1 . When it comes to lowering blood pressure, studies have typically shown that aerobic (有氧的) exercises are best. Recent research suggests another type of physical activity is worth including as an effective tool to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
Exercises that engage muscles without movement, such as wall squats and planks, may be best for lowering blood pressure, according to a large study published in July, 2023 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
This type of training is known as isometric exercise, according to the Mayo Clinic. Isometric muscle action happens when muscles contract but do not visibly change length, and the joints involved don’t move, facilitating stability of the body. Isometric exercises can be done with weights or without, just relying on the body’s own weight.
“These findings provide a comprehensive data-driven framework to support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure,” said study coauthor Dr. Jamie O’Driscoll in a news release.
The researchers looked into randomized controlled trials that had reported the effects of exercise interventions, lasting two or more weeks, on blood pressure between 1990 and February 2023. From a review of 270 trials with 15,827 participants, the researchers found that among HIIT (high intensity interval training), isometric exercise, aerobic exercise, dynamic resistance training and a combination of the latter two, isometric exercise led to the greatest reductions in blood pressure.
It’s also important to note that there are other lifestyle changes as well as exercise that can benefit your blood pressure. These include keeping to a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, cutting down on salt, not drinking too much alcohol and ensuring that you continue to take any prescribed medication.
More research is needed to determine exactly why isometric exercises might be better for lowering blood pressure than other types of training, the authors said.
1. What does the underlined part “isometric exercise” in paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Exercise that is done with extra weights. |
| B．Exercise that involves visible muscle contraction. |
| C．Exercise that focuses on stability of the body. |
| D．Exercise that engages muscles without movement. |
| A．By providing statistics. | B．By interviewing experts. |
| C．By doing experiments. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Exploring the reasons for its effectiveness. |
| B．Demonstrating its influences on mental health. |
| C．Assessing its suitability for different populations. |
| D．Determining its long-term impacts on blood pressure. |
| A．The benefits of aerobic exercises. | B．The best exercise for blood pressure. |
| C．The effects of various types of exercises. | D．The importance of keeping a healthy lifestyle. |
2 . How do you spend your spare time? There will be different answers to it. Most people in Poland(波兰) have their own ways of spending free time. Sometimes they just want to have a rest, but they try to do something more pleasant most of the time. They have many different hobbies, which help them to get away from their everyday problems and spend their free time happily.
Many Polish(波兰的) people like travelling. They look for new places that they have never been to and add new and exciting experiences to their journey. Some of them like to climb mountains, others like to go to the sea or a lake to swim, because these can make them get exercise and are good for their health.
Many Polish people also like to watch sports in their free time. They are usually crazy about football, and football is regarded as the Polish national sport. Many football fans may support a certain team, so they go to watch every match of the team they support, and they buy many things that have any relation with the team. Watching a sport and doing it are both good ways to relax.
In addition, doctors say that doing sports is very good for the health. Many people in town, especially young men, often go to the gym to attend the exercise classes to keep fit.
Besides these ways, Polish people have many other ways to spend their free time. And they really enjoy their free time.
1. Polish people have many different hobbies in order to ________.| A．solve their daily problems | B．finish all their work |
| C．make some friends | D．relax themselves in their spare time |
| A．Because they hate travelling. | B．Because they can get exercise from it. |
| C．Because they can find a new place. | D．Because it is comfortable and funny. |
| A．Playing football. | B．Climbing mountains. |
| C．Skating. | D．Swimming. |
3 . I imagine there might be a footballer or two who has woken from a terrifying dream where they can’t see the ball, or the coming opposite player. In the middle of the game, they’ve ended up lost, unable to momentarily know in which direction they are playing. Such is the usual world for players in blind football where getting the wrong direction on the pitch is only an occasional problem, quickly corrected.
Blind football is played worldwide, in England, in Japan, in China and so on. The rules are simple, the action fast. The ball is filled with ball bearings that make sounds as the ball moves, enabling the players to spot the ball very accurately—although if the ball is too fast or too slow, the sound becomes small and spotting it is harder.
It’s five-a-side, including a sighted goalkeeper but plus a “caller” for your team behind the opponent’s goal. All the players on the pitch wear a blindfold to avoid any potential cheating from anyone sighted or partially sighted. But many players are totally blind. For example, Japanese player, Yasuhiro Sasaki, can see nothing, though he was partially sighted when younger, when he was a fan of regular football. The “caller” is an essential aid to the players, calling out directions to the ball, and, importantly, distance and angle to the goal. A caller has to be quick-minded and train with team-members.
Now happily, many people come to blind football “from an interest in football foremost, rather than any interest in the disability.” All in all, blind football might become popular with more blind people.
1. The author mentions a terrifying dream in the first paragraph to ________.| A．introduce the fear a professional player may suffer |
| B．warn players not to get the wrong direction |
| C．describe the difficulties a blind footballer might have |
| D．analyze why a football game may end up in failure |
| A．There are five players on each team, including a caller. |
| B．The callers provide necessary information for the players. |
| C．The ball should be passed neither too fast nor too slow. |
| D．The caller is the only person who can see on the team. |
| A．To ensure an honest game. | B．To keep partially blind players out of the game. |
| C．To make the game more exciting. | D．To check that all players are totally blind. |
| A．A football game for the blind. | B．A new way to play blind football. |
| C．Blind football around the world. | D．How to play blind football. |
