1 . In a world ruled by hard exercise and complex fitness programs, the simple act of walking is often ignored(忽略).
Heart Health and Weight Management
Walking is light heart exercise that helps improve heart health by increasing blood circulation(循环).
Pressure Drop and Clear Mind
Taking a relaxing walk or quick walk has been shown to give off endorphins, the body’s natural ”feel-good” materials. This leads to lower pressure levels, improved feelings, and improved mental health. Walking outdoors in nature or in a peaceful environment can provide a refreshing escape from the daily tasks.
Joint(关节)Health and Free Movement
Unlike active sports, walking is soft on the joints, making it a perfect choice for people of all ages and fitness levels.
Social Communication and Connection
| A．It helps oil joints and make them stronger. |
| B．It’s a cheap way to lead a healthier lifestyle. |
| C．So taking a walk can make your mind relaxed and fresh. |
| D．A quick walk after meals has been shown to benefit the stomach. |
| E．It cuts down the risk of heart disease and brings down blood pressure. |
| F．Walking is useful exercise that can easily be turned into a social activity. |
| G．However, walking remains one of the easiest and most useful forms of exercise. |
2 . These days, videos of “ diving grandpas” from north China’s Tianjin are popular on the Internet. In the videos, they jumped off the Shizilin Bridge into the 7-meter-deep Haihe River. However, on Wednesday, they announced that they would give up the sport.
With an average age of 60, the diving grandpas have much experience in diving. They started as a group of local diving lovers. They went swimming in the city’s rivers, and later they tried their hand at diving. The hobby has now lasted for more than thirty years.
Videos on the Internet have drawn lots of tourists from across the country to the Shizilin Bridge over the Haihe River, where “diving grandpas” perform diving. However, some inexperienced divers, trying to follow“ diving grandpas”, have met with accidents and got themselves injured. Some of the grandpas have begun volunteering to keep order for the crowds that come to see the performance on the bridge. However, accidents still continued to happen. As reported, members of the Blue Sky Rescue team in Tianjin said that they rescued 14 people at the risk of drowning or other injury in just two days.
The grandpas then made a difficult decision. They stopped diving off the bridge. They also prevented inexperienced locals and children as well as tourists from diving from the bridge . The grandpas welcomed the tourists to Tianjin, especially pointing out the other great places of interest and delicious food around the Shizilin Bridge.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．The diving grandpas made a living by diving. |
| B．The diving grandpas came from all over China. |
| C．The diving grandpas made diving a life-long hobby. |
| D．The diving grandpas began diving when they were little. |
| A．The weather became colder. |
| B．They were too old to carry out the task. |
| C．The bridge was too crowded with tourists. |
| D．They hoped to prevent accidents from happening. |
| A．Kind and honest |
| B．Energetic and warm-hearted |
| C．Brave and talented |
| D．Outgoing and optimistic |
| A．Diving became a popular activity in Tianjin. |
| B．Diving without guidance may cause injury or death. |
| C．“Diving grandpas” helped speed up tourism in Tianjin. |
| D．“Diving grandpas” gave up diving for tourists’ safety. |
3 . A small study out of Skidmore College examined the advantages of morning vs, evening exercise for both women and men. Paul, professor for health at Skidmore, led the study.
“We had the groups divided into evening and morning groups,” he says. “We found women and men answered differently to different types of exercise depending on the time of the day, which surprised us.”
The study showed that for women who want to lower blood pressure (血压), the risk of heart disease or reduce fat, morning exercise works best. Those women hoping for upper body muscle (肌肉) gains or mood (心情) improvement should consider evening exercise. For the men, the findings were somewhat different: Evening exercise lowers blood pressure, the risk of heart disease, and feelings of tiredness. But similar to women, they burn more fat with morning exercise.
“For many people, the best time to exercise will depend on their chronotype,” says Heisz, author of Move the Body, Heal the Mind.
“Chronotype is your body’s natural habit to sleep at a certain time—it’s what decides whether you’re a night owl or an early bird. For the 25% of the population that considers themselves a night owl, getting both enough sleep and enough exercise can be difficult,” adds Heisz.
He continues, “Sleep—which provides your body the necessary time to recover (恢复) and make gains from exercise—should always be the first choice. When it comes to exercise, regardless of research on the advantages of certain exercises at particular times of the day, your results will not be good if it doesn’t allow enough time for sleep.”
1. What can women get by doing evening exercise according to the study?| A．A fat loss. |
| B．A good mood. |
| C．A lower blood pressure. |
| D．A smaller risk of heart disease. |
| A．Give an example. | B．Tell the difference. |
| C．Do an experiment. | D．Explain a term. |
| A．Enough sleep. | B．Low-fat food. |
| C．Plenty of water. | D．Lots of exercise. |
| A．A Night Owl or An Early Bird |
| B．Why Fitness Plan Being Important |
| C．How to Change Your Exercise Time |
| D．The Best Time of a Day to Exercise |
4 . Many of us start exercising in the hope of losing unwanted pounds. Unquestionably, aiming to be more active is a good thing. But if the main reason is to lose weight, your resolution could very well come to nothing.
For starters, exercise is typically futile for weight loss. Take walking for example. A 150-pound person who walks for 30 minutes will burn, on average, around 140 calories. That’s equal to one can of soda — not exactly a great return on your investment of time and effort. It’s much easier just to skip the soda.
When exercise is added to a diet, the results are equally unimpressive. Researchers found that a combination of dieting and exercising brought no greater weight loss than dieting alone after six months. At 12 months, the diet-and-exercise combination showed an advantage, but it was slight — about 4 pounds.
In studies where exercise has produced meaningful weight loss, participants burned at least 400 to 500 calories per session on five or more days a week. To achieve that, a 150-pound person would need to walk a minimum of 90 minutes or run 30 minutes per day. In short, sessions need to go well beyond what most of us are willing or able to do. And even if we manage to make that much effort, our bodies often compensate (抵消) by eagerness for more food and slowing down metabolism (新陈代谢), effects that over time limit how many pounds we lose.
When exercise fails to meet our weight-loss expectations, we often stop working out. Perhaps the biggest problem with exercising to drop pounds is that it turns physical activity into punishment — a price we have to pay for a slimmer body. How many times have you heard someone say “I’ll need to do extra exercise” after eating too much? We treat exercise as a form of self-punishment for being “bad.” In this case, we’re unlikely to keep doing it for very long.
The conclusion is that we’re more likely to treat exercise positively and actually do it when we focus on our well-being rather than our weight.
1. What does the underlined word “futile” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Necessary. | B．Popular. | C．Dangerous. | D．Useless. |
| A．You will burn 140 calories every day. |
| B．You will lose 4 pounds in a month. |
| C．You might have a higher metabolic rate. |
| D．You might eat more than usual. |
| A．They are unlikely to really enjoy it. |
| B．They find it too challenging physically. |
| C．They have difficulty resisting (抵抗) delicious food. |
| D．They turn their attention to their well-being. |
| A．How long should you exercise a day to lose weight? |
| B．What are the best exercises for losing weight? |
| C．Weight loss: why exercise is the wrong path |
| D．Exercise and weight loss: a pair of brothers |
5 . If you thought running was just great for the body, then think again. Scientists have found that the sport not only keeps people fit but also improves your brain power (脑力).
The research found that people who keep fit are more likely to have larger brains, better memories and clearer thinking. They also found that unfit people tended to have smaller brains and reduced cognitive skills. The findings add to a growing body of evidence which links exercise with helping protect the brain against ageing (老化) and also helping it replace dying cells (死细胞). This might reduce the risk of many illnesses and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
One research paper within its latest issue sees scientists at Kentucky University putting 30 adults aged 59 — 69 on a treadmill (跑步机). Their heart and lung capacity was measured and an MRI scanner was used to assess the blood flow to their brains. Those who were less fit had smaller brains compared to the fitter volunteers who had larger brains. Scientists in Germany followed 21 adults aged between 60 — 77. As they went through a three-month fitness program, they saw improvements in their memory.
Researchers are not yet sure why exercise helps to protect brain cells but some research in mice has produced results. Mice, examined at the National Institute on Ageing, in Baltimore, found that cells in the hippocampus (海马体), an area of the brain used for memory, were actively reproducing while their fatter peers were in decline.
Linda Clare, professor of clinical psychology of ageing and dementia at Exeter University and a member of the Global Council on Brain Health told The Sunday Times: “Moderate intensity aerobic (有氧的) activity such as walking, cycling or running can produce changes in brain structure and function.”
1. Who tend to have larger brains, better memories and clearer thinking?| A．People who are healthy. | B．People who are thin. |
| C．People who are unhealthy. | D．People who are fat. |
| A．Those who were less fit had larger brains. |
| B．Those who were fitter had smaller brains. |
| C．Exercise helps people improve their memory. |
| D．Old people doing exercise improve memory better than young people. |
| A．Walking. | B．Singing. |
| C．Cycling. | D．Running. |
| A．To tell you sport improves your brain power. |
| B．To introduce some good ways to keep healthy. |
| C．To teach you how to best spend time in doing sports. |
| D．To introduce several ways to improve your memory. |
6 . As we age, even if we’re healthy, the heart just isn’t as efficient in processing oxygen as it used to be. In most people the first signs show up in their 50s or early 60s. And among people who don’t exercise, the changes can start even sooner.
“Think of a rubber band. In the beginning, it is flexible, but put it in a drawer for 20 years and it will become dry and easily broken,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a heart specialist at the University of Texas. That’s what happens to the heart. Fortunately for those in midlife, Levine is finding that even if you haven’t been an enthusiastic exerciser, getting in shape now may help improve your aging heart.
Levine and his research team selected volunteers aged between 45 and 64 who did not exercise much but were otherwise healthy. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first group participated in a program of nonaerobic (无氧) exercise—balance training and weight training—three times a week. The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week. After two years, the second group saw remarkable improvements in heart health.
“We took these 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30-or 35-year-old hearts,” says Levine. “And the reason they got so much stronger and fitter was that their hearts could now fill a lot better and pump (泵送) a lot more blood during exercise.” But the hearts of those who participated in less intense exercise didn’t change, he says.
“The sweet spot in life to start exercising, if you haven’t already, is in late middle age when the heart still has flexibility,” Levine says. “We put healthy 70-year-olds through a yearlong exercise training program, and nothing happened to them at all.”
Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, says Levine’s findings are a great start. But the study was small and needs to be repeated with far larger groups of people to determine exactly which aspects of an exercise routine make the biggest difference.
1. What does Levine want to explain by mentioning the rubber band?| A．The right way of exercising. | B．The causes of a heart attack. |
| C．The difficulty of keeping fit. | D．The aging process of the heart. |
| A．Diet plan. | B．Professional background. |
| C．Exercise type. | D．Previous physical condition. |
| A．Middle-aged hearts get younger with aerobic exercise. |
| B．High-intensity exercise is more suitable for the young. |
| C．It is never too late for people to start taking exercise. |
| D．The more exercise we do, the stronger our hearts get. |
| A．Making use of the findings. | B．Interviewing the study participants. |
| C．Conducting further research. | D．Clarifying the purpose of the study. |
7 . A woman who lost one leg in a traffic accident is seeking to break a world record by completing 102 marathon-length runs in 102 days. A marathon is a race that goes 42 kilometers.
Jacky Hunt-Broersma, who lives in the Western American state of Arizona, set her goal last month. And every day since then, she has been running the distance of a marathon. Most of the time, she runs on roads and trails near her home. Sometimes she completes her runs on a running machine. If she keeps successfully completing marathon-length runs every day, she would reach her goal three months later. She would then hold the world record for completing 102 back-to-back marathon runs.
The current world record of 101 marathons was set on April 10 by British runner Kate Jayden. The 35-year-old Jayden does not have a disability.
Hunt-Broersma said that until five years ago, she was not very active. But then she looked into running and decided to give it a try. The sport ended up being quite costly. Currently, she runs on a prosthetic (假体的) leg made out of a strong, light material known as carbon fiber. The carbon fiber blade she uses, which is designed specifically for running, costs about＄10,000.But Hunt-Broersma says her investment (投资) has been well worth it.
One of her recent runs was the world-famous Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts. She finished that race, held on April 18, with a time of 5 hours and 5 minutes.
Hunt-Broersma’s main support team is her husband and their two young children. She is posting her progress online and has also gained a large social media following. As she nears the end of her goal, Hunt-Broersma is hoping to inspire a dream in others, regardless of (不管) their own physical limitations. She tells people, “You’re stronger than you think-and you’re capable of so much more.”
1. What is Hunt-Broersma’s goal mentioned in the text?| A．To make her body stronger. | B．To show off her great power. |
| C．To set a new world record. | D．To prove she can live a normal life. |
| A．Trying hard to earn money for her game. | B．Training strictly for a famous marathon race. |
| C．Running together with a British marathon runner. | D．Running 42 kilometers either indoors or outdoors. |
| A．Caring. | B．Determined. | C．Responsible. | D．Intelligent. |
| A．Encouraging others to achieve their goals. | B．Having more people run the marathon race. |
| C．Drawing more attention to the disabled. | D．Getting more people into her support team. |
8 . Walking is seriously underestimated. Walking is so simple that nearly everyone can do it.
Ultimately, walking every day is one of the best ways to target belly fat. As you continue to walk, you may notice your pants begin to fit more loosely around your midsection, even if the number on the scale isn’t moving much. That’s because regular walking can help improve your body’s response to insulin (胰岛素),
Walking every day along with a healthy diet can result in weight loss.
However, don’t expect to lose weight if you’re only walking casually. The intensity at which you walk plays a key role in helping your body burn more calories and improve your cardiorespiratory system (心肺系统).
| A．Still, you need to be aware of what you’re eating. |
| B．It’s also a good idea to mix up the location of your walks. |
| C．when you burn calories through exercise. |
| D．which can help reduce belly fat. |
| E．Here’s what taking a walk every day really does for weight loss. |
| F．No matter what your age, you can lose weight by following this program. |
| G．Besides, it has extremely good benefits. |
9 . Want to add a simple movement to your daily life? Walking may be your best choice.
Walking is good for your heart
Walking is considered as cardio（有氧的）exercise, no matter the speed at which you take it. Studies show that walking can reduce the risk of heart disease and lower your resting heart rate and blood pressure.
What benefits physical health often benefits mental health-the same is true for walking. Just five minutes of walking can lower anxiety. If you have any kind of green space nearby, try to take advantage of it. One study showed that people who went on a 90-minute nature walk reported fewer bad feelings.
Walking can improve your sleep
Walking can help with fat loss
Walking is a type of cardio workout that is good for fat loss and can help you achieve or keep a healthy weight. It should be done regularly and for long periods of time.
| A．Walking can help reduce stress |
| B．That can help you sleep easily during the day |
| C．Here are some of the benefits walking offers you |
| D．Walking in the day can help you get a better night's rest |
| E．Good walking can also keep your head up and looking ahead |
| F．Experts suggest walking 30 minutes a day, five to seven days a week |
| G．Walking at least 45 minutes a day at a brisk pace will see the most benefits |
10 . 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. |
