5 . Many of us start exercising in the hope of losing unwanted pounds. Unquestionably, aiming to be more active is a good thing. But if the main reason is to lose weight, your resolution could very well come to nothing.

For starters, exercise is typically futile for weight loss. Take walking for example. A 150-pound person who walks for 30 minutes will burn, on average, around 140 calories. That’s equal to one can of soda — not exactly a great return on your investment of time and effort. It’s much easier just to skip the soda.

When exercise is added to a diet, the results are equally unimpressive. Researchers found that a combination of dieting and exercising brought no greater weight loss than dieting alone after six months. At 12 months, the diet-and-exercise combination showed an advantage, but it was slight — about 4 pounds.

In studies where exercise has produced meaningful weight loss, participants burned at least 400 to 500 calories per session on five or more days a week. To achieve that, a 150-pound person would need to walk a minimum of 90 minutes or run 30 minutes per day. In short, sessions need to go well beyond what most of us are willing or able to do. And even if we manage to make that much effort, our bodies often compensate (抵消) by eagerness for more food and slowing down metabolism (新陈代谢), effects that over time limit how many pounds we lose.

When exercise fails to meet our weight-loss expectations, we often stop working out. Perhaps the biggest problem with exercising to drop pounds is that it turns physical activity into punishment — a price we have to pay for a slimmer body. How many times have you heard someone say “I’ll need to do extra exercise” after eating too much? We treat exercise as a form of self-punishment for being “bad.” In this case, we’re unlikely to keep doing it for very long.

The conclusion is that we’re more likely to treat exercise positively and actually do it when we focus on our well-being rather than our weight.

1. What does the underlined word “futile” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Necessary.

B．Popular.

C．Dangerous.

D．Useless.

2. What happens when you run 30 minutes on a daily basis?

A．You will burn 140 calories every day.

B．You will lose 4 pounds in a month.

C．You might have a higher metabolic rate.

D．You might eat more than usual.

3. Why do people who want to lose weight through exercise often give up?

A．They are unlikely to really enjoy it.

B．They find it too challenging physically.

C．They have difficulty resisting (抵抗) delicious food.

D．They turn their attention to their well-being.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．How long should you exercise a day to lose weight?

B．What are the best exercises for losing weight?

C．Weight loss: why exercise is the wrong path

D．Exercise and weight loss: a pair of brothers

8 . 随着阳光体育运动在全国的开展，“每天锻炼一小时，健康工作五十年，幸福生活一辈子”的理念已深入人心。为配合该活动，你班将举行一次主题班会。请以“Sports and Health”为主题写一篇发言稿，介绍你自己的体育锻炼情况及感受等。
要点提示：1.自己的锻炼情况；
2.最喜欢的体育活动及原因；
3.锻炼的效果及感受；
4.倡议大家积极参与体育锻炼。
要求：1.短文必须包括提示内容，可以适当发挥；
2.词数90左右；短文开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear friends,

I’m glad to be here to say something about sports and health.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . A study led by The University of Edinburgh researchers found that the performance of runners who listened to self-selected music as they ran after completing a demanding thinking task was at the same level as when they were not mentally tired. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Human Sport and Exercise.

Researchers used two tests to study how listening to music affected the running performance of fitness enthusiasts. One test looked at the effects on the interval running ability—alternating between high intensity (强度) running and lower intensity jogging—with a group of nine exercisers, and the other on a 5 km time trial with a group of nine trained runners. The groups completed a 30-minute computer-based cognitive (认知的) test which put them in a mentally worn state before completing high intensity exercise. They were tested with and without motivational music which they selected.

Taking into account the results of a baseline test taken by participants that they did without completing a mentally demanding test beforehand and without music, the researchers found the interval running ability of the mentally worn fitness enthusiasts was slightly greater with music compared to that without music, and was the same as when the participants were not mentally tired. The 5 km time trial performance also showed small improvements with self-selected music compared to no music.

Dr. Shaun Phillips, of The University of Edinburgh’s Moray House School of Education and Sport, said, “Feeling tired mentally is a common occurrence for many of us, and can negatively affect many of our daily activities, including exercise. Finding safe and effective ways to reduce this negative impact is therefore useful. The research showing that listening to self-selected motivational music can help active people improve their endurance (耐力) running ability and performance when mentally worn out may provide a useful strategy.”

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about the study?

A．Its purpose.

B．Its principle.

C．Its process.

D．Its participants.

2. Why did the researchers consider the baseline test?

A．To prove that their finding is useful.

B．To offer evidence to support their study.

C．To make a comparison with their test results.

D．To find links between music and mental health.

3. What is Dr. Shaun Phillips’ attitude towards the research?

A．Approving.

B．Tolerant.

C．Critical.

D．Carefree.

4. Which of the following can serve as the best title?

A．Being Mentally Tired Is a Common Feeling

B．Listening to Music Benefits Mental Health

C．Exercise Regularly Improves Mental Condition

D．Running to Music Reduces Mental Tiredness

10 . Sailing is one of the most interesting and exciting ways to enjoy large bodies of water. You can sail wherever you find enough water and a little wind.     1    Those with less spare time only looking for a fun way to relax can enjoy sailing near the shore.

    2    Some can only fit one person and others are larger. You should choose the suitable sailboat depending on your need. Learning to sail will allow you to enjoy the year-round water, since you can still sail when the water becomes too cold for swimming or waterskiing.

When you sail, your boat is powered by the wind caught by the sail. You control the boat by using a rudder (舵) and more complicated skills. Through handling the sails, sailors can control the force of the wind.     3    

Sailing is a rather complex art.     4    Before you begin, you will need to become familiar with the parts of the sailboat. You must be able to swim well and you need to know first aid, so you are prepared if there is an emergency. Then you need to learn the basics of sailing. such as judging the wind and knowing handling skills.

Sailing is an amazing way to broaden your horizons.     5    You will have some different fun. If you want to try a new sport, sign up for some sailing lessons.

A．Sailboats come in all sizes.

B．The sport of sailing has a long history.

C．The truly adventurous can sail around the world.

D．You will find new ways to enjoy water sports on a boat.

E．Thus, they can change the direction and speed of the boat.

F．You will understand why many people love to spend money on their boats.

G．The best way to learn the complexities of sailing is by taking a few classes.