1 . In a year that has been characterized by the restriction, there are two activities I have found myself doing more of: running and writing.
At first glance, these two passions seem to be completely opposite. When I write, I’ll retreat (缩进) into my head, where I dig memories, ideas, characters to shape into stories. When I run, I’ll fully inhabit my body. The sounds and feelings of physical effort—foot strike, heartbeat and sweat—drown out the thoughts.
Despite their differences, though, there are similarities. Running and writing are both things we do alone. They both demand at times that we dig deep, keep going and never give up. I’ve also found that running can be complementary to writing. If I’ve been sat for hours, there’s nothing more restorative than getting out for a run. Sometimes when I’m least expecting it, solutions to tricky twists present themselves and ideas drop in as if the movement of running has itself shaken things into place. On the other hand, running especially long-distances has taught me to be brave, to look inside myself to see if there’s more to give. It has also taught me patience.
I’m far from the first runner to notice that running can help the writing process. Reflecting on her writing methods in an article in The New York Times, author and lifelong runner Joyce Oates wrote: Running seems to allow me, ideally, to have an expanded consciousness in which I can imagine what I’m writing as a film or a dream. I can’t say there is an expanded consciousness when I put on my trainers after a hard day’s writing, but there’s some evidence that working up a sweat can also fire up the imagination.
It’s not clear what’s behind the creativity though increased oxygen to the brain has been shown to help cognitive processes, so there’s no reason to think it’s useless. Whatever the link between running and creativity is, next time I find myself struggling to find the right words in the face of a deadline, I’ll run for it.
1. What does running contribute to the author’s writing process?| A．Exhaustion and challenges. | B．Relaxation and consciousness. |
| C．Affection and physical benefits. | D．Inspiration and creative solutions. |
| A．Really helpful. | B．Clearly different. |
| C．Negatively related. | D．Potentially dangerous. |
| A．She is stressed over struggles and deadlines. |
| B．She challenges the claim that running improves creativity. |
| C．She is determined to find out why running helps creativity. |
| D．She will keep running in order to help her writing process. |
| A．What I Have Learned From Running |
| B．Running May Fire up the Imagination |
| C．Differences Between Running and Writing |
| D．Science Says Running Is Good for One’s Health |
6. What did the author learn from long-distance running?
7. Why did the author mention Joyce Oates?
8. How does running influence the author’s writing?
