Experts like to say the best form of exercise is whatever kind you’ll actually do. But that may not always be the case; new research finds that people who combine exercise with their social lives may be at an advantage over solitary(独自) exercisers. Tennis, badminton and soccer are all better for longevity(长寿) than cycling, swimming, jogging or gym exercise, according to the research.
The study was based on data from about 8,500 adults who were part of the Copenhagen City Heart Study. They completed a health and lifestyle questionnaire, which included questions about type and frequency of physical activity, and were monitored by the researchers for around 25 years, a period during which about 4,500 of the subjects died.
Tennis came out on top in the research. Compared with people sitting all day, those who reported playing tennis as their main form of exercise could expect to add 9.7 years to their life time, followed by badminton (6.2 years), soccer (4.7 years), cycling (3.7 years), swimming (3.4 years), jogging (3.2 years) and health-club activities (1.5 years).
Tennis likely took the top spot because “it’s very interactive,” says study co-author Dr. James O’Keefe, a physician at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. “At every point you’re talking. It’s just a very natural way to emotionally bond with people, besides getting your exercise.” But he adds that the study may not have been able to fully account for the fact that wealthier, better-educated people—who tend to be healthier to begin with—may be more likely to play tennis.
Activities like running and weight lifting still extend your life and offer plenty of other health benefits. But for the best possible benefits, O’Keefe says gym-goers may want to consider combining those workouts with activities that foster social connection.
O’Keefe, whose exercise typically includes running and weight lifting, says he’s even changed his own behavior because of the study: he and his family have taken up badminton.
“You can’t play badminton without feeling like a kid again,” he says. “It’s just pure fun.”
1.Which of the following is best for living a long life?
A. Cycling. B. Badminton.
C. Swimming. D. Gym exercise.
2.How many people were still living at the end of the research?
A. About 8,500. B. About 4,500.
C. About 4000. D. About 2500.
3.What matters most to the result of the research?
A. Family life. B. Social connections.
C. Frequency of exercise. D. Wealth and education.
4.What does O’Keefe do after the finding?
A. He puts the theory into practice.
B. He plays badminton just for fun.
C. He feels like playing badminton with kids.
D. He takes more exercise than before.
Scientists are trying to save Puerto Rico’s endangered Amazon parrots after Hurricane Maria destroyed the birds’ habitats and food sources(来源).
El Yunque is a large national forest on the eastern part of Puerto Rico. Just two of the 56 wild parrots that once lived there survived Maria, the Category-4 storm that struck Puerto Rico in September 2017. Scientists report other forests have seen great drops in parrot populations as well.
In the 1800s, there were more than a million of the bright green parrots living in the wild in Puerto Rico. By the 1970s, the number was down to just 13 birds after years of forest clearing.
A special program was started in 1972 to help increase the parrot population, which led to the creation of three breeding(繁殖) centers. Just weeks before Hurricane Maria hit, scientists counted 56 wild parrots at El Yunque. That was the highest number in the program’s history. Scientists say that even though several parrots have been born in captivity(笼养) and in the wild since Maria, the species is still in danger.
The Puerto Rican Amazon is the island’s only remaining native parrot. More than 460 of the birds are kept inside the breeding centers at El Yunque and the Rio Abajo forest. Scientists have not released(释放) any of the birds since Hurricane Maria. A third breeding center, in a forest in the western area of Maricao, has not been in operation since the storm.
Scientists are considering whether to catch some of the remaining wild parrots and put them in the same cage as the birds that are set to be released. This way, the captive birds can learn from the wild birds how to survive in the forests. Another consideration is to release some captive parrots in Maricao, which was not as heavily damaged by Maria.
1.Why has the parrot population greatly decreased in the past 200 years?
A. Because of Hurricane Maria.
B. Because of too much hunting.
C. Because of the loss of forests.
D. Because of lack of breeding centers.
2.Which of the following is true about Hurricane Maria?
A. It killed 56 wild parrots at El Yunque.
B. It greatly affected parrots in captivity.
C. It reduced the number of wild parrots.
D. It led to the creation of three breeding centers.
3.What can we infer about Amazon parrots in captivity?
A. They have the highest number in the history.
B. They have been released since Hurricane Maria.
C. They are used to living in the wild.
D. They are larger in number than those in the wild.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Scientists Work to Save Puerto Rican Parrots.
B. Amazon Parrots are in Danger of Disappearing.
C. A Special Program Helps Increase the Parrot Population.
D. Hurricane Maria Reduced the Number of Amazon Parrots.
It’s apparently become a trend in schools around the world to ban students from using the term, “best friends,” according to psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg. The movement, which is believed to have started in Prince George's school in South London, isn't intended to discourage close friendships, but rather encourage a wider friend group, Greenberg says.
“Let’s face it. You can’t ban somebody from having a close relationship, and you can’t really ban somebody from having a best friend but what the schools are trying to do is foster the idea of kids having more than a single friend,” Greenberg said.
The idea is to increase the number of interactions a student may have with different members of his or her peer group. “I see kids come in all week long who are feeling awful because they are either nobody’s best friend or their best friend has moved on,” Greenberg says.
Jay Jacobs, who operates Timber Lake Camp in New York, stresses the downside of not fostering multiple relationships at a young age, for exactly that reason. “I think that there are problems in just having one friend,” Jacobs says. “Remember as you grow up, interests change, and children go in different directions.” Jacobs adds that teachers at Timber Lake, which changes positions between Glen Cove in winter and Shandake in summer, have made it a point to promote a more inclusive environment for years.
Jacobs reminds people that, “As you grow up, interests change, and children go in different directions,” so having only one friend can be risky. He holds the belief that children will be better set up for success later in life if they get used to having a wider friend group at a young age. “It’s about promoting kindness, looking to children to be kind to one another and to be aware of what it looks like when you’re not,” Jacobs says.
1.Why do schools ban the term “best friends”?
A. To make students concentrate on their studies.
B. To encourage students to make more friends.
C. To prevent students from falling in love at a young age.
D. To discourage students from having a close relationship.
2.Why are some kids feeling awful according to Greenberg?
A. Their best friends have moved house.
B. They are banned from making best friends.
C. They are under great pressure from study.
D. Their best friends have started new friendships.
3.What does the underlined word “downside” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Mistake. B. Difficulty.
C. Drawback. D. Burden.
4.What would be Jay Jacobs’ attitude to Greenberg’s idea?
A. Supportive. B. Doubtful.
C. Opposed. D. Unconcerned.
Four Free Mobile Apps to Help You Learn English Faster
Have you realized that you can put your smartphone to really good use for learning English? Here are 4 free mobile apps that will help you do just that.
Hello English
It covers all the aspects of language learning, including vocabulary, translation, grammar, spellings, spoken and reading skills. It uses interactive games to teach different English lessons and offers new audiobooks, latest news, and books. However, you should already understand basic English structures and alphabets, for the app can’t help you learn English from scratch(从零开始).
Duolingo
If you want to learn English from scratch, then this is the app you are looking for. Duolingo uses interactive games to help you learn English. For beginners, the app focuses on helping you learn verbs, phrases and sentences.
Lingbe
If you are ready to practice your spoken skills in the real-world, you’ll need Lingbe. It’s a community-based app where people help each other and share their native languages. It connects you with real people on call who are native English speakers.
HelloTalk
HelloTalk is similar to Lingbe as it connects you with native speakers to help improve your language skills. However, it adds a few extra functions that might interest you. You can view the information about users to find a match that interests you. Additionally, you can also send text and audio messages, and even do video calls with other people.
If you are a beginner, start from Duolingo and then use Hello English to take full command over the language. For fluent spoken English learners, you can try out Lingbe or HelloTalk.
1.What should you already understand to use Hello English?
A. Good reading and writing skills.
B. Basic listening and speaking tips.
C. Different English lessons and books.
D. English letters and basic structures.
2.Which app is the best choice for an English beginner at first?
A. Hello English.
B. Duolingo.
C. Lingbe.
D. HelloTalk.
3.What can you do on Lingbe?
A. Read the latest news.
B. Enjoy the interactive games.
C. Practice your spoken English.
D. Talk with native speakers in the flesh.
请阅读下面短文和图画,并按要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
Dear Mom, Clear My Calendar
September is around the comer, and some of us are already complaining about summer's end. But parents have a special reason to do so. The end of summer means the start of school. And these days, planning a young child’s schedule is a big challenge. The challenge is no longer finding activities to fill a child's day; it is saying no to the hundreds of options available. Our mailbox is filled with brochures urging us to sign our kids up for classes from cooking to martial arts.
Educators are themselves discouraged by the number of special classes that many children attend. In the name of “enrichment”, three-year-olds not only go to preschool in the morning but study French or gymnastics after lunch. One teacher tells of a four-year-old asking for help in the toilet before hurrying off to tennis. Another teacher says that children sometimes hold on to her at pick up time. What happened to unstructured time?
（写作内容）
1.用约30个单词概述图画和文字的主要内容
2.结合上述信息,简要分析可能导致这一结果的原因;
3.表达你的想法。(不少于两点)
（写作要求）
1.写作过程中不能直接引用原文词句
2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称
3.不必写标题
（评分标准）
内容完整,语言规范,语篇连贯,词数适当。
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意:每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题纸上相应题号的横线上。
Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures "everything except that which makes life worthwhile. "With Britain voting to leave the European Union, and GDP already predicted to slow as a result, it is now a timely moment to assess what he was referring to.
The question of GDP and its usefulness has annoyed policymakers for over half a century.Many argue that it is a flawed(有缺陷的) concept. It measures things that do not matter and misses things that do. By most recent measures, the UK's GDP has been the envy of the Western world, with record low unemployment and high growth figures. If everything was going so well, then why did over 17 million people vote for Brexit, despite the warnings about what it could do to their country’s economic prospects.
A recent annual study of countries and their ability to convert growth into well-being sheds some light on that question. Across the 163 countries measured, the UK is one of the poorest performers in ensuring that economic growth is translated into meaningful improvements for its citizens. Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more rounded assessment of how countries are performing.
While all of these countries face their own challenges, there are a number of consistent themes. Yes, there has been a budding economic recovery since the 2008 global crash, but in key indicators in areas such as health and education, major economies have continued to decline. Yet this isn't the case with all countries. Some relatively poor European countries have seen huge improvements across measures including civil society, income equality and the environment.
This is a lesson that rich countries can learn: When GDP is no longer regarded as the sole measure of a country's success, the world looks very different.
So, what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough. It does not include important factors such as environmental quality or education outcomes all things that contribute to a person’s sense of well-being.
The sharp hit to growth predicted around the world and in the UK could lead to a decline in the everyday services we depend on for our well-being and for growth. But policymakers who refocus efforts on improving well-being instead of simply worrying about GDP figures could avoid the forecasted doom and may even see progress.
Title: High GDP But 1. Well-being, a UK Lesson | |
Passage outline | Supporting details |
Different opinions of GDP | ·Robert F. Kennedy believed that everything was measured by a country's GDP except 2. made life worthwhile. ·Many people hold belief that GDP measures what is unimportant andmisses what 3. |
GDP as the measure of 4. is widely defied in the UK. | ·Despite the fact the Westem world has envied the UK's for its high GDP with high5. and high growth figures, over 17 million people voted to leave the European Union. ·A recent annual study shows that in the 163 countries measured ,the UK is one of countries, which have most 6. transformed economic growth into meaningful improvements for its citizens. |
Main assessments of a country’s7. | ·Over 408. of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement. ·Environmental quality or education outcomes-all things9.in a person's sense of happiness. |
Factors considered beyond GDP | Policymakers, who don't simply worry about GDP figures, instead think10. of improving happiness, can avoid forecasting doom and may even see progress. |
