2 . For people suffering from depression, there’s an all-natural treatment they should use — getting more exercise. It could help fight depression, even if people have a genetic risk, new research shows.

For the study, researchers collected information from nearly 8,000 people and found those with related genes were more likely to have depression over the next two years after examining them. But that was less likely for people who were more active at the study’s start, even if they had a family history of depression. Higher levels of physical activity helped protect even those with the highest genetic risk of depression.

Both high-intensity (高强度) exercise and low-intensity activities were associated with a reduced risk of depression. Adding four hours of exercise a week could lower the risk of a new episode (一段经历) of depression by 17%, according to the study. “Our findings strongly suggest that, when it comes to depression, being physically active has the potential to remove the added risk of future episodes in individuals who are genetically risky,” said lead author Karmel Choi. “On average, about 35 additional minutes of physical activity each day may help people to reduce their risk and protect against future depression episodes.”

Depression is a common mental illness globally, with more than 264 million people affected. “Depression is so ubiquitous, and that underlines the need for effective approaches that can impact as many people as possible,” Choi said. And mental health and primary care providers can use the findings to advise patients that there’s something meaningful they can do to lower their risk of depression.

1. How did the researchers reach their conclusion?

A．By analyzing a mass of data.

B．By conducting genetic research.

C．By comparing various levels of activity.

D．By tracking the subjects for many years.

2. What does the study show about depression?

A．Physical activity betters medical treatment.

B．Exercise is able to decrease and prevent it.

C．Different levels of exercise intensity matter the same.

D．Exercising 35 minutes daily is the most effective treatment.

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

A．Harmful.	B．Complex.
C．Unusual.	D．Common.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To discuss a disease.

B．To introduce a method.

C．To analyze a genetic risk.

D．To explain a phenomenon.

3 . Most new runners assume that the best way to improve is simply to run greater and greater distances. While it’s true that going farther and faster will improve your running skills, most coaches and trainers will advise some level of strength training as well. Focusing on your core (核心) is a common suggestion. A recent study seems to back this up. In the Journal of Biomechanics, researchers investigated a symptom that has long confused runners from beginners to experienced ones. A good number of runners, 14 percent to be exact, experience gradual lower back pain. The results of the new study seem to suggest that weak deep core muscles might be to blame. When these muscles aren’t strong enough, the study found, muscles on other areas of the body kick in to keep the runner up-right, eventually leading to back pain.

To understand the role that these muscles play, the researchers had eight volunteers with minimal running experience run along an indoor track. High-speed cameras and 3D motion detectors analyzed which muscles moved, and how much. Once they created a working computer model for each runner, the scientists imitated what would happen if certain deep muscles were weaker, or shut off completely. As it turns out, when a person can’t use their deep core muscles very well, their bodies still want (and need) to maintain a good running form, and uses surface muscles to do so.

What’s wrong with that? A muscle is a muscle, right? Not exactly. While the surface muscles are often targeted in workouts - they give you a six-pack (六块腹肌), after all - they are pretty useless when it comes to supporting your spine (脊柱). The deeper core muscles, which essentially lie beneath and can’t be seen from the outside, do all the heavy spinal lifting.

It’s important to note that even when you’ve made these muscles super strong, you won’t likely notice visible results. But they will probably help you run better and definitely help prevent potential back pain. Perhaps throwing a nice long plank (平板支撑) may work.

1. Why do most new runners want to run farther and faster?

A．Because they think it can improve running skills.

B．Because some coaches and trainers advise them to do so.

C．Because a recent study proves it to be helpful.

D．Because it’s a kind of useful strength training.

2. What does the new study show us when people do the running?

A．14 percent of the runners have weak muscles.

B．The muscles on other areas lead to back pain.

C．Strong deep core muscles can prevent back pain.

D．The beginning runners usually have weak core muscles.

3. What happens when people do the running?

A．A working computer model can be created.

B．Certain deep muscles become weaker.

C．Surface muscles are the most important for running.

D．Deep core muscles probably function first.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Why are core muscles so important when running?

B．surface muscles play a role.

C．Train the six-pack.

D．Build Super strong muscles.

4 . At the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, Halfway in the women’s slalom(障碍滑雪)race, 18-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin took a commanding lead over the greatest women’s slalom skiers in the world. On her final run, she burst from the start house at a breakneck speed, snaking around the poles in crazy rhythm.

Skiing has always been a significant part of Mikaela’s life. Her mom raced and coached skiing and her dad ski raced all through college. The Shiffrins taught Mikaela and her brother, Taylor, to ski at a very young age. At the age of two and a half, Mikaela made her first ski run on plastic skis. From ages 8 to 11, she worked hard, practicing hundreds of training runs on small hills repeatedly to develop the correct techniques of slalom skiing.

When Mikaela was 11, she attended the Burke Mountain Academy, a Vermont boarding school for skiers. She took classes, studied, and practiced her skiing crazily. According to Kirk Dwyer, Burke Mountain Academy headmaster, “It was the degree of Mikaela’s effort to be the best that distinguished her from others. Her commitment to conditioning, having proper sleep, eating correctly, doing the drills, and watching video was unusual for an 11 to 13-year-old. Mikaela practiced more than anyone and believed in herself then and now.”

By the time she was 17, she had already won her first World Cup race.

Working hard is a full-time job for Mikaela. Even her off-season is work time. In the summer, when Mikaela is off the ski slopes and in the gym, her daily training consists of six to seven hours of weight lifting, swimming, and biking to improve her core strength and flexibility. She does all of this so that she can dash down slopes at speeds topping 50 miles per hour while cutting back and forth around gates with astonishing precision.

“If you have passion for your targets, whatever they are,” she says, “the sky is the limit. Give it your all!”

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Mikaela came from a skiing family.

B．Mikaela’s mother taught her to ski first.

C．Mikaela trained harder than her brother.

D．Mikaela’s father coached skiing in colleges.

2. Why were headmaster Kirk Dwyer’s words cited?

A．To stress Mikaela was a crazy teen.

B．To show Mikaela’s distinct personality.

C．To praise the good students in his school.

D．To highlight Mikaela’s great devotion to training.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Mikaela?

A．Competent and wise.	B．Creative and determined.
C．Aggressive and brave.	D．Committed and self-disciplined.

4. What does Mikaela Shiffrin’s story convey?

A．Practice makes perfect.

B．Not to advance is to go back.

C．He who laughs last laughs best.

D．Actions speak louder than words.

5 . Sobhi from Egypt, who has worked as a bodybuilder for almost 60 years, often says that age is just a number. Whenever people ask him when he is going to retire, his only answer is “never”.

It is generally accepted that people grow less active and lose passion for life as they age. However Sobhi believes that age can never block ambitions if people still have strong wills.

Sobhi’s love for sports started when he joined his school gymnastics team. He once won the third place in Cairo’s Gymnastics Championship. In university, he started to pay more attention to bodybuilding, not only for a better shape, but also for a better health.

His body is so well-shaped that it even helped him appear in a famous film. Sobhi played a minor role of a muscleman in the film, which was filmed in Egypt and tells the story of an Ancient Roman soldier who was sent to Egypt by Julius Caesar to monitor one of his commanders.

As an 80-year-old man, Sobhi said training hard and having a good exercise schedule as well as a healthy diet are the real foundations of bodybuilding. He warned young people that taking bodybuilding supplements (补充剂) can lead to health risks. He recommended them to go for vitamins and other all-natural supplements that do not cause harm.

“Sobhi is 40 years older than me, but he does his exercises as if he is much younger than me,” Gabr, an athlete, said. He also said Sobhi is a great example for all athletes at the club, where Sobhi has been working out for the past 40 years. They are lucky to do sports with such a “hero” “We watch him working out in shock. We wish we could just be like him when we are at his age,” Gabr added.

1. What does the underlined word “passion” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Production.	B．Encouragement
C．Love.	D．Dislike.

2. What did Sobhi once work as?

A．An advisor.	B．An actor.
C．A teacher.	D．A fitness trainer.

3. What did Sobhi advise young people to do?

A．Train as hard as they can.	B．Exercise whenever they like.
C．Pay more attention to body shape.	D．Take all-natural supplements.

4. What did Gabr show for Sobhi in the last paragraph?

A．Admiration.	B．Indifference.
C．Dissatisfaction.	D．Disagreement.

8 .     1       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.     2     For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.

    3     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.     4     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（代替物）for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces.     5     And best of all, it’s free.

A．It will cost you a lot.

B．This causes major environmental effects.

C．There are many environment-friendly sports.

D．Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature.

E．If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones.

F．There is no special requirement for you to start your membership.

G．More and more people are concerned about environmental protection.

9 . Are you wondering whether it’s worth going for a little jog? Don’t hesitate, and get your sports shoes on. A new study shows that proper running lowers the risk of death before the normal time.

In an analysis of 14 previous studies from the US and Denmark, the group of researchers from institutes in Australia and Finland concluded that increasing running participation would probably lead to substantial improvements in population health and longevity. The studies involved 232,149 participants over time periods ranging from 5. 5 to 35 years.

On the whole, people running any distance were associated with a 27% lower risk of death from all causes than those who did not, the study shows. Running was also related with a 30% and 23% lower risk of death from cardiovascular(心血管的)disease and cancer, respectively.

Previous studies had concluded “inconsistent findings” about whether running could lower the risk of premature death, according to the researchers. Lead researcher Jim White, a professor at Victoria University in Melbourne, told CNN: “Our recent findings may encourage physically inactive individuals to take up running and those who already run to keep on doing it.”

He added that doctors may be encouraged by our findings to promote running as a part of “lifestyle medicine”. In their paper, which will be published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers say health professionals are sometimes wary of promoting running because vigorous(剧烈的)use of it has been linked with sudden heart death.

Jim and his team deny this by noting that the benefit of running outweighs the risk. However, they did say advice should be given on a case-by-case basis, as running might not be appropriate for everyone. Although running has a clear health benefit, the researchers point out that higher “doses” of running may not reduce the risk of premature death further. According to the WHO’s guidelines, adults aged between 18 and 64 should take 150 minutes of gentle exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.

1. What did the new study focus on?

A．The benefit of jog.	B．People’s lifestyles.
C．People’s living conditions.	D．The risk of jog.

2. What may the study contribute to according to Jim?

A．Doctors’ quicker treatment.

B．People’s losing weight.

C．People’s involvement in running.

D．Researchers’ promotion of sport.

3. What does the underlined word “wary” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Certain.	B．Tired.
C．Cautious.	D．Confident.

4. What’s the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The risk of exercising vigorously.

B．The reasons why people should keep running.

C．The suggestions on running appropriately.

D．The argument about whether running benefits people.

10 . For the first time in 10 years, the United States government has changed its guidance on how much exercise people need to stay healthy and when they should start.

For children and teens

The new guidance states that the most important time for children to begin exercising is between the ages of 3 and 5.     1     That could be light activities, moderate activities, or even vigorous(剧烈的)activities.

Doctors say it is important to start young.They add that from birth to age 5, a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in life.     2     Also, children who start exercising at a young age are more likely to establish healthy behaviors they will continue into adulthood.

But that does not mean putting a small kid on a treadmill(跑步机)or other exercise equipment.     3       After all, it's a kid’s nature to play freely and happily.

    4     But it shouldn’t be less than one hour a day three times a week.Their activities should mostly be aerobic(有氧的)exercise, such as biking, swimming or running, which can strengthen the heart and lungs.Such exercise should also include muscle-and-bone-strengthening activities；such as climbing trees or playground equipment and playing sports.

For adults

For adults, the guidelines recommend exercising 150 minutes a week. That could be walking, gardening, dancing, etc.    5     Experts say that even short amounts of aerobic exercise can provide health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety and improving sleep.

A．Any kind of activity that gets people exercising will do.

B．Aerobic activity works only if it lasts for at least 10 minutes.

C．Simply giving a kid the time and space to play actively is enough.

D．Children above 5 can have a relatively shorter time for daily exercise.

E．Children in this age range require about three hours’ active activities daily.

F．Attaining the health benefits from exercise may be harder than earlier thought.

G．These developments have a 1asting effect on a child’s ability to succeed in life.