Teamwork is an important part of the health and fitness program at Spirit Club, where most of the participants have disabilities.
Jared Ciner created the program two years ago, “Our main focus is the same thing as any other gym’s, which is to help people be active and healthy, but the difference is that we do change a little bit to make sure that it is right pace for the people we are working with, so that everybody can follow along.”
Ciner used to work as a director for a local organization aimed at helping people with disabilities and as apart-time personal trainer at gyms. “I noticed that many of the people who I was working with who had disabilities did not exercise, struggled with weight problems, and were looking for more physical methods and more social ways,” he said.
His volunteer experience in Ethiopia working with children from very poor families helped him understand the influence of organized physical activity, too. “That helped me realize how much organized physical activity can help people connect to each other and increase people’s self-esteem (自尊),” Ciner said.
Classes at Spirit Club are interactive, and students can come with parents. They participate in partnered workouts and learn balance, strength, speed and agility (灵活性). They are also encouraged to eat right.
Alan Bradshaw, who is mentally disabled, has been coming to classes for two years. “He recently lost 21 pounds,” said his mother. “He is more outgoing. When he first started, he couldn’t sit on the floor, get down on the floor. He is doing that now. Great changes have happened to him and it is an important step forward for him. He likes the gym because he can make friends easily and exercise at the same time,” she said.
1. What is the main purpose of the program at Spirit Club? (no more than 8 words)2. What was Jared Ciner before he created Spirit Club? (no more than 15 words)
3. What is Jared Ciner’s view on organized physical activities? (no more than 13 words)
4. How does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean? (no more than 2 words)
5. What do you think of Spirit Club? Give reasons in your own words. (no more than 25 words)
2 . Exercise and I had never had a good relationship due to my fear of sports. From a young age, my dad
When I entered the University of Regina, my dad
The spring semester came. A friend of mine
I went, and that was it. Zumba became my
| A．expected | B．allowed | C．forced | D．invited |
| A．therefore | B．though | C．instead | D．besides |
| A．avoided | B．risked | C．regretted | D．kept |
| A．in shape | B．for fun | C．at ease | D．on business |
| A．refused | B．happened | C．bothered | D．decided |
| A．hardly | B．merely | C．constantly | D．gradually |
| A．eager | B．content | C．embarrassed | D．disappointed |
| A．cheated | B．comforted | C．asked | D．annoyed |
| A．happy | B．proud | C．careful | D．sure |
| A．cup | B．part | C．share | D．mouth |
| A．curiosity | B．passion | C．fear | D．confidence |
| A．perfect | B．positive | C．adorable | D．official |
| A．accept | B．feel | C．display | D．compare |
| A．witness | B．separate | C．discourage | D．save |
| A．trouble | B．sense | C．peace | D．contact |
Gary McKee ran 365 marathons in as many days to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria.
Gary McKee, 53, from Cleator Moor in Cumbria raised his arms in victory and was cheered by a crowd of supporters as he completed his 365th marathon of the year on New Year’s Eve. As of 4 pm on Saturday, he had raised more than £ 890,000 for the charities Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria, just shy of (缺少) his £1 million fundraising target. The father of three has gone through 22 pairs of sports shoes and has run 9,563 miles in rain, snow and sunshine to raise money for the charities.
“The support has been amazing and it always is and the West Cumbrians get behind us, but cancer affects everybody so it isn’t just a West Cumbrian thing, it’s a national thing,” said Gary. “I just hope that people do get behind us and we do raise those million pounds.” Gary has not only raised money for two fantastic charities, but he has also sprinkled magic on the local community and brought people together to support him with the challenge.
Chris Young, 29, ran 90 marathons with Mr. McKee. “Gary set a good example to me this year when I began running frequently with him and has given me both physical and mental resilience (适应力) that I don’t know if I would have ever discovered in myself in a million years. I know I don’t just speak for myself on that front as he has inspired not just me or the few, but the entire local community and beyond,” said Chris, “This challenge has raised a great amount of money for two fantastic charities, but the impact Gary has provided to the community and people around him is immeasurable. A lot of people’s lives will be much better off thanks to Gary’s efforts, mine included.”
1. What did Gary do when he completed his 365th marathon? (no more than 10 words)2. What is Gary’s goal of running 365 marathons? (no more than 10 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
4. In what ways has Gary McKee influenced Chris Young? (no more than 5 words)
5. What does Gary’s story inspire you? Put it in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
4 . A cancer survivor has become the first woman to complete an exhausting “Sea to Summit” triathlon（三项全能运动） which saw her swim, cycle, and run over 330 miles in just five days. Andrea Mason was overjoyed when she crossed the finish line early Wednesday morning.
The race was set in the French Alps. Setting off at 6:15am on Friday, 39-year-old Mason battled through severe pain, and hallucinations(幻觉)，but she pushed on --managing to complete the race in an impressive four days, 23 hours, and 41 minutes. Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer and needed life-saving surgery. Following a successful operation, she is now hoping to raise awareness of women’s health. In the past year，Andrea set up her own charity, Lady Talk Matters, in order to improve surrounding female’s health.
Andrea, from Blackpool in Lancashire, England, said，“I am so happy all went according to plan as there were so many things that could have gone wrong. I wanted to do it in five days， and I did，but it was very tough. I had some low moments, particularly when I couldn’t sleep in my limited rest periods, and when I couldn’t keep any food down as I was running. For sure I had some doubts along the way as I was exploring the unknown with such a huge run, particularly as large parts of it were in the dark. It was bigger than I imagined, the impact on my body was huge. But every time I felt like giving up，I thought about all the women out there in pain or who still hadn’t been diagnosed. That is why I put myself through this.”
Andrea had to swim 23 miles around Lake Annecy, cycle 205 miles with 30,000 feet of vertical climbing around Mont Blanc, and run 105 miles with 4,000 feet of vertical climbing around The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. You could say Andrea’s actually spent a lifetime training for an event like this. She completed her first three-mile race “powered by chocolate bars＂ when she was just four.
1. What brought Andrea Mason so much joy？| A．She joined a race | B．She defeated cancer. |
| C．She finished a marathon in five days. | D．She finished a triathlon lately. |
| A．To help the poor women. | B．To promote women’s health. |
| C．To focus on women’s life. | D．To raise the status of women. |
| A．When she couldn’t eat. | B．When she couldn’t sleep. |
| C．When she was running at night. | D．When she met too many difficulties. |
| A．Her strong willpower. | B．Her family’s support. |
| C．Thinking of other women who might have cancer. | D．Thinking of other women who had more pain. |
| A．Andrea liked sports very much. | B．Andrea faced huge challenges. |
| C．As a little girl, Andrea won many races. | D．Andrea’s success lied in long-term effort. |
