1 . Nenad Bach, an American composer and singer who lives with Parkinson’s disease (帕金森病) is the founder of “Ping-pong Parkinson”, a movement that promotes ping-pong as a therapy (疗法) to improve the lives of Parkinson’s patients worldwide.
After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010, Bach found that his tremors (颤抖) and other symptoms were keeping him from playing his guitar. But a friend introduced him to ping-pong, also known as table tennis, and he soon found that both his motor skills and his mood seemed to improve when he played. Bach’s doctor confirmed his improved state. And that’s when the idea for “Ping-pong Parkinson” took root.
In 2017, Bach worked with well-known New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz. Shortz also happens to be the owner of the Westchester Table Tennis Center. In October of 2019, the first Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championship was held at the Center, attracting people with Parkinson’s disease from as far away as Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Croatia, England, and China.
Recently, a small study was conducted by scientists at Fukuoka University in Japan. People with Parkinson’s disease participated in a table tennis exercise program once a week for six months. Participants experienced significant improvements in facial expression, posture rigidity, speed of movement and hand tremors. They also experienced improvements in speech, handwriting, getting dressed, getting out of bed and walking.
Dr. Ken-ichi Inoue, the study’s author, comments, “While this study was small, with twelve participants, the results are encouraging because they show ping-pong, a relatively inexpensive form of therapy, may improve some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.” Dr. Inoue is planning a much larger study to confirm his findings.
1. Why did Bach pick up ping-pong?| A．He found it great fun. |
| B．He followed his doctor’s advice. |
| C．He wanted to improve his conditions. |
| D．His friend needed someone to play it with. |
| A．“Ping-pong Parkinson” met with wide objections. |
| B．Doing word puzzles benefits people living with Parkinson’s disease. |
| C．Bach taught people living with Parkinson’s disease to play the guitar. |
| D．The first Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championship was held in the US. |
| A．Small subject number. | B．Short studying period. |
| C．Incomplete study aspects. | D．Limited subject performances. |
| A．To promote a sports event. |
| B．To tell the story of Nenad Bach’s struggle. |
| C．To introduce a therapy for Parkinson’s disease. |
| D．To present the findings of Nenad Bach’s research. |
2 . At 81 years old, Jeanne Daprano is still pushing her body to the limit. She’s still running competitive races, breaking world records and taking on new challenges.“The thing I’m learning about aging is that it’s inevitable,” Daprano said.“I’m not going to escape it. There are two ways to go:You can either press on or give up.”
Daprano grew up in Iowa. Then, she moved to California. As a primary school teacher, she began running in order to keep up with her student.“I was known as a running teacher,” she said.“I had my students do fitness before we studied in the morning and then throughout the day.”Then she began running competitively with 5K and 10K road races before moving to the track. She is now the world record holder in the women’s 75-year-old age group 400 meters and 800 meters. “When I get to the final fi nish line, I want this body to be worn out. I’m not doing this to live to be 100. I’m doing this to be the best I can be today.”
After moving to Atlanta about a decade ago, Daprano met fitness trainer David Buer. Ever since, she’s been coming to his gym, where he tailors workouts for Daprano’s specifc needs.“When she came to me, she was pushing 70 years old,”Buer said.“I’ve worked with other individuals of Jeanne’s age, but she came to me with different goals. She had a unique drive and passion—not just a passion for fitness or athletics but for life in general.”
Last February, Daprano took on a new challenge: her first indoor rowing competition. In classic fashion, she broke the world record in the 80-to-84 age group, rowing 2,000 meters in 9:23:7. For those hoping to either start getting in shape or stay in shape for a long time, she offers this advice: Listen to your body. What are you passionate about? How are you going to keep physically fit and mentally fit? Start where you are. Don’t look ahead or compare yourself to somebody else.
1. What does the underlined word“inevitable” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Invisible. | B．Abnormal. | C．Impossible. | D．Unavoidable. |
| A．working at a primary school | B．taking fitness training classes |
| C．volunteering in a 5K road race | D．moving to Atlanta |
| A．She was a qualified teacher. | B．She was an unusual woman. |
| C．She was too old to run a race. | D．She was hard to get along with. |
| A．Run right now. | B．Live and learn. |
| C．Follow your heart. | D．Be a good listener. |
3 . When it comes to exercise, less is not more—but it’s certainly better than none. Physical inactivity accounts for as many as 23% of all deaths from major chronic (diseases).
In one study, overweight middle-aged men and women who learned behavioral skills to make them more physically active, such as walking around airports or train stations while waiting for a departure, reduced their body fat percentage and improved their heart function as much as individuals participating in structured programs at a fitness center. In another study, fat women ranging in age from 21 to 60 who adopted a more active lifestyle lost as much weight as women in a low-impact aerobics(有氧运动)program.
There are different levels and types of activities, like aerobics and muscle exercise.
| A．They are really helpful. |
| B．But you don’t have to head to a gym. |
| C．Regular exercise is good for old people. |
| D．Getting the proper amount of exercise is important. |
| E．Light activity can improve physical and mental well-being. |
| F．Furthermore, they regained fewer pounds in the following year. |
| G．However, there are many people who spend a lot of time sitting down. |
4 . Swimming has been called the perfect exercise. After all, you can get all of the benefits of an aerobic (有氧的) workout without any damage to joints, and it can be done by both the very old and the very young.
Full body workout.
Destress and relax. Whether it’s work stressing you out, the kids being a nightmare, or just life in general, we all get times when we just want to SCREAM.
Burn those calories. Swimming is one of the most effective ways to burn calories. A gentle swim can burn over 200 calories in just half an hour, more than double that of walking.
No sweat. If sweating puts you off other forms of exercise, fear not! As a swimmer, you’ll never feel sweaty no matter how hard you work because the water around you is constantly cooling you down.
| A．Lengthen your life |
| B．Well, help is at hand |
| C．Lower the risk of accidents |
| D．And there is no fancy equipment needed |
| E．Swimming uses all the muscles in the body |
| F．No matter what your fitness level, the general benefits of swimming are yours |
| G．And a faster swim would see a chocolate bar gone quicker than if you went running or cycling |
5 . Chinese Kung Fu (Martial Arts or as popularly referred to as Gongfu or Wushu ) is a series of fighting styles which has developed over a long historical period in China.
In order to survive in an extremely hostile environment, our primitive Chinese ancestors developed primary means of defense and attack that included leaping, tumbling and kicking.
Over the centuries of development in China, Kung Fu has become a large system containing various schools or sects. It is recorded that there are over 300 distinct types of boxing existing around the country.
| A．Although being fighting styles, Kung Fu advocates virtue and peace, not aggression or violence. |
| B．The most outstanding and influential schools are listed as follows. |
| C．Although they knew how to fight with rudimentary weapons made from stones and wood, fighting with bare hands and fists became essential skills. |
| D．In the recent years, learning Chinese martial arts has been more and more popular among people of different ages and nationalities. |
| E．The styles in northern and southern China are quite different, so it is hard to be simply classified. |
| F．Nowadays, it is regarded as a traditional sport gaining more and more popularity and even stands as a representative for Chinese culture. |
6 . Why Is There an Offside(越位)Rule in Soccer?
The offside rule is one of the most important and significant rules in the game of soccer. It is one of the core influencers of game play, formations, and how the sport is played as a whole.
To get the official rule we have to consult the rulebook of IFAB(International Football Association Board). It is the organization that governs the laws of soccer. It is an independent body and the only organization authorized to decide and agree on changes to the Laws of the Game.
Without the offside rule, soccer would descend to a game where the ball is hit from one end of the pitch to the other, with all players competing to score in a sea of mess. It would be an unrecognizable game.
Thankfully, instead of this, we have “the beautiful game”: the most popular sport in the world, full of excitement, skill, athleticism, and tactical guile(战术诡计).
It’s not an offense to simply be in an offside position. If involved in active play from a touch by a teammate, the player in an offside position will be subsequently ruled offside and an indirect free-kick will be ruled against them. Becoming “involved in active play” infers that a player:
·Interferes with play by touching a ball that is passed or touched by a teammate.
·Prevents an opponent by obstructing their vision, by challenging them for the ball, or by making an obvious action to impact their ability to get the ball.
·Gains an advantage or interferes with an opponent when the ball is rebounded from the post, cross-bar, opponent or match official.
There are several pages of more specific circumstances and situations where offside can occur in the IFAB rulebook. However, these are the small print and are not important to discuss in general terms.
| A．If you want to read up on these finer details, check out the IFAB rulebook and skip to page 98. |
| B．Offside can be incorporated into certain tactical and formational plans made by coaches. |
| C．It dictates what positions players occupy on the field, as well as when and where the ball is passed. |
| D．However, it is a risky attempt, particularly in the VAR era, where the defense cannot deceive the match officials. |
| E．There are of course some exceptions to this offside rule. |
| F．However, despite what has been said above, many people still don’t fully understand the rule. |
7 . My Favourite Sport
Skiing is my favourite sport, even though I have only skied for four days in my whole life. Last year, my father promised to take me on a holiday if I did well in my final exams. When I got straight A’s, Dad said, “How about a weekend at the Botanical Gardens?” However, my mum said, “No, you promised a special holiday. I think you ought to keep your word.” And, despite the expense, he did.
My dream was to see some real snow, so in the Christmas vacation we flew to Seoul, South Korea, and then took a shuttle bus which runs back and forth between Seoul and Muju Resort. As the bus climbed through the mountains, we saw the snow on the trees. I was raring to get out of the bus. No one in my family had ever touched snow before, so soon after the arrival, we were all like little children — we picked snow up, made snowballs, and threw them at each other!
Then we checked in at the hotel. Our room overlooked one of the ski slopes. The slope was floodlit, so we watched people skiing until 10 p. m. We could not wait to try it ourselves.
The next day we had our first skiing lesson. We rented our ski suits, boots and skis, and went outside onto the snow. Wearing skis for the first time makes you feel very strange. Suddenly you find you cannot even walk.
Our instructor took us onto a gentle slope, and showed us some basic skills. In order to go up a hill, you have to stand sideways, and go up step by step. You must point the tips of your skis together so that you can stop. However, the tips must not cross, or you will fall. You should not ski alone in case you fall and get injured. To be honest, that first lesson was not a great success, and I kept on falling down!
However, the next day I definitely improved. I only fell over a few times, and I managed to do a few longer runs. I felt pleased with myself, and the instructor congratulated me, so I felt great. Although it was very cold, I spent most of that holiday skiing. It was the most wonderful time of my life.
Nevertheless, it was all over too soon. Now I have decided to work part-time this summer after the College Entrance Examination, so I can earn enough money for another super skiing holiday.
1. The author was able to enjoy his skiing holiday mainly due to ________.| A．his mother’s promise | B．his poor skiing skills |
| C．his good marks | D．his dream of seeing snow |
| A．dying | B．afraid | C．gutted | D．determined |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．The author is now a student in the graduating class. |
| B．The author wants to work as a ski instructor in the future. |
| C．The hotel the author lived in was well-lit, overlooking the ski slope. |
| D．The author spent all his days skiing during the holiday. |
8 . To complete a study, a team of scientists left Boston and went to the middle of Kenya. They wanted to find out more about barefoot running.
Sure, people can run barefoot anywhere. But the Rift Valley Province in Kenya has produced some of the most famous long-distance runners in history, and many of these athletes grew up not wearing shoes. With a video camera in hand, scientist Daniel Lieberman and his colleagues visited some of these runners to figure out what a difference shoes make.
It was a big difference, and not necessarily for the better. In particular, when a bare foot hits the ground, the blow is softer and the running motion is smoother. This research suggests that running barefoot may have advantages over running with shoes on, though more studies are needed to determine whether or not barefoot running reduces the chances of injuries.
Previous studies have shown that when a person runs barefoot, he lands on the front or middle of the foot. Then the heel goes down. During this process, the weight of the body is at first on the front of the foot, then moves to the heel. When a person wears shoes, however, he tends to run so that his heel hits the ground first. The impact of the heel hitting the ground may be much more forceful than the impact of the front of the foot hitting the ground.
In the 1970s, shoe companies began selling running shoes that had cushioned soles (加垫子的鞋底). Those soles spread the body weight through the foot and may have influenced the way people ran. Once runners started wearing these shoes, they could land on their heels and still be comfortable.
The researchers also studied barefoot runners in their lab in Boston. The goal was to measure the force with which a runner’s foot hits the ground. By studying this force, the scientists could compare the impact of different running styles.
“A rear-foot strike is like someone hitting you on the foot with a hammer, with about one and a half to three times your body weight. It would hurt without a shoe,” Lieberman said. “A fore-foot strike is like having no one hit you at all.”
Lieberman’s study explores the physics of running, which is a complex topic. Reed Ferber is a biochemist at the University of Calgary, Canada. The idea that barefoot running is better is a big assumption. He said, “Basically, there are no studies out there that show barefoot running is less injurious.” In other words, don’t throw out those fancy running shoes just yet.”
1. The best title for the passage might be “________”.| A．The Study of Running Barefoot | B．The Function of Shoes in Running |
| C．Race and Long-Distance Runners | D．Mystery of Increasing Running Speed |
| A．the feeling of feet when they touch the ground |
| B．the force with which a runner’s foot hits the ground |
| C．the way of spreading the body weight through the foot |
| D．the degree of comfort one enjoys in running |
| A．Shoes with cushioned soles can greatly increase one’s running speed. |
| B．The lighter a runner’s body weight is, the faster he can run. |
| C．One of the advantages of barefoot running is less chance of injury. |
| D．A fore-foot strike has great advantages over a rear-foot strike. |
| A．Future runners will be trained in a barefoot way. |
| B．People prefer running with shoes on to running barefoot. |
| C．There is still no clear evidence that running barefoot is superior to running with shoes on. |
| D．Some running shoes may bring about amazing results to the people who wear them. |
9 . Soreness (疼痛) Is Good and Scales Are Pointless: The Ten Biggest Myths in Fitness
It’s easy to think that fitness is confusing-but it isn’t. The basics stay the same, and we know the science. These are the ten biggest myths in fitness-memorize them, and exercise with confidence.
1. Soreness is a sign of a good workout
Sore muscles don’t mean progress. They are probably caused by small tears in muscles and happen when you do movements you’re not used to or when you do too many repetitions. So reduce the number of repetitions. You can make progress without pain.
2. Lifting heavy weights will make you strong
There are two ways to get stronger: increasing the size of each muscle and getting more muscles to work together when you need to use them. Getting big requires specific, targeted training and extra calories and protein-and it almost never happens by accident.
3. ?
Actually, it’s the opposite: exercises done correctly will strengthen the muscles around your knee joints, protecting you from injury. As for running, a 20-year study by Stanford University found that regular runners suffered less from arthritis (关节炎) than non-runners as they got older.
4. You can target fat and reduce it
Before the days of the internet, there was a myth that you could reduce the fat around your stomach by doing hundreds of sit-ups. “The truth is, we all have areas of fat that seem to take the longest to get lean,” says Storey-Gordon. “But don’t give up. Those areas will get leaner, too. Patience is the key.”
5. Less rest means you’re working harder
“For most people — especially beginners — periods of recovery between sets mean a lower risk of injury and better results,” says coach George Anderson. Or, in other words: if you train too hard for a whole hour, you’ll have to lift smaller weights, go slower and generally do less work than you would with some recovery.
1. According to the passage, “myth” refers to ________.| A．a false belief or idea | B．a set of rules |
| C．a traditional way of doing things | D．an amount of money |
| A．Shorter is better. | B．Scales are pointless. |
| C．Exercise is bad for your knees. | D．There is one “best” way to train. |
| A．sore muscles mean you have made progress in working out |
| B．the harder you work and the less you rest, the more weight you can get rid of |
| C．detailed, targeted exercise alone can make you bigger |
| D．reducing fat takes time and patience |
Memo
To: All Staff
From: Jakie Mok, Secretary; Sports Development Committee
Date: 26 October 2015
A week ago, “Sports for Life” programme was sent to the parents, requiring them to select a sport they wanted their child to play. Since then, our staff has received lots of calls from parents asking for more information about it. Here is a memo for your reference when you answer the phones.
Basketball
We expect that this will be the most popular of the four sports. Therefore, students should be advised to sign up as soon as possible. Students will take a private bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park. To cover the cost of hiring a bus, each student will have to pay HK$10 each time There will be four basketball courts available for our use with one teacher watching over each game.
Gym
We will be using St Peter’s Memorial Park. There are two reasons for choosing this park. First, it is not very busy and crowded before 6: 00 p. m. Second, it has a lot of trees with plenty of shade. Students must bring along two bottles of water to prevent thirst. Three activities—skipping, jogging, outdoor aerobics, all of which are free of charge—will be arranged. And there will be a teacher on duty for each of the activities.
Hiking
Hiking will take place at Kowloon Peak. The activity will start at 2: 30 p. m. and finish 90 minutes later. Three teachers will accompany the students, and a hiking instructor will accompany each group of 15 hikers. Each instructor will cost HK$75 per hour. Students are advised to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.
Swimming
The Kowloon City Aquatic Centre is a 10-minute walk from our school. Four teachers will go to the pool and conduct the activities from the poolside. We will only be able to reserve the pool for one hour (i. e. 2: 45 p. m. -3: 45 p. m. ). Only students skillful at swimming can take up this activity. The pool will have two lifeguards present. The cost is HK$10 per visit.
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．Students selecting basketball had better register early. |
| B．Students participating in gym should arrive at 6: 00 p. m. |
| C．Students interested in swimming can take up swimming. |
| D．Students taking part in hiking will finish their activity at 5: 00 p. m. |
| A．each sport will take only one hour |
| B．students will be charged for the four sports |
| C．all the sports will take place at Kowloon Peak |
| D．teachers will keep students company on each sport |
| A．To attract students’ interest in the programme. |
| B．To require the parents to select a sport for their child. |
| C．To help the staff explain the programme to the parents. |
| D．To remind teachers and lifeguards to be present on time. |
