2 . On Us TV shows, you may sometimes see rubber balls on people’s desks. These balls are known as “stress relief balls”. People can squeeze them when they feel stressed out. It’s believed that by concentrating on the act of squeezing, they can let go of the negative energy in their bodies.

    1    Fortunately, we have many ways to deal with it.

In fact, the rubber stress relief balls that are so popular today in the US are believed to date back to ancient China.     2     By squeezing them during moments of anxiety, soldiers were able to calm themselves down before going into battle. And in the Ming Dynasty (1368—1644), people started rolling walnuts in their hands. Ordinary citizens—not just soldiers—developed the habit of rolling two walnuts, or balls made from iron or stone, around in their hands.     3    

And today, we have many gadgets (小器具) and toys that are designed to reduce stress in addition to stress relief balls. One example is the popular fidget spinner (指尖陀螺).     4     You just spin the gadget around. There’s also the fidget cube, which features different “gimmicks (机关)” on each side of the cube. You can click, spin, pull, push and rotate different parts of the cube.

    5     But perhaps we should take them more seriously. “After all, the history of stress balls is a history of modern-day coping,” reporter Nadia Berenstein wrote for Woolly magazine.

A．This helped them relax as well.

B．These gadgets may look like simple toys.

C．It keeps your hand busy with an easy task.

D．This is the only way to ease away your tension.

E．Indeed, stress is a big problem for many people.

F．A focused activity helps take your mind off the problems of your day.

G．Back in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), soldiers used walnuts to get rid of stress.

5 . Human bodies were actually designed for walking, a wonderful form of exercise at no cost. It’s kind to our bodies and great for our waistlines.     1    

Probably you already love to walk, but you’re getting bored of tracing the same old route day after day, or maybe you’re new to walking and aren’t sure how to get started.    2     Ask yourself, what do you want to get out of walking aside from the health benefits? Do you want to meet other people? See new places? Get out into the countryside or explore a new city? Knowing your goals will help you decide on the type of walk you want to do.

Call up your friends and schedule walks with them if socializing is your aim.     3     Many malls have groups that come every day, or every weekend, to “walk the mall”. These groups are always happy to include one more walker!

    4     Many large cities have incredible gardens and parks that include quiet walking trails getting you off the beaten path. Thanks to the Rails to Trails program, railways across the country are being transformed into scenic walking paths that are a perfect way to seek calmness.

From the benefits to your heart to your overall happiness, walking is just plain good for you.     5       It’s a fantastic way to get to know a place by the power of your own two feet.

A．This month, pick up a map and start walking.

B．Ask your friends where they like to walk and just go there.

C．You may as well consider heading to a new city for a change.

D．Either way, it’s time to accept the idea of walking with a purpose.

E．Recently, science has proved that walking is good for your body shape.

F．And best of all, it’s a great way to see new things and meet new people!

G．If you’re after walking alone, ask about local hikes that get you away from the crowd.

6 . 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: “    1    ”   With a workout partner, you will increase your training effort as there is a subtle (微妙) competition.

So, how do you find a workout partner?

First of all, decide what you want from that person.     2     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.     3     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.     4    

You and your partner will probably have different skills.     5     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 (核心) of your relationship is that you will always be there to help each other.

A．Your first meeting may be a little awkward.

B．A workout partner usually needs to live close by.

C．You’ll work harder if you train with someone else.

D．Do you want to be a better athlete in your favorite sport?

E．How can you write a good “seeking training partner” notice?

F．Just accept your differences and learn to work with each other.

G．Any notice for a training partner should include such information.

8 . Playing sports offers you more than just physical benefits (好处).     1     The benefits are the same whether or not you’re good at sports. If you are not good enough to play competitively on a school team, you can play sports with your friends.

Making new friends.

Playing sports enables you to create friendships you otherwise might not have formed.     2     You play together happily and gradually know each other. Many times, the friendships you create on the field remain strong when you are not playing sports.

Understanding the value of health.

Taking part in sports improves your health in many ways.     3     This gets you thinking about what to eat and how to treat your body so as to achieve the highest performance levels. Thus, playing sports can lead to better eating habits and prevent you from becoming too fat.

Building team spirit.

Sports provide children with the important lesson of learning how to work in a team.     4     By working together they will learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses and will be better able to decide and work out the best plan for the team. This will without doubt help them in their future lives and jobs as well.

    5    

Playing sports requires a lot of time and energy. Some may think this would take students’ attention away from schoolwork. However, the opposite is true. Sports require memorization, repetition and learning — skills that are directly relevant (有关的) to schoolwork.

A．Doing better in your studies.

B．Everyone has to work together to achieve the goal.

C．To be a good athlete, you must take care of yourself.

D．Sports can help you in your study and fit in with society as well.

E．Sports bring teens together from different schools and backgrounds.

9 . Exercising regularly not only helps you keep slim, but also improves your overall health and well-being. Different exercises produce different results, as they focus on alternate parts of the body. There are four broad exercise categories: endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Many people often only focus on one exercise type, but including all four in your workout will produce better results and reduce your risk of injury.

Endurance

Endurance exercises increase your breathing and heart rate. By doing endurance exercises, you are working to keep your heart, lungs, and blood-flow system healthy while improving your total fitness. Over time these activities will make everyday activities seem easier.

Strength

If you want to build up your muscles, then strength exercises, which are also known as “resistance training”, are right for you. Even the slightest increase in strength can make a huge difference in your ability to carry out daily tasks. Developing strong muscles also reduce your risk of weak bones.

Flexibility

Flexibility exercises help stretch your body’s muscles. This allows for more freedom of movement for other exercises and can also improve your range of motion, posture, ability to breathe deeply, and blood flow. Also, it reduces the muscle tension caused by stress.

Balance

Balance exercises help prevent falls and are especially important to older adults, helping them stay independent. Most good balance exercises are ones that keep you constantly moving with your feet on the ground. Heel-to-toe walking and standing on one foot are simple ways to improve balance.

1. How can a person benefit most from their exercise routine?

A．By combining different exercise types together.

B．By having enough rest between their workouts.

C．By concentrating on one training aspect at a time.

D．By increasing the frequency of their training gradually.

2. Which exercise types are most useful to improve a person’s breathing function?

A．Strength and Balance.	B．Flexibility and Balance.
C．Endurance and Strength.	D．Endurance and Flexibility.

3. Which part of the body plays the most important role in balance-related exercises?

A．Arms.

B．Legs.

C．Waist.

D．Neck.

10 . Football is, I suppose, the most popular game in England: one has only to go to one of the important matches to see this. Rich and poor, young and old, one can see them all there, shouting and cheering for one side or the other.

One of the most surprising things about football in England to a stranger is the great knowledge of the game which even the smallest boy seems to have. He can tell you the names of the players in most of the important teams. He has photographs of them and knows the results of a large number of matches. He will tell you who he expects will win , and his opinion is usually as valuable as that of men three or four times his age.

Most schools in England take football seriously — much more seriously than nearly all European schools, where lessons are all-important, and games are left for private arrangements. In England, it is believed that education is not only a matter of filling a boy’s mind with facts in a classroom education also means character training. One of the best ways of training character is by means of games, especially team games, where the boy has to learn to work with others for his team, instead of working selfishly for himself alone. The school therefore arranges games and matches for its pupils. Football is a good team game, it is good exercise for the body, it needs skill and a quick brain, it is popular and it is cheap. As a result, it is the school's favorite game in the winter.

1. In England football is a game enjoyed________.

A．only by young people	B．by people of all ages and classes
C．only by boys	D．only by rich people

2. A stranger in England will be surprised to find that in that country________.

A．people have little knowledge of football	B．even small boys know a lot about football
C．girls are more interested in football than boys	D．children are not interested in football at all

3. There is a great difference between schools in England and those in Europe in that________.

A．European schools take football seriously

B．schools in England care little about lessons

C．European schools often arrange football matches for their pupils

D．schools in England believe character training to be part of education

4. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true of the football game?

A．It is not expensive.	B．It needs teamwork.
C．It makes people selfish.	D．it is good exercise for the body