Adolescents Worldwide Not Sufficiently Physically Active
New WHO-led study says majority of adolescents worldwide are not sufficiently physically active, putting their current and future health at risk.
The health benefits of a physically active lifestyle during adolescence include improved heart and lungs fitness, bone health and positive effects on weight. There is also growing evidence that physical activity has a positive impact on cognitive development and socializing.
To achieve these benefits, the WHO recommends for adolescents to do moderate or vigorous physical activity for an hour or more each day. The authors estimated 80 percent of teems do not meet this recommendation by analysing data collected through school-based surveys on physical activity levels.
A.Current evidence suggests that many of these benefits continue into adulthood. |
B.To increase physical activity for adolescents, the authors need to identify the many causes and inequities. |
C.The authors say that levels of insufficient physical activity in adolescents continue to be extremely high. |
D.To improve levels of physical activity among adolescents, the study provides some recommendation as follows. |
E.The authors note that adolescents' participation in physical activity will continue into adulthood. |
F.The study highlights that young people have the right to play and should be provided with the opportunities to realize their right to physical and mental health and well-being. |
2 . Exercise helps to keep us in good health. Doctors at the American Heart Association suggest getting at least 150 minutes of proper physical activity every week. Many people exercise for a few minutes every day or every other day. So, getting 150 minutes every week is easy.
But what about those times when you are sick? If you do not feel well, should you keep following your exercise habit? Following are the answers from health experts.
Edward R. Laskowski is a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. He and other experts have a general rule about exercising when you are sick. It is usually fine to exercise properly (not hard), he explains, if your symptoms are all “above the neck”. These signs may include a runny nose, sneezing or a sore throat.
Geralyn Coopersmith, a physical fitness trainer who has written several books on exercise offers similar advice. However, both Coopersmith and Dr. Laskowski suggest taking a break from exercising if signs of your illness appears “below the neck”. Pay special attention to symptoms such as chest congestion, bad cough or pain in the stomach.
There are other symptoms that can tell you to avoid exercise. They include a higher than normal body temperature, a sense of feeling very tired, and widespread muscle pain.
Both Coopersmith and Dr. Laskowski suggest listening to your body. If you feel really bad, take a break and let your body rest. If you don’t feel too bad, these experts both suggest cutting down the amount of exercise. For example, if you usually run, take a quick walk instead.
1. How long should people do exercise according to doctors?A.No less than two and a half hours a week. | B.One hundred and fifty minutes each day. |
C.At least a few minutes every day. | D.About 150 minutes every other day. |
A.stop exercise | B.walk instead of run |
C.ignore the symptoms | D.do less exercise |
A.Taking good care of yourself. |
B.Learning to take advice of your body. |
C.Making decisions according to your physical condition. |
D.Listening to music when exercising to keep healthy. |
A.Warnings against exercise when you are ill. |
B.Harmful results of exercise when you are ill. |
C.Time for exercise when you are ill. |
D.Professional suggestions on exercise when you are ill. |
3 . When you go for a run outside, chances are that you’ll find litter all around you. Do you just go past it, or do you stop and pick it up? If you choose the latter, you’re part of the latest fitness trend that’s sweeping the West: plogging.
The word “plogging” combines the Swedish phrase “plocka upp” (pick up) with the English word “jogging”.
Running – especially marathons – is often associated with good causes. And plogging, which combines environmentalism with fitness, has become the new poster boy for the environmentally-friendly runner. All a plogger needs is a trash bag, and ideally a pair of gloves to protect their hands.
The process of collecting garbage is simple, but it sheds light on serious environmental issues. “When I usually walk through the streets of New York, the sight of newspapers, lost hats, and shattered glass doesn’t bother me,” Matthew Sedacca of Men’s Health magazine wrote. “But when I was plogging and focused on trash collecting, the amount of garbage strewn (散布) across the sidewalks and along the pavement was kind of shocking.”
While collecting garbage, ploggers learn to classify and dispose of it correctly too. Laura Lindberg, a plogger who lives in New Jersey, US, always keeps a note of what she’s collected in her mind. This way, she knows what can stay in her trash bag and what can go in a nearby recycling bin.
It may be difficult to measure the sense of self-satisfaction that comes from making the world a cleaner, greener and more beautiful place, but the health benefits of plogging are easy to see. According to the Swedish fitness app Lifesum, a 30-minute plogging burns around 288 calories, compared to 235 calories burned from just jogging.
So the next time you go out jogging, why not carry a trash bag and collect some litter along the way? Your body and the environment will thank you.
1. What can we learn about “plogging” from paragraph 1 to 3?A.Plogging is becoming a tendency throughout the world. |
B.A plogger should take a pair of gloves for protection. |
C.A plogger can contribute to environmental protection. |
D.Plogging is often connected with running especially marathons. |
A.To pick something up. |
B.To make something clear. |
C.To do good to something. |
D.To take advantage of something. |
A.setting down general rules | B.drawing a comparison | C.making assumptions | D.giving examples |
A.We should assist ploggers to classify rubbish correctly. |
B.Ploggers need keep a note of what they’ve collected. |
C.Plogging helps burn more calories than jogging only. |
D.The joy from plogging outweighs the health benefits. |
4 . Why Is Exercise Cool?
•Exercise Strengthens Muscles
Did you ever do a push-up or swing across the monkey bars at the playground?
•
Can you touch your toes easily without yelling ouch? Most kids are pretty flexible, which means that they can bend and stretch their bodies without much trouble. Being flexible is having “full range of motion”, which means you can move your arms and legs freely without feeling tightness or pain.
•Exercise Keeps the Balance
•Exercise Makes You Feel good
It feels good to have a strong, flexible body that can do all the activities you enjoy—like running, jumping and playing with your friends. It’s also fun to be good at something, like scoring a basket, hitting a home run, or perfecting a dive.
But you may not know that exercising can actually put you in a better mood.
A.Exercise Makes You Flexible |
B.Exercise Makes Your Heart Happy |
C.Those are exercises that can build strength. |
D.So you want to do some aerobic (有氧的) exercise right now? |
E.But if you’re active, your body needs an extra measure of calories or energy. |
F.Food gives your body fuel in the form of calories, which are a kind of energy. |
G.When you exercise, your brain releases a chemical which may make you feel happier. |
5 . How often do you exercise? A new study finds that most kids aged 12 to 15 aren't getting enough physical activity. The results are based on about 800 kids. As part of the study, the young teens tracked and reported on their own activity levels, and took physical exams.
The US fitness guidelines recommend an hour or more of physical activity every day. According to the study, only 1in 4 kids in the US get enough physical activity.
“It's certainly very worrying to see that our kids are engaging in such a limited amount of physical activity each day,” said Dr. Stephen Pont. He is an expert on children's health.
Few kids in the survey met the guidelines for physical activity that raises the heart rate and makes them breathe harder. Overall, about 25% said they got an hour of that kind of violent exercise every day. Kids also reported on which activities they did most often outside of the school gym class--basketball for boys and running for girls.
The study found that obese(肥胖的) teens were less active than normal-weight girls and boys. Overweight girls were slightly less active than normal-weight girls, but levels were similar among overweight and normal-weight boys. The study also said that the overall obesity rate for children aged 2 to 19 is 17%, or about 12.5 million kids.
“There's always room for improvement,” said health expert Tala Fakhouri, who was the lead author of the study. She also said the results provide useful information to help with fitness campaigns such as Lets Move, which was launched by Michelle Obama in 2010. To inspire kids to eat right and get in shape, Michelle visited schools and held exercise events. She also called on schools to offer regular gym classes.
The study also suggests kids who get physical education at school may get better grades.
1. What is the result of the new study?A.It is important to take physical exams |
B.Most US kids don’t get enough exercise |
C.Kids should get physical activity every day |
D.800 kids don’t get enough physical activity. |
A.To help kids to keep fit. |
B.To hold exercise events. |
C.To offer regular gym classes. |
D.To provide useful information. |
A.do better in their studies |
B.try their best to get in shape |
C.be more willing to help others |
D.be less active than fat children |
A.visited | B.stopped |
C.started | D.improved |
6 . If you're out for a run, what difference does it make if you're able to tough it out for another 50 seconds? If you're less than a minute from the top of the hill, that extra time can make the difference between having reached your goal and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
How do you get those extra seconds of energy? A research team at the Texes Tech University developed a study to measure what effect listening to music would have on exercise tolerance. The researchers based the study on a stress testing. As part of the testing, they noted any changes in heart rate and blood pressure as participants underwent physically stressful exercise.
The tests were done on treadmills (跑步机), which increased in both speed and incline (坡度) through three stages. In the final stage, the treadmills moved at 10 miles per hour at a 14-percent grade. Most of these tests were designed to last up to 40 minutes. The average gym-goers lasted 30 minutes. For this study, they divided 127 participants into two groups. One listened to upbeat(快节奏) music, while the other group had earbuds in but did not listen to music.
The group that listened to music was able to outlast the non-music group by an average of 50.6 seconds. Again, being able to go an extra minute may seem like a no-brainer ,but “after 30 minutes, you feel like you are running up a mountain, so even being able to go 50 seconds longer means a lot," said the study's lead author, Waseem Shami, MD.
The study has confirmed something runners and gym-goers have suspected for years: Listening to music during workout can be beneficial to your endurance. "Our findings reinforce the idea that upbeat music can help you exercise longer and stick with a daily exercise routine," said Shami. When doctors are recommending exercise, they might suggest listening to music, too."
1. Why did Shami’s team conduct the research?A.To test the effect of music on health. | B.To know the cause of failure in sports. |
C.To improve runners' exercise tolerance. | D.To record the body change of participants |
A.They ran much faster than average runners. | B.They created a new record of indoor sports. |
C.They could run a little longer with music on. | D.They all enjoyed extreme physical challenge |
A.A dull activity. | B.A foolish action. |
C.A demanding task. | D.An easy practice |
A.Developing a daily exercise routine. | B.Listening to music while working out |
C.Participating in physical stress testing. | D.Taking exercise as doctors recommend. |
7 . The martial art of Tai Chi is on the rise as more and more people discover the benefits that come from regular practice.
Tai Chi is quite easy to learn. Many recreation centers and community groups offer classes, sometimes in parks and other public places.
One of the major benefits of Tai Chi is that it's a sport you can practice for life. In China, many elderly people continue to do Tai Chi into their eighties and nineties, and the strengthening and balance moves are hugely beneficial to their continued mobility.
A.Tai Chi is more than a just a sport. |
B.There are many styles and forms of Tai Chi. |
C.Best of all, Tai Chi can be performed anywhere. |
D.Tai Chi's true name in Chinese is Tai Chi Chuan. |
E.More old people than young men practice Tai Chi |
F.Often these classes are free and open to anyone who shows up. |
G.Also, the slow moves and focus make Tai Chi a relief from stress. |
8 . The standing broad jump is an exercise where the jumpers must jump as far as possible. Unlike other classic Olympic events, the jumper cannot run to build up strength. This exercise takes great attention, and it can be difficult to improve.
Throughout the jump, jumpers should always look forward, toward their goal distance.
Using the power from your upper body to push yourself forward can help you achieve a great distance. This can be a great way to warm up before trying the jump. Start by standing in the correct position with your toes lined up and feet shoulder-width apart.
Having more strength in your legs will allow you to jump a greater distance. Practicing the standing broad jump will exercise your legs as well, but having strong leg muscles to begin with will help you achieve greater distances.
A.However, improvement is well worth it. |
B.This will set the direction they want the body to. |
C.The best way to improve is to have a goal in mind. |
D.Improving the standing broad jump requires great attention. |
E.You must stand in one spot to jump without any kind of lead-in. |
F.So you should exercise your legs as much as possible to build muscles. |
G.Next, move your arms forward, then backward and up over your head. |
9 . As is often the case, it is human nature to lead a sedentary(久坐的)lifestyle and most of us are so involved in our busy schedules that we don't even notice our bad habits. Many worry about the right time or "right age" to start working out.
Master your mind. Most people argue that they are too tired or old to start exercising. Doing so is much easier than trying to change the busy lifestyle. Change your mindset and be more confident in improving your health.
Easy does it. Once you have chosen a fitness program, start slowly and increase it in stages. Begin with just a few minutes of gentle exercises and stretches.
Always warm up. Always remember to warm up your muscles before exercising. Gentle warm-ups will reduce your risk of injury, aches and pains, and increase blood circulation and flexibility.
Cool down. When you finish your routine, you need to cool your muscles and let your heart rate slow gradually.
A.Don't overload your body. |
B.Never ignore your potentials. |
C.Tell your body to be more active and say, "I can do it." |
D.However, nobody cares about what you have done for them. |
E.Go next to some mild activity such as walking, jogging or cycling. |
F.Cooling down will help your body to return to its pre-exercise level. |
G.But it's never too late for them to start exercising and all they need is enough determination. |
10 . Benefits of Sports
Taking exercise is a physical, mental and social adventure. It’s a great way for children to take a break from study and release extra energy. It also helps them lead fuller and happier lives as regular sports have proven to improve general well-being.
Children who participate in sports might also benefit from the social aspect, feeling part of a group, building up leadership and responsibility.
There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to take part in. Are you ready to go? Pick one and get moving!
A.It’s not just your body that benefits from sports. |
B.Therefore, playing sports is going to make you more fit. |
C.Football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs. |
D.Among these, learning how to work as a team is the most important advantage. |
E.But remember, a child’s self-worth should not be judged by victory or loss. |
F.If you play group sports, you’ll be part of a team that takes direction from a coach. |
G.The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious. |