2 . 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.

8 . 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.

9 . If you’re a runner who secretly hates running, here’s some good news: settling into a leisurely jog rather than an all-out run may actually be better for your health in the long term.

A team from Denmark followed over 5, 000 people taking part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, and tracked whether they were non-joggers, or joggers who kept a slow, moderate (中等的), or fast pace. The participants’ health was tracked over the next 12 years, and so was their mortality (死亡率): 28 of the joggers and 128 of the non-joggers died.

The connection was this: Joggers of mild and moderate intensity had a lower risk of death than the fast joggers. In fact, the lowest mortality risk was that of the mild intensity joggers. The fast-paced joggers had about the same mortality rate as sedentary (久坐的) people. This suggests that there may be an upper limit to hard exercise, after which the benefits fall off.

“The U-shaped association between jogging and mortality suggests there may be an upper limit for exercise amount that is best for health benefits,” said study author Peter Schnohr. “Anything more is not just unnecessary; it may be harmful.” From the current study, jogging just three times per week, for less than 2.5 hours per week was associated with the lowest overall mortality risk.

There have been a lot of mixed messages about the “right” amount of exercise and what intensity is best. The World Health Organization has suggested that the current 150 minutes per week recommendations are strenuous for most people to tackle, and that expectations should be lowered, since, after all, anything is better than nothing. Everyone probably has a level of activity that feels best to him or her. But at least the growing consensus seems to be that more — if you’re pushing yourself very hard— is not necessarily better. And it may even be worse.

1. What was the study designed to find out?

A．The relation between exercise amount and health.

B．The difference between non-joggers and joggers.

C．The advantages of jogging over running.

D．The common causes of death from exercise.

2. Who will face the highest mortality risk according to the study?

A．Those jogging just three times per week.	B．Those jogging 150 minutes per week.
C．Those fast-paced joggers.	D．Those slow-paced joggers.

3. What might Peter Schnohr agree with?

A．The early bird catches the worm.	B．Wealth is nothing without health.
C．To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.	D．Enough exercise brings about happiness.

4. What does the underlined word “strenuous” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Intense.	B．Wide-ranging.
C．Necessary.	D．Far-reaching.

5. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Why Jogging May Be Better For Your Health Than Running?

B．Can Jogging Increase Your Weight?

C．How Does Jogging Affect Your Health?

D．How Often Should Beginners Run?

10 . If a president, a legendary philosopher, and one of the best-selling authors of all time credited the same secret for their success, would you try to follow it too? What if the secret was something you already knew how to do? In fact, you probably do it every day. Here’s what Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth.” Thomas Jefferson: “Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.” And Charles Dickens made his point: “If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish (死亡).”

Researchers have traced numerous connections between walking and generating ideas. A Stanford University study found that participants were 81 percent more creative when walking as opposed to sitting. According to the study, walking outside — versus on a treadmill (跑步机) — produces the most novel and highest-quality ideas in participants who walked and then sat down to do creative work.

The movement aspect of walking is obviously key. You’ve probably heard the phrase Exercise your creativity, which refers to the brain as muscle. Our creative mindset is triggered by physical movement, which is exactly why walking — with your dog, a friend, or alone — feeds creative thinking. Just by going outside, you are stepping out of your habitual surroundings and your comfort zone, which is necessary if you want to open your mind to new possibilities.

Research has shown that immersion in nature, and the corresponding disconnection from multimedia and technology, increased performance on a creative problem-solving task by a full 50 percent in a group of hikers.

So why not set a creativity goal that starts with walking? Turn off your phone and give yourself the chance to be present in the world, to hear conversations and natural sounds, to notice the way people move, the way the sun reflects in a puddle. Walk not just for exercise. Walk for wonder.

1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To inform us of the examples of these great minds.

B．To stress the importance of walking.

C．To explain why walking is popular with people.

D．To show the great influence of the great minds have on us.

2. What does the writer probably support?

A．By going outside, one can’t help but get distracted by the scenery.

B．Walking on a treadmill makes participants do the most creative work.

C．It is necessary to walk out of your habitual surroundings and comfort zone.

D．Absorbed in multimedia and technology, hikers can increase performance on creative problem-solving tasks.

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

A．Caused.

B．Changed.

C．Covered.

D．Cured.

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

A．Developing a good habit of walking.

B．Benefits of walking.

C．New possibilities of walking.

D．Walking for a more creative mind.