1 . Benefits of Walking in Cold Weather
As winter blankets the world in a coat of ice and fresh cold air, the idea of going outdoors fora walk might seem less attractive.
Strengthened Immune System
Remaining in colder temperatures can actually improve your immune (免疫的) system. As your body adapts to the cold, it produces more white blood cells.
High Spirits
The winter blues, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), can affect many individuals during the colder months. Fortunately, walking in cold weather has been linked to improved emotion and reduced signs of sadness. The fresh air and physical activity inspire the production of endorphins, the body’s natural emotion enhancers (增强剂).
Improved health and energy level
Cold-weather walking can provide an excellent heart workout. The combination of light movement and the body’s reaction to the cold increases heart health by improving circulation (血液循环) and lowering blood pressure. Over time, this can make your blood system healthier.
So, as the winter winds blow and snowflakes fall, consider wearing your warm clothes and taking a walk outside.
| A．The cold weather does not cost energy. |
| B．They play a key role in fighting off diseases. |
| C．Winter, especially, is an opportunity to go slowly. |
| D．They leave you feeling more positive and excited. |
| E．However, don’t let the cold temperatures prevent you. |
| F．Let each walk be a big step towards a healthier, happier you. |
| G．The benefits of walking in cold weather go beyond physical health. |
2 . Lloyd Black, who became a member at Anytime Fitness in Semmes, Alabama, last year at age 90, was named as the club’s Member of the Month for January.
Ashley Seaman, the gym’s general manager, congratulated Black in a Facebook post that went viral (走红). “We have seen nothing but inspiration from him since he started,” Seaman wrote in the post along with a photo of Black wearing his overalls (工装裤). “He says he is 91 years young and talks about how much his workout routine has helped him in his daily routine. Seeing someone like him encourages others to keep it up and include fitness in their life. Seeing him in the gym three times a week working out in his overalls brightens our day.”
Black said he started working out to keep up with his lifestyle. “I had reached the point where I could no longer do simple housework, so I started going to the gym and it has really helped.” said Black. “I’m also inspired by my dad who never gave up.”
Black’s gym routine includes the running machine, upper body strength training and the leg press. As a result of his work at the gym, Black finds it easier to cut the grass at his house and work in his woodworking shop. He experiences less daily discomfort and moves more easily.
According to Seaman, Black has become a valued member of the gym through his devotion to improving his personal fitness, his helpfulness and his warmth toward other members.
While Black is not a member of Facebook to see the reaction to the post, he has received local attention for his fitness journey. “I don’t feel very comfortable being in the limelight, but if it encourages someone else, I’m willing to do it” said Black.
1. What was included in the Facebook post?| A．Black’s basic information. | B．Black’s gym routine |
| C．Seaman’s photo. | D．Seaman’s praise. |
| A．He like swearing shorts to workout |
| B．He has been working out for three years. |
| C．He started working out on his father’s advice. |
| D．He benefited a lot from working out at the gym. |
| A．All alone. | B．Out of date. | C．Well known. | D．Different from others. |
| A．Use it or lose it. | B．Accept it or leave it. |
| C．Take life as it comes. | D．Use is a second nature. |
3 . About twenty years ago, a new yoga teacher with related qualifications (资格) began her day practicing yoga on the beach. Over time, a few local beach lovers joined in and before she knew it, she was leading classes every morning and evening. After the word spread, local teachers offered to assist and the unique yoga classes were born. After that, the teacher moved to India, but her legacy (遗留) lives on. We aim to ensure people can come into contact with and afford yoga 365 days a year. Classes are all donation based. Our teachers offer yoga from the heart and do not get paid.
Our Approach
People around the world have practiced yoga for thousands of years, and millions of people currently enjoy its health benefits. Being outside can enhance the yoga experience in many ways, since nature inspires all the things — focusing awareness, breathing deeply, practicing stillness. We attach great importance to outdoor practice, through which you can feel the union with nature. Through every practice, we help some people who want to change.
Our Classes
We provide you with mostly two kinds of classes. Private beach classes include yoga, stretching, and partner yoga. We tailor the class to your requirements. If you are planning a corporate event or yoga classes, we can help make it fun, motivating and exciting.
What to Bring?
•An open mind, an open heart and a sense of fun
•A large towel or blanket — mats tend to get very sandy
•Sunglasses and sunscreen — in the morning there is shade
•Water-hydrate (水合物)
•Layered clothing in the winter — mornings can be cool
Get in Touch
You are invited and welcomed in our community! To know more information, you can click the link we provide. You can also email us for further questions or to request a private class.
1. What is the purpose of the unique yoga classes?| A．To call on people to protect the beach. |
| B．To help yoga lovers gain qualifications. |
| C．To raise the awareness of keeping healthy. |
| D．To make yoga accessible and affordable to people. |
| A．It lowers the risks of diseases. | B．It is more beneficial to the old. |
| C．It can make people keep active. | D．It can expose people to nature. |
| A．Business. | B．Opinion. | C．Health. | D．Travelling. |
4 . A gym membership can be nice.
Spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up before every workout. Not sure what to do? Try jumping jacks, leg or arm circles, or even dancing. Just get your blood pumping. Do a progressive aerobic (有氧的) activity that uses the same muscles you want to work out.
Do strength training twice a week to build muscles. Strength training, also called resistance training, makes you stronger and builds endurance (忍耐力).
Set achievable goals that you can break into smaller tasks. It’s one thing to say you want to get fit, but that means something different for everyone.
| A．After all, we work out to build our muscles. |
| B．Equipment is the key to carrying out a workout plan. |
| C．But you don’t have to have one to get into great shape. |
| D．For instance, slowly jog if you are going for a longer run. |
| E．Spend five to ten minutes cooling down after each workout. |
| F．Figure out what you plan to achieve and make that your goal. |
| G．Try to do exercises that work many parts of your body and make you feel stronger. |
5 . Common Mistakes New Runners Make
Running is a great way to get in shape and just about everyone can do it. However, many make a number of common mistakes, which can interfere (妨碍) with training or lead to injury.
·Doing too much too soon
One of the biggest mistakes new runners make is doing too much too soon. Slowly easing into a training program will help reduce the risk of injury, so you can continue on with your new running routine
·
Beginners might think they need to run every day (or nearly every day) to meet their fitness or weight-loss goals, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Running is a high-impact activity which can be really hard on your body. So it’s important to give your body a rest between workouts.
·Not wearing the right equipment
•Running through pain
| A．Not taking rest days |
| B．If you’re just starting out |
| C．Comparing yourself to others |
| D．Running can be uncomfortable at times |
| E．It’s important not to use the same muscles |
| F．While it may be true that you don’t need expensive equipment to take up running |
| G．Experts suggest increasing your running distance by no more than 10% each week |
6 . Skiing offers many benefits. It’s a sport people can enjoy with friends and family. Skiers can get access to breathtaking mountain scenery.
A ski instructor teaches people how to ski, helps experienced skiers improve their skill, and may provide ski coaching for people who intend to compete in skiing. Many ski instructors work as employees for companies that run ski resorts (旅游胜地).
When teaching beginners to ski, a ski instructor focuses on skiing safety, proper form, and basic skiing skills. For advanced skiers, advanced skiing skills should be taught.
Professional ski instructors lead fascinating and exciting lives. If working and skiing at a ski resort most of the day appeals to you, then becoming a ski instructor must be your dream job!
| A．Advanced courses can be attractive. |
| B．Such skills can be harder to learn. |
| C．Besides, skiing will build skiers up. |
| D．Ski instructors can also be self-employed. |
| E．Such skiers don’t need instructors any more. |
| F．However, not everyone is cut out to be a ski instructor. |
| G．What are the requirements for working as a ski instructor? |
7 . How exercising changed their life
Name: Katelyn Block, 19 The problem: At the end of her junior year of high school, she fell into a serious eating disorder. The change: She was an athlete, but while she was sick, she stopped running. Later, she decided to get back into running. She made the decision to build her body back from the ground up. With a few months of hard work and determination, she graduated from high school with a healthy body. | Name: Amalia Biro, 24 The problem: Amalia was a horseback rider with her sight set on the Olympics, until one day she was thrown off a horse, leaving her left knee badly injured. The change: She ran a 5K at the request of her friend. Running lets her clear her head. She found herself starting to turn to running instead of breaking away from her social life. And she was in good shape and felt better than before. |
Name: Sarah Jane Parker, 28 The problem: She had a lot of fear and anxiety about different things. The fear was taking over her life. The change: She tried indoor rock climbing with her friend’s encouragement. When she finally managed to climb to the top, she fell in love with the sport. Eventually she used the courage she got from climbing to break away from her fear. | Name: Kimberly Whittaker, 25 The problem: Two car accidents in one month made Kimberly have joint problems in both knees and pain in her lower back. The change: She joined a gym and worked with a physical trainer three times a week to help her become healthy again. She took spin classes (动感单车) the most often because she felt like she was able to focus her energy just on riding. |
| A．She got a fever. | B．She was anxious. |
| C．She couldn’t eat normally. | D．She hurt her knees. |
| A．They had the same dream. | B．They attended the Olympics. |
| C．They didn’t trust themselves. | D．They should thank their friends. |
| A．By changing her diet. | B．By seeing a doctor. |
| C．By joining a gym. | D．By studying hard. |
8 . For people suffering from depression, there’s an all-natural treatment they should use — getting more exercise. It could help fight depression, even if people have a genetic risk, new research shows.
For the study, researchers collected information from nearly 8,000 people and found those with related genes were more likely to have depression over the next two years after examining them. But that was less likely for people who were more active at the study’s start, even if they had a family history of depression. Higher levels of physical activity helped protect even those with the highest genetic risk of depression.
Both high-intensity (高强度) exercise and low-intensity activities were associated with a reduced risk of depression. Adding four hours of exercise a week could lower the risk of a new episode (一段经历) of depression by 17%, according to the study. “Our findings strongly suggest that, when it comes to depression, being physically active has the potential to remove the added risk of future episodes in individuals who are genetically risky,” said lead author Karmel Choi. “On average, about 35 additional minutes of physical activity each day may help people to reduce their risk and protect against future depression episodes.”
Depression is a common mental illness globally, with more than 264 million people affected. “Depression is so ubiquitous, and that underlines the need for effective approaches that can impact as many people as possible,” Choi said. And mental health and primary care providers can use the findings to advise patients that there’s something meaningful they can do to lower their risk of depression.
1. How did the researchers reach their conclusion?| A．By analyzing a mass of data. |
| B．By conducting genetic research. |
| C．By comparing various levels of activity. |
| D．By tracking the subjects for many years. |
| A．Physical activity betters medical treatment. |
| B．Exercise is able to decrease and prevent it. |
| C．Different levels of exercise intensity matter the same. |
| D．Exercising 35 minutes daily is the most effective treatment. |
| A．Harmful. | B．Complex. |
| C．Unusual. | D．Common. |
| A．To discuss a disease. |
| B．To introduce a method. |
| C．To analyze a genetic risk. |
| D．To explain a phenomenon. |
9 . Playing tennis might add years to your life, according to a new study of Danish men and women. The study found that adults who frequently participate in tennis or other racket (球拍) and team sports lived longer than people who were spending a lot of time sitting down. They also lived longer than people who took part in activities such as jogging, swimming and cycling. The results raise interesting questions about the role that social interactions might play in enlarging the benefits of exercise.
No one doubts that being physically active improves our health and can extend our longevity (寿命). But whether some activities might be better than others remains in argument. One widely publicized 2017 study of more than 80,000 British men and women found that those who played racket sports like tennis tended to outlive those who jogged.
The researchers widened their inquiry and looked at a variety of sports and their associations with life. To start, they turned to the same data resource they had used for the jogging study, the Copenhagen City Heart Study. The study’s participants had all completed health exams and lengthy questionnaires about their lifestyles and whether and how often they took part in some sports common in Denmark, including cycling, swimming, running, tennis, soccer and, perhaps unexpectedly, badminton.
According to the data, cycling added an average of 3.7 years to riders’ lives, compared to sedentary Danes. Running added 3.2 years while tennis 9.7 years. These associations remained unchanged even when the researchers controlled for people’s education, socioeconomic status and age.
“Why and how some sports might add more years to people’s lives than others is impossible to know from this kind of observational study,” says Dr. James O’Keefe, a study co-author. “But we know that social support probably has unique effects on helping people get more benefits from the exercise.”
For now, people who run or ride alone might consider finding a group or partner to work out together. “Raising your heart rate is important for health,” he says. “But it looks like connecting with other people is, too.”
1. According to the passage, which activity may help people live longer?| A．Cycling. | B．Running marathon. |
| C．Swimming. | D．Playing badminton. |
| A．Inactive. | B．Outgoing. | C．Depressed. | D．Easygoing. |
| A．Exercising alone. | B．Working out together. |
| C．Working out regularly. | D．Raising one’s heart rate. |
| A．women who prefer team sports live longer than men |
| B．people’s education and socioeconomic status affect their longevity |
| C．the reason why some sports might add more years to people’s lives is still unknown |
| D．80,000 Danish men and women participated in the survey |
10 . Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.
But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.
According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.
To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade.
“The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.
Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website.
It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes.
1. What did scientists from German universities recently discover?| A．Working out is a highly effective way to treat depression. |
| B．The runner’s high could be caused by endocannabinoids. |
| C．Endorphins may contribute to one’s high spirits after running. |
| D．The level of endorphins and endocannabinoids could affect one’s mood. |
| A．To find what reduces the runner’s high symptoms. |
| B．To see the specific symptoms of the runner’s high. |
| C．To identify what is responsible for the runner’s high. |
| D．To test what influences the level of endocannabinoids released. |
| A．Effect. | B．Goal. | C．Opinion. | D．Question |
| A．They can help ease depression symptoms. |
| B．They are the best way to treat depression. |
| C．They only work for those with serious depression. |
| D．They can help people completely recover from depression. |
