1 . If you are already making the time to exercise, it is good indeed! With such busy lives, it can be hard to try and find the time to work out.
Your productivity is improved. Exercising makes you more awake and ready to handle whatever is ahead of you for the day.
Your metabolism(新陈代谢) gets a head start.
There are a lot of benefits to working out, especially in the mornings. Set your alarm clock an hour early and push yourself to work out! You will feel energized all day long.
A.You will stick to your diet. |
B.Your quality of sleep improves. |
C.You prefer healthy food to fast food. |
D.There is no reason you should exercise in the morning. |
E.You can keep your head clear for 4-10 hours after exercise. |
F.After you exercise, you continue to burn calories throughout the day. |
G.If you are planning to do exercise regularly, or you’re doing it now, then listen up! |
2 . Before there was the written word, there was the language of dance. Dance expresses love and hate, joy and sorrow, life and death, and everything else in between.
“I adore dancing,” says Lester Bridges, the owner of a dance studio in Iowa. “I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life.” Bridges runs dance classes for all ages. “Teaching dance is wonderful.
So, do we dance in order to make ourselves feel better, calmer, healthier? Andrea Hillier says, “Dance, like the pattern of a beating heart, is life. Even after all these years, I want to get better and better.
A.So why do we dance? |
B.Dance in the U.S. is everywhere. |
C.If you like dancing outdoors, come to America. |
D.My older students say it makes them feel young. |
E.I keep practicing even when I’m extremely tired. |
F.Dancing seems to change their feeling completely. |
G.They stayed up all night long singing and dancing. |
3 . Try This at Home!
Are you looking for a new pastime that will create a balance between physical activity and relaxation? Then yoga may be the perfect choice for you. Yoga can be practiced by people of all ages and levels of fitness.
In the 1930s, Indian Sri Tirumali and K. Pattabhi developed one of the most popular forms of yoga practised worldwide today. They worked together using an ancient Sansknt text called Yoga Korunta to create a set routine of yoga movements and breathing exercises.
Ashtanga is different from other forms of yoga. It is a very powerful form of aerobic (有氧的)exercise which creates deep heat in the body.
Furthermore, yoga encourages you to think about what you're doing. Often you will close your eyes while doing certain movements.
A.It can also be done anywhere at any time. |
B.The result of their co-operation was ashtanga yoga. |
C.Whatever kind of yoga you choose, there are many long-term benefits. |
D.This allows you to concentrate better and it makes you less competitive. |
E.Every time someone practices ashtanga, he or she does exactly the same movements. |
F.If you're interested in yoga, but can find a class near you, then it might be an excuse to travel. |
G.Recently, it has become extremely common for beginners as well as advanced yoga students to go on yoga holidays. |
The wife-carrying World Championship has been celebrated in a small town in central Finland since 1992. In 1992, the people of the town decided to restart some long-forgotten traditions.
Alongside with the Wife-carrying World Championship, there is also a team competition. The distance is the same but three men in the team carry the wife in turns. At the exchange point the carrier has to drink official “wife-carrying drink.” Then he may continue the race.
While the Wife-carrying World Championship is being held, there are bands playing music, a wife carrying dance and other forms of entertainment.”
A.There are a few basic rules. |
B.People everywhere hold the event. |
C.A special prize is awarded to the team. |
D.Do you know how these traditions restarted? |
E.This event is becoming increasingly popular. |
F.The winner is the couple who complete the course in the shortest time. |
G.Back in the late 1800s, there was a robber called Rosvo-Ronkainen in that area. |
5 . Pure Yoga is devoted to serving the yoga community in Asia and beyond, offering a wide variety of classes such as Hatha Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yin Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga, etc. Our yoga classes are offered and taught by nearly 200 professional yoga teachers. Private Yoga is also available for learners of all levels. Pure Yoga constantly invites world-known teachers to lead guest teacher workshops.
Class Bookings
Class bookings can be made 2 days in advance of the class. It is important that you book your class in advance since some classes are more heavily attended than others.
We also limit our class sizes so that they are not overcrowded. If the class you wish to take is full, we will place you on the wait list and inform you of an opening as soon as possible. To create the best experience for yourself and others, please follow these guidelines:
No talking
The yoga studio is a silent room. Please do not talk while in the studio and studio corridors.
No eating
Do not eat in the studio.
No shoes
Remove your shoes before entering the practice rooms. Keep your shoes in your locker. Shoe lockers are also available for rental.
No mobile phones
Turn your mobile phones off or to “vibrate”(震动)mode. Do not take phones into the practice rooms.
Personal Belongings
Daily lockers are not for overnight use. Locks from any daily lockers that are kept overnight will be cut.
1. Who will teach general learners yoga?A.Favorite yoga teachers. | B.Professional yoga teachers. |
C.World-known yoga teachers. | D.Private yoga teachers. |
A.One month ahead of time. | B.Two months ahead of time. |
C.Two days ahead of time. | D.One day ahead of time. |
A.turn your mobile phones to “vibrate” mode. |
B.wear any shoes you like. |
C.talk with your friends on the phone. |
D.eat some snacks if you are hungry. |
6 . Competitive eating has become big business. The International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) holds events for competitive eating all around the world. One of the most popular contests (竞赛) is held every 4th of July on Coney Island in New York. Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest started in 1916 and the event has been dominated (占据优势) by Takeru Kobayashi. The Japanese competitor set his first record in 2001, when he ate 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes and has won the contest six years in a row.
The main types of food eaten in the contests are fast food. Hot dogs, chicken wings, pickles, corndogs and pizza are main foods of the contests. The contests usually last from around 8 to 12 minutes. Now most of the competitors are men, but there are also women who take part in competitive eating.
Being large and overweight isn’t necessarily an advantage in competitive eating. The biggest advantage a competitor can have is the ability to actually stretch (扩张) their stomach. Many competitors will drink plenty of water over a period of time in order to achieve this. Apart from having an unusually stretchable stomach, another important thing seems to be hand to mouth speed.
The IFOCE has very strict safety guidelines laid out regarding competitive eating. Competitions must take place in a controlled area and only competitors over the age of 18 are allowed to enter. They also advise against any type of home training. There has been much talk regarding the inclusion of competitive eating as an Olympic sport. Although the IFOCE has talked about that with the Olympic committee, it seems that they will not agree to it at present.
1. Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest _____.A.has a history of over 200 years |
B.takes place once a year in Japan |
C.is becoming less popular than before |
D.has made Takeru Kobayashi famous |
A.Fast food is the only type of food. |
B.They usually last ten minutes or so. |
C.Only men are allowed to enter a contest. |
D.They are open to competitors of all ages. |
A.How to win an eating contest. |
B.The history of competitive eating. |
C.Safety guidelines from the IFOCE. |
D.The disadvantages of eating too much. |
A.To report. | B.To advertise. | C.To introduce. | D.To warn. |
Bodysurfing is related to riding on a wave with no help from aid tools such as a surfboard. That’s why it is called the “purest” form of surfing. In fact, it is one of very few extreme sports—free climbing and cliff diving are. others—that can be practiced using nothing but the human body.
How do you do it?
To catch a wave, swim to where the waves break and, as one approaches, start swimming towards the beach. You must try to travel at the same speed as the wave and, if you do it correctly, you will feel the wave lifting you and pushing you forwards. Then try and cut along the surface of the wave.
What do you need?
It is more enjoyable and safer if you use flippers (large flat rubber shoes). This is because they enable you to swim faster and surf along them more easily. A wetsuit is also advisable. Another aid is a handboard, a mini-surf board about the size of an iron, held in one hand to speed up along the wave. If you are lucky enough to be surfing in warm water, make sure you have your boardshorts at the ready.
Unofficial world championship
Bodysurfing is not a professional sport, but in Hawaii there is such a festival called the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic each year. Local bodysurfers compete against athletes from places such as Australia, Brazil, Japan or France. Famous bodyboarder Mike Stewart has won the event no fewer than 12 times, and Kelly Slater, the greatest surfer in history, has also competed.
1. How does a bodysurfer surf while in the sea?A.Only using the human body. | B.Only relying on a surfboard. |
C.Only following a wave. | D.Only swimming along the beach. |
A.Flippers and a wetsuit. | B.A wetsuit and a handboard. |
C.A handboard and boardshorts. | D.A handboard and Flippers. |
A.It is for local bodysurfers. | B.It is held annually in Hawaii. |
C.All famous bodysurfers favor it. | D.Mike Stewart attends it every year. |
8 . The Alexander technique
Until earlier this year, I didn’t know anything about the Alexander technique—and saw no reason to think I should. One day, the backache I regularly suffered was more painful. I was brought up to think that the preferred way of dealing with aches is to do nothing and hope they’ll go away, but I eventually went to the doctor. After examining me, he said, “You actually have bad posture (姿势). Go off and learn the Alexander technique.” Three months later I could walk straighter and sit better.
The Alexander technique is a way of learning how you can get rid of harmful tension in your body. The teaching focuses on the neck, head and back. It trains you to use your body less severely and carry out the movements that we do all the time with less effort. There is little effort in the lessons themselves, which sets apart the Alexander technique from yoga or pilates, which are exercise-based. A typical lesson involves standing in front of a chair and learning to sit and stand with minimum effort. You spend some time lying on a bench with your knees bent to straighten the spine (脊椎) and relax your body while the teacher moves your arms and legs to train you to move them correctly.
The technique helps to break the bad habits accumulated over years. Try folding your arms the opposite way to normal. This is an example of a habit the body has formed which can be hard to break. Many of us carry our heads too far back. The head weighs four to six kilos, so any inappropriate posture can cause problems for the body. The technique teaches you to let go of the muscles holding the head back, allowing it to go back to its natural place on the top of our spines.
So who was Alexander and how did he come up with the technique? Frederick Alexander, an Australian actor born in 1869, found in his youth that he had vocal (声音的) problems during performances. He analyzed himself and realized his posture was bad. He worked on improving it, with excellent results. He brought his technique to London and opened a teacher-training school, which is still successful today.
So if you’re walking along the road one day with shoulders bent forward, feeling weighed down by your troubles, give a thought to the Alexander technique. It will help you walk tall again.
1. What does the author suggest in Paragraph 1?A.She felt no better after the treatment. |
B.She got bored with the Alexander technique. |
C.She was sceptical about the doctor’s method. |
D.She was unwilling to seek treatment for her backache. |
A.Physical tension shouldn’t be completely relieved. |
B.The technique shouldn’t be combined with other exercises. |
C.The practice of the technique shouldn’t be attempted alone. |
D.Familiar physical actions shouldn’t be done with much effort. |
A.He managed to recover his vocal powers. |
B.He was eager to make a name for himself. |
C.He developed a form of exercise for actors. |
D.He had to leave home to develop his technique. |
A.The occurrence of back pain is widespread. |
B.Alexander improved the technique to treat body pain. |
C.The Alexander technique helps overcome posture problems. |
D.People with back pain are victims of inappropriate postures. |
9 . As Simon Kindleysides, 34, took his first step in the London Marathon in April, he felt as if magic was in the air.
"As we were walking toward the first mile, we actually started joining all the runners," he said. "Everyone was on the streets, cheering, and that was a magical moment." As time went on, the crowds and other racers spread around. Kindleysides and his team of eight supporters continued walking.
Kindleysides, who is paralyzed(瘫痪的)from the waist down and typically uses a wheelchair, was equipped with an exoskeleton(体外骨骼)to help him walk. His supporters walked with him to change the batteries in his exoskeleton so he could keep moving.
In 2013, Kindleysides was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤) that was growing in a way that pressed on certain nerves, leading to him losing feeling in his legs. He was told he would never walk again. Before his paralysis, the London-based singer and dancer had "always wanted to run a marathon," he said, but he never made the plan to do so--until this year.
During the London Marathon, the last two miles were the hardest. "At that point, I was exhausted. It was freezing cold, and I was hurting emotionally," Kindleysides said. But he kept going. "I didn't want to let people down. I had a team of eight, and I was raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity," he said. "I didn't want to let them down, myself down, and I thought if I would get this far, I would have to continue."So he continued and made history as the first paralyzed man to complete the London Marathon on foot.
Then, recovering at home, he shared his accomplishment with his three children. "They used to say I'm the only dad in their whole school who's in a wheelchair, and now they say I'm their dad, the only one who has walked a marathon," he said.
Kindleysides is training to complete three more marathons next year, including the London Marathon again.
1. Why did Kindleysides' supporters accompany him all the way?A.To help change the batteries. | B.To inspire him as a team. |
C.To guide him along the road. | D.To assist him with the wheelchair. |
A.An operation on his brain for the tumor. |
B.An accident in the previous marathon. |
C.Some nerves produced out of the tumor. |
D.The pressure from the brain tumor on the nerves. |
A.The prize money for the winner. | B.The strong desire to recover. |
C.The kindness to help the charity. | D.The belief to beat others. |
A.He was once a successful actor. |
B.He is ambitious for joining in London marathons once more. |
C.His children feel a pity for him in the wheelchair now. |
D.He was the first disabled man to complete the London Marathon. |
10 . Some people put their bicycles away once they learn how to drive a car. For many people, bicycling is not just an easy way of getting around town but also an exciting sport.
One kind of race is the time trial. Each racer leaves the starting line at a different time and heads hard for the finish line. The cyclist who covers the distance in the shortest amount of time wins the race.
Another kind of race is more difficult. A few city blocks are closed to traffic. Then all the racers line up in a tight pack and begin racing at the same time.
Between races cyclists stay in condition by doing exercise that builds their strength so that they can keep riding for long periods of time.
A.As cyclists become more experienced |
B.A time trial is a very safe race for beginners |
C.Serious cyclists often arrange to take part in races |
D.Road races are usually the longest cycling contests |
E.Most people will seize possible chances to get around town |
F.They cover many laps, going around and around the city blocks |
G.When cyclists needn’t to build themselves up for those special races |