1 . As we age, even if we’re healthy, the heart just isn’t as efficient in processing oxygen as it used to be. In most people the first signs show up in their 50s or early 60s. And among people who don’t exercise, the changes can start even sooner.

“Think of a rubber band. In the beginning, it is flexible, but put it in a drawer for 20 years and it will become dry and easily broken,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a heart specialist at the University of Texas. That’s what happens to the heart. Fortunately for those in midlife, Levine is finding that even if you haven’t been an enthusiastic exerciser, getting in shape now may help improve your aging heart.

Levine and his research team selected volunteers aged between 45 and 64 who did not exercise much but were otherwise healthy. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first group participated in a program of nonaerobic (无氧) exercise—balance training and weight training—three times a week. The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week. After two years, the second group saw remarkable improvements in heart health.

“We took these 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30-or 35-year-old hearts,” says Levine. “And the reason they got so much stronger and fitter was that their hearts could now fill a lot better and pump (泵送) a lot more blood during exercise.” But the hearts of those who participated in less intense exercise didn’t change, he says.

“The sweet spot in life to start exercising, if you haven’t already, is in late middle age when the heart still has flexibility,” Levine says. “We put healthy 70-year-olds through a yearlong exercise training program, and nothing happened to them at all.”

Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, says Levine’s findings are a great start. But the study was small and needs to be repeated with far larger groups of people to determine exactly which aspects of an exercise routine make the biggest difference.

1. What does Levine want to explain by mentioning the rubber band?

A．The right way of exercising.	B．The causes of a heart attack.
C．The difficulty of keeping fit.	D．The aging process of the heart.

2. In which aspect were the two groups different in terms of research design?

A．Diet plan.	B．Professional background.
C．Exercise type.	D．Previous physical condition.

3. What does Levine’s research find?

A．Middle-aged hearts get younger with aerobic exercise.

B．High-intensity exercise is more suitable for the young.

C．It is never too late for people to start taking exercise.

D．The more exercise we do, the stronger our hearts get.

4. What does Dr. Nieca Goldberg suggest?

A．Making use of the findings.	B．Interviewing the study participants.
C．Conducting further research.	D．Clarifying the purpose of the study.

2 . The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate to higher-intensity physical activity each week, and it should be in ________ of at least 10 minutes each for substantial health benefits, which has led many to ________ about the inefficacy of brief activities. Why people take two minutes going up the stairs if more than 10 minutes is ________ to make it worthwhile for health?

But now a study suggests something else: go ahead, take the stairs! Every minute ________ toward reaching the 150-minute goal, whether it’s part of a 10-minute period of activity or not. The purpose of the study conducted at the University of Utah was to see if moderate to vigorous physical activity in less than 10-minute episodes was ________ to weight outcomes. The study, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, found that each minute spent ________ in some kind of moderate to vigorous physical activity — be it walking the dog, vacuuming, or taking the stairs — was associated with lower BMI and lower weight.

“The idea here is, you can do a minute at a time and that’s not a problem,” Jessie Fan, lead author of the new paper and a family and consumer studies professor at the University of Utah, told Today.

For the women who participated in the study, each minute spent in higher-intensity activity was associated with a 0.7 drop in body mass index (BMI). For a 5'4" woman, that means a ________ of nearly half a pound, which may not sound like much, but that’s just for one minute. Little by little, they add up.

The authors concluded that the current 10-minute ________ guideline was based on health benefits other than weight outcomes and that their findings showed that for weight gain ________, accumulated higher-intensity physical activity bouts of less than 10 minutes are quite ________, supporting the message that “every minute counts.”

When it comes to your brain, it also rings true. An April 2019 study in Jama Network Open looked at how exercise affected the brain, and even short bursts ________ 22% greater brain volume.

“Our study results don’t ________ moderate or vigorous physical activity as being important for healthy ageing. We are just adding to the science, ________ that light-intensity physical activity might be important too, especially for the brain,” Dr. Nicole Spartarno, first author of the study from Boston University said.

“I think it’s easier for people to ________ that message,” Fan says. “Otherwise, if they don’t have a block of time they might be ________, and they don’t do anything.”

1.

A．figures

B．bursts

C．turns

D．cheers

2.

A．wonder

B．suppose

C．believe

D．wish

3.

A．alerted

B．subjected

C．required

D．committed

4.

A．refers

B．impresses

C．reveals

D．matters

5.

A．opposed

B．related

C．switched

D．exposed

6.

A．devoting

B．adapting

C．exposing

D．engaging

7.

A．loss

B．gain

C．accumulation

D．push

8.

A．possibility

B．activity

C．capacity

D．responsibility

9.

A．damaging

B．protection

C．prevention

D．hurting

10.

A．infectious

B．comfortable

C．harmful

D．beneficial

11.

A．resulted in

B．arose from

C．came out

D．gave in

12.

A．exaggerate

B．discount

C．describe

D．regard

13.

A．addressing

B．referring

C．suggesting

D．mentioning

14.

A．process

B．select

C．store

D．ignore

15.

A．deprived

B．disappointed

C．depressed

D．discouraged

3 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. peak            B. bound       C. considerate          D. announced     E. defeated          F. related             G. determination       H. measure     I. fever               J. serve               K.   considerable

It was very hot outside. The Chengdu Little Warriors were facing off against the Legendary Mighty Dragons of Beijing at a local indoor skating-rink (溜冰场). When I arrived, the Little Warriors, whose oldest player was eight years old, had just     1     their northern competitors. Near the lockers, a poster advertised hockey classes. Olympic     2     has begun to spread so far south that Chengdu now has nine skating-rinks and local hockey leagues for both kids and adults. It clearly shows China’s     3     to take the opportunity of holding the Olympics to promote winter sports across the country.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were praised as a success by almost every     4    : the wonderful opening ceremony, the tight security, the large crowds of     5     volunteers, and Team China’s place atop the gold-medal rankings. Each aspect of the event signaled the country’s arrival as a world power, capable of competing with the best and winning.

If 2008 was about China getting a seat at the table, the 2022 Winter Olympic Games     6     a different purpose. China's status as a global power is no longer in question. Beijing 2022 will not be just a two-week sporting event but the     7     of a multi-year campaign to promote winter sports. “ We no longer need to put on shows of ten thousand people performing Tai Chi,” said Zheng Kan. “ Now we just want to show that we are relatable.”

While the audience for winter sports may still be a small, relatively rich group, it is growing. To prove his commitments (承诺) to winter sports, President Xi Jinping     8     a “ three hundred-million-person winter-sports plan.” The plan is aimed at raising China’s participation rate in winter sports from less than two percent to twenty-two percent. Some schools in Beijing have already introduced courses     9     to winter sports. A high-speed rail line that was opened at the end of 2019 cuts travel time between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, where many of the events will be held in 2022, to under an hour.

With all these efforts, the 2022 Winter Olympic Games are     10     to be wonderful and unforgettable.

4 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. honors       B. inspiring       C. cultural       D. awoke E. promoting       F. success       G. distinguished       H. similar I. considered       J. normally       K. incredibly

Sports Icons(偶像) Who Lead a Change

China’s sports industry has entered a new era when the superstars themselves become the absolute focus of public attention. Compared with the gold medals and    1    the Chinese team has received, sports stars play the role of    2    people and improving the status of their sports in China. The following is an overview of those stars who once were, currently are or in the future will become milestones to change China’s sports demographics(统计数据).

Yao Ming: China’s Ambassador(大使)

Standing at 2.29 meters, Yao Ming used basketball to become one of the mainstream    3    ambassadors in modern China. He first played for his hometown Shanghai Sharks team in the CBA where he became a CBA champion ad Finals MVP in 2002. Soon afterwards, Yao was chosen by the Houston Rockets as the top overall pick in 2002. Over an eight-year span with the Rockets, Yao became an eight-time NBA All-Star. Besides his    4    in the CBA and the NBA, Yao was also a big reason for China’s continued dominance in the Asia basketball scene and their constant presence at world-level competitions. To this day, Yao remains one of China’s most    5    sports and cultural icons.

Liu Xiang: A Great Breakthrough

China’s world champion hurdler, Liu Xiang    6    the nation’s long-sleeping interest in track and field events after he became the first man to ever win a men’s track and field event for China. Before Liu won a gold medal in the men’s 110m hurdle race at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and set a world record two years later, Chinese people had never shown such a strong interest in track and field events. Liu has become a significant player in China’s track and field events and the craze that has followed him is    7    to Yao Ming’s influence on China’s basketball. Both athletes prove how powerful a super sports star can be on    8    the development of a sport in China.

Li Na: New Image of China’s Tennis

Being the first Asian to win the singles title of a Grand Slam tournament, Li Na opened the door to tennis in China and even Asia. Her victory at the French Open 2011 was like a fairy tale and she has since been    9    as a national sports hero equal to Yao Ming and Liu Xiang. A record-breaking 116 million viewers from China tuned in to watch Li become the French Open champion, marking the start of a women’s tennis boom in a country    10    left out of the tennis conversation.