1 . How exercising changed their life
Name: Katelyn Block, 19 The problem: At the end of her junior year of high school, she fell into a serious eating disorder. The change: She was an athlete, but while she was sick, she stopped running. Later, she decided to get back into running. She made the decision to build her body back from the ground up. With a few months of hard work and determination, she graduated from high school with a healthy body. | Name: Amalia Biro, 24 The problem: Amalia was a horseback rider with her sight set on the Olympics, until one day she was thrown off a horse, leaving her left knee badly injured. The change: She ran a 5K at the request of her friend. Running lets her clear her head. She found herself starting to turn to running instead of breaking away from her social life. And she was in good shape and felt better than before. |
Name: Sarah Jane Parker, 28 The problem: She had a lot of fear and anxiety about different things. The fear was taking over her life. The change: She tried indoor rock climbing with her friend’s encouragement. When she finally managed to climb to the top, she fell in love with the sport. Eventually she used the courage she got from climbing to break away from her fear. | Name: Kimberly Whittaker, 25 The problem: Two car accidents in one month made Kimberly have joint problems in both knees and pain in her lower back. The change: She joined a gym and worked with a physical trainer three times a week to help her become healthy again. She took spin classes (动感单车) the most often because she felt like she was able to focus her energy just on riding. |
A.She got a fever. | B.She was anxious. |
C.She couldn’t eat normally. | D.She hurt her knees. |
A.They had the same dream. | B.They attended the Olympics. |
C.They didn’t trust themselves. | D.They should thank their friends. |
A.By changing her diet. | B.By seeing a doctor. |
C.By joining a gym. | D.By studying hard. |
2 . Some Winter Activities
Winter activities are underestimated (低估). The days may be shorter, but the list of fun activities isn’t. Don’t let the winter blues take over.
Finding your favourite.
Walking on snow.
Skiing. Those that love it really love it. Hitting the ski hills is an old wintertime tradition. It gets you outside, boosts your mood, and serves as a core workout. You don’t need the latest gear (设备) to be able to have fun.
A.Go to the gym. |
B.Learning something. |
C.Most ski fields rent gear too. |
D.Be active and try these winter activities. |
E.The following are things you can do at home. |
F.You needn’t be an athlete to enjoy this seasonal activity. |
G.The key to keeping healthy is finding what you enjoy doing. |
3 . 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. |
A.Strength and Balance. | B.Flexibility and Balance. |
C.Endurance and Strength. | D.Endurance and Flexibility. |
A.Arms. | B.Legs. | C.Waist. | D.Neck. |
4 . The 25-year-old African student in Cangzhou Technical College, north China’s Hebei Province, has practiced Tai Chi for two years. He is now a huge fan of the slow-speed martial art.
As a child in his own country, the Tanzanian was already a fan of kung fu stars such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Donnie Yen. He understood Chinese kung Fu to be a fast-paced attack and defense art.
“Tai chi is different from the Chinese kung Fu that I knew. It is slow. But as I practice it, I have realized that the slow moments are far from being simple,” Abdi said.
The school provides a Tai Chi course for all foreign students. Abdi has already learned to practice Tai Chi moves with balance and deep rhythmic breathing, which allows him to feel the charm of the exercise. It brings peace and calmness to his mind, while building his muscles.
The International Exchange Center of the college has had more than 300 international students from more than 50 countries since 2016, mainly countries along “the Belt and Road.”
“My parents wish me to study international trade to better prepare me for my job in the booming trade between China and Tanzania. But it is my own dream to chase the Chinese martial arts,” said Abdi.
Practicing Tai Chi has led him to have a complete appreciation of Chinese culture. He now prefers people call him by his Chinese name Chen Yanzhi, as the name means talented and kind.
“Tai chi movements are quiet but full of power. It has inspired my understanding of China, which has the same spirit. My mother has felt the same way after she visited me here,” Abdi said.
He said his Rwandan classmate likes to post videos of them practicing Tai Chi on social media, and another Cameroonian classmate has learned from Tai Chi how to improve his boxing skills.
“When I return home, I will use my Chinese name to teach Tai Chi in my country, so that more people can benefit from this magical Kung Fu,” said Abdi. Enditem.
1. What is it that Tai Chi is different from Chinese kung fu?A.Tai Chi is a defense art. | B.Tai Chi is a fast-paced attack. |
C.Tai Chi is slow. | D.Tai Chi is simple. |
A.It builds his muscles. |
B.It helps him regain a healthy lifestyle. |
C.It brings peace and calmness to his mind. |
D.It allows him to feel the charm of the exercise. |
A.Because he liked slow-moving exercise. |
B.Because Tai Chi was easy for him to learn. |
C.Because Tai Chi helped him burn more calories to aid in weight loss. |
D.Because Tai Chi has helped him have a full understanding of Chinese culture. |
A.Tai Chi has become a sport event. |
B.Tai Chi is active only in central China. |
C.Tai Chi becomes more and more popular in the world. |
D.Tai Chi opens a window for Chinese people to know about the world. |
5 . Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules, planning your next move and acting as a team member are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating .
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (协调) needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
1. What are children expected to learn Through playing hide-and-seek?A.Be a team leader | B.Obey the basic rules |
C.Act as a grown-up | D.Predict possible danger |
A.Games can describe life in an exciting way |
B.Games can turn real-life experiences into a play |
C.Games can make learning life skills more interesting |
D.Games can change people’s views of sporting events |
A.It inspires people’s deep love for the country. |
B.It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
C.It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
D.It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
A.Bringing fun to poor kids. |
B.Providing soccer balls for children. |
C.Giving poor kids a chance for a better life. |
D.Attracting soccer players to help poor kids. |
6 . Why do you run? Different people have different reasons. Whatever your reason, there’s one thing we can be sure of: Running is much better injury-free. In his book, Dr. Jordan Metzl’s Running Strong, Metzl has the perfect suggestions for enjoying your running without losing your well-being. Here are five must-follow rules for injury-free running:
1. Train for your level of fitness and your goals.
2. Wear the right shoes for your feet.
You will hear lots of opinions about whether running shoes really help prevent injury and whether you should even wear them.
3.
Be honest about how much sleep you need and stick to it. The cool runner is the one who wins the race. Sleep will get you there.
4. Fuel (给提供能量) your body right for running and recovery.
5. Pay attention to pain.
When pain changes the way you run, stop running.
A.Try to find out what’s going on and treat it. |
B.Get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. |
C.Running should be seen as fun rather than pain. |
D.Don’t run more miles than your body can deal with. |
E.A good pre-run meal plan is one that keeps you stepping strong. |
F.It is because of the health benefits, including lowering your risk for disease. |
G.The right running shoes can help correct foot-movement problems that lead to injury. |
7 . Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses (球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.
1. Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?A.Cycling around a lake. |
B.Motor racing in the desert. |
C.Playing basketball in a gym. |
D.Swimming in a sports center. |
A.It is popular in Portugal and Spain. |
B.It causes water shortages around the world. |
C.It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes. |
D.It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green. |
A.it is an outdoor sport |
B.it improves our health |
C.it uses fewer resources |
D.it is recommended by experts |
A.show us the function of major sports |
B.encourage us to go in for green sports |
C.discuss the major influence of popular sports |
D.introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |