According to new health guidelines, even a minute or two of physical exercise is better than nothing: just walking upstairs and down again, before continuing your otherwise entirely sofa-based afternoon of crisps and television, makes for a healthier life than if you hadn' t bothered. The previous recommendation was for a 10-minute minimum, but for years’ the general direction of research has been toward the conclusion that there is no minimum at all. This doesn51 just go for exercise^ either. Five minutes in nature can boost your mental health; and while one daily serving of vegetables may be too few, it's definitely preferable to zero. If you are wondering whether or not some tiny but healthful activity is worth it, the answer^ almost always, is yes.
It' s a little strange actually, that this is even a topic of debate. Of course anything is better than nothing. For one thing, it's a good start for building habits. For another, tiny actions are valuable in themselves. Human bodies aren't digital devices, and health generally isn't a matter of reaching fixed thresholds （门槛）；what is good for the organism in large quantities is usually good in smaller ones, too.
The real reason for the debate is not that the facts are in dispute （争议）.It's that information is dangerous. When public bodies recommend^ say, a 10-minute minimum, it's because they worry that if they don't, people who might otherwise have exercised for 10 minutes will stop after two.
Even this column risks making things worse. If you had truly been planning to spend all day on the sofa, perhaps I have inspired you to take a five-minute walk; but if there is a chance that you would have gone to the gym for an hour, reading these words might persuade you to settle for the stroll （散步）instead.
Ideally, we would stop thinking about healthy behaviours in terms of minimums: within reason, you should be doing as much exercise as you can, not as little as you can get away with—while remembering that nothing is too minor to be not worth the bother. This is a sensible approach to much of life, I would say, from being a good friend or paying attention to your kids, to saving money or reducing your environmental impact. However much you do9 it will never be enough. But that is not a reason to do nothing—on the contrary^ it' s a reason to do something.
1.Tiny healthy actions are worthwhile because •
A.they contribute to good habits and health
B.they provide abundant choices for fitness
C.they add a new dimension to people, s lives
D.they are easily conducted in people5 s daily lives
2.Why don public bodies recommend a minimum time for exercise?
A.People have their own concept of time.
B.It contradicts with new health guidelines.
C.There is a lack of scientific research on it.
D.People may misinterpret its real intentions.
3.What does the writer want to stress in the passage?
A.Life lies in movement.
B.All roads lead to Rome.
C.Actions speak louder than words.
D.Anything is better than nothing.
About The Postal Museum
There’ s nothing ordinary about the story of the post. From five -wheeled cycles and rockets to a lioness and flintlock pistols （手枪），the award-winning Postal Museum offers a surprising and entertaining half day out for all ages.
See a restored Mail Coach that thundered across 1800s Britain, get up close to the only existing sheets of the world5 s first postage stamp, the Penny Black, and explore Mail Rail—one of London's hidden gems—with a 15-minute ride through the underground tunnels of the Post Office5 s own 100-year-old railway.
Forget what you think you know about the post and visit one of London's newest museums to discover just what it took to keep us all in touch.
Know Before You Go
• Mail Rail is a miniature railway designed to carry post, not people. As such, it's not suitable for everyone and we^re unfortunately unable to accommodate wheelchair users on the ride itself.
• The Postal Museum is open 10am-5pm every day (closed at Christmas).
• Please ensure you arrive at least 15 minutes before the end of the one-hour Mail Rail timeslot shown on your ticket. Failure to arrive on time may result in being unable to ride Mail Rail.
• Re-entry is permitted any time between 10am and 4:30pm on the date stated on the ticket.
1.A visitor to the Postal Museum will have the chance to .
A.take the restored Mail Coach
B.ride Mail Rail for 15 minutes
C.get a copy of the Penny Black
D.hear an unusual story of the post
2.From the advertisement, we can know that .
A.re-entry is not permitted during the opening hours
B.the museum reduces the opening hours at Christmas
C.unpunctual visitors may not get the most out of the tour
D.wheelchair users cannot ride Mail Rail without attendance
I had a rocky start to life. My mum brought me up as a single parent. School was a ____ experience. I was troublesome and ____ teachers in lessons.
At 14, I was ____ out of school. My mum took me to the Caribbean, where my grandparents lived. It turned out to be a good experience for me: I returned to school and became ____ It was a kick up the backside （警醒）to see a different culture. I returned to the UK after two years and ____ applied to study in a college.
It was then that I knew I really had to ____ and avoid getting into trouble. One day, a college tutor told me he felt I had ____ and told me not to waste it. He was the first teacher to ____ me. He gave me a self-development book that explored ____ From there I started reading all sorts of self -development books and watching ____ speakers.
I ____ studying business and marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University. I realised I could stay out of ____ and make money, and it made me ____ to start my own business.
I received a ____ of £2,000 and business support from the Prince's Trust to help me set up a sportswear business. I also ____ We Shine Together, a social enterprise that provides training programmes to help people from ____ communities gain qualifications. Tm also a motivational speaker and regularly ____ my story at schools and colleges around Birmingham.
I like to ____ in myself and regularly buy self -development books and go on courses. I feel like I've ____ my life massively. ____ I was kicked out of school, I knew what I wanted in life. I always had that kind of courage and determination in me.
1.A.pleasant B.shared C.negative D.rewarding
2.A.assisted B.challenged C.defended D.monitored
3.A.kicked B.helped C.freed D.scared
4.A.arbitrary B.intelligent C.aggressive D.disciplined
5.A.successfully B.temporarily C.previously D.unrealistically
6.A.relax B.focus C.hide D.suffer
7.A.money B.time C.sympathy D.potential
8.A.doubt B.trust C.bless D.warn
9.A.nature B.culture C.business D.education
10.A.fragile B.desperate C.tricky D.inspiring
11.A.ended up B.gave up C.objected to D.stuck to
12.A.order B.sight C.trouble D.hand
13.A.hesitant B.disappointed C.determined D.reluctant
14.A.deposit B.pension C.revenue D.grant
15.A.praise B.avoid C.run D.shut
16.A.wealthy B.civilized C.disadvantaged D.harmonious
17.A.publish B.share C.read D.invent
18.A.invest B.take C.trade D.interfere
19.A.shrank from B.turned around C.broke down D.messed up
20.A.Before B.Unless C.As if D.Even though
—The development of gene-editing has released huge innovation potential.
—But if used illegally, such a promising technology could become ____.
A.a Pandora’s box B.a dark horse C.a child's play D.a Herculean task
—What about your trip to Nantong Printed Blue Nankeen Museum?
—It displays traditional Chinese art and craft and we ____ a great time there.
A.had B.have C.would have D.had had
____ volunteer service at the museum can better cater to visitors in future will be discussed at the seminar.
A.That B.Why C.When D.How
