part of the game.
Whether you play on the school team or at a weekend pick-up game, the point is to have fun. By keeping that as the first place, you can learn to deal with the stress that is a natural part of competition.
| A．There will always be some stress in sports |
| B．A little stress helps the body face a challenge |
| C．Why not be quick to forgive mistakes and move on |
| D．If you have too much going on, think about doing more exercising |
| E．It is best to eat well and get enough sleep, especially before games |
| F．Aren’t sports about staying active, developing as a player and making friends |
| G．But it’s not always easy to keep it together when it feels like winning is everything |
5 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Harmful. | B．Complex. |
| C．Unusual. | D．Common. |
| A．To discuss a disease. |
| B．To introduce a method. |
| C．To analyze a genetic risk. |
| D．To explain a phenomenon. |
6 . Walking in the city is very different from walking in the park. A small psychology study suggests urban(城市的) environments can slow your step and possibly increase your mental load. A walk through nature, on the other hand, appears to ease your mind and quicken your pace. The findings show that natural settings may potentially reduce cognitive (认知的)tiredness and improve reaction times straight away. The study, which includes two experiments with two different approaches, was conducted among 65 university students in the lab.
The first of the two experiments in the new study focused on people’s way of walking and cognitive load. During this trial, participants were fitted with sensors and a dozen motion control cameras were set up to watch them repeatedly walk down a 15-metre room at their natural speed. The wall opposite them showed an image of either a nature scene or a city scene. After each walk, participants were asked to rate their feelings of discomfort in the visual environment. On the whole, when walking in city settings, people reported more discomfort and they walked at a slower pace, indicating a higher cognitive load.
The second experiment dug into some of the higher-level cognitive processes that might be at play. In the trial, participants were asked to distinguish between basic visual shapes on the computer while also in the presence of a natural or urban image(the same ones from the first experiment). Measuring reaction times in both natural and urban settings, the team found results to support their idea. In urban environments, participants were slower in distinguishing between simple shapes. The authors think this is because urban environments are more distracting(令人分心的) for our brains and take longer to process, but more research is needed to prove that idea.
1. How were the experiments conducted mainly?| A．By comparing. | B．By giving data. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By explaining facts. |
| A．It can make us feel relaxed and react quickly. | B．It can activate our thinking and speed up our step. |
| C．It can make us less tired and improve our memory. | D．It can make us become more focused and creative. |
| A．They had a lower cognitive load. | B．They had to slow down their pace. |
| C．They couldn’t concentrate properly. | D．They felt uncomfortable after walking. |
| A．Urban environment makes us more concentrated. | B．People’s feelings are decided by their pace of walking. |
| C．The result of the experiments is widely appreciated. | D．People tend to get tired more easily walking in the city. |
7 . Our much-loved 100-Word-Story Competition is back!
Our 100-word-story competition is your chance to show the world your storytelling talents!
Your stories should be original, unpublished and exactly 100 words — not a single word shorter or longer! Entries are now open and the submission deadline is January 5, 2024. Multiple entries are allowed per person. We are unfortunately only able to consider UK-based entries.
Rules
Please ensure that submissions are original, not previously published and exactly 100 words long (not including title). Don’t forget to include your full name, address, email and phone number when filling in the form. We may use entries in all print and electronic media.
There are three categories — one for adults and two categories for schools: one for children aged 12-18 and one for children under 12.
Submission
Please submit your stories by 5pm on January 5, 2024 either online or by post addressed to:
Reader’s Digest
100 Word Story Competition
Warners Group Publications
West Street
Bourne
PE109PH
Prizes
The editorial team will pick a short list of entries, and the three best stories in each category will be posted online at readersdigest. co. uk on February1, 2024. You can vote for your favourite, and the one with the most votes will win the top prize and receive ￡1,000. Voting will close on February 29, 2024 and the winning entries will be posted online on April 16, and published in our May 2024 issue.
PS: Reader’s Digest is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism.
1. Who is likely to qualify for the competition?| A．An Indian primary student. | B．A well-known Chinese writer. |
| C．A British writing lover. | D．An American chief editor. |
| A．January, 2024. | B．June, 2024. |
| C．February, 2024. | D．December, 2023. |
| A．You have to submit your work before February 1, 2024. |
| B．Only one story of yours is allowed to be in the competition. |
| C．Buying one copy of Reader’s Digest is a must to be in the competition. |
| D．Both preschool children and in-school students can participate in the contest. |
8 . Home workout
As long as there is a space at home, we can move. It will take time if we go outside as time is precious, especially in this fast- paced age. So many people like to exercise at home. However, without trainers, getting good exercises at home can be difficult.
Avoid over-training. Nowadays, a lot of people prefer to do some popular programs they see on social media. But a lot of these programs are high-in-tensity (高强度的) and designed to make you feel tired.
Do yoga in a suitable way.
| A．It can be tricky to do yoga at home. |
| B．Yoga is the most effective in the presence of an instructor. |
| C．Here is something you should pay attention to when you choose to exercise at home. |
| D．Instead, you should try a program that is working toward a goal, with exercises you’re able to do. |
| E．Watch your form. |
| F．But having bad form can lead to injury. |
| G．People find it easy to do these programs. |
9 . Playing tennis might add years to your life, according to a new study of Danish men and women. The study found that adults who frequently participate in tennis or other racket (球拍) and team sports lived longer than people who were spending a lot of time sitting down. They also lived longer than people who took part in activities such as jogging, swimming and cycling. The results raise interesting questions about the role that social interactions might play in enlarging the benefits of exercise.
No one doubts that being physically active improves our health and can extend our longevity (寿命). But whether some activities might be better than others remains in argument. One widely publicized 2017 study of more than 80,000 British men and women found that those who played racket sports like tennis tended to outlive those who jogged.
The researchers widened their inquiry and looked at a variety of sports and their associations with life. To start, they turned to the same data resource they had used for the jogging study, the Copenhagen City Heart Study. The study’s participants had all completed health exams and lengthy questionnaires about their lifestyles and whether and how often they took part in some sports common in Denmark, including cycling, swimming, running, tennis, soccer and, perhaps unexpectedly, badminton.
According to the data, cycling added an average of 3.7 years to riders’ lives, compared to sedentary Danes. Running added 3.2 years while tennis 9.7 years. These associations remained unchanged even when the researchers controlled for people’s education, socioeconomic status and age.
“Why and how some sports might add more years to people’s lives than others is impossible to know from this kind of observational study,” says Dr. James O’Keefe, a study co-author. “But we know that social support probably has unique effects on helping people get more benefits from the exercise.”
For now, people who run or ride alone might consider finding a group or partner to work out together. “Raising your heart rate is important for health,” he says. “But it looks like connecting with other people is, too.”
1. According to the passage, which activity may help people live longer?| A．Cycling. | B．Running marathon. |
| C．Swimming. | D．Playing badminton. |
| A．Inactive. | B．Outgoing. | C．Depressed. | D．Easygoing. |
| A．Exercising alone. | B．Working out together. |
| C．Working out regularly. | D．Raising one’s heart rate. |
| A．women who prefer team sports live longer than men |
| B．people’s education and socioeconomic status affect their longevity |
| C．the reason why some sports might add more years to people’s lives is still unknown |
| D．80,000 Danish men and women participated in the survey |
10 . Good health is the most valuable thing a person can have, but one cannot take good health for granted.
Proper nutrition (营养) is important for good health. Your body cannot work well unless it receives the proper kind of “fuel” (燃料).
Finally, get plenty of exercise.
If everybody were to eat the right food, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly, the world would be a happier and healthier place.
| A．Drink cold drinks on a cold day. |
| B．We would all live to be much older and wiser. |
| C．Don’t eat too much food with lots of sugar and fat. |
| D．Getting the proper amount of sleep is also important. |
| E．Secondhand smoke is harmful to children as they develop. |
| F．It is important to remember that the body needs proper care in order to be healthy. |
| G．Exercise firms the body, strengthens the muscles, and prevents you from gaining weight. |
