1 . 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. |
2 . How to Be a Good Athlete
Being a good athlete is about much more than just being great at a sport. The following will do you a favor.
Work with a coach.
Create an individual program. In order to improve your athleticism, you should focus on improving your particular weaknesses.
Show up on time.
Cool down after exercising. Once you have finished a workout or practice session, take some time to give your body a physical cool-down period. Some low-intensity (低强度) movements and stretches are good to help restore your muscles.
| A．Coaches are helpful |
| B．When you are practicing |
| C．Suppose you’re very interested |
| D．Keep focused when you practice |
| E．Practicing with the team is important |
| F．Coaches can help you set reachable goals |
| G．It’s also a good way to relax mentally after an intense practice or game |
3 . Fitness Magazine recently ran an article titled “Five Reasons to Thank Your Workout Partner.” One reason was: “You’ll actually show up if you know someone is waiting for you at the gym,” while another read: “You’ll work harder if you train with someone else.” With a workout partner, you will increase your training effort as there is a subtle competition.
So, how do you find a workout partner?
First of all, decide what you want from that person. Do you want to be a better athlete in your favorite sport? Or do you just want to be physically fit, able to move with strength and flexibility? Think about the exercises you would like to do with your workout partner.
You might think about posting what you are looking for on social media, but it probably won’t result in a useful response. A workout partner usually needs to live close by. If you plan on working out in a gym, that person must belong to the same gym.
My partner posted her request on the notice board of a local park. Her notice included what kind of training she wanted to do, how many days a week and how many hours she wanted to spend on each session, and her age. It also listed her favorite sports and activities, and provided her phone number. Any notice for training partner should include such information.
You and your partner will probably have different skills. Just accept your differences and learn to work with each other. Over time, both of you will benefit — your partner will be able to lift more weights and you will become more physically fit. The core of your relationship is that you will always be there to help each other.
1. What does the author intend to tell us in the first paragraph?| A．The significance of training harder. | B．The importance of a workout partner. |
| C．Ways of thanking a workout partner. | D．Reasons to increase training efforts. |
| A．Living nearby. | B．Searching online. | C．Working in a gym. | D．Training regularly. |
| A．By process. | B．By example. | C．By comparison. | D．By classification. |
| A．How to post a notice on social media. | B．How to balance exercise and health. |
| C．How to become a better athlete. | D．How to find a proper workout partner. |
4 . For decades, different variations of home workouts are regarded as the solution to busy lifestyles. In 1982, there was actress Jane Fonda’s popular VHS aerobic (有氧的) routines, the fitness expert Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo workouts in the 1990s, backbreaking P90X training that took off and more casual Nintendo Wii Fit routines of the same age.
More recently, design and advancements in technology have offered expanded and personalized training options, while reducing the large footprint of most home gyms. In 2018, former ballet dancer Brynn Putnam released Mirror, a fitness system that allows users to follow along with virtual personal trainers in classes including yoga (瑜伽).
That same year, entrepreneur Aly Orady launched Tonal, an AI-powered wall-mounted screen that focuses more on strength training. It features an exercise bench and resistance system that uses electromagnetism (电磁) to imitate weight machines. This month, entrepreneur Trent Ward and designer Yves Behar are uncovering their design for a mirror fitness system, Forme. Forme is reflective like Putnam’s design, uses machine learning to improve workouts like Tonal, and offers attachments including ankle belts, rope handles and a heart rate monitor. When not in use, the two arms that form the resistance system fold behind it and the display screen disappears, turning Forme into a simple full-length mirror.
Interest in home exercise has particularly spiked in recent weeks around the world as physical gyms have temporarily closed. Home workout apps have seen a significant increase in downloads, and trendy brands like Peloton have rolled out free virtual workouts for everyone stuck indoors. One French athlete who was kept away from others chose to run an entire marathon on his 23-foot balcony.
But beyond the new restrictions affecting daily workout routines, Ward and Behar are tapping into the same concerns that have made every home workout appealing: the ability to save time and sweat in the privacy of one’s home. In an age of personal metrics (衡量标准)—where one can measure their heart rate and sleep cycles with smart watches and train for marathons with AI smart sneakers — Ward and Behar want to improve exercise through machine learning. Forme evaluates performance and adjusts weights accordingly.
1. How many kinds of workouts are mentioned in paragraph1?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．They both can be used as a mirror. |
| B．They can test more accurate heart rates. |
| C．They’re designed for strength training. |
| D．They provide more attachments than Tonal. |
| A．Troubled. | B．Heightened. | C．Exchanged. | D．Disappeared |
| A．What are the advantages of smart watches. |
| B．What benefits its users get from Forme. |
| C．What the personal metrics are about. |
| D．What are the features of AI smart sneakers. |
5 . Morocco’s national women’s soccer team is set to make its first appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. After years of being largely hidden, Moroccan women’s soccer is getting new growth at home and around the world.
During one game in May, the audience was not very big. The game was between a Moroccan national women’s professional league team and the armed forces team called ASFAR. ASFAR, a strong women’s team in Morocco, won 7 to 0.
Dressed in a shirt reading “Morocco” in Arabic, Aliae Benazzouza went to the field to meet the players. “I was very happy,” the young girl said. Idriss Benazzouza is Aliae’s father. “I teach my daughters confidence, not fear,” he said. “There is no difference between men and women in physical exercise.”
The national women’s team is known as the Lionesses. Benazzouza said the Lionesses shows “how women’s soccer has progressed” in the North African country. He said the team has filed him with joy.
Morocco hosted the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The event drew large numbers of fans and augmented interest in this year’s worldwide women’s championship.
Hiba Karami plays for a local team called Fath Union Sport. The development in women’s soccer has made a dream of hers a reality. Last year, Karami was one of the players playing for Morocco in the FIFA under-17 Women’s World Cup. “Some kids or men would say that women belonged (属于) in the kitchen and weren’t made for soccer,” she said. “I knew that I loved the game and that I would play. Boys in my neighborhood accepted me because I played better than they did and they thought of me as a role model.”
Nouhaila Benzina also plays for the national team and for ASFAR. She said her soccer career (职业) opened up new chances for her. The 25-year-old never saw soccer going against her clothing. Many look up to her. “This makes me want to work harder to show girls that they can achieve great things,” Benzina said.
1. Which matches Aliae’s father’s opinion?| A．Women athletes are more popular. | B．Women should work for happiness. |
| C．Women play better than men in soccer. | D．Sports are fit for both men and women. |
| A．Lost. | B．Increased. | C．Showed. | D．Compared. |
| A．She was good at soccer. | B．She was friendly to them. |
| C．She was a famous player. | D．She taught them to play soccer. |
| A．Relaxed. | B．Worried. | C．Helpless. | D．Confident. |
6 . Is it bad to work out in cold weather?
Burn extra calories
In cold climates, your body needs to perform extra heat to keep your body warm. Brown fat is the type of body fat that helps control body temperature. When you’re outside in the cold, brown fat burns calories in order to increase body temperature.
Help increase willpower
Working out in the heat can cause you to become tired more easily, since it increases sweating and your heart rate more rapidly.
Exercising outside during the winter is thought to be one useful way to avoid a type of disorder or depression that tends to affect people during the dark winter months. Sunlight and exercise both have a positive impact on your mental (精神的) condition. They help give out more “feel good” chemicals, including serotonin and endorphins.
Help you sleep better
The combination of sunlight exposure (暴露) during the daytime, fresh air and physical activity can help you relax and sleep well at night.
Exercising in cold weather isn’t for everyone, though. If you have any health problems, it is advisable to talk with your health care provider first.
| A．Support heart health |
| B．Improve your mental health |
| C．It can make you take regular exercise |
| D．In this process it can likely help you to lose weight |
| E．Sunlight is important for controlling your sleep-wake cycle |
| F．As long as you take preventive measures, it is actually pretty beneficial |
| G．On the other hand, exercising in the cold can allow you to work out longer |
7 . If you’ve heard of “pickleball,” chances are that you connect the sport with seniors. That’s not surprising, as it was the 55-plus set that began growing the sport at the end of last century. But today, pickleball is attracting players of every age as it becomes more and more popular across the U.S. and around the globe.
Pickleball is a combination of badminton, ping-pong and tennis. It’s played on a badminton-sized court with a low net like that used in tennis. Players use a bat that’s smaller than a tennis racquet (球拍), but larger than a ping-pong bat.
In 2021, more than 4.8 million people in the U.S. were playing pickleball. That’s about four times as many people as were playing in 2010, and makes pickleball one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. and North America. So, what’s the appeal?
In North America, indoor and outdoor pickleball courts can be seen everywhere. About 66 new locations open every month. In addition, the game is being introduced to kids in middle school and high school PE classes.
Pickleball may even become an Olympic sport one day, especially if the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) gets its way. Created in 2010, the IFP’s goal is to make pickleball universally present around the world.
| A．It’s well along the way. |
| B．But what, exactly, is it? |
| C．Then what is the reason behind this? |
| D．It’s also a sport on many college campuses. |
| E．Games may be played as singles or doubles. |
| F．It has long been a favorite in places like community centers. |
| G．That pickleball is easy to learn is perhaps the basis of its popularity. |
8 . About a dozen women have gathered as their instructor guides them through the moves. “Backstroke!” Jean Bailey directs from her chair, raising her arms high, as the women of Elk Ridge quickly begin arm rotations. Everyone puts in top effort.
Bailey, who is 102, has been teaching them four times a week in the hallway of the second floor for about three years. “When I get old, I’ll quit,” said Bailey. Some of her regulars have arthritis (关节炎) that limits their movements, but they can do the stretching exercises comfortably and benefit from them, said Bailey, who herself often uses a walker.
“After attending the class, we’ve gotten pretty close up there on our floor. One of us would do something for anybody. We really keep track of each other,” Phyllis Black, 87, said. She lives down the hall from Bailey; if she skips them, she feels stiff. “She’s a very nice neighbor, and she’s a good friend also. She’s very talented.”
When her children were young, Bailey became a florist (花匠) — a practice she still enjoys as a hobby. She buys artificial flowers and makes bouquets (花束) for the clubhouse and some residents. Laura Stuart calls her the “queen bee”. “She brings her expertise in floral arrangements and is always doing beautiful arrangements,” Stuart said. “She brings that to us, and it’s just a blessing that she’s still here with us to even do such a complex type of floral arrangement.”
At Elk Ridge, residents can participate in fitness activities like a walking club, tai chi and working out in a fitness room. But Bailey’s ladies seem to prefer her class because of her warm and fun personality, and the gentleness of the stretches for people who have mobility challenges, says Sean Tran, operations director at Elk Ridge. “More than anything, her general outlook on life…is just remarkable,” he said about Bailey. “She’s the nicest, most thoughtful, caring person that I probably ever met. Nothing is going to stop her,” Tran said. “She’s going to keep going, no matter what. And others look at her and think: ‘If she can do this at 102, I can do this at my age, whatever it is.’”
1. What scene does the first paragraph describe?| A．A game practice. | B．A dancing session. |
| C．A swimming training. | D．A fitness class. |
| A．They have deepened the women’s friendship. |
| B．Some women often skip the exercise classes. |
| C．Old women are gifted in exercise. |
| D．Some attendees feel stiff after the classes. |
| A．She has a hobby of growing flowers. |
| B．She is expert at arranging flowers. |
| C．She is a good florist. |
| D．She sells man-made flowers to others. |
| A．Bailey organizes various activities, |
| B．Bailey makes her attendees stretch gently. |
| C．Bailey inspires other people to exercise. |
| D．Bailey remarks on the life of others. |
9 . 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 |
10 . In early 2018, I was training for the London Marathon—the first and only marathon I would ever run in my life. I had treated myself to an expensive fitness watch that tracked my time, pace and splits.
At the end of my final training run—an exhausting 21 miles (34km) —I threw myself down on the floor the moment I got home, only to see my watch had failed me. Twenty-one miles briefly flashed on the screen before it went blank and disappeared for ever. I screamed in pain. That tragic image of me crying on my living room floor pretty much sums up my relationship with exercise tracking technology.
It can be a total joy to watch your data change on running apps as you get stronger and faster. I once got a kick out of it, but at some point it became a stick I used to punish myself. I would watch my pace, compare it with other people’s or criticize myself for not doing it 30 seconds faster. I never really recognized exercise tracking as a problem. It seemed to me that tracking was the route to self-improvement, and the point was to improve, wasn’t it? The point was to be better.
In the past year, the concept of “being better” has taken on a different meaning. My mental health dropped, and things that were once easy such as brushing my teeth became unimaginably difficult. Being better stopped meaning getting faster or stronger. It meant taking care of myself and feeling some joy in a day. Once I started getting better, I reflected on what in my life made me happy and what did not. So, I stopped tracking my runs and simply deleted years’ worth of data that was once very important to me and now meant nothing.
What has become very clear to me since I quit tracking my runs is that I genuinely love doing them. I run around my local park with a silly little smile on my face. I love it so much. But I do not love running quickly. I do not like races. I do not want to be pushed to be faster. Things I notice about my runs now include: how my legs feel and how my mind feels afterwards-clear and focused. I notice dogs, the smell of the wild plants along the canal and the sunshine (OK, wind and rain) on my face.
I am better. Or sometimes I am worse. But either way I’m slowly plodding along, and that’s good enough.
1. The author cried after the final training run because she ________.| A．had to stop working out | B．became physically worn out |
| C．lost the data on the watch | D．felt a sharp pain in the legs |
| A．a fun hobby for enjoyment | B．a strong need for recognition |
| C．a method of escaping punishment | D．a way of being a better runner |
| A．Getting pleasure out of winning races. | B．Being more focused on her life goal. |
| C．Freeing herself from demanding tasks. | D．Improving her overall well-being. |
| A．Adjustment brings happiness. | B．Passion is the key to success. |
| C．Sports contribute to happiness. | D．Success equals self-improvement. |
