1 . We hear endlessly how good exercise is for our health, but you might be surprised to know just how good.
It lowers the risk of dementia.
The World Health Organization estimates that the number of people with dementia will double in the next 30 years.
It aids digestion.
Just 15 minutes of exercise a day for eight years can increase your lifespan by three years. It can be low-intensity exercise, swimming or a long slow walk. The more you do, the longer you could live. Physical activities delay cell ageing，which increases longevity in humans.
It enhances your mental health.
Doing something active releases “happy” brain chemicals, such as endorphins and serotonin, which make you more positive. The more you do it, the better you’ll feel. But you do need to work up a bit of a sweat. If you’ve had a bad day, a quick power walk is a brilliant stress reliever.
| A．It keeps you young. |
| B．It helps you be energetic. |
| C．Here are some benefits of exercise. |
| D．You can surely brighten your day after it. |
| E．Your stomach feels more comfortable after exercise. |
| F．However, regular exercise could save you from dementia. |
| G．Therefore, the benefits of exercise outweigh its shortcomings. |
2 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.
Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "
For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.
A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.
These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.
"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.
1. What is on the ever-growing list mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．Positive effects of doing exercises. |
| B．Exercises suitable for the middle-aged. |
| C．Experimental studies on diseases. |
| D．Advantages of sporty woman over man |
| A．To predict their maximum heart rate. |
| B．To assess their cardiovascular capacity |
| C．To change their habits of working out |
| D．To detect their potential health problems |
| A．It aimed to find a cure for dementia. |
| B．Data collection was a lengthy process. |
| C．Some participants withdrew from it. |
| D．The results were far from satisfactory. |
| A．More Women Are Exercising to Prevent Dementia |
| B．Middle-Aged Women Need to Do More Exercise |
| C．Fit Women Are Less Likely to Develop Dementia |
| D．Biking Improves Women's Cardiovascular Fitness |
3 . Marathon Courses in the US
·AlA Marathon
Where：Fort Lauderdale, Florida
When：February 18
Why run it：If you want a fast course but don’t like downhill running, the flat and scenic A1A Marathon might be the one for you. You’ll feel the ocean breezes (微风) and see the maple trees as you run along one of the most famous roads in America. The race also features plenty of on-course entertainment, a beach-themed finisher medal, and a post-race beach party with food, drink and live music.
·Pocono Mountain Run for the Red Marathon
Where：Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania
When：May 20
Why run it：The course begins at roughly 1,946 feet above sea level-the highest point on the 26.2-mile route. From there, it’s smooth sailing down the mountain, where you’ll finish at a height of 400 feet. The marathon is held every May when trees and flowers are starting to bloom, making this course scenic.
·Newport Marathon
Where：Newport, Oregon
When：June 2
Why run it：The Newport Marathon starts at about 60 feet above sea level and has few gently rolling hills through a nice neighborhood. The steepest hill you’ll come across is 40 feet at Mile 4. The flat marathon route hugs the Yaquina Bay for much of the race, providing you with amazing views of the water. Make sure you sign up for it early—the Newport Marathon limits the number of entries in an effort to keep the race more fun.
·Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Where：Chicago, Illinois
When：October 7
Why run it：The Chicago Marathon is a flat, fast marathon, so it’s a great one to do if you’ve never run a marathon. The course offers a scenic tour of Chicago as it weaves through several diverse neighborhoods and dozens of local and historic landmarks. You’ll see all that is great about the city of Chicago while being supported by tons of screaming fans.
1. What is special about A1A Marathon?| A．It is run along the ocean. |
| B．It is not only flat but also scenic. |
| C．It ends up with a social gathering. |
| D．It is held once every year in the US. |
| A．A1A Marathon. | B．Newport Marathon. |
| C．Bank of America Chicago Marathon. | D．Pocono Mountain Run for the Red Marathon. |
| A．They all start from high mountains. |
| B．They are all intended for strong people. |
| C．They value the safety of the participants. |
| D．They combine running with good scenery. |
4 . I love training with my husband Chris. We do our own exercises separately, but then we really enjoy spending 30—40 minutes doing something we both like together. I also train with my family — my brother, his wife and our cousins will come to our house every now and then to train together. It's like family fun time! A little bit of competition also makes us work out harder.
Laziness, as you know, is contagious. But so is enthusiasm. If you can get your partner on board, you will be able to encourage each other on those days when the other doesn't feel like moving. If you set yourself a challenge and add competition to the mix, I promise you that the training will be much more fun. Time will fly by and you'll want to do it again.
This is why I wanted to learn Chris' favourite sport — surfing. Not only would we have more things to do together, but it would be a great challenge for me. In turn, I have introduced Chris to two of my favourite activities: horse riding and motorbiking. Now he also loves them, which means we have even more chances to have fun together. Encouraged by our example, my brother and his wife now train together too. This is what it's all about at the end of the day: quality time with your partner.
What if you don't have a partner? Well, I'm sure you have a friend who would love to train with you. Or, if you have young children, why not train in the backyard with another parent while they play? You just need some music. The important thing is to have a plan and to make the time to do it. It will be much more fun than doing it on your own.
1. How does the author train with her husband?| A．They train on a daily basis. | B．They start with separate training. |
| C．They train for half an hour each time. | D．They always try to do the same exercise. |
| A．Everyone gets more active. | B．Everyone relaxes after work. |
| C．Everyone is very competitive. | D．Everyone feels time is slowing down. |
| A．It's more for men than women. | B．It makes her feel discouraged. |
| C．It's not so hard as she expected. | D．It requires lots of hard work to learn. |
| A．To look for help. | B．To express thanks. |
| C．To make a promise. | D．To give encouragement. |
5 . A study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology took a closer look at music in sports, specifically how listening to music could affect one’s overall performance.
Researchers asked 150 volunteers to throw a ball into a basket. For the first stage of the study, participants threw the ball from a fixed point. They threw the ball while listening to music of their choice, while not listening to music, or while listening to music that the researchers selected. For the second state they were able to choose where to stand when throwing the ball and performed the same activity with the various music choices.
The study found that listening to music, whether it was music of the volunteer's choice or a song chosen for them, did not make the participants more or less likely to get the ball in the basket. It had no effect, What it did do was increase self-esteem and make the study participants more likely to take risks, especially for males who were allowed to choose their own music.
The results suggest that music many pump you up. And it may even help you workout harder and longer than you would without it. But no matter what song you listen to, it's not going to help you get that ball into the basket.
Another study look a detailed look at how music pace might affect exercise. Researchers found that listening to high-pace music makes people feel like they're working less while also benefiting their bodies more.
Listening to high-pace music while exercising resulted in the highest heart rate compared with not listening to music. This means that the exercise seemed like less effort, but it was more beneficial in terms of enhancing physical fitness.
The study found that the beneficial effects of high-pace music were greatest for people who were walking or running and were felt the least for those who were doing high-intensity exercises such as weightlifting.
1. What were volunteers allowed to do while shooting in the second stage test?| A．Choose position and music. | B．Shoot from a fixed point. |
| C．Shoot with fixed music. | D．Shoot with no music. |
| A．Music given by experts. | B．Music males chose. | C．Peaceful music. | D．Loud music. |
| A．It has no effect on sports. | B．It improves your athletic skills. |
| C．It helps easily achieve better workout. | D．High-pace music is beneficial for all forms of exercise. |
| A．Reducing. | B．Balancing. | C．Changing. | D．Strengthening. |
6 . Once Popular Sports in Ancient Capital Xi'an
The ancient capital Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province is holding the National Games. As the capital of 13 dynasties throughout Chinese history, the ancient city has never been far from sports. Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the city has held many sports events.
Cuju: Origin of modern soccer
Cuju was an ancient Chinese competitive game involving kicking a ball through an opening into a net. As the ancestor of soccer, it first appeared in the renowned ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce（“Strategies of the Warring States”）, which describedCuju as a form of entertainment among the general public. Later, cuju was commonly played in the army for military training purposes, during the Han Dynasty.
Jiaodi: Chinese-style wrestling
Sumo, known as Japan's “national sport”, actually started in ancient China. Sumo was called jiaodi or jiaoli in ancient times. Ancient jiaodi,a Chinese-style wrestling, was performed by athletes wearing ox horns and wrestling with each other imitating wild oxen. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, jiaodi was highly favored by emperors. In the Tang Dynasty, jiaodi was part of military training and a kind of entrainment and athletic sports.
Jiju: Ancient polo
Jiju is a sport which uses a stick to hit balls while riding on a horse, pretty similar to modern polo. It was popular in the royal court and among common people in the Tang Dynasty. There were many fields for playing polo in the court and it was also a major military training program in the army. In the Tang Dynasty capital, there were formal polo courts, such as the stadium pavilion in Chang' an palace.
Archery
During ancient times, the origin of archery was closely related with hunting and defense. Ancient archery was not only an athletic event,a military training program, and an entertainment activity, but also part of education. As early as in Zhou Dynasty, the archery was listed as one of the six practical disciplines, also called the Six Arts, becoming an important and competitive form.
1. Which was popular in the army during the Han Dynasty?| A．Cuju. | B．Jiaodi. |
| C．Jiju. | D．Archery. |
| A．Only by riding a horse. |
| B．By hitting balls wearing ox horns. |
| C．By kicking a ball through an opening into a net. |
| D．By hitting balls while riding on a horse with a stick. |
| A．They were only for entertainment. |
| B．They all disappeared late gradually. |
| C．They were military training programs. |
| D．They all originated from Han Dynasty. |
7 . Many of the sports in ancient Egypt are still practiced today. In fact, many of the basic elements of sports, like rules and uniforms, were first used by Egyptians. The sports had important functions in society. Some were played for fun and fitness. Others were played to make stronger warriors(武士) and leaders.
The first group of sports, mostly for fun was those like rowing, hunting, and the high jump. Hunting and fishing could be enjoyed by the kings and regular people. The same was for rowing. Rowing needed strength. Teams of people got into boats and followed the commands of a leader. He would give regular, sharp calls to tell them when to row. This technique is still used for rowing teams today. Another popular game was tug-of-war. This was a game where two teams had to pull each other over a line. If team fell forward, they lost. This game is still played today in the country.
The second group of sports prepared people for the army and the temple. These included boxing, horse riding, running, and archery(箭术). They were ways to work on skills for fighting. They were also ways to work on mental and spiritual power. Running a marathon was a good example of this. The king would run to show he had the mental strength to guide his country. Hockey was another Egyptian game. Players held tree branches with a bent end, just like modern hockey sticks. They had to hit a ball made of leather that was brightly colored.
These sports were a part of Egyptian culture. They kept the people happy and fit. The basic rules were created thousands of years ago. They are still seen in some forms today.
1. According to the passage, what was the purpose of sports?| A．They could stop people from being angry at the king. |
| B．They could stop people from working too much. |
| C．They could keep people busy with no time to fight. |
| D．They could keep people happy and in good shape. |
| A．clear | B．hopeful |
| C．keen | D．energetic |
| A．To explain how hockey is not fashionable. |
| B．To state his opinion on ancient Egyptian games. |
| C．To provide another example of an old game played today. |
| D．To contrast its simplicity with the complexity of other games. |
8 . A new study has found that braving the cold maybe a good way to help burn off some fat.
The research was carried out by scientists at Canada’s Laurentian University and focused on high-intensity interval training(HIIT). This format has grown in popularity of late due to the fat-burning benefits it brings, and the team set out to explore how temperature might influence its effects.
The study involved 11 overweight adults who took part in two HIIT sessions a week apart. One of these was carried out in a “thermoneutral” environment with temperatures of around 70 °F(21℃),and the other at a cold 32 °F(0℃). The sessions consisted of 10 separate cycling race at 90 percent effort lasting one minute, followed by 90-second “recovery” periods of cycling at30 percent intensity.
After each session, the participants cooled down by gently cycling or walking, ate a nutrition bar before going to sleep and enjoyed a high-fat breakfast the morning after. During these sessions, the scientists monitored skin temperature, core body temperature, heart rate and the amount of oxygen. Blood samples were also drawn to help calculate fat burning rates following the breakfast the next day.
“The present study found that high-intensity exercise in the cold increased lipid oxidation (脂质氧化) by 358 percent in comparison to high-intensity exercise in a thermoneutral environment,”the team writes.
The authors also note that the idea that cold temperatures help us burn more fat during exercise will need further investigation (调查), though the first-of-a-kind study does indicate it’s a possibility worth pursuing.
1. What is good for burning off fat according to the study?| A．Cold food. | B．Low temperature. |
| C．Hard workout. | D．Cycling race. |
| A．Introduction to the study. |
| B．Some data in the study. |
| C．The participants in the study. |
| D．The process of the study. |
| A．Further study needs to be done. |
| B．Doing exercise burns more fat. |
| C．The efforts of scientists are in vain. |
| D．The study result is unreasonable. |
| A．High-intensity Workouts Help Burn off Extra Calories |
| B．Cycling in the Cold Is a Great Way to Build upYour Body |
| C．Study Shows Fat-burning Potential of Exercising in the Cold |
| D．Researchers Have Found More Fat-burning Workouts |
9 . A lot of teenagers in middle school want to do more sports.
Watching TV and playing video games are becoming more and more popular among teenagers.
One of the biggest problems in our society today is obesity，and it's not just a problem with adults. More and more kids are becoming overweight.
Encouraging teenagers to do more sports also benefits parents. It is a great way for parents to show they love their kids.
Doing sports is a great way for teenagers to get out of the house，get moving，make friends and keep healthy. So why not join in and get into sports today？
| A．They may find new friends in this way |
| B．Doing sports helps teenagers grow faster |
| C．They prefer to stay at home rather than go out |
| D．Joining in a team sport will help teenagers get some exercise without feeling pressured to lose weight |
| E．Teenagers want to be stronger through doing sports |
| F．Parents can play with them and help them practice sports |
| G．Many do it because they think it will make them become more popular |
10 . I got my first bike when I was nine years old. Jimmy, the bike, was my first love. I rode it everywhere. The suburb, the back lanes, the fields and forests, the river paths and swampland were far more exciting than any adventure novel or television series.
There’s nothing quite like the relationship between a child and his bicycle and the endless happiness two wheels and a pair of strong legs offer. No video or computer game can replace the liberation of being alone on a bicycle.
As parents, to deny children the simple pleasure of riding a bike is a failure of our responsibilities to raise independent and stable young citizens. We should offer our children a healthy alternative to hours in front of an addictive screen. Studies have shown that cycling promotes not only muscle growth but brain growth. Guess which country has children with the best mental health outcomes and is regularly the top of listings of the happiest young people. No surprise it’s the Netherlands, the unquestioned leader among industrial countries in encouraging bicycle use.
Our dependence on cars has degraded the public transport system, polluted our sky, led to the untimely death of thousands every year, and denied children safe access to their suburbs. A recent study found that 69% of children were accompanied to school. The same study found that a similar number of parents drove to work.
In some regions of Japan, when children start their first year of school, parents are expected to walk with them for the first few weeks, introducing them to residents and shopkeepers along the chosen route, letting the community take care of these children. However, driving children to school is proscribed. Children can choose to ride a bike or walk to school after they are familiar with the community, and it’s the community’s role to keep them safe.
Therefore, I strongly advise the government to provide better infrastructure (基础设施). Build separated cycle lanes, decrease speed limits, and design street scapes that favour people over cars. The results will be less pollution, quieter suburbs, a healthier population and, best of all, happy and independent children.
1. What can we infer about the author from the text?| A．He was addicted to computer games. |
| B．He liked taking adventurous trips in nature. |
| C．He had great fun exploring the outside by cycling. |
| D．He got his first birthday present at the age of nine. |
| A．To introduce his good way of raising independent children. |
| B．To illustrate the great influence riding has on mental health. |
| C．To stress the importance of being physically and mentally healthy. |
| D．To explain cycling does best in city development in the Netherlands. |
| A．Recommended. | B．Protected. | C．Delayed. | D．Forbidden. |
| A．By analyzing causes. | B．By listing examples. |
| C．By giving definitions. | D．By analyzing scientific data. |
