As we reflect on the evolution of fitness over the centuries, and the emergence of a well- organized and growing "fitness” market and industry, it is well to ask ourselves: what have we lost, and what have we gained?
Obviously, much good has come out of these recent developments: there's widespread awareness of the importance of regular exercise, nearly every community has a gym or fitness club where people can go or pay to work out, and we understand more about how the human body works.Yet despite the many health and fitness methods, programs, and resources, the general population has never been so physically sedentary （久坐的）and out-of-shape. A recent World Health Organization report indicates that life expectancy （寿命）in the U. S. dropped for the first time since 1993. The health of modem people is declining, despite highly advanced medical technologies and the booming health and fitness industry.
How could that be? A large part of it is motivation. People are simply not as motivated to move their body and get healthy as they were in the past. We live in a society where the inability to operate one's body in a practical and effective manner is no longer an embarrassing condition. The fitness industry, no matter how good each new program claims to be, has failed to get the majority of people to value, practice, and enjoy physical exercise.
So, should we expect the answer to this dilemma to come from even more varied, or more technologically advanced programs and equipment? Or will the solution come from a different mindset, a simpler approach and practice, and overall a new culture?
1.What does the author tell us about fitness industry in paragraph 2?
A.It provides better technology.
B.It is supported by most people.
C.It brings about positive effects.
D.It costs people too much money.
2.What is the main reason why people fail to do physical exercise?
A.Not enough equipment. B.Lack of inner drive.
C.Misguided instructions. D.Embarrassing living conditions.
3.What does the author seem to agree with?
A.Change attitudes to fitness. B.Rely on standard practice.
C.Seek more potential customers. D.Turn to more advanced programs.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Lost in fitness B.Misunderstanding about fitness
C.Evolution of fitness D.Importance of fitness
Coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are an integral part of sea life and sustain it by providing shelter and habitat to various organisms. They also supply and recycle nutrients as well as enable a growing fish population, along with other species, for a healthy and diverse ecosystem. However, the rise in average water temperatures due to climate change has resulted in more frequent and longtime coral bleaching (白化现象) events that damage their health, causing fish and other sea species to abandon them.
In order to restore this delicate ecosystem, scientists from the UK and Australia conducted a study that involved using loudspeakers underwater near damaged coral reefs to make them sound healthy and attract fish, potentially kick-starting the natural recovery process of coral reefs and their dependent life forms. The location for this experiment was the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea, found alongside the east coast of Queensland, Australia. The site is noted to have the largest coral reef system in the world.
“Healthy coral reefs are remarkably noisy places-the crackle of snapping shrimp and the whoops and grunts of fish. Young fish concentrate on these sounds when they're looking for a place to settle,” said Steve Simpson, study co-author and a professor at the University of Exeter, UK.
By using loudspeakers to copy such sounds, parts of dead coral reefs were found to attract twice as many fish, compared to places where no sounds were played. “These returning fish, are crucial for coral reefs to function as healthy ecosystems. Boosting fish populations in this way could help to kick-start natural recovery processes, preventing the damage we're seeing on many coral reefs around the world,” said lead author, Tim Gordon.
1.What causes the phenomenon of coral bleaching?
A.Diverse species. B.Noise pollution.
C.Fishing industry. D.Climbing temperatures.
2.What approach is introduced to recover the coral reefs?
A.Removing damaged coral reefs. B.Using loudspeakers to keep fish away.
C.Building new homes for sea species. D.Playing certain sounds to appeal to fish.
3.Why are Steve Simpson's words quoted?
A.To provide some findings of the study. B.To show the progress of the experiment.
C.To explain reasons for the new approach. D.To give another solution to the problem.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.The attempts are in vain. B.Natural recovery is impossible.
C.Initial success has been achieved. D.The coral reefs have returned to normal.
The sound that woke Damian Languell at 8:15 in the morning was so loud he assumed it came from inside his house in Wade, Maine. As he got up to investigate, he heard another sound, this one coming most definitely from outside. Looking out of his bedroom window, he noticed a tree enveloped in smoke about 500 yards away. A car wrapped around the tree's base, its engine on fire.
Grabbing buckets of water, he and his wife ran to the crash site. Up close, the accident looked worse. The car was split nearly in two, and the tree was where the driver's seat ought to have been, as if planted there. No one should have survived this crash, and yet there was 20- year-old Quintin Thompson, his terrified face pressed against the driver's side window, in visible pain.
Languell tried putting out the fire with his buckets of water but failed. When the flames got into the front seats, he knew he had to get the young man out. So Languell opened the car's back door and climbed in. Using a pocket knife he'd brought with him, he cut through Thompson's seat belt. Now that Thompson was free, Languell pulled him out, and dragged him to safety before the entire car was in flames.
It is empathy that drove Languell to help, just as he said, "My heart goes out to Thompson. When you are that close to that level of hurt, you feel it so directly." For his heroic action, Languell was added to the list of real-life heroes changing the world.
1.Where was the first sound actually from?
A.A house on fire. B.A car crash.
C.The bedroom window. D.The basement.
2.What do we know about Quintin Thompson?
A.He saved his car from fire. B.He was successfully rescued.
C.He remained calm all the time. D.He was capable of helping himself out.
3.Which of the following best explains "empathy” underlined in the last paragraph?
A.Honesty. B.Wisdom. C.Sympathy. D.Responsibility.
4.Which words can best describe Damian Languell?
A.Daring and generous. B.Caring and grateful.
C.Courageous and noble. D.Ambitious and reliable.
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阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The problem is that countries around the world have growing mountains of rubbish because people are throwing out more rubbish than ever before.
How do the society become a throwaway one? First of all, it is now easier to replace an object than to spend time and money repairing it. Thanks to modern manufacturing (制造业) and technology, companies are able to produce products quickly and inexpensively. Products are plentiful and cheap.
Another cause is our love of disposable (一次性的) products. As busy people, we are always looking for ways to save time and make our lives easier. Companies produce thousands of different kinds of disposable products: paper plates, plastic cups, and cameras, to name a few.
Our appetite for new products also contributes to the problem. We are addicted to buying new things. Advertisements persuade us that newer is better and that we will be happier with the latest products. The result is that we throw away useful possessions to make room for new ones.
All around the world, we can see the consequences of this throwaway lifestyle. Mountains of rubbish just keep getting bigger. To decrease the amount of rubbish and to protect the environment, more governments are requiring people to recycle materials. However, this is not enough to solve our problem.
Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions instead of throwing them away. We also need to rethink our attitudes towards spending. Repairing our possessions and changing our spending habits may be the best way to reduce the amount of rubbish and take care of our environment.
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假设你是李华。你的英国笔友John写信告诉你，近日他由于沉迷于网络游戏，健康受到很大影响。请你给他写一封回信，为他提供些建议。
1.词数: 80左右
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear John,
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Best wishes!
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
