Question

    If you think that running marathons will help you live a long and healthy life, new research may come as a shock. According to a recent scientific study, people who do a very strenuous workout are as likely to die as people who do no exercise at all.

Scientists in Denmark have been studying over 1,000 joggers and non-joggers for 12 years. The death rates from the sample group indicate that people who jog at a moderate pace two or three times a week for less than two and a half hours in total are least likely to die. The best speed to jog at was found to be about 5 miles per hour. The research suggests that people who jog more than three times a week or at higher speeds of over 7 mph die at the same rate as non-joggers. The scientists think that this is because strenuous exercise causes structural changes to the heart and arteries (动脉). Over time, this can cause serious injuries.

Peter Schnohr, a researcher in Copenhagen, said, “If your goal is to decrease the risk of death and improve life expectancy, jogging a few times a week at a moderate pace is a good strategy. Anything more is just unnecessary, and it may be harmful.”

The implications of this are that moderate forms of exercise such as tai chi, yoga and brisk walking may be better for us than “iron man” events, triathlons and long-distance running and cycling. According to Jacob Louis Marott, another researcher involved in the study, “You don’t actually have to do that much to have a good impact on your health. And perhaps you shouldn’t actually do too much.”

1.The underlined word “strenuous” in Paragraph 1 refers to “______”.

A.hard B.regular

C.practical D.little

2.The author presents some figures in Paragraph 2 to ______.

A.suggest giving up jogging

B.show risks of doing sports

C.provide supportive evidence

D.introduce the research process

3.Why is too much exercise harmful according to the scientists?

A.It may injure the heart and arteries.

B.It can make the body tired out.

C.It will bring much pressure.

D.It consumes too much energy.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了过度运动对身体的影响以及原因。

1.词义猜测题。由第一段最后一句According to a recent scientific study, people who do a very strenuous workout are as likely to die as people who do no exercise at all可知，根据最近的一项科学研究，做非常剧烈运动的人和根本不做运动的人有一样的死亡可能性。据此推断，strenuous意为：剧烈的，激烈的，因此与hard“猛烈的”最为接近。故选A项。

2.推理判断题。由第二段“Scientists in Denmark have been studying over 1,000 joggers and non-joggers for 12 years. The death rates from the sample group indicate that people who jog at a moderate pace two or three times a week for less than two and a half hours in total are least likely to die. The best speed to jog at was found to be about 5 miles per hour. The research suggests that people who jog more than three times a week or at higher speeds of over 7 mph die at the same rate as non-joggers.”可知，丹麦科学家对1000多名慢跑者和非慢跑者进行了12年的研究。样本组的死亡率表明，每周慢跑两到三次，总共不到两个半小时的人最不可能死亡。慢跑的最佳速度是每小时5英里。研究表明，每周慢跑三次以上或以超过7英里/小时的更高速度慢跑的人与非慢跑者的死亡率相同。故判断出，作者在第2段中提出了一些数字目的是为“根据最近的一项科学研究，做剧烈运动的人和根本不运动的人一样有可能死亡”提供有力的证据。故选C项。

3.细节理解题。由第二段最后一句The scientists think that this is because strenuous exercise causes structural changes to the heart and arteries (动脉). Over time, this can cause serious injuries可知，科学家们认为这是因为剧烈运动会导致心脏和动脉的结构改变。随着时间的推移，这会造成严重的伤害。因此，过多的运动有害是因为它可能伤害心脏和动脉。故选A项。