1 . Simple steps to inner peace
If you wake up feeling tired and lazy, these moves can give you a lift. Our yoga warm-ups will help to loosen and stretch your muscles and joints, and deep breathing also helps you to focus your thoughts, so you feel refreshed.
Upper-body lift
Slowly lower your body to the floor, look up forward the ceiling and breathe in. Hold for a minute. Release (放松).
Toe touch
Bringing your hands to the floor, breathe out while putting your head between your knees (if you’re a beginner, keep knees slightly bent). Holding the position, breathe in as you stretch your head and chest upward. Hold for one minute. Release.
Spine stretch
Standing straight, feet together, breathe in and raise your arms straight overhead, hands touching. Look up, stretching your body for one minute. Release. Repeat moves as often as needed.
1. The purpose of the above exercises is to ________.| A．help you bring back your strength |
| B．get rid of pain from your back |
| C．get you warm enough to do further exercise |
| D．loosen and stretch your muscles to help you feel refreshed |
| A．raising your body higher | B．making you release |
| C．helping you get energetic | D．getting your body straight |
| A．upperbody lift; toe touch | B．toe touch; upperbody lift |
| C．spine stretch; toe touch | D．toe touch; spine stretch |
2 . Most kinds of physical exercises are beneficial for remaining healthy, but a lot of people prefer running over other forms of physical exercises. This may be because running does not require expertise and specialized equipment.
Running is a weight-bearing exercise.
While running is considered a great exercise, it should not be the only form of exercise that you perform. Running regularly, especially with improper running shoes, could increase the risk of pain in the knees. It could also cause damage (损伤) to the knee joints.
| A．It helps to build strong bones. |
| B．Running can be tiring and painful. |
| C．Running is good for both your body and your mind. |
| D．It is free and available to all who want to practice it. |
| E．This relaxes your mind especially on a stressful day. |
| F．Millions of people around the world run regularly to keep fit. |
| G．Along with running, you should also do some upper body exercises. |
3 . Growing up in Southern California, Shelma Jun says, “I surfed, I skateboarded, I mountain biked.” In short, says Jun, “I was a tomboy ( 假小子), which is a really problematic term. Why do we need the word boy to describe being outdoorsy?”
More problematic was the way Jun came to view other women. “In those male-dominated ( 男性统治的) sports, there can be a bad energy where there’s room for only one ‘cool girl’ and other women are competition,” she says. “I didn’t have good relationships with women for a long time.”
Having graduated from the university, Jun got a job as a community planner and moved to New York City. There, while improving her newest skill — rock climbing — she met some women at her climbing gym who practiced in an area two hours north of the city. “That’s where I got to understand what it feels like when you’re trying something hard with just women,” says Jun. “When the pressure to act a certain way is taken away — because no men are around — you suddenly discover all kinds of ways to challenge and encourage one another.”
In 2014, as a “way to celebrate the climbing we were doing,” Jun started an Instagram account. With women climbers all over the country searching for others like them, Flash Foxy quickly got hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands of followers, and an online women’s climbing community was born. “A lot of women felt like they were the only women climbers — not because there were so few of us, but because we were far apart,” says Jun. “Social media allowed us to discover that there are a lot of us. And we’re together.”
In 2016, Jun put her community-organizing background to work to create the Women’s Climbing Festival. “I could picture 30 or 40 women in the desert,” she says. “We posted it online, and 300 women said they wanted to come.” Eight festivals later, every single one of the twice-yearly gatherings has sold out — some in just one minute.
1. What problem did Jun have before moving to New York City?| A．She couldn’t find a favorite sport. |
| B．She wanted to be the only cool girl. |
| C．She didn’t have many women friends. |
| D．She picked up bad habits from the men around her. |
| A．She became more outdoorsy. |
| B．She enjoyed competition more. |
| C．She was relaxed while doing sports. |
| D．She stopped doing male-dominated sports. |
| A．They are connected. |
| B．They are very safe. |
| C．They are far apart. |
| D．They are as skilled as men. |
| A．It is a ticketed event. |
| B．It is an online festival. |
| C．It is sending out pictures. |
| D．It is held every two years. |
4 . According to research, about 21.5 million American children between the ages of six and seventeen are involved (参与的) in a team sport.
A 2006 report shows that taking up sports can increase both emotional and behavioral well-being in teenagers. And increased well-being can lead to higher confidence, which results in better overall performance.
Actually, sports give children an opportunity to communicate with adults in valuable and positive ways, which can help them develop closer relationships with adults. This effect is especially great when children don’t get along well with their family members.
Although most effects of sports on children are good, there can be disadvantages. If the pressure to win is overemphasized (过分强调) or the expectations of parents or coaches become too great, kids may experience lots of stress.
| A．Being physically fit is linked to having a higher IQ. |
| B．They may take part in sports for fun or to develop some skills. |
| C．However, children hardly play sports when they become older. |
| D．It can cause worries, headaches, stomach aches, and muscle pain. |
| E．For example, children involved in sports are likely to do well in their studies. |
| F．Organized sports require children to work together to achieve a common goal. |
| G．Many children say sports have helped increase their conversations with parents. |
5 . Cold weather during winter months may keep many people from leaving home and running in the open air. However, a new study shows that the drop in temperature is a good reason to run. In fact, researchers say, running in cold weather helps improve one’s performance.
Many people say running in the winter can be difficult. Two reasons are the low temperatures and bitter winds. Yet many runners might find it easier than running in hot weather.
That could be because lower temperatures reduce stress on the body. When you run in cold weather, your heart rate and the body’s dehydration (脱水) levels are lower than those in warmer conditions. The body needs less water on a cold day than in warm weather.
This information comes from sports scientists at St Mary’s University in London. John Brewer is a professor of Sport, Health and Applied Science at St Mary’s.
For this study, he and other researchers put a group of people into a room they called an “environmental chamber”. The researchers then recreated summer and winter weather conditions in the room. The test subjects were asked to run 10km under both conditions. Brewer says he and his team recorded biological measurements of the runners. “We’ve got a group of subjects into the environmental chamber, we’ve changed the conditions to replicate the summer or winter and we’ve got them to run 10km under both of those conditions and taken various measurements on each runner while they’ve completed their 10km.”
Brewer says every movement runners make produces heat. He explains that one way in which we lose heat is by sweating. The body loses heat through droplets of sweat. He says the body also loses heat by transporting the blood to the surface of the skin.
1. What can we know about running in winter?| A．It improves the function of body. | B．It increases pressure of the body. |
| C．It makes your heart rate higher. | D．It needs more water than in summer. |
| A．Researchers interviewed the subjects. |
| B．Subjects were asked to run in winter and summer. |
| C．Subjects built the “environmental chamber”. |
| D．Biological measurements of the runners were recorded. |
| A．Combine. | B．Copy. | C．Recognize. | D．Decorate. |
6 . As children grow up, they will likely be drawn to participate in sports. But not all children will be interested in or successful at every sports experience. Some children tend to join in team sports while others will prefer individual sports.
A child’s interest in a given sport is the best determiner of whether he or she will enjoy it as a participant. So expose the child to a wide variety of sports experiences. Talk with them about what they like and dislike about each sport.
As you check out the various sports, see if you can tell which of them seems most interesting to the child. Listen to your child for signs about their preferences. Maybe they will talk about the players, the skills, or they will tell others about the experience. If you watch and listen, you can pick up what interests them most.
Find out: team or individual?
Some children will prefer to participate in a team sport like football, baseball or basketball in which they play a role in a team.
| A．Watch out for signs of enthusiasm. |
| B．Expose the child to a variety of sports. |
| C．Match the sport to your child’s body type. |
| D．Some body types are better suited to some sports than others. |
| E．Others will prefer being on a team where their own skills matter most. |
| F．Make sure that the child has a physical exam before participating in sports actively. |
| G．These observations will help you focus on the sport that will work best for your child. |
7 . Many hear endlessly how good exercise is for our health,but you might be surprised to know just how good.
It helps you breathe better.
Frequent exercise improves the volume of oxygen you can use in your body.This is what makes you fit and the benefits aren’t limited to sport.
Physical activity enhances your mental health.
Doing something active releases “happy” brain chemicals that make you more positive.The more you do it,the better you’ll feel.But you do need to work up a sweat.If you’ve had a bad day,treat yourself to a little bit of exercise.
The way your guts (内脏) feel often impacts on your mental and physical health.Walking,running and yoga strengthen abdominal (腹部的)muscles,increase the heart rate and encourage your muscles to move digestive waste through your body more efficiently and digest food more quickly.
Keeping active keeps you young.
There may not be an elixir (灵丹妙药) of youth just yet,but keeping fit comes close.Just 15 minutes of exercise a day for eight years can increase your lifespan by three years.The more you do,the longer you could live.
| A．It aids your digestion. |
| B．It gives you a better appetite. |
| C．Increased muscle strength helps too. |
| D．Here are the benefits you can get from exercise. |
| E．This is because physical activity delays cell ageing. |
| F．People think this will catch our attention and inspire our action. |
| G．Power walking or rope skipping is a brilliant stress reliever. |
8 . 26yearold Patrick York with a “Peace Love Tai Chi” Tshirt was taking a free tai chi class with many other people on a Long Beach, California, hilltop.
York does tai chi three times a week. “I live in Southern California, so when driving on the freeways, it can be easy to go as fast as you can, ” he says. “But since I’ve been doing tai chi, I’ve been able to slow down, stop and pull back, and if it’s slow, that’s OK.”
It also helps him in his job as a classroom assistant (助手) for special-needs children. “A couple of times I have guided them through some breathing exercises, and within minutes, I’m more relaxed, they’re more relaxed, and we’re able to move on to the lessons, ” York says.
Dunn, who has been teaching tai chi in Los Angeles for more than thirty years, says that in the past year and a half, he’s gotten an increase in calls from young people. He gives private lessons to 20 people, including several students in their 20s and 30s. “It used to be all senior people. It was uncommon to see anyone younger than 30 learning tai chi. I’ve seen that change quite a bit.Tai chi helps young people to develop that slowness and reduce stress.”
York says that although tai chi’s practiced slowly, it’s not easy. “The slowness of tai chi is deceptive (欺骗性的). It’s not easy to remain slow and connected to the breath. Each movement uses almost every muscle (肌肉). So when we’re standing and we’re in a form and we’re centered low—the legs are engaged, the arms—everything’s engaged.”
Most health research into the benefits (好处) of tai chi centers on people over 50. But the earlier you start in life, the more you benefit from it, says Dr.Michael Irwin, director of UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. He says the benefits are cumulative (渐增的).
“When a younger person’s experiencing stress, there’s a way for them to deal with that stress so that it does not increase over time—increasing the possibility of them developing disease.”
1. How has tai chi influenced York?| A．He has found a relaxing job. |
| B．He has developed a sense of community. |
| C．He has become more patient when driving. |
| D．He has won the trust of many kids in his class. |
| A．It should be taught in small classes. |
| B．It is a great exercise for older people. |
| C．It is getting popular with young people. |
| D．It has changed greatly since its beginning. |
| A．It should be a longterm thing. |
| B．It is more difficult than it seems. |
| C．It can be done anywhere by anyone. |
| D．It requires fewer skills than people think. |
| A．Learn tai chi step by step. |
| B．Begin practicing tai chi early in life. |
| C．Spend more time on tai chi to improve health. |
| D．Do research on how tai chi benefits young people. |
9 . Some educators told us that more years of school could help students get higher scores on intelligence tests. That was a finding of a study of teenage males in some countries. Now, another research shows that physical activity may help students do better in their classes.
The research comes as educators in some countries are reducing time for activities like physical education. They are using the time instead for academic (学术的) subjects like math and reading. The studies included more than 55,000 children, aged 6 to 18.
Amika Singh: “According to the results of our study, we can conclude that being physically active is beneficial to academic performance. There are, first, physiological explanations, like more blood flow, and so more oxygen to the brain. Being physically active means there are more hormones (荷尔蒙) produced like endorphins (内啡肽). And endorphins make your stress level lower and your mood improved, which means you also perform better.”
Also, students taking part in organised sports learn rules and how to follow them. This could improve their classroom behaviour and help them keep their mind on their work.
The study leaves some questions unanswered, however. Ms. Stash says it is not possible to say whether the amount or kind of activity affected the level of academic improvement. This is because of differences among the studies.
The researchers said they found only two high quality studies. They needed more high quality studies to confirm (证实) their findings. They also pointed out that “results for other parts of the world may be quite different”.
Still, the general finding was that physically active kids are more likely to do better in school. MPs Singh says schools should consider that finding before they cut physical education programs. Her paper on “Physical Activity and Performance at School” is published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
1. Which of the following is TRUE?| A．Being mentally active is good for academic subjects. |
| B．The more hormones you have, the more stressed you will get. |
| C．The researchers have found many highquality studies to prove the research. |
| D．The educators in some countries think studies, not exercise, mean much to students. |
| A．Good marks result from highquality study. |
| B．Findings are probably different in different areas. |
| C．Physical activity will spread all over the world. |
| D．Academic performance depends on the surroundings. |
| A．A research on physical education has been done by the researchers. |
| B．There is a possibility that physical activity leads to higher grades. |
| C．The amount or kind of activity directly affects academic level. |
| D．The research shows that the children aged 6 to 18 don’t do sports. |
10 . “Being a sports fan is a very psychologically healthy activity,” says Daniel Warm, professor at Murray State University whose research program centers on the psychology of sport fandom(运动迷). Fandom connects us to other like-minded people, which satisfies our human need for belonging, he says.
These relationships are significant: People who identify as sports fans have higher levels of self-esteem, lower levels of loneliness and tend to be more satisfied with their lives compared to those who aren’t interested in sports, Wann says. Fans tend to have more access to social support, help and resources as well. Research suggests that when people have support from their communities, they have better health.
Beyond bonding, fans get to enjoy the psychological benefits of winning, even if they have nothing to do with the players or games.
Of course, teams sometimes lose. Prior to a sporting event, there’s at least a 50-50 chance that you’re going to be disappointed in your outcome.
So, why do people continue to put their faith behind teams that tend to lose? People who feel a strong psychological connection to a team are more likely to root for a team when they’re having a losing season.
“Sports random has nothing to do with the outcome of a game,” Warm says. For example, if a pizza restaurant continually got your order wrong, you’d likely switch to a more reliable parlor(店铺). But because being a fan is so central to people’s identities, people are willing to accept defeat and continue to be loyal to a team.
Being part of a fan community can also help people cope with losses. A 2019 study found that watching a football game with other fans helps to relieve the negative psychological effects of losing. For fans of the losing team, sharing the pain may have protected them from losing self-esteem.
“There are other things that random brings with it above and beyond the ability to enjoy the team’s successes,” Warm says. Watching sports can be a way to relieve stress, or spend time with family, he says.
To that end, some surveys suggest that activities like March Madness pools can reduce productivity. Any sort of fandom can be distracting, but Warm says that talking about sports at work and spending time with people who share a common interest can make people more excited to go to work.
However, if you find you’re consuming so much sports content that your work is suffering, or it’s impacting your interpersonal relationships, then it can be a sign you should tone it down, he adds.
1. What is the characteristic sports fans generally bear?| A．Higher sense of self-worth. | B．Worse health conditions. |
| C．Being ready to help others. | D．Various means of support. |
| A．Fans are forced to be loyal to teams. |
| B．Fans are good at sharing pains with teams. |
| C．Fans are brave enough to accept losses. |
| D．Fans own a great sense of identity and belonging. |
| A．Leading to distraction. |
| B．Making people too excited to go to work. |
| C．Increasing people’s productivity. |
| D．Impacting interpersonal relationships. |
| A．A poster. | B．A textbook. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．A magazine. |
