1 . Over the years, I've found some easy tricks to get myself more active daily. Going to the gym and doing a weight workout isn't required.     1     Here's my secret sauce.

1.Start small

A lot of people assume they need to run themselves tired in the gym to get more fit, but that's really not true. Experts recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week—that breaks down to a little more than 20 minutes each day. They also recommend strength-training at least two times a week.     2    

2.Get active at work

    3     Rather than using your full lunch hour to eat, take some time to go to the gym, speed walk around the office or run errands. You can also break up the boring work of the day by taking a walk during one-on-one meetings instead of sitting at a desk or conference room — anything to get up and get moving.

3.Do exercises you actually like

This is a big one. If you hate exercising, it might be because you aren't doing workouts you enjoy. Very few people actually enjoy running around in circles for miles. So don't. Branch out and try different kinds of workouts until you find one you genuinely enjoy.     4     But it'll be worth it when working out no longer feels like a chore.

4.Make it social

Exercise doesn't need to be alone. In fact, having a workout partner can help keep you motivated and hold you accountable in your routine.     5     The structure of working out in a group can push you to work harder while also introducing you to new people.

A．Your work day doesn't have to involve totally sitting long.

B．There are actually effective ways to get more exercise day-to-day.

C．Thirty minutes is an ideal place to start to fulfill your weekly needs.

D．If you don't have one buddy to join you, sign up for a workout class.

E．Exercise isn't just about running as fast or lifting as much as possible.

F．It'll help improve your flexibility and do wonders for your mental health.

G．This requires you to go out of your comfort zone and to be patient as you try things out.

3 . In a recent game of pickleball, my teammate and I were falling far behind other teams. It was her turn to serve. We were both standing behind the baseline, paddles(球拍) up in ready position, when she nodded at me and said, “In it to win it.”

“Really?” I looked at her, surprised by her use of a catchy expression that was new to me. My inner self was never ready to accept even the tiniest suggestion that we should be trying to win the game.

In my life off the pickleball court, I enjoy yoga, folk dancing—anything but games with winners and losers, and I always prefer to be a observer rather than a participant in the world of sports.

Then pickleball came along. Suddenly, I didn’t want to be an observer any longer. I wanted to be a player myself. Like many people, I was first drawn to the game simply as a safe COVID-19 activity. Playing outdoors with people in my neighborhood allowed me to break out of social isolation(隔离).

But my addiction to the game comes from the sport’s low barrier of entry. The equipment isn’t particularly expensive. It’s a relatively easy game to learn, and a participant doesn’t need to be especially strong, tall or fast. Little wonder that everyone can now be seen throwing a green, orange or yellow plastic ball with holes in it across a net.

Pickleball is the first game I’ve ever wanted to win. I think it’s because of the excitement I feel when I hit an unreturnable ball down the middle of the court and score a point. Participating in a sport myself rather than cheering for others provides real proof that I can still work hard to achieve goals.

So, I’ve made a long-term commitment to it. I am embracing the game as my pickleball buddies embrace me. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to socialize while, doing something active. In that playful space of the court, I am facing directly my fears of winning and losing. In the meantime, doing something outside of my comfort zone feels magical. Now I wonder what contests I might be brave enough to enter next.

1. Why was the author surprised by what her teammate said in the recent game?

A．She thought her teammate was too weak.	B．She hadn’t considered winning or losing.
C．She didn’t know what her teammate meant.	D．She misunderstood the rules of the game.

2. What is the main reason for the author’s love for pickleball?

A．It is what she is good at.	B．It allows her to make new friends.
C．It is affordable and accessible.	D．It has many health benefits.

3. How has the author benefited from playing pickleball?

A．She has overcome her fears of competitive sports.	B．She has realized her own limitations.
C．She has become a more energetic person.	D．She has recognized her talents for sports.

4. What does the author plan to do?

A．Become a professional athlete.	B．Recommend pickleball to more friends.
C．Explore some extreme sports.	D．Continue playing pickleball.

4 . 阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

Gary McKee ran 365 marathons in as many days to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria.

Gary McKee, 53, from Cleator Moor in Cumbria raised his arms in victory and was cheered by a crowd of supporters as he completed his 365th marathon of the year on New Year’s Eve. As of 4 pm on Saturday, he had raised more than £ 890,000 for the charities Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria, just shy of (缺少) his £1 million fundraising target. The father of three has gone through 22 pairs of sports shoes and has run 9,563 miles in rain, snow and sunshine to raise money for the charities.

“The support has been amazing and it always is and the West Cumbrians get behind us, but cancer affects everybody so it isn’t just a West Cumbrian thing, it’s a national thing,” said Gary. “I just hope that people do get behind us and we do raise those million pounds.” Gary has not only raised money for two fantastic charities, but he has also sprinkled magic on the local community and brought people together to support him with the challenge.

Chris Young, 29, ran 90 marathons with Mr. McKee. “Gary set a good example to me this year when I began running frequently with him and has given me both physical and mental resilience (适应力) that I don’t know if I would have ever discovered in myself in a million years. I know I don’t just speak for myself on that front as he has inspired not just me or the few, but the entire local community and beyond,” said Chris, “This challenge has raised a great amount of money for two fantastic charities, but the impact Gary has provided to the community and people around him is immeasurable. A lot of people’s lives will be much better off thanks to Gary’s efforts, mine included.”

1. What did Gary do when he completed his 365th marathon? (no more than 10 words)
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2. What is Gary’s goal of running 365 marathons? (no more than 10 words)
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3. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
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4. In what ways has Gary McKee influenced Chris Young? (no more than 5 words)
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5. What does Gary’s story inspire you? Put it in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
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6 . Do you want to live in a healthy lifestyle? Practicing yoga is one of the best choices. Yoga has a well-deserved fame for helping to improve balance and flexibility and for gaining calm and relaxation.     1    . Here’s more about how doing yoga is a complete body and mind workout.

Reducing Stress, Reducing Pounds

Several studies have confirmed that doing yoga does reduce cortisol (皮质醇) levels.    2    . It can also increase your desire for high-fat and high-sugar foods and drinks while reducing your muscle mass.

    3    

In a 2016 study, participants involved in practicing yoga realized that they tended to notice not only the amount of food they ate, but what type of foods they ate and the impact of eating those foods as well. “Subjects are reported becoming aware of the effect of certain foods on their bodies during their yoga practice, including sugar, dairy, meat and alcohol,” wrote the authors of the study.

Making Weight Loss Last

    4    . This can be attained through improvements in sadness tolerance, mindfulness and self-sympathy. For example, if someone experiences improvements in mindfulness, they may be less likely to ‘mindlessly’ eat in response to emotions such as boredom, stress, anger and other external stimulation like the presence of tasty foods.

Choosing the Right Type

Ultimately, the best yoga is the practice that fits you—the one you’ll commit to. There are now many accessible styles of yoga that meet you where you are no matter what your weight, age, physical challenge or background.     5    .

A．Finding the best food

B．Moving Well, Eating Well

C．Everybody and every body can benefit from a certain style

D．Yoga is also well-known for helping you burn more calories

E．High levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, can lead to an increase in fat

F．Another study shows that someone in a more positive mood are less likely to overeat

G．Recent research shows that yoga may help to improve long-term weight loss outcomes

7 . At an age where many of his contemporaries are winding down, Jo Schoonbroodt is somehow speeding up. On Sunday, the 71-year-old from the Netherlands, ran a marathon in 2hr 54min 19sec to become the fastest septuagenarian (70-90 年龄组) in history.

A few days later, when the Times catches up with him, his achievement is still sinking in. “I only started jogging at 36 because my doctor told me I had high cholesterol (胆固醇),” he says. “But last year I ran 7,242 kilometres, which is more than double what I did in my car.”

But the secrets of his success might surprise you。 “Most runners train too hard. I do a lot of my training with groups who run very slowly. And then I build on these basics with some faster interval training.”

Schoonbroodt often runs at 9-or 10-minute mile pace, far slower than the 6.38min / mile he ran for 26.2 miles to set his world record, but he says the crucial thing is that he listens to his body. “A lot of people follow a training plan or coach and push on even when their body is saying: ‘No, this is not a good day to do it.’ But if you go out the door and just do what you feel, it’s easier to keep running and stay injury-free.”

Being a late bloomer (大器晚成), he believes, has actually helped him because his ego (自我意识) never had to worry about chasing faster times of his youth. “Because I started so late, I missed my best years. But that’s no problem. Everything is still new to me.”     

Schoonbroodt, meanwhile, has no plans to put his feet up. “My next marathon is in two and a half weeks, on an old Roman road built 2,000 years ago,” he says, the excitement obvious. It will be his third in 2023. And with that he is off. After all, the quest (追求) for another sub-three-hour marathon waits for no man. Not even one who is 71.

1. What message does Schoonbrodt’s story carry?

A．It is never too late to run.	B．More haste, less speed.
C．Time waits for no man.	D．An earlier bird catches the worm.

2. What is the secret behind Schoonbrodt’s success?

A．He competed with slower runners.

B．He made full use of the intervals.

C．He trained in line with his condition.

D．He ran faster in the races than in trainings.

3. Why is being a late bloomer helpful to Schoonbrodt?

A．He can draw lessons from other runners.

B．He has no youthful success to think back to.

C．He can equip himself with new running skills.

D．He has a strong desire to make up for the lost time.

4. How does Schoonbrodt talk about his next marathon?

A．He is unsure of winning it.	B．He is eager to participate in it.
C．He has no plan to enter for it.	D．He will not run it in three hours.

8 . Trying to motivate yourself to exercise can sometimes feel like a fruitless attempt. Here are some tips on setting your mind on getting active, and getting fit.

Make your fitness goals known. Tell your family, friends and co-workers about your fitness goals and encourage them to ask you how your goals come along.     1    

Make an appointment with your doctor. Ask the doctor about your health condition and how becoming more physically fit can help you become healthier.     2     A government study found just three hours of advice by doctors over two years helped improve couch potatoes’ physical fitness.

    3     If you’re new to exercise, it’ll be better to have a fitness professional set your goals rather than doing it alone. That means setting the weights on machines for you, determining how long you should walk or run, or giving you a time limit for the running machines.

Consider healthy living, not just workouts. Even if you spend three hours a week in the gym, what of the other 100-plus waking hours each week? Fit people keep energetic during their entire day.     4     You can simply stand up and walk around whenever you get on the phone and always take the stairs, not the lift.

Do it for charity.     5     If you fall into that category, then find a way to use your charitable nature to motivate yourself to exercise. For example, donate & 1 for every mile you walk. Or commit to several fund-raising events that involve walking, biking, dancing, or a sports match.

A．Hire a personal trainer.

B．Then ask for some suggestions.

C．Focus on what matters most to you.

D．Some of us get great satisfaction from helping others.

E．The ongoing everyday activity leads to a whole lot of fitness.

F．Documenting your workouts and progress is a good way to hold yourself accountable.

G．Knowing that everyone is watching you provides great motivation to stick to your goals.

9 . Sports play a key role in the physical and mental development of children. Although it’s great to see a child succeed in one sport, it’s important to keep their activities in balance. Participation in multiple sports enables children to acquire a knowledge of many movement skills. In addition to this, here are some other good reasons why kids should be encouraged to play several sorts of sports.

Repetitive movements can overstress growing bodies which later on can lead to injuries. With multi-sports, each sport works the body slightly differently. This will lead to fewer overuse injuries. Also, kids who overspecialize in one sport may end up losing interest and eventually give up. Specializing in a sport raises expectations and may put too much pressure on young kids. Having a variety of experiences will keep children interested and motivated, and even make them enjoy sports without any pressure.

Multi-sports also allow kids to experience different roles. Being a goalkeeper in a football team is very different from being a point guard in basketball. Being exposed to baseball develops better hand-eye coordination (协调). Soccer develops better footwork (步法). Volleyball develops jumping and hand-eye coordination. Martial arts develop strength, mobility, and discipline. Swimming develops full-body coordination and strength. The list goes on and on! Participation in multiple sports broadens a child’s developmental social, and situational experience. It opens up opportunities to become a better competitor and a promising athlete — flexible and energetic.

Many sports superstars like Stephen Curry achieved their standing today by playing multiple sports. Curry played basketball but he also played baseball, football, soccer, and everything else in a sports buffet. What worked for Curry, experts say, could work for most of us.

Besides developing a wide range of sports skills, more importantly, multi-sports provide opportunities for children to discover their liking. With the help of the right coaches, sports become fun, inspiring kids’ interests. So if you can’t decide whether your child should focus on one sport or try some different sports, I hope you can make a better decision now.

1. What will happen to kids if they do one sport repeatedly?

A．They can stay more focused.

B．They can spare more time to study.

C．They can be skilled at the sport early.

D．They can be more likely to get injured.

2. What’s implied about multi-sports in Paragraph 3?

A．They inspire kids’ sporting spirit.

B．They help kids develop their special talents.

C．They have much higher requirements for kids.

D．They help promote kids’ all-round development.

3. What does the author want to express in the last paragraph?

A．Multi-sports help kids find their favorite sports.

B．Sports skills make kids more popular at school.

C．Parents should lower their expectations for kids.

D．Children should turn their interests into professions.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．How sports benefit kids.

B．What sports children should try.

C．Why kids should try multi-sports.

D．Why multi-sports are popular today.