1 . Running and walking are both excellent forms of exercise. Those who regularly do either usually have healthier hearts, stronger bones and lower body weights than those who do little exercise. But does it matter whether you spend time walking or running? Arguments can be made for both, and which is right for you depends on your goals and your present fitness level.

“The key difference between running and walking is how many calories you are burning — not per mile, but per minute of exercise,” says Paul D. Thompson, a doctor at Hartford Hospital. “Running is a more efficient movement and it’s more demanding on the body, so it burns more calories per minute,” Thompson says. “But if you’ve got the time to walk long enough to burn the same amount of calories, then walking is fine.” That said, if your final goal is to lose weight, chances are that neither running nor walking alone is going to do the trick. Research has shown that it needs to be done along with calorie control.

In a recent study that analyzed data from nearly 50, 000 people, researchers found that runners’risk of heart disease was 4.5 percent lower than that of those who were inactive. But walkers who burned the same amount of calories daily had a risk level that was 9 percent lower than those who were inactive.

“Running gets the reputation for causing injuries because many people who are just starting to run try to do too much too quickly,” says Carol Ewing Garber, a professor at Columbia University. “And they often get injured as a result. If you want to progress from walking to running, do it slowly, gradually increasing your speed, distance and the frequency of your runs?”

Running may be more highly-intense and calorie-burning than walking, but walking is a great way to ease into exercise and make sure you are staying physically active every day. The bottom line is that getting exercise of any kind is beneficial — if you keep doing it.

“The best exercise is the one you are going to do,” Thompson says. “There are extra benefits to be gained from running, but what’s most important from a public health point of view is that everyone gets out and does some kind of exercise?”

1. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

A．Walking is more demanding on the body.

B．Walking is better than running for busy people.

C．Running can reduce people’s fat quickly and safely.

D．Exercise on its own is not enough to lose weight.

2. What can we learn from the recent study?

A．Walking can reduce the risk of having heart disease.

B．Walkers are more likely to get heart disease than runners.

C．Running burns fewer calories than walking.

D．Inactive people are free from heart problems.

3. Which of the following would Thompson most probably agree with?

A．We’d better walk slowly.

B．Any exercise is better than none.

C．We’d better choose to run.

D．Just walk before you run.

2 . Race walking shares many fitness benefits with running, research shows, while most likely contributing to fewer injuries. It does, however, have its own problem.

Race walkers are conditioned athletes. The longest track and field event at the Summer Olympics is the 50-kilometre race walk, which is about five miles longer than the marathon. But the sport’s rules require that a race walker’s knees stay straight through most of the leg swing and one foot remain in contact with the ground at all times. It’s this strange form that makes race walking such an attractive activity, however, says Jaclyn Norberg, an assistant professor of exercise science at Salem State University.

Like running, race walking is physically demanding, she says. According to most calculations, race walkers moving at a pace of six miles per hour would burn about 800 calories (卡路里) per hour, which is approximately twice as many as they would burn walking, although fewer than running, which would probably burn about 1,000 or more calories per hour.

However, race walking does not pound the body as much as running does, Dr Norberg says. According to her research, runners hit the ground with as much as four times their body weight per step, while race walkers, who do not leave the ground, create only about 1.4 times their body weight with each step.

As a result, she says, some of the injuries associated with running, such as runner’s knee, are uncommon among race walkers. But the sport’s strange form does place considerable stress on the ankles and hips, so people with a history of such injuries might want to be cautious in adopting the sport. In fact, anyone wishing to try race walking should probably first consult a coach or experienced racer to learn proper technique, she says. It takes some practice.

1. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Race walking

B．Conditions of race

C．How tough race walking is

D．How to race like walking

2. Why is the length of race walk mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To tell readers how strange it is.

B．To inform athletes of the special rules.

C．To prove that race walkers are conditioned athletes.

D．To show that race walking is physically demanding.

3. What disadvantage does race walking have?

A．It is more likely to injure the chest.

B．It causes stress on the ankles and hips.

C．It’s less popular with young people.

D．It causes knee injuries easily.

4. What is author’s attitude to race walking?

A．Indifferent.

B．Doubtful.

C．Nervous.

D．Objective.

3 . For people suffering from depression, there’s an all-natural treatment they should use — getting more exercise. It could help fight depression, even if people have a genetic risk, new research shows.

For the study, researchers collected information from nearly 8,000 people and found those with related genes were more likely to have depression over the next two years after examining them. But that was less likely for people who were more active at the study’s start, even if they had a family history of depression. Higher levels of physical activity helped protect even those with the highest genetic risk of depression.

Both high-intensity (高强度) exercise and low-intensity activities were associated with a reduced risk of depression. Adding four hours of exercise a week could lower the risk of a new episode (一段经历) of depression by 17%, according to the study. “Our findings strongly suggest that, when it comes to depression, being physically active has the potential to remove the added risk of future episodes in individuals who are genetically risky,” said lead author Karmel Choi. “On average, about 35 additional minutes of physical activity each day may help people to reduce their risk and protect against future depression episodes.”

Depression is a common mental illness globally, with more than 264 million people affected. “Depression is so ubiquitous, and that underlines the need for effective approaches that can impact as many people as possible,” Choi said. And mental health and primary care providers can use the findings to advise patients that there’s something meaningful they can do to lower their risk of depression.

1. How did the researchers reach their conclusion?

A．By analyzing a mass of data.

B．By conducting genetic research.

C．By comparing various levels of activity.

D．By tracking the subjects for many years.

2. What does the study show about depression?

A．Physical activity betters medical treatment.

B．Exercise is able to decrease and prevent it.

C．Different levels of exercise intensity matter the same.

D．Exercising 35 minutes daily is the most effective treatment.

3. What does the underlined word “ubiquitous” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Harmful.	B．Complex.
C．Unusual.	D．Common.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To discuss a disease.

B．To introduce a method.

C．To analyze a genetic risk.

D．To explain a phenomenon.

4 . 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.

2. Why did the scientists give mice drugs in their experiment?

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.

3. What does the underlined word “notion” mean?

A．Effect.

B．Goal.

C．Opinion.

D．Question

4. What can we know about regular workouts according to the UK’s National Health Service?

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.

5 . Do you like to keep fit? We’re always told that regular exercise is good for our body and mind. More and more people are taking up activities that improve their fitness. But is there a risk that some of us might get obsessed (着迷的) and overdo it?

Well, for some people, fitness has become an obsession as they aim for perfection. And fitness trackers and apps can add to this addiction, especially if someone is driven by achievement and perfectionism. And sharing data on social media means exercising becomes public and competitive, which could cause problems in someone who is vulnerable (脆弱的). Experts say this can lead to a medical condition called orthorexia nervosa, or addiction to healthy eating and over-exercise. Untreated, it can lead to malnutrition and mental health problems.

Too much exercise can also take its toll on someone’s physical health as well. Symptoms of over-exercising include injuries such as a broken leg and a low immune system. So how much exercise is too much? Researches found the ideal pace to jog was about eight kilometers per hour-and that it was best to jog no more than three times a week or for 2.5 hours in total, showing that moderate jogging is possibly more beneficial than being inactive or undertaking strenuous (剧烈的) jogging.

If you’re more of a couch potato than a runner, this might sound like good news. But for amateur (业余的) athletes who can’t help but push their bodies to the limit, the advice from Martin Turner, a sports and exercise psychologist, is, “It’s all about letting go, not being obsessed, learning not to control everything, saying, ‘You don’t need to be perfect.’”

1. What is the main reason for people’s addiction to over-exercise according to paragraph 2?

A．Their need for social support.

B．Their addiction to fitness apps.

C．Their pursuit(追求)of perfectionism.

D．Their concern over health issues.

2. What does the underlined phrase “take its toll” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Going hand in hand.

B．Having a bad effect.

C．Making little difference.

D．Playing an important role.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The risk of fitness obsession.

B．The importance of mental health.

C．The benefits of moderate jogging.

D．The symptoms of over-exercising.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Fiction.

B．Lifestyle.

C．Culture.

D．News

6 . Physical education, or gym class, 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 studies 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. Physical education classes act as a public health measure to encourage activity and help teens have healthy weights.

Inactivity 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．Helping teens learn to make good plans.

B．Removing the stress faced by teens at school.

C．Getting teens to encourage adults to exercise.

D．Making teens attach importance to exercise later.

2. What does the underlined word “hindered” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．Measured.

B．Shown.

C．Prevented.

D．Caused.

3. According to the PCFSN, what does doing sports mean?

A．Helping students do better in their studies.

B．Helping students make good use of all their time.

C．Helping students adjust to their studies better.

D．Making students choose between sports and studies.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．How high school students can live a better life.

B．Why high school students should receive physical education.

C．Why some schools consider physical education important.

D．How schools can help students love doing sports.

7 . With the cold weather drawing nearer, few people will choose swimming as a daily or usual activity.     1     Here come the reasons.

Good for your brain.

Swimming is one of the best activities you can do all year round, which benefits your body and your mind. Swimming has been found to increase blood flow to the brain, which leads to more oxygen.     2    

Work your muscles.

Every time you swim, it is like doing a mini-resistance workout. Each kicks and pull works your muscles more than you could imagine, especially your arms, shoulders and gluteus — the muscles that are inactive all day when you’re sitting at your desk.     3     So along with building fitness, it is a wonderful full body exercise.

Lift your spirits.

    4     They can cause a positive feeling into your body which makes you happy. Swimming has been shown to reduce stress and tension. The repetition, movement and the breathing can help you to relax , and that’s why swimming is also regarded as a relaxing exercise.

    5    

While swimming is an individual sport, it is also very social. You can meet people from all walks of life when swimming. Have a chat in the lap pool, join a swimming club or get involved in social water sports to get to know people in your community. Besides, the great thing about swimming is that you can do it — rain or shine. Although your backyard pool, the river or beach cools down over winter, most inside swimming pools run heated pools year round, so you’ve got no excuse to stop swimming.

A．Benefit your body.

B．Meet new people.

C．These chemicals can control your thought and action.

D．Swimming also works your abs (腹肌) and will reduce your waist line.

E．Exercise gives off chemicals in your body called endorphins (内啡肽).

F．And that means you’re experiencing better memory and sharp mind.

G．However, swimming in winter is of great benefit in cold days.

9 . Many hear endlessly how good exercise is for our health,but you might be surprised to know just how good.    1    

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.    2     Attending some professional courses can build core strength and improve shape,and so strengthen breathing muscles. 

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.    3    

    4    

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.    5     It can be low-intensity exercise—swimming,a long walk on a running machine at the gym,or a low-intensity workout via special APPs.

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.

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.

2. Why do fans continue to support teams that tend to lose?

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.

3. Which is the effect of talking about sports at work?

A．Leading to distraction.

B．Making people too excited to go to work.

C．Increasing people’s productivity.

D．Impacting interpersonal relationships.

4. What is this passage most likely from?

A．A poster.	B．A textbook.
C．A science fiction.	D．A magazine.