1 . The rate of childhood obesity in the U. S. has tripled over the past 50 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) made waves this year by recommending that doctors put obese kids as young as two years old on intensive, family-oriented lifestyle and behavior plans. It also suggested prescribing weight-loss drugs to children l2 and older and surgery to teens 13 and older. This advice reflects the organization’s adoption of a more active position on childhood obesity.
Yet the lifestyle programs the AAP recommends are expensive, inaccessible to most children and hard to maintain. Few weight-loss drugs have been approved for children. And surgery has potential risks and few long-term safety data. Furthermore, it’s not clear whether interventions in youngsters help to improve health or merely add to the psychological burden overweight kids face from the society.
Rather than paying close attention to numbers on a scale, the U. S. and countries with similar trends should focus on an underlying truth: we need to invest in more and safer places for children to play where they can move and run around, climb and jump, ride and skate.
Why is it so hard to get kids moving? Experts blame the problem on the privatization of sports — as public investment in school-based athletics dwindles, expensive private leagues have grown, leaving many kids out. In addition to fewer opportunities at school, researchers cite increased screen time and a lack of safe places for them to play outside the home. New York City, for example, had 2,067 public playgrounds as of 2019 — a very small amount for its large population. In Los Angeles in 2015, only 33 percent of youths lived within walking distance of a park.
Kids everywhere need more places to play. Public funding to build and keep up these areas is crucial, but other options such as shared-use agreements can make unused spaces available to the public. These opportunities aren’t primarily about changing children’s waistlines — they’re how we keep childhood healthy and fun.
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．Childhood obesity is well under control in recent years. |
| B．Weight-loss surgery are recommended to children 12 and older. |
| C．AAP plays a more active role in fighting against childhood obesity. |
| D．Expensive as it is, lifestyle programs are practical for most children. |
| A．decline | B．quit | C．increase | D．develop |
| A．Prepare fitness equipment at home. |
| B．Live within walking distance of a park. |
| C．Promote investment in private athletics. |
| D．Open up playgrounds when school’s out. |
| A．Sports play an important role in children’s growth. |
| B．More safe areas for outdoor fun are in urgent need. |
| C．Family-oriented lifestyles are crucial to children’s health. |
| D．Medical intervention is important to ease psychological burden. |
2 . Discover the Huge Health Benefits of Strength Training
One of the best ways to stay fit and healthy as you age is to do strength and power training exercises. It is known that when you are in your thirties, you will begin to lose muscle mass. This loss actually contributes to achy joints, the increased risk of injury, and the “middle-age spread” we all fear. What’s more, the older you get, the faster muscle mass loses. It means that eventually, simple tasks like getting out of a chair and climbing stairs can become more difficult.
Strength training can help you build muscles, make you strong, increase your staying power and make everyday activities easier. By combining strength and power training exercises, you’ll not only get stronger, but also improve your reaction speed. As you grow older, that’s critical because it can help prevent falls. Here is a book, Strength and Power Training for All Ages, for your reference.
Common sense about fitness in the book:·The key muscles to work for an injury-free body
·How to tell how much weight is suitable for you
·How to strengthen the bones most likely to break
·How to take pressure off your knees when walking or running
·Why you’ll want to apply heat to sore joints before you exercise
Four total body workouts in the book:·Build bones
·Fight diseases
·Improve balance
·Strengthen muscles &Increase muscle power
Get a copy, start training, and then you’ll discover a whole new self.
1. What will happen as people age according to paragraph 1?| A．They will need less exercise. |
| B．They will improve reaction speed. |
| C．They will experience muscle loss. |
| D．They will have better staying power. |
| A．Train their brains. | B．Build a sound body. |
| C．Treat bone diseases. | D．Cut down their weight. |
| A．A notice. | B．An oral folktale. |
| C．A scientific paper. | D．An advertisement. |
3 . Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.
But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.
According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.
To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade.
“The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.
Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website.
It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes.
1. What did scientists from German universities recently discover?| A．Working out is a highly effective way to treat depression. |
| B．The runner’s high could be caused by endocannabinoids. |
| C．Endorphins may contribute to one’s high spirits after running. |
| D．The level of endorphins and endocannabinoids could affect one’s mood. |
| A．To find what reduces the runner’s high symptoms. |
| B．To see the specific symptoms of the runner’s high. |
| C．To identify what is responsible for the runner’s high. |
| D．To test what influences the level of endocannabinoids released. |
| A．Effect. | B．Goal. | C．Opinion. | D．Question |
| A．They can help ease depression symptoms. |
| B．They are the best way to treat depression. |
| C．They only work for those with serious depression. |
| D．They can help people completely recover from depression. |
4 . Top running routes in the USA
Holidays for some people are all about relaxing on the beach but for others, it’s important to be out and about. Walking and running holidays allow travellers to explore the beauty of a country and get plenty of fresh air without spending too much money. Here are some of the most beautiful running routes (路线) in the USA — you may want to give these a go.
Mammoth Lakes
An area favoured by athletes from all over the world, Mammoth Lakes offers amazing views and plenty of trails (小路) along with a healthy running community for active travellers to explore. Well-known track coaches Joe Vigil and Bob Larsen brought marathon superstars to the area in 2001 and ever since, it has trained 12 Olympians who have earned two Olympic medals as well as three major marathon wins.
Three Rivers Heritage Trail
Perfect for runners who like a bit of variety on their route, the Three Rivers Heritage Trail offers 24 miles of path going through a number of neighbourhoods, popular shopping and entertainment districts (娱乐区) and green space providing the perfect guide to the city on two feet.
Naples
Naples is well-known for its high-end shopping, world-class culture and high-class dining. The best running trail is along Gulf Shore Boulevard and Gordon Road, with views of the white sandy beaches and water, and some of Naples boutique hotels and holiday homes.
Barr Trail
The Barr Trail is a trail that began as a way to enter mining (采矿) areas on Pikes Peak and later developed into a tourist trail. It starts in Manitou Springs, a little tourist town just west of The Springs, and climbs to the top of Pikes Peak in about 12 miles and 7,400 feet of vertical (垂直的) gain. This is not an easy route so be sure to pack the right supplies and rest when you need to.
1. What might you experience in Mammoth Lakes?| A．Running like an Olympian. |
| B．Meeting your favourite stars. |
| C．Taking part in a major marathon. |
| D．Being trained by Joe Vigil and Bob Larsen. |
| A．Three Rivers Heritage Trail. | B．Barr Trail. | C．Mammoth Lakes. | D．Naples. |
| A．Mammoth Lakes. | B．Barr Trail. | C．Naples. | D．Three Rivers Heritage Trail. |
| A．Naples. | B．Barr Trail. | C．Mammoth Lakes. | D．Three Rivers Heritage Trail. |
| A．Coal miners. | B．Window shoppers. |
| C．Competitive swimmers. | D．Experienced adventurers. |
5 . Physical education, or PE, isn’t required for all high school students. In some schools, it isn’t offered for some different reasons. But should high school students have physical education? The answer is certainly “yes”.
Today many people don’t do sports. But as is known to all, doing sports is very important for an adult. Teaching teens the importance of a healthy lifestyle and making fitness plans now can help teens put exercise in the first place as an adult.
High school isn’t that easy. Many students are under a lot of stress. Stress can be harmful to a student’s study and life. Doing sports can help them deal with stress better, helping them live a happier life at school.
The American Heart Association says that 10 million kids and teens suffer from obesity (肥胖症). Teens should get 60 minutes of physical activity per day to control their weight and to help their bones get stronger. The increase in activities that don’t get teens to move around, such as video games and computer activities, means many teens don’t get their required exercise. PE classes act as a public health measure to encourage physical activities and help teens have healthy weights.
Not doing sports increases teens’ risk of developing many diseases. An active lifestyle offers a good way of protection from these health problems. As much as 75 percent of health-care spending goes toward treating medical conditions that can be hindered by lifestyle changes,according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
According to the President’s Council on Fitness,Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), students who performed five hours of physical activity each week improved their academic (学业的) performance. Students from programs with no physical activity, who used the extra time for classroom study, did not perform better on tests than those who gave up some study time in support of physical education.
1. According to paragraph 2, what does physical education in high school mean?| A．Making teens attach importance to exercise later. |
| B．Removing the stress faced by teens at school. |
| C．Getting teens to encourage adults to exercise. |
| D．Helping teens learn to make good plans. |
| A．Measured. | B．Prevented. |
| C．Shown. | D．Caused. |
| A．means making students choose between sports and studies |
| B．helps students make good use of all their time |
| C．means students adjust to their studies better |
| D．helps students do better in their studies |
| A．Why high school students should receive physical education. |
| B．Why some schools consider physical education important. |
| C．How schools can help students love doing sports. |
| D．How high school students can live a better life. |
6 . Years ago, I could not stick to exercising until I bought a CD called I Enjoy Exercise. I listened to it every day. I bought the CD because I wanted to run in a race and hopefully win!
I had assured my 10-year-old son Todd that I would run in a race with him. Unfortunately, however, when that race came, his left leg was hurt in a car accident. Without him running with me, although I took part in that race, I didn’t do quite well in it.
While Todd couldn’t run together with me because of his injury (受伤), he never forgot the promise I made for him. He was always asking me whether I would keep my promise when he recovered in the future. So I decided I was going to train and go all out to win the next race. What I needed was motivation (动力). It happened that one of my friends mentioned the CD which he liked very much, saying that he got a lot from the music in it when feeling down. So I bought it and listened to it while exercising every day.
What happened to my thinking was amazing as I listened to it daily. I started to think about the repeated words on the CD — “I enjoy exercise”. Instead of dreading exercise, I was thinking, “I enjoy exercise.”
I found out how important words are that we play in our minds every day. I went from a person who seldom exercised to someone who started to exercise daily. Just think how our lives will improve if we reflect on the uplifting words of the famous works. I have found the positive messages have greatly inspired me and then changed my life.
How did I do in that race, you might be thinking? I actually became the champion in my age group.
1. Why did the author take part in the race by herself?| A．She would like to win the race. |
| B．She had a good talent for running. |
| C．Her son got injured in a car accident. |
| D．Her son was unwilling to run with her. |
| A．By recalling some inspiring stories. |
| B．By listening to the CD while running. |
| C．By getting timely help from her friend. |
| D．By forcing herself into keeping running. |
| A．Fearing. | B．Improving. |
| C．Preferring. | D．Taking. |
| A．It’s important to avoid injury while running. |
| B．The uplifting words make a difference to us. |
| C．Parents should get along well with children. |
| D．We can build up our bodies by regular exercise. |
7 . Running can be a polarizing (两极分化的) subject. Most people fall into one of two camps: those who love running every morning, and those who would sooner do anything to avoid it. For most of my life, I was planted in the second camp.
I always hated running. I remembered entering a neighborhood 5K race with my dad at age 12; I also remembered that I came in last in the race, followed by only the police car driving patiently behind me. Three years later, I didn’t make the junior volleyball team because I couldn’t run a mile in under 10 minutes. Every time I ran, I felt as though failure — in some form or other — was the only possible result.
The summer after my freshman year, though, I took a job at a summer camp in Connecticut, where I got paid to be a kid again. I spent my days keeping an eye on different camp activities. When it came to exercise, running was my only choice. So, I made a promise myself: Every day, I would run for a while. By most runners’ standards, it wasn’t far; I guessed it was only about a mile. But I decided to do it every day, no matter how long it took. The exercise lasted for 61 days — the entire time I spent at camp that summer.
I started to feel better about myself. But to my great surprise, I learned to love running, too. I went from fearing the sport to loving it. I’ve finished seven marathons (马拉松赛跑) and more shorter races than I can remember, and now I am a running coach. These were the secrets I discovered to changing my way of looking at life.
1. What was the author’s attitude to running at first?| A．He deeply loved it. |
| B．He refused to do it. |
| C．He thought it tiring. |
| D．He thought it a waste of time. |
| A．He didn’t like to do any sport. |
| B．He didn’t believe he could do sports. |
| C．He didn’t do well in running-related sports. |
| D．He didn’t join the volleyball team on purpose. |
| A．To run every day. |
| B．To do a part-time job. |
| C．To fully relax himself at the camp. |
| D．To take part in different activities. |
| A．It is a difficult thing to do. |
| B．It has become a boring sport. |
| C．It makes no difference to him. |
| D．It has changed his life in a good way. |
8 . All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.
Some sports or game go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese Kungfu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends.
| A．And think of people in cold countries. |
| B．Sports help to train a person’s character. |
| C．People aren’t inventing new sports or games. |
| D．Many people like to watch others play games. |
| E．People are inventing new sports or games all the time. |
| F．Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere take part in them. |
| G．Not a few people participate in different sports competitions themselves. |
9 . During the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病), some people found their exercise was greatly reduced. However, it was an attraction for others to increase their physical activity. With the change of working from home, some physical activity was reduced. People took this newly freed up time as a chance to add exercise to their day, with online fitness programs and health apps (应用软件) reporting an increase.
However, the early drive to exercise appears to have been short-lived for many, with a study comparing activity levels between the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Victoria finding most people reported a reduction in their physical activity levels the second time around because of a shortage of encouragement. A study found that COVID-19 has reduced physical activity and increased sedentary (久坐不动的) behavior, and the effects could be lasting.
Continuing concerns about COVID-19 have led to carefulness about returning to public spaces such as gyms. But also, with many people changing their exercise habits and setting up home gyms during the pandemic, it’s become much more convenient to exercise at home. It’s clear for many of us that COVID-19 changed how and how much we exercise. But the changes don’t necessarily have to be for the worse.
People who changed to online workouts (锻炼), fitness apps and home gyms during the pandemic said their exercise was less satisfying, less enjoyable and they felt less active com-pared with doing exercise in gyms. Besides the physical effects, people reported missing the social communication, friendship, and being avoidable of the gym. In-person classes also offer the advantages of management and instruction, which can help make sure workouts are completed safely and effectively.
However, online workouts, fitness apps and near-home workouts are likely here to stay, and offer many advantages, such as no need to travel to the gym and convenience, making it easy to fit in a workout while working and shouldering family responsibilities.
1. How do some people add exercise to their day during the pandemic?| A．By returning to public places. | B．By driving to a lonely park. |
| C．By turning to the Internet. | D．By taking face-to-face classes. |
| A．People have changed exercise habits. | B．People like to build their home gym. |
| C．People strongly wish to exercise. | D．People refuse to go back to public gyms. |
| A．The disadvantages of exercising at home. |
| B．The way to exercise during the pandemic. |
| C．The examples of good exercise at home. |
| D．The reasons for people changing home exercise. |
| A．It is difficult. | B．It is worrying. |
| C．It is challenging. | D．It is helpful. |
10 . Many people make it our New Year decision to get more active — but maybe you have to spend large sums in gyms.
Get started with running. Going for a jog costs nothing and is one of the easiest ways to build up your body. If running seems like a task, why not try an app to add to pleasure? I love a sports app called RockMyRun. It understands your personal pace and then matches the music beat to it.
Follow fitness bloggers. The Internet is full of fitness bloggers competing for likes and followers. They often post some free short videos showing how they are exercising.
Take resistance training(抗阻力训练).
| A．Free outdoor gyms. |
| B．Great various workouts. |
| C．It is free to download on Android and iOS. |
| D．Generally, gyms cost on average £ 40.53 a month. |
| E．Make full use of their efforts by repeating these at home or in the gym. |
| F．Heavy kitchen items can be used as hand weightlifting equipment. |
| G．It is necessary for most people to train by lifting hand-held weights. |
