1 . Around 2 million deaths each year are linked to physical inactivity. And a sedentary (久坐的) lifestyle is one of the leading causes of death in the world.
A new study published in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that regular short exercise “snacks” throughout the working day might be enough to mitigate the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
For the study. 11 participants (参与者) sat for 8-hour sessions. During the sessions, they followed one of four exercise “snacks” — 1 minute of walking after every 30 minutes of sitting, 1 minute after 60 minutes, 5minutes every 30 minutes, and 5minutes every 60 minutes — or a “snack” with no walking.
The researchers found that participants’ blood sugar and blood pressure levels were reduced after 5minutes of walking for every 30 minutes of sitting.
Lead study author Dr Keith Diaz, associate professor of behavioral medicine, said the most exciting part of the new research is that they’ve answered how to prevent the harmful health effects of sedentary sitting.
The researchers also found that all exercise “snacks” resulted in a reduction in participants’ tiredness, and an improvement in mood when compared to no walking at all.
“Beyond improving your physical health,” Dr Diaz said, “having regular walks to break up your sitting will put you in a better mood and help you feel more energetic.”
Dr Diaz added that the next steps for the research include finding more ways to reduce the harmful effects of sitting.
“We hope to find the least amount of movement you have to do to prevent the health harm of sitting.” Dr Diaz said. “The reality is that many adults will find it hard to walk every half hour. So finding a more practical recommendation is still needed.”
1. What does the underlined word “mitigate” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Measure | B．Reduce | C．Decide | D．Manage |
| A．It got published in a journal. |
| B．It used a new research method. |
| C．It proved the harmful effects of sitting too long. |
| D．It found a way to prevent the harm of too much sitting. |
| A．People’s tiredness | B．People’s weight |
| C．People’s blood pressure | D．People’s blood sugar |
| A．The finding is likely to be wrong. | B．The solution may have side effects. |
| C．The solution is not suitable for all. | D．The study hasn’t got much attention. |
2 . Everyone benefits from exercise, no matter their age, sex or physical ability. Here are a few ways that exercise can lead to a happier, healthier you.
Exercise controls weight. When you take part in physical activity, you burn calories. Regular trips to the gym are great, but don’t worry if you can’t find lots of time to exercise every day.
Worried about heart diseases? Expecting to prevent high blood pressure?
Needing an emotional lift?
Struggling to fall into sleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, get better sleep and deepen your sleep.
| A．Just exercise. |
| B．Just don’t exercise too close to bedtime. |
| C．Any amount of activity is better than none. |
| D．Hoping to lower stress after a stressful day? |
| E．Benefits of regular exercise are hard to forget. |
| F．Exercise and physical activity can be fun and social! |
| G．Feeling tired after grocery shopping or doing housework? |
3 . Teenagers’ fitness is now a major concern, to which physical exercise is very important. It reduces stress and improves fitness. Exercise makes your body strong, and helps you to keep the right body weight. Sports scientist Dr. Helen Lopez offers the following advice to teenagers: “First, you need to find out your present level of fitness. Then you can design a programme that will help you become healthier. ”
Dr. Lopez points out that there are three levels of fitness that need a change of lifestyle. “Overweight” means that the person gets very little exercise and often has a serious weight problem. “Inactive” means that the person does not join in many physical activities, but is not seriously overweight. “Active” refers to people who take part in sports and other physical activities, but do not have a high fitness level.
According to Dr. Lopez, overweight teenagers should keep active to keep healthy. “Ride a bike, play volleyball or basketball for a while, and go for a twenty-minute walk each day. All these will help to burn calories.” Inactive teenagers should do similar activities, but add some bending and stretching exercises, such as push-ups and sit-ups, starting with twenty of each a day. “Inactive people can take a little more exercise than overweight people because their bodies are stronger,” said Dr. Lopez. The same principle applies to active teenagers.
Dr. Lopez suggests one hour a week or more on running and other forms of intensive exercise, together with fifteen minutes a day spent on stretching and bending activities. “These are really important in order to prevent injuries,” Dr. Lopez said. Some weight-training and other body-strengthening exercises could also be planned in the programme in order to increase the person’s strength.
1. Which of the following statements is NOT the reason why physical exercise is important?| A．It can make the teenagers grow taller. | B．It can help teenagers become healthier. |
| C．It can help to burn up calories. | D．It can increase teenagers’ strength. |
| A．Active people always have a high fitness level. |
| B．Overweight people always take more exercise. |
| C．Inactive teenagers are not seriously overweight. |
| D．Keeping fit means changing teenagers’ lifestyle. |
| A．walking | B．stretching and bending | C．riding | D．weight-training |
| A．Doing exercises | B．Teenagers’ Fitness | C．Different Lifestyles | D．Overweight Teenagers |
4 . Pilates (普拉提), yoga and the running machine get all the attention when it comes to popular ways to keep fit. There is, however, a more humble exercise that might not be so attractive, but has all the benefits—walking.
Certified fitness professional Jolynn Jaekel explains, "What I love about walking is that anyone can do it at any age and any fitness level. Plus it is good for your heart, your head and your wallet.”
A recent report detailed the health benefits of walking. The report found that walking regularly to fulfill (执行,履行) the 150 minutes of moderate (适度的) physical exercise every week, recommended by the UK's chief medical officer, could save 37, 000 lives each year.
Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California found that quick walking reduced the risk of heart disease more effectively than running. They observed participants aged between 18 and 80 over a six-year period and found that walking reduced the risk of heart disease by 9.3%, while running reduced it by 4. 5%. And there is even more good news: 30 minutes of quick walking over five days could help you sleep easily, according to research by Oregon State University. The study by the university showed that walking helped participants sleep better and feel more alert during the day.
The sooner you get started, the sooner you'll notice the differences in your mind and body. So, go out for your 30-minute walk in a nearby park or green space.
1. What does the underlined word "humble" probably mean in the first paragraph?| A．relaxing | B．plain |
| C．popular | D．active |
| A．It's loved by people of all ages. |
| B．It's much healthier than running. |
| C．It's becoming more and more popular. |
| D．It's a money-saving physical exercise. |
| A．Walking helps people with sleep problems. |
| B．Walking contributes to curing heart disease. |
| C．Walking is better than running in some cases. |
| D．Walking 150 minutes per week can save lives. |
| A．Lifestyle | B．Comment |
| C．Education | D．Science |
