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As Americans’ health and fitness levels continue to decline, many of those in the worst shape are afraid to go to a “regular” gym to improve their poor health. They somehow feel embarrassed and don’t know how to begin. For these individuals, boutique gyms that specialize in particular parts of population may be good choices. These special gyms provide a more personal setting tor those returning to a healthy lifestyle or starting a fitness program for the first time. Personal training and individualized attention are key features of these new kinds of gyms.
Bulldog Fitness, a gym for kids only, is using the latest trend in video games that provide a workout to engage their young members. Playstation2 Game Bikes, the Treadwall (a rock climbing wall that moves with you), and DDR Dance Machines are customers’ favorites.
Meanwhile, Irene Pastore of Senior Fit in New York city shows that “age is no excuse for ill-health.” Her boutique gym focuses on the health risks associated with sedentary living. Personal training programs are designed specifically for seniors depending on their special needs.
“We feel that people that need the most guidance often don’t know where to turn. If America is going to change its current health decline, the public and healthcare industry needs to pay more attention to the unique needs of customers,” says Dr. Sal Arria, CEO and founder of the International Sports Science Association(IS-SA). Dr. Arria claims that those returning to a fitness state should make certain that they choose a trainer who holds a specialized certification that qualifies them to work with their individual area of need.
71．Why are Americans in the worst shape afraid to go to gym？
A．Because they are afraid of the price.
B．Because there are no boutique gyms foe them.
C．Because they are uncertain of the results.
D．Because they are uncertain about how to start.
72．Boutique gyms feature ___________ .
A．flexible schedules and remarkable results
B．keeping customers in good shape
C．building customers’ confidence for the first time
D．personal training and individualized attention
73．Bulldog Fitness has all of the programs listed below EXCEPT________．
A．Nintendo Fly-fishing B．the Treadwall
C．DDR Dance Machine D．Playstation2 Game Bikes
74．_____________is a good gym for seniors.
A．Regular gym B．Boutique gym
C．Bulldog Fitness D．Senior Fit
75. Dr. Arria states that those returning to a health lifestyle should_________．
A．know where to get guidance
B．get health guidance from the public and healthcare industry
C．focus more attention on certifying personal trainers
D．choose a qualified trainer with specialized certification
A young man approached the foreman（工头）of a logging crew (伐木队) and asked for a job. “That depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you fell (砍伐) this tree.” The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman said, “You can start Monday.”
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday went by — and on Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your wages on the way out today.” Shocked, the young man replied, “I thought you would pay me on Friday.”
“Normally we do,” said the foreman. “But we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to the last place today.”
“But I’m quite hardworking,” the young man disagreed. “I am the first to arrive and the last to leave and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”
The foreman thought for a minute and then asked “Have you sharpened your axe?”
The young man replied, “No, sir. I’ve been working too hard to take time for that!”
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to “sharpen” the axe. In today’s world it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp?
There’s nothing wrong with hard work. But we shouldn’t get so busy that we ignore the truly important things in life. We all need time to relax, to think, to learn and to grow. If we don’t take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.By telling the story, the writer wanted to tell us.
| A．where there is a will, there is a way |
| B．all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy |
| C．hard work can make up for lack of intelligence |
| D．health is over wealth |
The young man got the job by.
| A．defeating others | B．giving promises |
| C．showing skills | D．answering questions |
Why did the foreman pay the young man on Thursday instead of on the normal Friday?
| A．He wanted the young man to have a rest. |
| B．He wanted the young man to work harder. |
| C．He wanted to reward the young man for his hard work. |
| D．He was unsatisfied with the young man and was to fire him. |
What can we learn about the young man?
| A．He is optimistic. | B．He is a little dishonest. |
| C．He is intelligent. | D．He is hardworking. |
Believe it or not, there’re always some people who like staying up too late. However, sleeping early can bring us many benefits.
1. Healthy heart. Staying up late in the night is a way to hurt your body with high blood pressure and cholesterol (胆固醇). These are the risks associated with the heart.
2. Reduce stress. A peaceful sleep in the night relieves physical and mental stress. It relaxes the body and mind. With insufficient sleep you’re risking your health with heart attacks and other diseases.
3. Improve memory. Sleeping early lets your mind arrange the thoughts well. Waking up early with a fresh mind will regain all of it.
4. Protect you from diseases. By sleeping late in the night you’re only stressing yourself, which will increase the blood pressure and cholesterol levels. So sleep early and let your body keep the pressure levels constant.
5. . Breakfast is very important to start the day. Most of the time as we wake up late we miss it.
6. Positive performance. Sleeping continuously for at least 7 hours in the night is necessary. Inadequate sleep will limit your ability to think creatively, handle stress and concentrate.
7. Help metabolism (新陈代谢). Our body needs to send away all the unwanted waste. Sleeping through the day till noon will disorganise the exile (排泄). We need to eat and sleep on time to keep energy.
8. Reduce the risk of cancer. Sleep in the dark. Light in the night reduces the melatonin (褪黑激素) level which’s supposed to cause sleep and prevent the risk of cancer.
9. Increase energy. Sleeping early will let you complete your 7 hours of sleep and make you fresh the next morning. It gives you the energy to perform better.
10. Keep weight. When you sleep too late your organism is disturbed. Sleeping for less than 7 hours a day is an invitation to being overweight.What kind of sleep can relieve the physical and mental stress?
| A．A peaceful sleep. | B．An insufficient sleep. |
| C．A continuous sleep. | D．An inadequate sleep. |
What should be filled in the blank in Paragraph 6?
| A．Breakfast is important | B．You might miss breakfast |
| C．Wait for breakfast | D．Give time for breakfast |
How many hours should a man sleep at least according to the text?
| A．9 hours. | B．8 hours. |
| C．7 hours. | D．6 hours. |
What will happen if you sleep less than seven hours?
| A．Losing weight. | B．Becoming sleepless. |
| C．Becoming active | D．Becoming fat. |
There was once an old wise man living on the top of a mountain. Whenever the villagers had a problem, they would climb up the mountain and ask the old man for advice.
One day a young man arrived. “Wise man,” he asked, “What makes a man truly great?”
The old man said, “Do you sincerely want to know?”
“Yes, yes!” the young man replied.
“Well,” the wise old man said to him, “Let me tell you in the form of a story.”
There was once a Greek man who suffered from a deadly disease. Knowing that he would die soon, he was the first to join the army when his country was in a battle with the enemy. Hoping to die in battle, he would fight in the front line, risking himself without any worry for his life. Finally they won the battle and he was still alive. His general (将军) was so impressed with his bravery which contributed much to the victory.
The general decided to promote him and award him with medals of bravery and honor. On the day of presentation (授予仪式), he was looking very down and sad. Curiously, the general asked him why he was so sad on a day he should be so proud. The soldier told him of his deadly disease. “How could I let such a brave soldier die?” the general thought. So the general hired the best physician and finally cured the soldier. But from that day on, the once valiant soldier was no longer seen at the front. He would always avoid danger and tried his best to protect his life.
“Young man,” the wise man said, “if you want to be truly great, you must not be afraid of dying, you must be daring.”The reason why the young man went to see the old man was that.
| A．he enjoyed the scenery of the great mountain |
| B．the old man was very good at telling stories |
| C．there was a difficult problem troubling him |
| D．he was not sure who the greatest man was |
The general decided to award the Greek man.
| A．after he realized the man’s serious illness |
| B．because the man fought bravely in battle |
| C．though he knew the man would die soon |
| D．so that he could find the man a good doctor |
The underlined word “valiant” is closest in meaning to .
| A．brave | B．polite | C．curious | D．proud |
What the old man really wanted the young man to do was .
| A．trying to be kind to the people in trouble |
| B．mastering the skills of telling |
| C．joining the army to fight for his country |
| D．learning a lesson from the Greek man |
I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz (爵士音乐) concert last Friday. The advertisement (广告) in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theatre box in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since I work from 9:00 to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theatre was during my 45-minute lunch break. Unluckily, the theatre is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round (往返的) trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at the bus stop for fifteen minutes waiting for the bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip. So I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again the next day. On Thursday, my luck changed. I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly twenty minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and headed back (奔回) across the town. By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth it to hear the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, however, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.The man learned that there would be a concert last Friday ________.
| A．from his friends | B．from one of his workmates |
| C．over the radio | D．from the newspaper |
One day the man took ________ to get to the theatre by bus.
| A．forty-five minutes | B．fifteen minutes |
| C．just twenty minutes | D．over an hour |
The underlined word “relieved” may best be replaced by “________”.
| A．worried | B．pleased | C．puzzled | D．sorry |
The writer mainly shows us his _____________.
| A．enjoyment of the concert |
| B．anger for buying the ticket |
| C．efforts to buy the ticket |
| D．disappointment at the concert |
California sea lions are the fastest of all the sea lions, reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometers an hour when swimming. Males are much larger than females, measuring 2 to 2.5 meters and weighing 200 to 453 kilograms. Females only measure 1.5 to 2 meters and weigh 50 to 113 kilograms. They can also move fairly well while on land.
California sea lions can be found living along the Pacific coast of North America. They prefer to live in waters near rocky and sandy shores. On land, they often gather in large groups as many as 1,000 of them. While at sea, they travel in much smaller groups of around 10 or more. They communicate with one another through a series of sounds.
Their diet consists of a wide variety of fish and other sea animals. They are able to hold their breath for up to 10 minutes by slowing down their heart rate, allowing them to hunt for their prey for a longer period of time. They have been known to continuously hunt for up to 30 hours at a time, with their eyesight and hearing playing an important part in finding their food. Being so large, they do not have that many natural predators (天敌) that they need to be on the lookout for.
Eleven months after getting pregnant, the female will give birth to one baby on land. If the baby can survive long enough, they can live to be 20 to 25 years old.
California sea lions are not listed as an endangered species. This is largely because of laws such as the US Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Hopefully such acts will continue to show results.What do we know about California sea lions?
| A．They weigh at least 113 kilograms. |
| B．They swim faster than any other sea animal. |
| C．Males are much larger than females. |
| D．They usually move very slowly after leaving the sea. |
Which of the following descriptions about California sea lions might NOT be true?
| A．About 1,000 of them are often seen together on a shore. |
| B．Hundreds of them hunt together at sea. |
| C．They are often seen near rocky shores along the Pacific coast. |
| D．They make a series of sounds to communicate with each other. |
California sea lions slow down their heart rate in order to .
| A．swim faster at sea |
| B．have a rest while hunting |
| C．hunt for over 30 hours at a time |
| D．stay in water for a longer time |
What is the main reason why California sea lions aren’t endangered?
| A．That they are not worth much money. | B．That they have no natural enemies. |
| C．That they are protected well by laws. | D．That they are good at raising the young. |