1 . I’m a walker, logging an average of 9000 steps a day several times a week around my neighborhood. On recent trips to Copenhagen and Stockholm, I noticed tall, fit Scandinavians (斯堪法尼亚人) walking along on city streets with poles, as if they were cross-country skiing without any snow.

It was a surprise to learn that the addition of the poles makes it a more vigorous, full-body exercise than simply walking – and, as a 76-year-old looking to stay healthy while enjoying the outdoors, I decided to give it a try.

There’s plenty of help online for the new Nordic (北 欧的 ) walker: stand tall, swing your arms out as if to shake hands, and plant your poles with vigour. Then there’s the little matter of the strap (带子) on the pole. This allows the walker to grip the pole when thrusting forward and then relax that hand as the other hand pushes forward – a skill of coordination that builds stronger muscles.

For a warm-up, I started slow: Nordic walking down the hall that extends from my front door to the deck. Keeping balance wasn’t my only problem. The novel use of my arms and upper body was surprisingly demanding. After half an hour, my heart was pounding and I was sweating, but I still wasn’t much good.

Still, I carried on because there’s no arguing with the exercise’s benefits. Nordic walkers’ upper-body exercise increases their heart rate significantly more than walking without poles. And according to cardiologist Dr Aaron Baggish, with poles “you’re engaging 80 to 90 per cent of your muscles.” It also helps people with Parkinson’s, says Burrill. “We put poles in their hands and it’s amazing because they start walking with real rhythm.”

After a few clumsy days of being convinced I would never succeed, suddenly everything clicked. Not only was I able to coordinate the movements, I was aware that my heart, arms and core were getting a workout. Nordic walking is a form of exercise I expect to enjoy for years to come.

1. What inspired the writer to try Nordic walking?

A．Enjoying the outdoor skiing.	B．Observing Scandinavians walking.
C．Getting tired of simple walking.	D．Fancying a healthy lifestyle.

2. What was the main challenge for the author during the initial stages of Nordic walking?

A．Building strong muscle in the arms.

B．Using arms and upper body harmoniously.

C．Sweating with heart pounding.

D．Feeling discouraged for lack of progress.

3. What does the author want to show by mentioning people with Parkinson’s?

A．The great benefits of Nordic walking.	B．The wide practice of Nordic walking.
C．The urgency to promote Nordic walking.	D．The promising future of Nordic walking.

4. What is the author’s intention in writing this passage?

A．To persuade readers to try Nordic walking for fun.

B．To share the experience of trying a new fitness activity.

C．To emphasize the great difficulties of Nordic walking.

D．To compare Nordic walking with simple walking.

2 . Making day-to-day activities more intense for a few minutes — such as briefly stepping up the pace of a walk — could offer people who don’t exercise some of the health benefits that exercisers enjoy, according to a new study of roughly 25, 000 adults who reported no exercise in their free time.

Those who include three one- to two-minute bursts of intense activity per day saw a nearly a 40 percent drop in the risk of death from any cause compared with those without such activity. The risk of death from cancer also fell by nearly 40 percent, and the risk of death from cardiovascular (心血管的) disease dropped almost 50 percent, researchers report online December 8 in Nature Medicine.

“This study adds to other literature showing that even short amounts of activity are beneficial,” says Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, a physical activity epidemiologist (流行病学家) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “So many people are daunted by feeling that they don’t have the time, money, motivation, transportation, etc. togo to a gym regularly or work out for long periods of time,” she says. “The message we can take is that it is absolutely worth doing what you can.”

The researchers were looking for bursts of intense activity that met a definition determined in a laboratory study, like reaching at least 77 percent of maximum heart rate and at least 64 percent of maximum oxygen consumption. In real life, the signs that someone has reached the needed intensity level are “an increase in heart rate and feeling out of breath” in the first 15 to 30 seconds of an activity, Stamatakis says.

Regular daily activities offer several opportunities for these bursts, he says. “The simplest one is maximizing walking pace for a minute or two during any regular walk.” Other options, he says, include carrying grocery bags to the car or taking the stairs. “The largest population health gains will be realized by finding ways to get the least physically active people to move a little more.”

1. What was found about intense activity in the new study?

A．It helped to lower the risk of death.

B．It was more beneficial to exercisers.

C．It relieved the pain of cancer patients.

D．It cured people of cardiovascular disease.

2. What does the underline word “daunted” probably mean?

A．Inspired.

B．Surprised.

C．Discouraged.

D．Confused.

3. Which activity might be suggested by Stamatakis?

A．Working out every day.

B．Taking stairs at an even pace.

C．Keeping running at a high speed.

D．Adding short bursts to a regular walk.

4. What might be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Simplest Daily Exercise Activities

B．Brief Intense Activities Can Be Helpful

C．The Guidance on Brief Intense Activities

D．Regular Exercise Is Necessary for Everyone

3 . I’m a hiker –“born to hike”, as my husband likes to joke. It does my heart and soul good to take a pack and head out on a trail, especially when I’m alone and can let my mind wander where it will. The experience of hiking is unique, research suggests, conveying benefits beyond what you receive from typical exercise. Hiking in nature is not only good for our bodies, but also good for our moods, our minds, and our relationships.     1    

Hiking keeps your mind sharper than many other forms of exercise.     2     But research suggests that hiking doesn’t just feel good, it might also keep my brain in top shape.

    3     Exercise in general can be a good way to decrease stress. But what sets hiking apart from other forms of exercise is that hiking can happen almost anywhere and give you that dose of nature you need to stay happy.

Hiking can increase our creativity. I’m sure I’m not alone in finding that walks in nature let my mind wander freely in creative directions.     4     Studies have found connections between creative thinking and nature experiences, too.

Hiking helps strengthen a positive relationship with the natural world. Besides being good for us, hiking may also help the world around us. After all, if we can walk and cover longer distances, we could use cars less and reduce our carbon footprint.     5     It increases our connection to nature. Developing a positive relationship with the natural world can help us to care about its fate, making us more committed to conservation efforts.

A．Hiking helps to keep you calm and happy.

B．Hiking and writing have strong connections.

C．Beyond that, hiking benefits our planet indirectly.

D．Here is what science is saying about the benefits of hiking.

E．In fact, I’ve written many of my songs while hiking on a trail.

F．This all goes to show that hiking may be one of the best ways to move your body.

G．Being a professional writer, I sometimes have trouble taking the time to hike in the middle of my workday.

4 . Some people prefer to have a bite to eat before hitting the gym, known as a fed workout. Others would like to wait until after exercising to refuel their bodies, called a fasted workout.    1     Many experts say there’s no easy answer because it depends on the person.

If you want energy and strength for an ideal workout, you need fuel. A fed workout will provide your body with power. Eating before exercise may help you sustain longer sessions and lift heavier weights.     2     Muscle preservation is also an essential component of strengthening your body. Nitrogen (氮) is critical for processing protein that builds healthy muscles. People tend to lose less nitrogen during a fed workout than a fasted one.

Many fitness enthusiasts are not on board with this idea. They report feeling sick and inactive while trying to exercise after eating. With a fasted workout, you may not get the usual indigestion. Experts for fasted workouts further claim that eating afterwards makes your body use its fat reserves for energy, meaning you will burn more fat.     3     It can cause a sudden drop in your blood glucose (葡萄糖) levels, and you may feel dizzy. You may even be more likely to overeat.

    4     Not all foods are created equal. For example, if you choose a fed workout, you’ll probably lose a lot of water during an intense training, so you should consider drinking some beforehand. With a fasted workout, it would help if you had some nutrition right after your session is complete. Drink some water. Then, have a light meal or nutritional snack.

Deciding when to eat for an ideal workout is a personal choice. Both fasted workouts and fed activities have their benefits and shortcomings.     5    

A．However, a fasted workout might not work for you.

B．How your body will respond is based on your workout intensity.

C．These benefits can result in burning more fat and shaping a slimmer body.

D．To eat or not to eat, that is the question on many fitness enthusiasts’ minds.

E．Think thoroughly and discuss with your fitness instructor before taking a choice.

F．Knowing what to eat for an ideal workout is just as important as knowing when to eat.

G．A person doing a 30-minute session a day may not have a problem with fasted workouts.

5 . When I first began running in high school on the track team, it made sense to carefully clock every mile and push myself to race for personal bests. But as I changed from running for sport to running for amusement as an adult, I found that tracking my workouts often just ended with frustration. And it wasn’t until my watch battery died several years ago that I first experienced the sense of calm that came with running for the pure joy of it. I never replaced the watch battery, and that might not be a bad thing for my fitness goals.

This is the idea of unplugged (不插电的) running, which is gaining steam in the fitness community. And recent research has shown that getting rid of your running watch, especially if it’s a smartwatch or fitness tracker, could actually improve your workout — or at least your enjoyment of running.

“People used to have an interest in their sport and get enjoyment out of the sport, but now that’s switching to the data,” said Eoin Whelan, a senior lecturer at the National University of Ireland Galway. “They will compare themselves to people who are better than them, who are running faster or running longer. And in the end we know that makes them feel bad. ”

Whelan also noted that people who are very dependent on smart watches or fitness trackers are more likely to skip their workouts if the batteries on their tracking devices are dead.

Instead, running watch-free is beneficial. Some professionals also have had success with leaving their watches at home. Welsh runner Steve Jones famously set a world record at the 1984 Chicago Marathon without wearing a watch. More recently, Olympic marathoner Trevor Hofbauer made headlines for winning the 2019 Canadian Marathon Championships without a watch.

“If you have too much information being fed to you in real time, it can kind of get in your head,” Hofbauer said. “For me, the simpler, the better.”

1. The author began to find the pure joy of running when he/she ________.

A．ran for the school track team	B．achieved his/her fitness goals
C．tracked his/her own workouts	D．stopped using a running watch

2. What does Eoin Whelan say about fitness tracking watches?

A．They can enrich the wearers’ social life.

B．They can lead to harmful consequences.

C．The way people use them is proper.

D．The data provided by them is unreliable.

3. How is paragraph 5 developed?

A．By giving examples.	B．By listing official data.
C．By answering questions.	D．By making comparisons.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．It's good to abandon your running watch.

B．Unplugged running actually has two sides.

C．Comparing with others should be avoided.

D．Racing for personal bests requires simplicity.

6 . Over the past decades, experts have done a considerable amount of research to explore different ways to encourage children’s learning. Especially, there has been a common focus on how physical activity, separated from the learning activities, can improve children’s learning. However, there has been less of a focus aimed the potential of integrating physical activity into the learning activities.

The main purpose of the Basket Mathematics study conducted at five Danish primary and elementary schools by researchers from the University of Copenhagen therefore was to develop a learning activity that integrates basketball and mathematics and examine how it might affect children’s motivation for mathematics.

756 children from 40 different classes at Copenhagen area schools participated in the project, where about half of them－once a week for six weeks－had Basketball Mathematics during gym class, while the other half played basketball without mathematics.

“During classes with Basketball Mathematics, the children had to collect numbers and perform calculations associated with various basketball exercises. An example could be counting how many times they could sink a basket from three meters away vs at a one-meter distance, and adding up the numbers. Both the math and basketball elements could be adjusted to suit the children’s levels, as well as being adjusted for whether it was addition, multiplication or some other operations that needed to be practiced,” explains Linn Damsgaard, a leading researcher.

The results showed that children’s motivation for math integrated with basketball was 16% higher compared to classroom math learning. Children also experienced a 14% increase in self-determination compared with classroom teaching. Meanwhile Basketball Mathematics improved their math confidence.

“We are planning to do research to examine whether the Basketball Mathematics model can strengthen performance in mathematics. Once we have the final results, we hope that they will inspire school teachers and principals to prioritize more physical activity and movement in such subjects. Eventually, we hope to succeed in putting these tools into school system and teacher education,” says Associate Professor Jacob Wienecke.

1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To show the advantage of the study.	B．To explain the reason for the study.
C．To conduct a review of past research.	D．To introduce a way to raise math grades.

2. What can we learn about the study?

A．All kids didn’t play basketball.	B．Kids were divided into 40 groups.
C．It studied kids’math performance.	D．It tailored activities to different kids.

3. What effect does basketball have on the participants?

A．More motivation for exercise.	B．More confidence in basketball.
C．A gain in desire to learn math.	D．A rise in determination to learn.

4. How does Jacob Wienecke expect the study to help educators?

A．Make math learning easier.	B．Inspire students’ math confidence.
C．Build physical activity into teaching.	D．Notice the benefits of physical exercise.

7 . Why Play? Why Outside?

Play is important, even for adults. Here are some great reasons to get outside and play.

    1    .

Being outdoors brings the senses to life. In fact, 75 percent of students surveyed by Weekly Reader said they felt better after spending time outside. “Hiking, exploring, and fishing help sharpen all of your senses,” says Betsy Keller, a professor of exercise and sports sciences. “Smell, sight... they’re all engaged when you’re outside.” Bonus!     2    .

Outdoor play eases your mind.

Are you stressed out? Having trouble concentrating?     3    . Exposure to nature has been shown to lower stress levels and improve attention deficit disorder (注意缺陷障碍). “By comparison,” says Keller, “activities indoors, such as watching TV, or activities in non-green areas leave kids with ADD worse off.”

Spending time outdoors brings you closer to the environment.

Hearing the leaves rustling underfoot and breathing in fresh air build awareness and appreciation of the environment, if you walk through the woods in search of cool birds and plants, you may find your mind expanding.

No woods nearby?     4     . Nature can be as close as your own backyard or those trees at the end of the street. There are bits of nature everywhere — even in cities. “Some naturalists call that nearby nature,” Keller says. “It’s a great way to experience a piece of the natural world without wandering too far from home.”

    5    , consider treating yourself to a little outdoor play instead. It’s not called the great outdoors for nothing.

A．Playing outside helps your body

B．Outdoor activities expand your senses

C．You don’t need a huge park to enjoy nature’s benefits

D．With your senses engaged, you’ll feel free and more creative

E．So the next time you sit down to spend quality time with a TV

F．Then take note of your senses after you’ve done something outside

G．Too much time indoors —away from the natural world — may be a cause

8 . The reasons skiers and snowboarders wear goggles or glasses might seem a little obvious, especially if you’ve ever hit the slopes yourself. Sunlight reflected off the snow can make it hard to see, and UV rays can even damage your eyesight. Special colored lenses also create contrast, so your whole path won’t look like one flat expanse of whiteness.    1    

Olympic speed skaters, meanwhile, are racing inside on smooth ice.     2    

According to NBC Olympics, glasses can increase visibility on indoor tracks, too.     3     And while the ice may look smooth from a distance, those sharp blades can kick up ice chips that could pose problems if they end up in your eyes. In the event of a crash, shatter-proof glasses also protect skaters’ eyes from errant blades and body parts.

    4     Shot-track speed skaters (who race around a roughly 11-meter track) can go as fast as 30 miles per hour or more, and long-track speed skaters (whose track is 400 meters long) sometimes hit about 35 miles per hour. The wind resistance generated by such speed- in a chilly arena—is enough to make any skater’s eyes start streaming with tears. Picture leaning your head out the window of a car that’s going around 35 miles per hour on a cold day: You’d probably want to be wearing glasses, too.

That said, glasses aren’t a requirement.     5     Belgium’s Stijn Desmet, for example, has raced in Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games without eyewear, as has China’s Zhang Chutong.

A．How do they wear glasses?

B．So why do they wear glasses?

C．Some skiers are afraid of the sunlight.

D．Some skaters’ lenses are tinted to help with that.

E．You’ll occasionally see speed skaters with uncovered visages.

F．Not to mention that eyewear shields your eyes from any snow you displace.

G．But the biggest reason speed skaters opt for eyewear just might be their speed.

9 . If you have watched the amazing Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, chances are that you have fallen in love with some winter sports and you’re already making sure your equipment is ready for them.     1     However, there’s another element to get ready for the slopes (坡)—your body. Even if you exercise regularly, skiing, snowshoeing or skating challenges your muscles in ways other activities don’t.

    2     Your metabolism (新陈代谢) increases to warm you up. Your heart and lungs also need to work harder to warm air before it enters your body. Depending on the sport, certain muscles may also be used more frequently compared to activities in other seasons. The good news is that most winter sports involve heart endurance (耐力), muscle strength and muscle endurance.     3    

But there are still some other things to think about. Skiing and snowboarding are great winter sports that provide a total body workout.     4     As anyone who has spent time skiing or snowboarding can prove, after a long day on the slopes, the body becomes extremely tired.     5     To avoid this, you need to take some time to strengthen your body and improve endurance. Before the winter season, a regular exercise program should include exercises that get the blood running while challenging the entire body, such as stair climbing or running. The intensity should vary from 20—45 minutes at least 3 to 5 days a week. As winter nears, adding a cardio (有氧的) workout longer in duration but lower in intensity can help increase endurance.

A．Maybe you haven’t bought all the equipment.

B．And that is when injuries are more likely to occur.

C．Exercising in the cold decreases your body temperature.

D．You should take advantage of this opportunity to have a rest.

E．Probably, you have got your skis tuned and skates sharpened.

F．All of them are areas that can be trained before the winter season.

G．However, it can be hard on the body the first time you hit the slopes.

10 . The Biggest Stadiums in the World

People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A.D., the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world’s best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome’s Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50,000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city’s Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.

These days, safety regulations-not to mention the modern sports fan’s desire for a good view and comfortable seat — tend to keep stadium capacities (容量) slightly lower. Even soccer fans tend to have a seat each; gone are the days of thousands standing to watch the match.

For the biggest stadiums in the world, we have used data supplied by the World Atlas list so far, which ranks them by their stated permanent capacity, as well as updated information from official stadium websites.

All these stadiums are still functional, still open and still hosting the biggest events in world sport.

·Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang D.P.R. Korea. Capacity: 150,000. Opened: May 1,1989.

·Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U. S. Capacity: 107,601. Opened: October 1, 1927.

·Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania, U. S. Capacity: 106,572. Opened: September 17, 1960.

·Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, U. S. Capacity: 104,944. Opened: October 7,1922.

·Kyle Field, College Station, Texas, U. S. Capacity: 102,512. Opened: September 24, 1927.

1. How many people could the Circus Maximus hold?

A．104,944.

B．107,601.

C．About 150,000.

D．About 250,000.

2. Of the following stadiums, which is the oldest?

A．Michigan Stadium.

B．Beaver Stadium.

C．Ohio Stadium.

D．Kyle Field.

3. What do the listed stadiums have in common?

A．They host big games.	B．They have become tourist attractions.
C．They were built by Americans.	D．They are favored by architects.