You already know the fact that regular exercise is important for controlling weight and
The study, which
More recently, another study by Johnson reveals that even short ”microbursts“ of physical activity throughout the day can have positive effects. Jennifer tells that sitting for long periods of time,
2 . Spending time outdoors has long been linked (联系) to better health. Gardening goes beyond just beautifying outdoor spaces—it can have a deep effect on our physical and mental (身心上的) health.
Gardening involves physical activity that works all the main muscle (肌肉) groups, which is helpful for overall health. “Activities such as digging, planting, weeding and harvesting require movement and can help to improve strength,” said Clayton, CEO of an online lawn care company. “Performing these activities regularly can help burn calories, and keep a healthy weight.”
Beyond burning calories and building muscle, lots of studies have shown that gardening can improve the immune system (免疫系统). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people get at least 150 minutes of exercise each week, and gardening is listed as a suitable activity. Doing garden work for that time each week can reduce the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease. Additionally, spending time outdoors makes us get close to natural sunlight, which is important for vitamin D synth.
Gardening provides a chance for social connection, too. It can be a shared activity among family members, friends or neighbors, building relationships and a sense of belonging.
Gardening also offers cognitive (认知的) benefits. It excites the senses, improves focus and encourages problem-solving and creativity. It provides a chance to learn about plants, ecosystems and the environment, developing a deeper understanding and appreciation for nature.
1. What is Clayton’s attitude towards gardening?A.Supportive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Unclear | D.Uncaring. |
A.It improves focus. | B.It is a waste of time. |
C.It can keep a body in shape. | D.It helps to reduce the risk of diseases. |
A.It contributes to creativity. | B.It encourages problem-solving. |
C.It builds relationships between people. | D.It improves people’s awareness of safety. |
A.How to Start a Garden | B.Choose a Garden or Not |
C.What Plants Grow Best in a Garden | D.Start Gardening and Get the Health Benefits |
3 . Risks of Overtraining
Getting in shape and training for an event such as a marathon requires long-lasting and intense physical commitment.
Specifically, overtraining is a set of signs that occur when your body is not able to recover sufficiently before going into your next workout.
The structures and systems of your body adapt to the demands you have placed on them before the rest time. If your workout slightly goes beyond your current ability, it will adapt toward what you did in a positive way.
Two main factors are necessary in recovery: nutrition. and rest. Good nutrition, including water and protein intake, is extremely important, especially within 40 minutes of your workout.
One of the best ways to prevent overtraining is to focus on your morning resting heart rate.
A.It's easy to measure and track. |
B.Allowing time for recovery is also essential. |
C.The problem is that they show up very gradually. |
D.Below are the signs and symptoms of overtraining. |
E.Listening to your body will assure you of your fitness goals. |
F.If far beyond, it'll take longer to adapt and may cause injury. |
G.We generally assume regular intense exercise good for our health. |
4 . A new study involving nearly 50,000 people from four continents offers new insights into identifying the quantity of daily walking steps that will best improve adults’ health and longevity(长寿), and whether the ideal number of steps differs across people of different ages. The study represents an effort to develop an evidence-based public health message about the benefits of physical activity. The often-repeated 10,000-step-a-day saying grew out of a decades-old marketing activity for a Japanese pedometer(计步器), with no science to back it up.
Led by physical activity professor Amanda Paluch, an international group of scientists conducted an experiment among adults aged 18 and older. They grouped the nearly 50,000 participants into four comparative groups according to average steps per day. The lowest step group averaged 3,500 steps; the second, 5,800; the third, 7,800; and the fourth, 10,900 steps per day. Among the three higher active groups, there was a 40—53% lower risk of death, compared to the lowest step group.
More specifically, for adults 60 and older, the risk of early death leveled off at about 6,000—8,000 steps per day, meaning that more steps than that provided no additional benefit for longevity, while for adults younger than 60, about 8, 000—10,000 steps per day.
“So, what we saw was this continuing reduction in risk as the number of steps increases, until it levels off. Interestingly, the study found no definitive association with walking speed.” Paluch says.
The new study supports and expands findings from another study led by Paluch before, which found that walking at least 7,000 steps a day reduced middle-aged people’s risk of early death. “There’s a lot of evidence suggesting that moving even a little more is beneficial, particularly for those who are doing very little activity.” Paluch says. “More steps per day are better for your health.”
1. Why did the scientists carry out the new study?A.To know about people’s health condition. |
B.To explain the pedometer’s working principles. |
C.To determine the best physical activity for people. |
D.To provide a scientific guideline on daily walking. |
A.Turned higher. | B.Became stable. | C.Fell sharply. | D.Changed rapidly. |
A.The old should walk as much as possible. |
B.Young people usually walk more than the old. |
C.The most beneficial steps differ by age groups. |
D.Walking pace is the key to avoiding early death. |
A.To walk more steps. | B.To control walking speed. |
C.To limit walking distance. | D.To track the number of steps. |
5 . One of the presents in my house this Christmas was a late 18th-century volume of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (大英百科全书). It is a window into the discoveries and thinking of the time. The encyclopaedia is an entertaining reminder of how
Our confusion is the theme of Spoon-Fed, a book by one of Britain’s leading nutrition researchers, Tim Spector of King’s College London. Its subtitle is: “Why almost everything we’ve been told about food is wrong.” It is a call for us to
One by one Spector offers answers to recent food
Spector also offers more than a set of currently
Some combination of food choices, genes, environment and the chemical reactions generated by our microbiome — the unique microbe (微生物的) combinations in our body ― yes different
A.well-known | B.aim-oriented | C.ill-founded | D.long-lived |
A.certain about | B.ignorant of | C.capable of | D.worried about |
A.decisions | B.courses | C.focuses | D.suggestions |
A.facts | B.chances | C.reasons | D.features |
A.investigate | B.demand | C.concentrate | D.spend |
A.supplies | B.shortages | C.standards | D.myths |
A.culture | B.history | C.economy | D.health |
A.equally | B.practically | C.socially | D.impossibly |
A.effectiveness | B.consciousness | C.competitiveness | D.emptiness |
A.serves | B.shares | C.recognizes | D.dismisses |
A.pointless | B.topical | C.defensible | D.additional |
A.emotional | B.significant | C.questionable | D.forgivable |
A.individual | B.unpredictable | C.important | D.available |
A.changes | B.outcomes | C.profits | D.addicts |
A.start | B.analyze | C.stop | D.reflect |
6 . Maybe you plan to ring in 2023 with a new resolve to lose weight, exercise more, not sweat the small stuff. And maybe these resolutions sound familiar — maybe just like the ones you made a year ago! So how can you ensure that your determination to get healthier in 2023 sticks?
Dream big. Want to compete in a marathon or triathlon? Lose 50 pounds or just enough to fit into clothes you once loved? With perseverance (毅力), encouragement, and support, you can do it.
Give thanks for what you do. Set your sights on finishing that marathon,not on running it. If you compete to complete, you’ll be a winner even if you wind up walking as much as you run. With exercise — and so many other goals we set — you’ll benefit even when doing less than you’d like to do.
A.Learn from the failures. |
B.Avoid repeating past failures. |
C.Any activity is always better than none. |
D.An ambitious aim often inspires others to help you. |
E.Try the following tips to help you create long-lasting change. |
F.Having a solid system can help you stay motivated and accountable. |
G.If so, change into a less ambitious challenge, or break the big one into tinier steps. |
7 . Are you sitting more than ever?
We know sitting too much is bad, and most of us naturally feel a little guilty after a long-time TV watching.
“Sit less, move more” is what the Heart Association encourages us to do.
A.Now it’s time to get up and move around. |
B.Take a moment to think about your sitting activities. |
C.Health experts also suggest exercising on a daily basis. |
D.But this guideline is just too simple and abstract to make a difference. |
E.As of today, average adult will spend 56-86% of their daily time sitting. |
F.But what exactly goes wrong when we park ourselves for nearly eight hours per day? |
G.To make up for the weakness, a research team is working on a more specific guideline. |
8 . Whether someone makes you angry, you’re upset with yourself, or you’re just having a bad day, one of the best ways to direct your angry energy is through exercise. That angry energy can build inside of you.
Running is a very effective technique to calm anxieties. The focus it takes to run and the endorphins your body releases will take your mind off whatever is frustrating you. Be sure to adequately warm up and stretch before you run!
A challenging yoga practice is a great way to control your anger to help you get through it. You may be so frustrated that getting started in a yoga practice may seem impossible.
Cycling is a serious cardiovascular (心血管的) workout and you can use your anger to help you push through the difficulty of it. When you go for a ride outdoors, the extra focus it takes to navigate the outside world can provide a helpful distraction from your frustration.
A.It’s advisable to find a scenic route. |
B.Be sure to obey traffic laws and wear a helmet. |
C.Boxing is a great way to relieve your frustration. |
D.Joining a class can help take the thinking out of it. |
E.Watch out for any moving cars while you’re running. |
F.Breathe deeply while practicing yoga and your anger will fade. |
G.Working it out is an effective way to channel your rage into movement. |
9 . As an ordinary senior school student, I’ve discovered a wonderful way to
When I get on my bike and ride around familiar streets, it feels like I’m on a small quest. It’s not just about reaching a(n)
Another thing that cycling has taught me is to be ready for surprises. The road isn’t always
The most important part, though, is how cycling makes me feel happy and
In the end, my daily bike rides have become more than just a way to get around. They’ve become a(n)
A.estimate | B.approach | C.guarantee | D.challenge |
A.phenomenon | B.coincidence | C.adventure | D.entertainment |
A.flexible | B.unique | C.traditional | D.responsible |
A.cooperation | B.dilemma | C.crisis | D.destination |
A.discovery | B.value | C.comment | D.growth |
A.top | B.coast | C.stage | D.platform |
A.describe | B.detect | C.remove | D.overcome |
A.delicate | B.fragile | C.smooth | D.tough |
A.volunteer | B.insist | C.pray | D.panic |
A.original | B.unexpected | C.crucial | D.natural |
A.useful | B.efficient | C.carefree | D.curious |
A.apply | B.recharge | C.develop | D.recognize |
A.alarmed | B.embarrassed | C.fresh | D.emotional |
A.audience | B.passenger | C.victim | D.guide |
A.determination | B.attempt | C.comfort | D.calmness |
10 . The Netherlands is the only country in the world with more bicycles than residents. By 2022, the Netherlands has had a total of about 23 million bicycles, with an ownership rate of 1.35 bikes per person. One study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that in the Netherlands cycling prevents about 6,500 early deaths each year, and that Dutch people have 1.5 years longer life expectancy (预期寿命) due to cycling.
“The time spent cycling was about 74 minutes per week for Dutch adults aged 20 to 90 years old. The time was fairly stable over adulthood and reached its apex in the early days of retirement, in one’s 60s. The death rate reduction, which was a direct result of the average time spent cycling for a certain age group, was therefore also the highest among the seniors who just retired,” said Jeremy Smith, an expert from NIH.
What is it that makes cycling so beneficial? Obviously, cycling is a form of exercise. It is a great form of cardio (有氧的) exercise, which gets your heart pumping and helps strengthen the heart muscles. Doing cardio exercise may also help lower your blood pressure.
Furthermore, solid evidence proves the link between cycling and better thinking skills. Even younger adults claim that a bike ride helps shift their thinking to a higher level — and research backs them up. In one small study, young men are required to cycle for 30 minutes every day for 3 weeks. They also completed a series of cognitive (认知的) tests before and afterward. After cycling, they scored higher on memory, reasoning and planning, and they were able to finish the tests more rapidly than before.
Besides all the benefits mentioned above, cycling, as many Dutch put it, is a way of life. In their simplest form, bikes are tools for travelling. But they’re so much more. They are cognitive improvement, environmental protection, satisfaction and an expression of freedom. They bring people of the same passion together and connect them to a greater journey of life.
1. Why does the author list figures in paragraph 1?A.To compare the number of residents and bikes. |
B.To illustrate the link between health and cycling. |
C.To indicate the urgency for green transportation. |
D.To emphasize the accuracy of the study by NIH. |
A.Target. | B.Peak. | C.Destination. | D.Potential. |
A.It justifies the mental benefits of cycling. |
B.It teaches practical skills about cycling. |
C.It improves the critical thinking of young men. |
D.It compares cognitive levels among different people. |
A.Netherlands: A Country With Better Health |
B.Netherlands: The Bicycle Capital of the World |
C.Cycling: An Activity Bringing People Together |
D.Cycling: An Activity Improving Your Health and More |