1 . You start by running around the school track three times to warm up. This is followed by exercises or long jump for the girls and football or basketball for the boys. That is an average 45 -minute PE class— but do you really enjoy it?
For students at the Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, sports classes have experienced a welcome change. Senior 2 students now learn the traditional Chinese martial art of sword-fighting (中国剑术), making PE the most popular lesson on the timetable. “The classes used to be boring as we just did the same things again and again,” said Xiao Tong. “But now PE classes are such fun. Sword-fighting is so cool.” His classmate Wei Jie agrees. “As well as being fun, we learn about traditional Chinese culture,” she said. The usual morning exercises performed to music on the school playground have been replaced by kicking and punching practice (搏击操) to a pop music by Zheng Xiuwen. “We didn't pay much attention when we heard the old music,” Xiao explained, “But when Zheng's music is played, we get excited.” Mao Min, the PE teacher who introduced the changes, is pleased that the students now enjoy sports lessons more. “The classes encourage healthy lifestyles and I am always looking for creative ways to keep the students active,” he said. Schools offer activities according to what sports facilities (设备) they have. For example, students at the Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University can choose to learn swimming, taekwondo (跆拳道) or volleyball. “I take my volleyball very seriously so I keep fit by playing it,” said Senior 2 student Zhang Zheng. “Students only try hard in sports that interest them.”
1. Why was Xiao Tong not interested in PE classes in the past?| A．Because he didn't do well in sports. |
| B．Because he disliked the same activities. |
| C．Because he thought the classes too long- |
| D．Because he was tired of the PE teacher. |
| A．Sword-fighting. | B．Volleyball. | C．Skating. | D．Punching practice. |
| A．Sword-fighting appears in PE classes. |
| B．Students try hard in all sports at school. |
| C．Schools offer necessary sports facilities. |
| D．PE classes are welcoming new changes. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. | C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
2 . 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. |
3 . According to a recent report, about 15% of the people in the UK are members of gyms. But are they more likely to be fit?
A study found that gym members were 14 times more active than people who didn’t belong to any health club. Gym members did six hours more exercise a week, and this activity did make them fitter than non-gym members. They also spent less time sitting down every day than non-gym members. The results were the same for men and women.
The study included 405 people between the ages of 30 and 64, and the main characteristics of those who were gym members were the same as those who were not. “But gym members did more training than non-gym members,” said the lead author, Elizabeth Schroeder of the University of Illinois.
While it might seem clear that gym members exercise more and are healthier than non-gym members, Schroeder says this has not been directly shown before. However, the study is only designed to show a tie between gym membership and more exercise. It may be that active people like to join gyms. In the study, people who exercised as much as gym members were also in good health.
You can get the same benefits wherever you exercise. This study shows a gym membership can make you do more exercise, but other research shows that exercising outside has other help. Outdoor activity can make you feel happy about life, especially if you run through a forest.
Outdoor exercise is also more interesting than going to the gym. The first five minutes of outdoor exercise is especially helpful in making people feel good. But Schroeder says that a gym may also encourage greater exercise because it can be social and fun.
1. What did the new study find out?| A．British people are crazy about the gym. |
| B．Gym exercise is better than outdoor exercise. |
| C．Gym membership can make us healthier. |
| D．Gym is necessary for our daily life. |
| A．people between aged 30 and 64 | B．the same number of men and women |
| C．405 gym members | D．people with the same characteristics |
| A．active people; more gym exercise | B．more exercise; health |
| C．gym membership; more exercise | D．happiness; more exercise |
| A．healthier | B．happier | C．more social | D．more helpful |
| A．Women should do more gym exercise. |
| B．We should be careful with outdoor training. |
| C．Outdoor exercise is better than gym exercise. |
| D．We may make great exercise if we go to the gym. |
4 . In 2007, Bianca Valenti had an experience which nearly killed her. When she surfed (冲浪) at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, she met a wave as tall as a two-story house.
The wind was strong enough to block my vision. The moment I went under water, I was just getting knocked and spun (旋转) every which way. And then my feet touched the sand bottom there. When I swam to the surface, my lungs were burning painfully. I just thought to myself, “If there’s one more wave after this, I’m going to die.” Luckily there wasn’t another wave. That was when Valenti knew she had the drive and skill to surf big waves.
By 2014, Valenti surfed and won her first big waves contest (比赛) at Nelscott Reef in Oregon. There, she met fellow professionals Alms, Moller, and Kennelly. “One thing got me fired up at that point,” she said. “I wanted to have the opportunity to win more events, but there weren’t more events for women. That’s really annoying.” Luckily, Valenti, Alms, Moller, and Kennelly decided to stick together, support each other, and then fight together.
The four surfers formed Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing (CEWS) to fight for entrance at Mavericks—a contest set in the surfing location of the same name, north of Half Moon Bay. Mavericks was invitation-only and was open to only men when CEWS was formed. Now, through the organization’s hard work with the State of California, women are allowed to surf in the event.
When Valenti was young, there weren’t many women represented in surfing culture. “I think it’s important for young kids to have all kinds of role models. That way they know all the people who they see as superheroes are just normal people who have crazy dreams. And sometimes the dreams aren’t even that crazy. If you work hard and you stick together with your friends, you can do anything. You can move mountains.”
1. What inspired Valenti to surf big waves?| A．Her gift in learning surfing skills. |
| B．Her near-death experience in 2007. |
| C．Her courage to challenge men surfers. |
| D．Her ambition to be the best role model. |
| A．Angry. | B．Excited. | C．Satisfied. | D．Concerned. |
| A．It was named after a famous surfer. |
| B．All surfers were admitted to it freely. |
| C．Surfers could only attend it by invitation. |
| D．Valenti won the contest for the first time. |
| A．Determined and courageous. | B．Impolite and Careless. |
| C．Simple-minded and helpful. | D．Tough and impatient. |
