1 . Cat-Cow, Crow, Downward-facing dog and Pigeon: these names might sound like animals but they are actually yoga poses.
What is yoga?
Yoga is exercise for the body and mind. It combines moving your body into different positions while focusing on your breathing. Yoga was first practiced around 5, 000 years ago in what is now northern India, where it was linked to the religion of Hinduism. For example, a yoga sequence was developed to greet Surya, the Hindu god of the Sun.
Yoga encourages you to connect your mind and body and to link your existence to the wider universe. Many people find this helpful because they are reminded of the “bigger picture”, which can make their worries or unhelpful thoughts feel more manageable. Yoga's focus on breathing and movement can be calming.
What if my body isn't bendy?
Yoga isn’t just for gymnasts.
| A．How do I get started? |
| B．Why is it good for me? |
| C．It’s a skill that can be learned by anybody. |
| D．Take your time with these poses and keep practicing ones that you find difficult. |
| E．Learning how to move your body into these poses does take practice but your wellbeing is likely to improve. |
| F．However, yoga has now evolved and is practised all over the world by people of different faiths and backgrounds. |
| G．Research has shown that yoga can be especially helpful for young people's mental health by giving time out from daily distractions and boosting concentration. |
2 . Losing weight is difficult. For most people, it requires a change in diet, a change in exercise habits, and a change in attitude.
●Set healthy goals.
If you’re overweight and want to change that, the first step is deciding what your target weight is.
●Start small.
Making big behavior changes isn’t something that happens overnight.
●
The best way to stick to your diet and exercise rues is to track it. There are plenty of apps that allow you to do this. Or you can do it in an old way and keep a written food and exercise journal. Find what works for you and write down what you’ve achieved every day.
● Evaluate (评估) and adjust.
Every month you should take a look at your goal and see the progress you’ve made towards achieving it.
| A．Track your diet and exercise. |
| B．Here are some ways to help you. |
| C．You might as well start with playing music. |
| D．Do not run too much. |
| E．So start with 1-2 small things per week and work up from there. |
| F．If you’re not what you want to be, make small adjustments. |
| G．Write down your goal and set a date by which you want to achieve that goal. |
3 . According to a recent report, about 15% of the people in the UK are members of gyms. But are they more likely to be fit?
A study found that gym members were 14 times more active than people who didn’t belong to any health club. Gym members did six hours more exercise a week, and this activity did make them fitter than non-gym members. They also spent less time sitting down every day than non-gym members. The results were the same for men and women.
The study included 405 people between the ages of 30 and 64, and the main characteristics of those who were gym members were the same as those who were not. “But gym members did more training than non-gym members,” said the lead author, Elizabeth Schroeder of the University of Illinois.
While it might seem clear that gym members exercise more and are healthier than non-gym members, Schroeder says this has not been directly shown before. However, the study is only designed to show a tie between gym membership and more exercise. It may be that active people like to join gyms. In the study, people who exercised as much as gym members were also in good health.
You can get the same benefits wherever you exercise. This study shows a gym membership can make you do more exercise, but other research shows that exercising outside has other help. Outdoor activity can make you feel happy about life, especially if you run through a forest.
Outdoor exercise is also more interesting than going to the gym. The first five minutes of outdoor exercise is especially helpful in making people feel good. But Schroeder says that a gym may also encourage greater exercise because it can be social and fun.
1. What did the new study find out?| A．British people are crazy about the gym. |
| B．Gym exercise is better than outdoor exercise. |
| C．Gym membership can make us healthier. |
| D．Gym is necessary for our daily life. |
| A．people between aged 30 and 64 | B．the same number of men and women |
| C．405 gym members | D．people with the same characteristics |
| A．active people; more gym exercise | B．more exercise; health |
| C．gym membership; more exercise | D．happiness; more exercise |
| A．healthier | B．happier | C．more social | D．more helpful |
| A．Women should do more gym exercise. |
| B．We should be careful with outdoor training. |
| C．Outdoor exercise is better than gym exercise. |
| D．We may make great exercise if we go to the gym. |
4 . It is no secret that physical activity is necessary to a person's well-being. Because children are continuously developing physically and emotionally, they are especially affected by the benefits of activity. Former First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative reports that nearly one-third of US children are overweight or obese, and that "schools are a key setting for kids to get their 60 minutes of play with moderate activity, given the significant portion of time they spend there."
Physical education programs in schools directly benefit students' physical health. Regular exercise promotes muscles and bone development. In addition to participating in physical activity, students in P.E. learn the fundamentals of a healthful lifestyle, the building blocks upon which they can develop into healthy, knowledgeable adults.
Though the lack of attention on P.E. is often justified as an opportunity to spend more time in the classroom, studies show that physical activity contributes to improved academic performance. Regular activity during the school day is strongly associated with higher concentration levels. A statewide policy in North Carolina requires that children from kindergarten to eighth grade participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day.
Activities in P. E. help children develop healthful social interactions. From a young age, children learn cooperation through group activities and form a positive sense of identity as part of a team. Such group activities are continually important as children grow older. The International Platform on Sport and Development states that sport has been used as a practical tool to engage young people in their communities through volunteering, resulting in higher levels of leadership and community engagement among young people.
The benefits of P.E. to a child's mental health are both complex and comprehensive. Improved physical health, academics and social interactions all contribute to good mental health. Physical activity sets the stage for a good night's sleep, provides more energy to participate in hobbies and interact with others.
1. The first paragraph implies that___________.| A．most children are growing much fatter currently |
| B．schools should attach great importance to physical education |
| C．some schools have banned physical activity |
| D．most parents are dissatisfied with school education |
| A．students should have more time for study | B．children dislike taking physical activity |
| C．schools are worried about children's safety | D．less sporting equipment is available to school children |
| A．They help you study attentively. | B．They provide you with a sound sleep. |
| C．They guarantee you a rosy future. | D．They promote your social skills. |
5 . Yoga (瑜伽) is a kind of sport. It is very popular around the world now. Everyone, young or old, men or women, can do yoga.
There are many reasons why people like yoga. First, yoga can build up your muscle. Your body will become stronger and more flexible. Second, yoga helps you get rid of stress. What's more, yoga can help your mind stay calm. To put it simply, the reason why so many people are falling in love with yoga is that they are discovering how wonderful it is for their mind, body and spirit.
Yoga began in India about 5,000 years ago. At that time, people wanted to be free, healthy and live a long life. As a result, this kind of exercise was born. The early yoga was part of the religion (宗教). It was usually taught one to one—one teacher and one student. Later, it was accepted by more people.
Yoga is an Indian word that means “to join together". There are three parts of yoga altogether: exercise, breathing and meditation (冥想). In the past, people paid more attention to the spirit. The idea behind the exercise was to join the mind, body and spirit as one.
With the development of the exercise, more and more people are doing yoga as a way of keeping healthy. Among them, office ladies enjoy doing yoga most. Yoga can give them peace, help them feel relaxed and have fewer worries and illnesses.
1. From the passage, we know that yoga is .| A．a kind of music | B．a kind of sport |
| C．a kind of book | D．a kind of food |
| A．The reasons why people like yoga. | B．The places where people do yoga. |
| C．The ways that people develop yoga. | D．The persons who invented yoga. |
| A．2,000 years ago. | B．3,000 years ago. |
| C．4,000 years ago. | D．5,000 years ago. |
| A．To read together. | B．To sing together. |
| C．To join together. | D．To live together. |
| A．The introduction of yoga. | B．The introduction of paper. |
| C．The introduction of drink. | D．The introduction of weather. |
6 . Indoor Skydiving
Have you ever dreamt of flying? Have you ever wanted to experience the excitement of skydiving, but didn’t want to jump out of a plane? Indoor skydiving has opened up a whole new world for you to try flying.
Indoor skydiving is an activity, simulating（模拟）the free fall of a skydive. That means you learn to fly in a column of air produced by a wind tunnel （风道） inside a limited area. Before flying, you need to wear certain equipment to protect you. And each of you is equipped with an instructor that helps you learn to control your body while flying. But you aren’t trained to be more aware in the sky as a normal skydiver.
To be an indoor flyer, you can be at all ages. Fear of height or lack (缺少) of experience won’t stop you from trying. The only real limitation preventing people from flying is weight limit. Countless physically challenged flyers have safely flown with the help of experienced instructors.
Although indoor skydiving gets its name from skydiving, the similarities between the two are actually very few. The one they are in common is in the sense that they both share the freedom of flying.
However, in traditional dives, skydivers usually step out of a plane from more than 10,000 feet high, while indoor skydiving just needs flyers to lean forward and lie on the air. Also, being an outdoor activity, skydiving depends on the weather. The wind, rain, or snow can cancel your plans to jump. Indoor skydiving removes this effect from the picture. Normally, a skydive lasts just between 45-60 seconds, but tunnels allow skydivers to fly longer and as much as they like.
While most people put skydiving in the must-do list, indoor skydiving is much more than that! What used to take skydivers tens of thousands of jumps and years of experience can be learned in a relatively shorter period of time. Skydivers could be trained at lower cost compared to being trained in the sky. Because people of all ages can fly, children are quickly becoming some of the most talented skydivers. Thus, all these will certainly benefit the development of skydiving.
1. What do indoor skydivers need to do before flying?| A．Jump out of a plane. | B．Become aware of the sky. |
| C．Produce a column of air. | D．Put on protecting equipment. |
| A．Their age. | B．Fear of height. |
| C．Their weight. | D．Lack of experience. |
| A．The sense of flying. | B．The cost of training. |
| C．The length of free fall. | D．The dependence on weather. |
| A．The future of skydiving depends on children. |
| B．Indoor skydiving is beneficial to skydiving. |
| C．Fewer people show interest in skydiving. |
| D．Indoor skydiving will replace skydiving. |
时间 | 周一至周五 | 周末 |
| 锻炼的时间 | after school on weekdays | on Saturday/Sunday mornings |
| 锻炼的项目 | Run 1.5 km or play basketball | go cycling or climb the hill |
| 锻炼的地点 | In the playground | in the countryside |
| 锻炼的益处 | relax myself， be good for our health | |
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头语已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
How glad I’m to hear from you!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
8 . “Our research has shown that the No. 1 reason people become fans is that it's your connection to your first community,” said Adam Earnhardt, chairman of the communications department at Youngstown State University and co-author of Sports Fans, Identity and Socialization: Exploring the Fandemonium. “I don't care if a Seattle fan moves to China, he or she carries with them their love for the sports teams,” he said. “
“It's phenomenal,” said Simons. “We have this ability to understand other people so remarkably that their victories literally become ours. Our testosterone literally responds to their victory.
Professor Robert Cialdini at Arizona State University came up with the term BIRG— Basking In Reflected Glory—to describe the intense pride fans feel when their teams succeed. It can be used as a verb, as in, "Seahawks' fans are currently BIRGing up a storm." The counterpoint, as coined by researchers C. R. Snyder, Mary Anne Lassergard and Carol E. Ford, is the concept of CORFing—Cutting Off Reflected Failure.
This leads into another concept, that of cognitive bias, also known as confirmation bias, which causes fans to help explain away defeats by blaming outside factors, such as referees. I'm sure it would also help explain why Seahawks fans rallied around Richard Sherman after his postgame interview, rationalizing behavior that was widely criticized by many fans with no vested interest. It could also explain the notion of "eustress", invented by endocrinologist Hans Selye to refer to a combination of euphoria(极度愉快的心情)and stress, such as that resulting from watching tense sporting events. Indeed, it's much of the appeal.
| A．It means that different team is accessible to you. |
| B．Belonging to your favorite team stimulates your confidence. |
| C．That identity is first and foremost. |
| D．The more we follow a team, the deeper the bond becomes. |
| E．In that sense, your favorite team can serve the same purpose as church and family: Fostering a sense of belonging. |
| F．This refers to the inclination by fans to distance themselves from their team after a defeat. |
9 . Here is one of the world’s largest indoor ski-slopes. It covers an area of 22,500m2, about the same size as three football fields, and the temperature is a constant -1℃ to -2℃. However, the strangest thing about this place is that it’s in the middle of the desert! It’s called Ski Dubai and the outside temperatures can rise to more than 40℃!
It sounds crazy, but it just shows how serious people are about having fun. We spend huge sums on sports facilities. We pay our sports stars ridiculous amounts of money. And we spend hour after hour playing games! I wonder if all the sports-lovers and game-players in the world aren’t a little crazy. I know I am. I was once driving past a football field where some kids were playing. I turned to watch and crashed my car. I know it’s stupid but I can do nothing about it. As someone said, “Football isn’t a matter of life and death. It’s much more important than that!”
Of course, it isn’t that important really. No game is. But the problem is that games are addictive (使人上瘾的). From the tennis court to the golf course, you’ll find participants and spectators who can’t live without the drug of their choice. It could be a good thing. After all, despite being addictive, it’s true that sports and games help us to relax. Maybe if it wasn’t for sport, our societies would be more violent. Perhaps sport is a substitute for war? It’s hard to think of a quieter, more peaceful game than chess, and what’s the objective? Capturing your opponent’s king. And surely, it’s better to have wars in athletics stadiums rather than on battlefields.
What’s more, playing is natural. Kittens chase balls of wool and puppies pretend to fight. Games help us perfect our skills and prepare us for the serious contest of survival.
But do all games help us relax and stay away from violence? What about computer games? A recent article in New Scientist suggests that playing violent video games (and most of them are extremely violent) makes people more aggressive and more likely to commit violent crimes.
Are these games a rehearsal (彩排) for life or a substitute for life? Do we play instead of facing up to our real problems? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I need a break. Something to help me relax. Skiing would be nice. I wonder how much it costs to get to Dubai?
1. According to the author, the most surprising thing about Ski Dubai is its ________.| A．slopes | B．size |
| C．location | D．facilities |
| A．the game they are keen on | B．the medicine they take |
| C．the activity good for health | D．the sport in place of war |
| A．Sports stars should be paid more to play well. |
| B．Sports are more important than life and death. |
| C．Chess is too peaceful to be considered a sport. |
| D．Games can make one relaxed as well as violent. |
| A．The relationship between games and crimes. |
| B．Human natural craze for having fun with games. |
| C．Serious concerns about time that is spent on games. |
| D．Real problems facing game players in everyday life. |
We all need physical exercise. Exercise uses up the food we eat and keeps the body energetic. It works your muscles and makes your heart work hard so as to send blood to your muscles. So exercise makes your heart and muscles strong. Exercise also makes you feel refreshed. If you take regular exercise, you will stay happy and healthy.
Some Western countries, such as the United States, have problems with exercise. In the US, many people lack exercise because it is hard for them. People have to work from dawn till dusk, so they don’t have time to take exercise. They work in office buildings sitting in chairs all day long in front of computers. They cannot get much exercise sitting at desk passively.
Some Westerners can get exercise by walking from their homes to workplaces. However, the majority of people cannot do this. It is too far from their homes to their offices. They have no choice but to drive to work. In fact, some have to drive one or two hours to their offices. This is unfavorable in two ways. First, these people don’t have a chance to exercise because they are sitting in their cars for two to four hours each day. Second, driving is challenging especially in rush hours and calls for too much attention. It makes a person very tired. So when these people arrive home at night, they don’t have the desire to take exercise after work.
Today, many people in the West are overweight, which causes health problems for them. Doctors say exercise can help people both lose weight and improve their health. So many people are trying to get more exercise. But it takes time to change, and when people don’t see a difference right away, they will be discouraged and stop exercising.
Title | Westerners |
The | ● Keep your body ● Make you feel good. ● Help you stay healthy and happy if you exercise ● Help you lose weight and get your health |
| One | ● Some people at work are too |
| The difficulty those who drive to work have in exercising | ● Some live too ● After driving back at night, they are too |
| The wrong attitude to exercise some people have | ● Some would |
