1 . Tai chi, a traditional, slow-moving form of Chinese martial art, is known to increase flexibility and improve balance. Now, new research suggests it’s better than more energetic aerobic exercises (有氧运动) for lowering blood pressure in people with prehypertension (高血压前期). Prehypertension is considered a warning sign that heart disease may be ahead, and it raises the risk of having a heart attack.

The new findings, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, add to a large body of research pointing to health benefits from tai chi.

In the study, researchers in China randomly assigned 342 adults with prehypertension to one of two interventions. The average age of participants was 49. Roughly half the people participated in aerobic exercises, including jogging, climbing stairs, brisk walking and cycling. The other half was trained to practice tai chi. Both groups got hour-long sessions four times a week.

After 12 months, those in the tai chi group saw bigger drops in their blood pressure than those in the aerobic exercise group. What’s more, nearly 22% of the people who practiced tai chi saw their blood pressure fall to within normal range, compared with nearly 16% of people in the aerobic exercise group. And fewer patients in the tai chi group went on to develop hypertension than in the aerobic exercise group.

How does tai chi help lower blood pressure? The practice tends to cause more of a response from the parasympathetic nervous system (副交感神经系统), says Ruth Taylor-Piliae, a professor at the University of Arizona’s College of Nursing, who was not involved in the study. The parasympathetic nervous system is the network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger.

“I think the beauty of tai chi is that you don’t have to have a special gym membership or special clothing,” Taylor-Piliae says. “Once you learn tai chi, you can do it anytime, anyplace, anywhere. And it does kind of provide that calming, relaxing effect.”

1. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The result of the research.	B．The process of the research.
C．The purpose of the research.	D．The application of the research.

2. How does the author mainly organize Paragraph 4?

A．By giving a definition.	B．By providing examples.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By presenting different opinions.

3. What is Taylor-Piliae’s attitude towards doing tai chi?

A．Supportive.

B．Doubtful.

C．Negative.

D．Unclear.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Tai chi Helps Relax Nervous People

B．Tai chi Helps People Prevent Prehypertension

C．Tai chi Plays a Crucial Role in Treating Patients

D．Tai chi Reduces Blood Pressure Better than Aerobic Exercise

2 . Research has showed physical activities are very important for students. So many schools are now encouraging students to take part in any form of healthy exercise.

Physical education is an important part of healthy living for people of all age groups, especially for the students. This is because school life is full of stress.

Besides that, in today’s world, many school children eat unhealthy foods. These may include soft drinks, pizzas and burgers. Eating these foods can make school children gain weight.

Physical education at school helps prevent school children from putting on weight. Physical exercise and activities will help them burn off more calories (卡路里). If these calories are not burned off, they will be stored as fat.

At the same time, such activities play an important role in the growth and development of the bones (骨骼). Exercise such as jumping is especially important for school children.

A physically active student will also have a healthy heart. Research shows that kids who perform aerobic (有氧的) exercise, two to three times a week for at least twenty minutes, have a healthier heart compared with those who don’t take part in physical exercise. Some kinds of the healthy aerobic exercise are playing basketball, playing soccer and so on.

1. What are many schools encouraging their students to do?

A．Study hard and get good grades.

B．Join in different kinds of sports games.

C．Take part in any form of healthy exercise.

D．Take part in different kinds of after-school activities.

2. What does the underlined word “gain” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Prevent

B．Discuss

C．Lose

D．Increase

3. What does the writer mainly tell us in the passage?

A．It’s not easy for students to receive physical education.

B．Physical activities are good for students in many ways.

C．Those who don’t take part in physical exercise can’t keep fit.

D．Students should have more time to receive knowledge and education.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Healthy living habits

B．Students’ school life

C．Exercise more to keep healthy

D．Different kinds of aerobic exercise

6 . Some Winter Activities

Winter activities are underestimated (低估). The days may be shorter, but the list of fun activities isn’t. Don’t let the winter blues take over.     1    

Finding your favourite.     2     Nobody likes cardio (有氧运动) for a long time, but signing up for an adult sports team, or taking a yoga class on the weekend can be a fun way to break up the boredom of going to the gym. Recreational (娱乐的) sports are also a great way to meet new people.

Walking on snow.     3     Walking with snowshoes is friendly to beginners, and suitable for kids and seniors alike. You can buy a set for under $100 or rent some for the afternoon. Take a friend or walk alone to enjoy the peacefulness of the outdoors in winter.

Skiing. Those that love it really love it. Hitting the ski hills is an old wintertime tradition. It gets you outside, boosts your mood, and serves as a core workout. You don’t need the latest gear (设备) to be able to have fun.     4     If you’re feeling tired of too much indoor time, get your heart pumping at a nearby ski hill.

    5     Taking an online class, or picking up an instrument for the first time, can be incredibly rewarding. Expanding your professional skill can do wonders for your future job prospects. It may take a little planning, but consider learning something new this season.

A．Go to the gym.

B．Learning something.

C．Most ski fields rent gear too.

D．Be active and try these winter activities.

E．The following are things you can do at home.

F．You needn’t be an athlete to enjoy this seasonal activity.

G．The key to keeping healthy is finding what you enjoy doing.

7 . Trainers and parents saw children play sports at a young age and then saw them become professional. Many correlated the training to success. Competitive sports are good for young children because they teach children life skills, provide health benefits, and offer special opportunities.

To begin with, sports teach children life skills. A formal athlete stated, “I played soccer in high school and college and found team sports weren’t just about winning, but also about developing a solid ethic(行为准则), and learning why that’s important.” In short, playing highly competitive sports teaches kids many life skills like teamwork. People will have to use teamwork for the rest of their life, and sports can help them improve that skill. Taking part in sports can help develop a positive attitude towards life, which will help in the long run.

Sports are also good for kids because they provide health benefits. It is healthier for a kid to play a sport competitively than to waste time playing video games all day. Furthermore, a research group of University of California said, “96 percent of the participants(参与者) said they enjoy their sports. They’re all loving life.” That is to say, kids playing highly competitive sports tend to enjoy life instead of doing something else like watching TV.

On the other hand, some people might argue that competitive sports are bad for young children because they are so time-consuming. However, the time spent is not “robbing” kids of their childhood, but offers unique opportunities. Athletes can get success to live their dream life by playing sports. Even though sports are time-consuming, they offer distinctive opportunities.

In conclusion, competitive sports are good for children because they can provide wholesome benefits, create new experiences, and build skills that will last a lifetime.

1. Why is the formal athlete mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To show a reason	B．To give an example.
C．To list a background.	D．To draw out a new point.

2. What is the most participants’ attitude to sports?

A．Supportive.

B．Uncertain.

C．Uncaring.

D．Doubtful.

3. What does the underlined word “distinctive” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Common

B．Unreasonable

C．Unique.

D．Frequent.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The ways to play sports.

B．The reasons for playing sports.

C．The problems of kids’ playing sports.

D．The benefits of kids’ playing sports.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers mainly talking about?

A．TV programmes.

B．Their favorite sports.

C．Their favorite subjects.

2. How often does the woman watch a soccer match?

A．Nearly once a month.

B．Nearly once a week.

C．Nearly every Sunday.

3. When did the man begin playing basketball?

A．In the middle school.

B．In the primary school.

C．At college.

4. What does the man think of basketball matches?

A．They are popular but boring.

B．They are fun and exciting.

C．They are not popular in most countries.

9 . Everyone knows that exercise is great for body, mind and mood. If it is hard to get to the gym, there are simple ways to get you moving. Here are tins to keen you active, interested in your workout, and healthy!

Make it social.

It is easier to work out when you are with a group of people who are doing the same exercise.     1     This may inspire you to keep up with the others. And it may even push yourself a little bit harder. When you plan to meet a friend for exercise, you make yourself a workout playmate. You are creating responsibility as you will not want to let your friend down.     2    

Use the ten-minute rule.

    3     Tell yourself that you are going to the gym for a quick ten-minute workout. This could be some push-ups and stretches. Once you are there, you may feel that it is not so hard to do another push-up. Besides, training class is starting in five minutes and you are already at the gym… If you do go home ten minutes later, a few push-ups are always better than no push-ups.

    4    

As you would never consider skipping out on a business meeting, treat exercise like a board meeting with yourself. This needs writing it down in your datebook and making sure nothing affects you and your important meeting at the gym. Plan ahead. When the day comes, set an alarm to remind you to go to the gym.

Make a reward system.

After you finish a workout, take a few minutes to enjoy that good feeling. Appreciate the fact that your body needs this.     5     Remembering this feeling will help get you out the door the next time.

A．Schedule it.

B．Join the crowd.

C．You are sure to feel excited.

D．You can fool yourself into exercising.

E．Then you will have to go back to the gym.

F．Enjoy the good feeling you are experiencing.

G．You are also changing small things into a social occasion!