1 . How often do you exercise? A new study finds that most kids aged 12 to 15 aren't getting enough physical activity. The results are based on about 800 kids. As part of the study, the young teens tracked and reported on their own activity levels, and took physical exams.
The US fitness guidelines recommend an hour or more of physical activity every day. According to the study, only 1in 4 kids in the US get enough physical activity.
“It's certainly very worrying to see that our kids are engaging in such a limited amount of physical activity each day,” said Dr. Stephen Pont. He is an expert on children's health.
Few kids in the survey met the guidelines for physical activity that raises the heart rate and makes them breathe harder. Overall, about 25% said they got an hour of that kind of violent exercise every day. Kids also reported on which activities they did most often outside of the school gym class--basketball for boys and running for girls.
The study found that obese(肥胖的) teens were less active than normal-weight girls and boys. Overweight girls were slightly less active than normal-weight girls, but levels were similar among overweight and normal-weight boys. The study also said that the overall obesity rate for children aged 2 to 19 is 17%, or about 12.5 million kids.
“There's always room for improvement,” said health expert Tala Fakhouri, who was the lead author of the study. She also said the results provide useful information to help with fitness campaigns such as Lets Move, which was launched by Michelle Obama in 2010. To inspire kids to eat right and get in shape, Michelle visited schools and held exercise events. She also called on schools to offer regular gym classes.
The study also suggests kids who get physical education at school may get better grades.
1. What is the result of the new study?A.It is important to take physical exams |
B.Most US kids don’t get enough exercise |
C.Kids should get physical activity every day |
D.800 kids don’t get enough physical activity. |
A.To help kids to keep fit. |
B.To hold exercise events. |
C.To offer regular gym classes. |
D.To provide useful information. |
A.do better in their studies |
B.try their best to get in shape |
C.be more willing to help others |
D.be less active than fat children |
A.visited | B.stopped |
C.started | D.improved |
2 . Benefits of Sports
Taking exercise is a physical, mental and social adventure. It’s a great way for children to take a break from study and release extra energy. It also helps them lead fuller and happier lives as regular sports have proven to improve general well-being.
Children who participate in sports might also benefit from the social aspect, feeling part of a group, building up leadership and responsibility.
There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to take part in. Are you ready to go? Pick one and get moving!
A.It’s not just your body that benefits from sports. |
B.Therefore, playing sports is going to make you more fit. |
C.Football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs. |
D.Among these, learning how to work as a team is the most important advantage. |
E.But remember, a child’s self-worth should not be judged by victory or loss. |
F.If you play group sports, you’ll be part of a team that takes direction from a coach. |
G.The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious. |
3 . We all know that regular exercise is vitally important for both a healthy mind and body. Research has shown that just five minutes of exercise in a “green space” can help people to keep mentally healthy.
Let’s take a look at some ways to get close to nature and make them a part of your regular exercise routine.
Get on your bike
Cycling is a cheap, easy and fun way to get some good exercise in the outdoors. Try leaving your car at home and cycling to work one day, if that’s possible. Or get the family together and go on a weekend bike ride. Check out the local cycle paths before you go, and plan a safe route. Make sure you take some healthy snacks with you to keep your energy levels up.
Try some outdoor yoga
Practising yoga can be great for reducing anxiety and aiding relaxation, so why not take your yoga mat and try out some asanas (yoga postures) in the open air? Yoga is great for stretching tight muscles and increasing flexibility as well as improving mobility, control and breathing. Why not finish your practice with some quiet meditation to further calm the mind?
Go running
Instead of spending hours on the treadmill(跑步机), grab a friend and go off for a jog around your local park, or some nature trails. If you are used to running on a treadmill, you may find it harder at first, so make sure you have some good, supportive running shoes. You could also find out where your nearest Parkrun is. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in.
Join a conservation(保护) group
Joining a conservation group is a great way of keeping fit while helping the world around you. Do some research into what’s going on in your local area and you could find yourself helping to plant trees, clear up rivers and so on. You never know it could lead to new friendships, as well as the knowledge that you are doing something productive for your local area!
1. If you want to cycle with your family, you’d better __________.A.have a healthy body | B.check the bikes carefully |
C.learn some survival skills | D.make good preparations for it |
A.Getting closer to nature. | B.Feeling relaxed or peaceful. |
C.Keeping active and energetic. | D.Building up people’s bodies. |
A.It takes them some time to get used to it. | B.It needs some patience to continue. |
C.It makes them lose interest in running. | D.It leads them to fall behind their friends. |
4 . Playing tennis regularly could help keep people off death, but football, rugby and running may not help people to live longer, a study suggests.
A study followed more than 80,000 people for an average of nine years to find out if certain sports protected them against early death. It found that people who played racket sports regularly were the least likely to die over the study period, reducing their individual risk by 47 percent compared with people who did no exercise. Swimmers also reduced their chance of death by 28 percent, aerobics (有氧运动) fans by 27 percent and cyclists by 15 percent. Yet running appeared to have no impact at all on dying early, and neither did playing football or rugby.
Scientists say the difference may lie in the social aspect which goes alongside sports like tennis and squash (壁球), which often involve clubs and organized activities outside of the game. It means that people often have larger social net-works and tend to keep up activities into later life, both of which are proven to be good for health.
In contrast, people who play team sports often do not move onto a new sport once their teams break up for family, or injury reasons. They become watchers rather than participants in their chosen activity.
The researchers found that playing racket sports was associated with a 56 percent lower risk from heart death. Similarly, swimmers lowered their heart disease or stroke risk by 41 percent, and people who took part in activities like aerobics, dance or gymnastics lowered their risk by 36 percent. But again running, football and rugby had no significant impact on heart deaths.
However, other experts argue that this study must not be misinterpreted as showing that running and football do not protect against heart disease. In this study both runners and footballers had a lower rate of death from heart disease.
1. Which sport has hardly any impact on protecting people against early death?A.Cycling. | B.Swimming. |
C.Rugby. | D.Tennis. |
A.Playing basketball with their friends occasionally. |
B.Watching football games every day. |
C.Taking up gymnastics and joining a club. |
D.Doing running in the park every day. |
A.Social networks. | B.Staying at home. |
C.Physical examinations. | D.Setting up families. |
A.Thousands of people participated in a 9-year research. |
B.Study finds playing tennis helps people live longer. |
C.It is wrong to say running has no impact on heart disease. |
D.There are differences between racket sports and team games. |
5 . “Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move,” said David Belle, the founder of parkour.
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond’s wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that’s parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the barriers in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said, “I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything.”
Another philosophy we’ve learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself.
1. Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of .A.its founder, David Belle | B.the film, Casino Royale |
C.its risks and tricks | D.the varieties of participants |
A.streets | B.objects |
C.barriers | D.roofs |
A.It challenges human abilities. | B.It is a good but boring sport. |
C.It needs special training. | D.It is a team sport. |
A.Sports and extremes. | B.Excitement and popularity. |
C.Dreams and success. | D.Determination and freedom. |
A.Overcoming Obstacles | B.Philosophies behind Parkour |
C.Joining Us in Parkour | D.Getting to Know Parkour |
6 . A study has found that a lifetime of regular exercise and activity can slow down the aging process (衰老过程). Researchers say that getting older should not necessarily mean becoming more weak or sick. Their research shows that a devotion to a life of movement and exercise may help us live not only longer, but also healthier.
For their study, the researchers looked at two groups. The first group was made up of 125 non-professional cyclists between the ages of 55 to 79. This group included 84 healthy men and 41 healthy women. We will call this group the “cyclists”.
Researchers then found 130 people to make up a second group. Within this group, 75 people were aged from 57 to 80. The other 55 were between the ages of 20 and 36. The people in this group were also healthy, but they did not exercise regularly. We will call this group the “non-exercisers”. Smokers, heavy drinkers of alcohol and people with other health issues were not included in the study.
Then, researchers gave both groups a series of tests. They tested their muscle mass (肌肉质量), muscular strength, percentage of body fat and the strength of their immune (免疫的) systems. Then the researchers compared the results of the two groups.
Results showed that the cyclists did not experience body changes usually regarded as a normal aging process. For example, they did not lose muscle mass or muscular strength. Also, their body fat did not increase with age.
The researchers also found something they had not expected. The study showed that the immune systems of the cyclists did not age either.
The researchers advise us all to find an exercise that we like in our lives.
1. How did the researchers carry out the study?A.By comparing. | B.By discussing. |
C.By imagining. | D.By reasoning. |
A.The cyclists kept a thin body shape. |
B.The non-exercisers gained weight easily. |
C.The cyclists’ muscles remained strong with age. |
D.The non-exercisers usually had health problems. |
A.The cyclists had normal aging process. |
B.The cyclists’ immune systems didn’t age. |
C.The cyclists lost nearly all their fat. |
D.Everyone needed an exercise in their lives. |
A.Healthy People Need More Exercise |
B.Take an Exercise, the Harder, the Better |
C.Cycling Is the Best Way to Prevent Aging |
D.A Lifetime of Exercise Slows Aging Process |
7 . Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses (球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.
1. Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?A.Cycling around a lake. |
B.Motor racing in the desert. |
C.Playing basketball in a gym. |
D.Swimming in a sports center. |
A.It is popular in Portugal and Spain. |
B.It causes water shortages around the world. |
C.It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes. |
D.It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green. |
A.it is an outdoor sport |
B.it improves our health |
C.it uses fewer resources |
D.it is recommended by experts |
A.show us the function of major sports |
B.encourage us to go in for green sports |
C.discuss the major influence of popular sports |
D.introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |
8 . Before there was the written word, there was the language of dance. Dance expresses love and hate, joy and sorrow, life and death, and everything else in between.
“I adore dancing,” says Lester Bridges, the owner of a dance studio in Iowa. “I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life.” Bridges runs dance classes for all ages. “Teaching dance is wonderful.
So, do we dance in order to make ourselves feel better, calmer, healthier? Andrea Hillier says, “Dance, like the pattern of a beating heart, is life. Even after all these years, I want to get better and better.
A.So why do we dance? |
B.Dance in the U.S. is everywhere. |
C.If you like dancing outdoors, come to America. |
D.My older students say it makes them feel young. |
E.I keep practicing even when I’m extremely tired. |
F.Dancing seems to change their feeling completely. |
G.They stayed up all night long singing and dancing. |
9 . If you are already making the time to exercise, it is good indeed! With such busy lives, it can be hard to try and find the time to work out.
Your productivity is improved. Exercising makes you more awake and ready to handle whatever is ahead of you for the day.
Your metabolism(新陈代谢) gets a head start.
There are a lot of benefits to working out, especially in the mornings. Set your alarm clock an hour early and push yourself to work out! You will feel energized all day long.
A.You will stick to your diet. |
B.Your quality of sleep improves. |
C.You prefer healthy food to fast food. |
D.There is no reason you should exercise in the morning. |
E.You can keep your head clear for 4-10 hours after exercise. |
F.After you exercise, you continue to burn calories throughout the day. |
G.If you are planning to do exercise regularly, or you’re doing it now, then listen up! |
10 . All over the world people are hooked on sports, which help them to strengthen their body and build their character.
Many people like to watch others play games.
People from different countries or races may not be able to understand each other, but after a game, they get to know each other better and they often become good friends.
A.They buy tickets or turn on the TV to watch the games. |
B.What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! |
C.Some sports or games date back thousands of years, like running or jumping. |
D.Sports help to train a person’s character. |
E.Chinese people liked doing sports even in ancient times. |
F.Sports are competitive physical activities or games through casual or organized participation. |
G.And the friendship may last for a life time. |