1 . We all know about the health benefits of swimming. It offers a great exercise for the body — it builds patience, muscle strength and cardiovascular (心血管的) fitness. If you don’t mind getting wet, it can be fun too.     1     Well, many people are taking the jump, based on evidence that it can actually be good for us.

Cold-water swimming is sometimes called “wild swimming”, namely swimming in natural areas including ponds, rivers and the sea. Jumping in gives a short sharp shock to the body, but many participants say that they have got used to it. A cold dip might wake you up, but research has found that it can have much bigger benefits than that for your body and mind.     2    

    3     One man who suffered constant pain after surgery claimed that he was cured by taking a swim in cold open water. And another swimmer, Sandria Simons, told the BBC, “The immersion (浸没) of your body in cold, salt water, just feeling like you’re at one with nature if you like, just feels amazing.”

But what is it that people are gaining from this cold and uncomfortable experience? Doctors say that getting into cold water causes a stress response, but the more you do it, the less stress you will have. It’s also thought to have a strong anti-anger effect.     4     Some experts believe that cold-water swimming helps “cross-adaptation”, where one form of stress prepares the body for another. For example, it also helps to reduce the stress of exercising at high altitude.

    5     You should approach it with caution, swim with a friend, and maybe start in the summer, when the water temperatures are higher.

A．It can also improve your health and happiness.

B．People of all ages join the activity, even little kids.

C．Cold-water swimmers should make full preparations.

D．So, if you’re convinced that this is for you, take advice.

E．But who would enjoy swimming in water that is ice cold?

F．But there are bigger benefits to this stress-reducing exercise.

G．Cold-water swimming has reportedly cured certain health conditions.

5 . Benefits of Sports

Doing sports is a physical, mental and social adventure. It’s a great way for children to take a break from studies and release extra energy. It also helps them lead fuller and happier lives as regular sports have proven beneficial to overall well-being.

The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious. Regardless of your fitness level when you start playing sports, you’ll notice an increase in your overall fitness once you’re involved.     1     Basketball players focus on strength training; football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs. The training process helps promote physical fitness and performances in competitions.

    2     Playing sports also contributes to mental health, helping to increase confidence and self-worth. A pat on the back, a high five from a teammate, or a handshake after a match really boosts a child’s confidence. Words of praise and encouragement from the coach, parents and other players raise self-worth.     3     So after a game, it’s a better idea to ask “Did you enjoy the game?” rather than “Did you win?”

Children who participate in sports might also benefit from the social aspect, feeling part of a group, building up responsibility and leadership.     4     Teamwork involves both being dependable as a teammate and learning to rely on your teammates to achieve a positive outcome. Teamwork breeds responsibility and challenges you to be responsible for your actions. Being part of a team gives you an opportunity to be a leader.

Discipline is another social advantage. Most organized sports require a strict training and practice schedule. As a student-athlete, you need to balance studies and athletics.     5    

There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to get involved 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．But remember, a child’s self-worth should not be distinguished by victory or loss.

D．If you play group sports, you’ll be part of a team that takes direction from a coach.

E．Nearly every sport requires physical activities and the competitive skills.

F．Among these, learning how to function as part of a team is the most important advantage.

G．Only with strict discipline can you be successful both in the classroom and in the sports field.

6 . In a year that has been characterized by the restriction, there are two activities I have found myself doing more of: running and writing.

At first glance, these two passions seem to be completely opposite. When I write, I’ll retreat (缩进) into my head, where I dig memories, ideas, characters to shape into stories. When I run, I’ll fully inhabit my body. The sounds and feelings of physical effort—foot strike, heartbeat and sweat—drown out the thoughts.

Despite their differences, though, there are similarities. Running and writing are both things we do alone. They both demand at times that we dig deep, keep going and never give up. I’ve also found that running can be complementary to writing. If I’ve been sat for hours, there’s nothing more restorative than getting out for a run. Sometimes when I’m least expecting it, solutions to tricky twists present themselves and ideas drop in as if the movement of running has itself shaken things into place. On the other hand, running especially long-distances has taught me to be brave, to look inside myself to see if there’s more to give. It has also taught me patience.

I’m far from the first runner to notice that running can help the writing process. Reflecting on her writing methods in an article in The New York Times, author and lifelong runner Joyce Oates wrote: Running seems to allow me, ideally, to have an expanded consciousness in which I can imagine what I’m writing as a film or a dream. I can’t say there is an expanded consciousness when I put on my trainers after a hard day’s writing, but there’s some evidence that working up a sweat can also fire up the imagination.

It’s not clear what’s behind the creativity though increased oxygen to the brain has been shown to help cognitive processes, so there’s no reason to think it’s useless. Whatever the link between running and creativity is, next time I find myself struggling to find the right words in the face of a deadline, I’ll run for it.

1. What does running contribute to the author’s writing process?

A．Exhaustion and challenges.	B．Relaxation and consciousness.
C．Affection and physical benefits.	D．Inspiration and creative solutions.

2. What does the underlined word “complementary” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Really helpful.	B．Clearly different.
C．Negatively related.	D．Potentially dangerous.

3. What can we learn about the author from the last paragraph?

A．She is stressed over struggles and deadlines.

B．She challenges the claim that running improves creativity.

C．She is determined to find out why running helps creativity.

D．She will keep running in order to help her writing process.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．What I Have Learned From Running

B．Running May Fire up the Imagination

C．Differences Between Running and Writing

D．Science Says Running Is Good for One’s Health

9 . Even though people have been paralyzed (瘫痪的) playing sports like rugby and football, extreme sports take the whole ordeal (磨难) to the next level. Sports like downhill cycling are very dangerous because one would be going downhill, over rocky or dirt zone, through forests, even at potentially deadly speeds. A slip up could be your downfall.

Nobody who gets into extreme sports goes with the desire to do harm to themselves. With that, athletes train for years and years before they attempt anything extreme. To most people, extreme sports are extreme simply because they take more skill than what an average person has. An athlete with skill and training makes an extreme thing become a daily routine, which does not wipe out the danger, but greatly reduces it.

Even when there is a lot of skill involved, things might not go the athlete’s way, not at all. Luck and circumstances have a lot to do with how things develop, whether above 8,000 meters or in a wood, going downhill. In some places, crossing the street is an extreme sport, considering how wild traffic can get.

Some view parkour, the sports of running, jumping and climbing under, around and through buildings, as an extreme sport, while it is more of a life philosophy, where the athlete does not have to do anything remotely dangerous. Free soloing, which means climbing a rock or ice face without safety gear, is absolutely deadly, where one slip means almost certain death, depending on the height, of course. Skateboarding is relatively safe, but if you constantly find ridiculous places to practice on, like the fence of a bridge, then things can get very complicated. The extreme part depends on the athlete.

To summarize, yes, extreme sports are dangerous, but the danger depends on the athlete, their choice of sport, direction in which they take it, as well as the circumstances. Some things are out of our control, while others we can influence through exercise and healthier risk choices.

1. Why is downhill cycling mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To call for attention to extreme sports.	B．To introduce the origin of extreme sports.
C．To illustrate the danger of extreme sports.	D．To show the complexity of the extreme sports.

2. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about regarding extreme sports?

A．Extreme sports differ from one another.

B．Skill matters a lot in maintaining safety.

C．Athlete’s luck is a key factor that influences safety.

D．Extreme sports are more dangerous than regular sports.

3. In Paragraph 4, several extreme sports are listed to ________.

A．explain danger depends on the athlete	B．show free soloing is the most dangerous
C．compare which one involves the most skill	D．demonstrate how to choose an extreme sport

4. Which would best describe the author’s attitude towards the danger of extreme sports?

A．Doubtful.

B．Objective.

C．Intolerant.

D．Uninterested.

5. Which of the following is the best title of the text?

A．Do Extreme Sports Test Your Courage?

B．Why Should Extreme Sports Be Banned?

C．Why Do We Love Extreme Sports So Much?

D．Are Extreme Sports Really That Dangerous?

10 . Nowadays, are you sitting more and more? Take a moment to think about your sitting habits. You’re probably sitting while reading this.     1    Besides, many people still lie on the sofa swiping their phones instead of doing exercise after work. That’s undoubtedly a lot of sitting. The fact is that the amount of time spent sitting has increased over time.     2    

People know sitting too much is unsuitable, and most of us naturally feel a little guilty after a long-time TV watching. But what problems gradually exist when we seat ourselves for nearly eight hours per day? A study on nearly 8000 adults suggests that there’s a direct relationship between the time spent sitting and our risk of early death from any cause.     3    

“Sit less, move more” is what the Heart Foundation encourages us to do.     4    It is like telling people to just “exercise” without telling them how. Exercise guidelines are always more practical. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults do exercise for two hours and 30 minutes every week, plus muscle strengthening exercise two or more days a week. We need similar guidelines for sitting.

    5    One of them is from Diaz’s research team. “It would probably be like this: for every 30 continuous minutes of siting, stand up and move or walk for five minutes at a quick pace,” Diaz, the lead researcher, said, adding that the study has put us a step closer to the satisfying guidelines. But more researches are needed to confirm their approaches.

A．Now it’s time to get up and move around.

B．It is quite usual for you to remain seated in a business meeting.

C．As the total sitting time increases, so does the danger of early death.

D．But the function of this rule is just too simple and abstract to benefit us a lot.

E．The experts suggest that more exercise should be done to reduce sitting time.

F．It is reported that many people have spent more than 6 hours sitting or lying.

G．Various specific and detailed guidelines have been made to inspire people to reduce sitting time.