I hesitated to join the new Tai Chi Club because I always
While
I discovered that tai chi is deeply rooted
A year of practising tai chi has had a positive effect on my everyday life. I feel
2 . Ten fitness exercises you can do at home
Walking
An effective walking workout at home will help to strengthen your legs, while getting some low impact aerobic exercise as well. If you don’t have any stairs available, just walk around the house a few times —it may not be very exciting, but it will do the job!
Jumping jacks
These are always fun, as they bring back memories of being a kid! Who hasn’t done jumping jacks for fun as a child? Well, surprise —they are also great cardio exercises, and good for warming up, too.
Push-ups
These are probably not the most favorite exercise of many people, but while they can be hard to do, you can find easier ways to do them. You don’t need to pretend you’re “Rocky”, and do them with one hand: just do what works for you. Do them on your knees, instead of keeping your legs straight. Or, do them by standing up against a wall. You will build up arm strength and work out muscles in your chest area.
Leg lifts
These are great for building up strength and muscles in your legs. If you find it hard to do the exercises with your legs straight, try bending them slightly.
Crunches
It’s the best exercise for building up and strengthening belly muscles. When you’re just getting started, don’t worry about getting your head all the way up. So long as you’re going up until you feel the stretching of the muscles, you will see some benefit.
Jogging in place
Jogging is a great exercise for your heart. You can jog in place at home while watching TV or listening to music. The only equipment you will require is a good pair of shoes, to eliminate any stress to your legs.
Squats
These are wonderful exercises for your legs and bottoms. You can even just try these by sitting and standing up again from a regular chair, if you’re finding them to be too difficult. As long as you’re able to do a few repetitions, you will provide some benefit to your body.
Dancing
Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is great for your heart. Not only that, but it can lift your spirits as well, and give your overall feeling a boost.
1. Which column does this article belong to if in the newspaper?| A．Health. | B．Entertainment. | C．Travel. | D．Advertisement. |
| A．Walking. | B．Push-ups. | C．Jumping jacks. | D．Squats. |
| A．Walking and Push-up. | B．Leg lifts and Crunches. |
| C．Squats and Dancing. | D．Dancing and Jogging in place. |
| A．Regular exercise. | B．A healthy eating habit. | C．A strict plan for running. |
Fitness enthusiasts in China are experiencing a change
These enthusiasts now wear smart gadgets(小装置)
A
Runners on the track acquire a range of data, including information about those currently using the track, real-time temperature and weather reports, and instructions about running. This data
The track is also linked to an app that can be installed on smartphones and other portable devices. Runners
Runners on the track also take part in online challenges relating to different distances and particular difficulties.
After signing up for the challenges on the app, they choose the time they want to start. The athletes’ results are uploaded online for
5 . My name is Michelle Rogers. For most of my life I had been fighting with my body weight. I was either gaining weight or trying to lose it. I wasn’t happy with myself, and I certainly wasn’t able to fully enjoy life. Not only did I feel bad physically, but I felt terrible emotionally. I also knew I wasn’t able to be the best I could be, and with failure after failure in losing weight, I just felt so hopeless to make it.
One day in 2008, I was looking through ads online and saw a treadmill (跑步机) for $100. This time I decided to start small and keep it doable. The first week I started walking 15 minutes on the treadmill at a fixed time every day. The next week I did 16 minutes. Each week I added a minute. Gradually, I increased speed as well as time. Once I got to 30 minutes, the weight started dropping off.
I didn’t lose weight at first, but I didn’t give up like I did in the past. I realized I started feeling better. My legs were getting stronger. I didn’t feel painful like I used to when I got up from my desk. All the efforts I’d been putting into fitness made me want to start eating healthier, too. I began with small changes as well. After these years I started listening to my body. It was refusing food and habits that were bad for me.
Today, the extra weight is gone. I still exercise every morning. I look and feel the best I have never done. Every area of my life has improved and benefited from this change in me. Not only do I have my youthful energy, looks and health back, but also I have more confidence than I have ever had.
1. How did Michelle feel about losing weight before 2008?| A．Confident. | B．Hopeless. | C．Addicted. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．15 weeks. | B．20 weeks. | C．25 weeks. | D．30 weeks. |
| A．Doing exercise regularly. | B．Eating healthier. |
| C．Refusing bad food and habits. | D．Gaining extra weight. |
| A．Time is everything. |
| B．Interest is the best teacher. |
| C．Start with small things. |
| D．Nothing is more important than confidence. |
6 . Regular jogging (慢跑) can reduce your risk of health problems. If you’re new to jogging, getting started can seem a little difficult.
Fuel your body 2 hours before jogging
Eat a healthy meal rich in fruit and vegetables before jogging.
Warm up for 5 minutes before jogging
It’s very important to warm up before you jog.
Most people think how far and how long you run has to do with patience and a strong will. However, having the proper running form plays an important role in jogging. To make the most of your jogging, remember to keep your head straight and your muscles relaxed, avoid lifting your knees too high, and touch the ground lightly with the middle of your foot.
Cool down after your jogging
After jogging, you can avoid strain on your heart and muscles by doing cool-down exercise. Finish your jog with 5～10 minutes of walking.
| A．Breathe regularly as you jog |
| B．Practise proper forms while jogging |
| C．Healthy food can give you enough energy |
| D．Then do some gentle stretches to relax your muscles |
| E．Spend at least 5 minutes doing a warm-up before jogging |
| F．However, if you plan ahead, you’ll see the benefits of jogging |
| G．You can try the following steps to form your healthy jogging habit |
7 . 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. |
| A．Diet plan. |
| B．Professional background. |
| C．Exercise type. |
| D．Previous physical condition. |
| A．Making use of the findings. |
| B．Interviewing the study participants. |
| C．Conducting further research. |
| D．Clarifying the purpose of the study. |
| A．To get stronger. | B．To lose weight. | C．To relax himself. |
1. 推荐一家健身馆；
2. 健身馆简介及建议；
3. 邀请一起锻炼。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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Phys ed (physical education) is making a comeback as a part of the school core curriculum, but with a difference. While group sports are still part of the curriculum, the new way is to teach skills that are useful beyond gym class. Instead of learning how to climb a rope, children are taught to lift weights, balance their diets and build physical endurance. In this way, kids are given the tools and skills and experiences so they can lead a physically active life the rest of their life.
Considering that 15 percent of American children aged 6 to 18 are overweight, supporters say more money and thought must be put into phys ed curriculum. In many cases, that may mean not just replacing the old gym-class model with fitness programmes but also starting up phys ed programmes because school boards often “put P. E. on the chopping block, cutting it entirely or decreasing its teachers or the days it is offered”, says Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, the executive director of Action for Health Kids. The difference in phys ed programmes is partly due to the lack of a national standard. “Physical education needs to be part of the core curriculum,” she added. The wisdom of the new approach has some scientific support.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have demonstrated how effective the fit-for-life model of gym class can be. They observed how 50 overweight children lost more weight when they cycled and skied cross-country than when they played sports. The researchers also found that teaching sports like football resulted in less overall movement, partly because reluctant students were able to sit on the bench.
Another problem with simply teaching group sports in gym class is that only a tiny percentage of students continue playing them after graduating from high school. The new method teaches skills that translate to adulthood.
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