1 . Fitness and healthy well-being have become very popular during recent times with many consumers wanting to look after their body more and more now. Because of this, and especially because we are living in the digital age, many fitness fanatics are using technology to enable them to track their progress and improve how they are working out; due to this, we have created a list of gifts that you can buy for fitness fanatics this Christmas.
The first gift that we have found is perfect for fitness fanatics is actually the NutriBullet that has benefits for not just fitness go-ers but also perfect for every kitchen. The NutriBullet allows for consumers to blend their pre- and post-work out shakes perfectly and can mix virtually anything in them from fruit to nuts to supplements. The best thing about the NutriBullet is how quick and easy it is to use and more importantly how easy it is to clean and tidy up.
Next up for the perfect gift for a fitness goer would be that of a fitness smart watch, specifically a FitBit Sense. FitBit have always been the industry leader when it comes to fitness smart watches as they have hundreds of indicators for you to be able to track how your health is pre, during and post fitness session.
Not only that, but the benefits of messages and phone calls through your phone which is always an added extra for the fitness fans. And finally, a pair of wireless headphones are also a great gift for fitness fanatics and the best on the market are the Bose SoundSport Wireless. Not only do they deliver with the best sound quality, but they are also the comfiest and defo the best for wearing when competing in fitness due to the way they fit in the ear; they certainly won’t be falling out. Reasonably well priced compared to competitors too like the Apple Airpods Pro too so defo worth the gift.
Click here to learn more!
1. With the NutriBullet, people can __________.| A．clean up the kitchen in just several minutes |
| B．do exercise in the kitchen easily |
| C．drink cleaner and healthier water |
| D．mix a variety of things conveniently |
| A．FitBit is a smart watch that can only be used to make phone calls. |
| B．FitBit can track you to the place where you work out. |
| C．FitBit offer you hundreds of indicators for asking about your health problems. |
| D．FitBit can be a good present for those who love taking exercise. |
| A．Their sound quality is the best. |
| B．They are easy to take with and easy to clean. |
| C．They can make phone calls. |
| D．They are comfiest and fit in the ear. |
| A．a magazine | B．a web page | C．a daily newspaper | D．a science fiction |
2 . The Happiness Effect
Most of us have heard the term “runner’s high”, but what exactly does this mean? Exercise creates chemical responses in the brain, which leads to both temporary and long-term mental health benefits. Here is how it works:
What happens when we are stressed?
Cortisol: This stress hormone (压力荷尔蒙) is linked to mood, motivation and fear. It also alters immune system (免疫系统) responses and suppresses the digestive system (消化系统).
Adrenaline: This stress hormone raises your heart rate, elevates blood pressure, and boosts energy stores.
Hypothalamus: This region of the brain is the body’s natural alarm system which stimulates the production of cortisol and adrenaline.
Hippocampus: Too much cortisol short-circuits (使……中断) cell production in the brain’s hippocampus region, damaging thought organization and memory formation.
Feeling overwhelmed? Hit the gym!
As your heart begins to pound, your brain chemistry reacts almost immediately to get you feeling better both physically and mentally.
Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF): BDNF protects the brain from emotional disorders and repairs damage from stress and depression.
GABA: Exercise lowers stress levels, which triggers the release of this calming neurotransmitter (神经递质). Frequent boosts of GABA build immunity to stress, enhancing your ability to take on life’s challenges.
Endocannabinoids: These natural chemical compounds play a role in processing appetite, pain sensation, mood and memory. They are very closely related to the active ingredients of the cannabis (大麻) plant.
Endorphins: Endorphins naturally get most of the credit for feelings of extreme happiness, but they play only a small part in the exercise-induced rush. These pain fighting peptides increase with as little as 20 minutes of exercise.
1. Which of the following statements is true?| A．During a 1000m race, one’s adrenaline level will stay still. |
| B．When someone came across a roaring dog, his or her hypothalamus may be simulated. |
| C．Cortisol is a hormone that can deal with stress efficiently. |
| D．Bad mood will not hurt the hippocampus region any way. |
| A．Brain derived neurotropic factor. | B．GABA. |
| C．Endocannabinoids. | D．Endorphins. |
| A．In a scientific journal. |
| B．In an advertisement about medical product. |
| C．In a nutritional biochemistry magazine. |
| D．In a sport magazine. |
3 . 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. |
4 . 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. |
5 . 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. |
6 . 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. |
7 . 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. |
9 . The new federal (联邦的) physical activity guidelines were updated for the first time since 2008, and they still urge adults to do 75 minutes of intense (or 150 minutes of moderate) aerobic (有氧的) exercise each week, plus muscle-strengthening activities like weightlifting or yoga twice a week. But only 23% of Americans do so, and a recent study found that a quarter of American adults sit for more than eight hours per day. The addition of a simpler imperative to the guidelines — “move more and sit less”, no matter what form that movement takes or how long it lasts-may make people more likely to meet them.
If more Americans follow the guidelines, they stand to gain significant health benefits, including longer lives. Recent research suggests that activities you’d never think of as exercise, like cleaning the bathroom, still lead to the benefit of a long life span. In a study of older women, each half hour of light activities like these was linked to a 12% lower risk of dying early compared with their more sedentary peers.
That every movement matters may be the message Americans need to hear to get more active, says Jack Raglin, a professor at the Indiana University Bloomington School of Public Health. “The fitness industry tends to keep people focused on the standard modes of exercise, but it may not be that easy to go to a gym, especially if you are older, not fit or overweight,” Raglin says. “You want something that’s not too hard for most people, and that you can do any time or place.”
Even things like standing on the subway or walking while you talk on the phone, rather than sitting down, can have an impact, says Jacque Crockford, a certified personal trainer. Studies show that these easy activities are associated with lower body weight, better overall health and increased life span. “It’s important to recognize the difference between planned exercise and just being active,” Crockford says. “We put a lot of weight on the exercise part, rather than thinking of it as, ‘I’ll just move my body.’ ”
Of course, formal exercise may help you reach your goals faster, and intense exercise often brings the biggest health benefits, at least for young, healthy people. But even if you don’t move enough to meet the federal recommendations, any progress towards them likely contributes to better health, says Michael LaMonte, a research associate professor at the University at Buffalo. “Don’t put a time scale on it; don’t put an intensity on it,” LaMonte says. “We need to go back to the old days, when movement was a way of life.”
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．Muscle-strengthening activities are often neglected. |
| B．The form of movement counts more than how long it lasts. |
| C．75 minutes of aerobic exercise may do more harm than good. |
| D．The old federal physical activity guidelines were hard to meet. |
| A．have a higher risk of early death | B．spend more time sitting |
| C．are more interested in sports | D．have reached an older age |
| A．argue against the standard modes of exercise | B．highlight the impact of sports on health |
| C．encourage people to move more | D．remind people of the old days |
| A．When it comes to exercise, every movement matters. |
| B．It is recommended that each activity should last 30 minutes. |
| C．There will be more research on how active a person should be. |
| D．Formal exercise works better for some people than for others. |
10 . Sports can help contribute to a healthy body and get you close to nature. 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 impact on the environment.
There are many environment-friendly sports.
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 for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces.
| A．It will cost you a lot. |
| B．Some sports are resource-hungry. |
| C．This causes major environmental effects. |
| D．Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. |
| E．There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. |
| F．If you walk on a regular basis, it will benefit your heart and bones. |
| G．More and more people are concerned about environmental protection |
