Question

When I walk through the streets, I pass strange rooms where people are doing strange things. Some are biking madly. Others are holding metal bars to keep them from dropping down. Still others are jumping around while someone is shouting at them. It looks like something out of Dante’s Inferno (但丁《神曲》中的《地狱篇》). But what is the most amazing is that people pay for these sufferings!

The strange rooms are gyms(健身房). It is reported that some 41 million Americans are gym members. 12% of the memberships are born in January, as they are determined to lose the holiday fat. Maybe it is good to exercise in the gym. However, should they know they can keep in good shape, spending little money, would they still agree with its necessity(必要性)?

At the age of 23, I joined a gym. I lifted weights twice a week in Muscle’s Gym. I paid as little as $200 per year. You can’t find such gyms in every city any more. Too often, the gym is fancy (花哨的) with lots of equipment. If you ask how much it costs to join it, the person at the front desk often won’t tell you straight. Instead, he’ll let you meet with a fitness consultant (健身顾问), who will provide you with a great number of reasons and suggestions, such as losing weight and getting healthier, just in order to put pressure on you to spend much money joining the gym and becoming a member there.

Working out(锻炼) with the help of equipment at home has problems, too. In the early 2000’s, I bought a spinning bike (动感单车) at a cost of $700 for home use. I tried a few times only to find that it brought me a neck problem.

Now I’m back to my old way. I do Yoga (瑜伽) every morning and evening. Total cost: $60 for an exercise mat(垫子) . I’m enjoying fitness.

1.The strange rooms are places where people _________.

A. do strange things

B. suffer from great pains

C. play Dante’s Inferno

D. take physical(身体的) exercise

2.In the author’s opinion, joining a gym nowadays is __________.

A. exciting         B. inexpensive

C. unnecessary      D. helpful

3.The author wrote something about Muscle’s Gym to __________.

A. tell us he was fat when he was young

B. suggest a new way of losing weight

C. provide us with an example of gyms

D. compare it with the gyms of today

4.From the text we can infer that _________.

A. many Americans put on weight after Christmas and New Year’s Day

B. the author and his family had spent a lot of money exercising in gyms

C. 12% of the American people are members of gyms

D. spinning bikes are good equipment for exercise

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：很多人到健身房健身达到瘦身健康的目的。但健身房是否能够起到作用？作者结合自身经历，认为锻炼不一定必须要去健身房。

1.1】细节理解题。The strange rooms are gyms(健身房). 奇怪的房间是健身房，用于做运动，故选D。

2.2】文意理解题。However, should they know they can keep in good shape, spending little money, would they still agree with its necessity(必要性)? 作者反问，如果人们能够花费更少保持身材，是否健身房就一定是必要的？后面举例说明，去健身房贵，因此B错误，可以采用其他的方式替代。作者试过健身房、户外运动等锻炼方式，最终回归到了最初的运动方式，可以推断，作者认为去健身房锻炼不是必须的，故选C。

3.3】判断推理题。 第三段，作者将Muscle’s Gym和现在的健身房做对比，认为现在的健身房更贵，故选D。

4.4】判断推理题。I bought a spinning bike (动感单车) at a cost of $700 for home use. I tried a few times only to find that it brought me a neck problem.动感单车只给作者带来了颈椎问题，D错误。It is reported that some 41 million Americans are gym members. 12% of the memberships are born in January, as they are determined to lose the holiday fat. 据报道，大约有4100万美国人是健身房的会员。而其中的12%，是1月加入的，目的是减掉假期增加的脂肪。文章只说了4100万美国人为健身房会员，并没有说这个人数占到总人口的12%，C不正确。在经过圣诞和元旦两个假期后，美国人决定运动减脂，故A正确。作者在健身房花费的钱比较少，B错误。故选A。

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