Race walking shares many fitness benefits with running, research shows, while most likely contributing to fewer injuries. It does, however, have its own problem.
Race walkers are conditioned athletes. The longest track and field event at the Summer Olympics is the 50-kilometer race walk, which is about five miles longer than the marathon. But the sport’s rules require that a race walker’s knees stay straight through most of the leg swing and one foot remain in contact (接触) with the ground at all times. It’s this strange form that makes race walking such an attractive activity, however, says Jaclyn Norberg, an assistant professor of exercise science at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.
Like running, race walking is physically demanding, she says, According to most calculations, race walkers moving at a pace of six miles per hour would burn about 800 calories(卡路里) per hour, which is approximately twice as many as they would burn walking, although fewer than running, which would probably burn about 1,000 or more calories per hour.
However, race walking does not pound the body as much as running does, Dr. Norberg says. According to her research, runners hit the ground with as much as four times their body weight per step, while race walkers, who do not leave the ground, create only about 1.4 times their body weight with each step.
As a result, she says, some of the injuries associated with running, such as runner’s knee, are uncommon among race walkers. But the sport’s strange form does place considerable stress on the ankles and hips, so people with a history of such injuries might want to be cautious in adopting the sport. In fact, anyone wishing to try race walking should probably first consult a coach or experienced racer to learn proper technique, she says. It takes some practice.
1．Why are race walkers conditioned athletes?| A．They must run long distances. |
| B．They are qualified for the marathon. |
| C．They have to follow special rules. |
| D．They are good at swinging their legs. |
| A．It’s more popular at the Olympics. |
| B．It’s less challenging physically. |
| C．It’s more effective in body building. |
| D．It’s less likely to cause knee injuries. |
| A．Getting experts’ opinions. |
| B．Having a medical checkup. |
| C．Hiring an experienced coach. |
| D．Doing regular exercises. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. |
| C．Tolerant. | D．Conservative. |
In a small town, there lived a young boy named Tom, who came from a poor family. Determined to gather enough money for his education, Tom decided to start a challenging journey, going door to door selling various items. Little did he know, his life was about to change with the arrival of a compassionate (有同情心的) young woman named Lucy.
While talking with Tom, Lucy, a kind-hearted individual, knew about Tom’s struggles. She thought she could do something to help him. She told Tom that education was the key to transforming his life. Determined to make a difference, Lucy gave Tom a sum of money so that he could afford his tuition fee (学费).
Moved by Lucy’s kindness and genuine concern, Tom was filled with gratitude. He was determined to seize this opportunity and remembered Lucy’s act of compassion throughout his journey towards success.
With renewed determination, Tom devoted himself to his studies, working diligently to overcome the obstacles that lay in his path. He strived for excellence and seized every learning opportunity that came his way. Tom’s pursuit of knowledge eventually paid off, pushing him towards a bright and successful future.
Years passed, and Tom worked hard and never gave up. He did really well in his chosen job and people respected him. Even though he achieved a lot, he never forgot how kind Lucy was to him.
One day, fate made Tom see Lucy when she was having a tough time. Even after a long time, Tom recognized her right away and knew he owed her something. Remembering how kind Lucy had been, Tom felt a strong urge to repay Lucy’s kindness, so he went to her and thanked her sincerely. He promised to stand by her side during her tough times. Tom listened carefully as Lucy shared her struggles and problems. He supported her wholeheartedly and offered a shoulder to lean on.
Tom realized that Lucy needed more than just money.
Besides his support, Tom organized a community fundraiser for Lucy.
It’s easy to blame an achy neck and stiff shoulder on bad posture. But on many desks, experts agree, the quiet culprit is your mouse.
“There are a lot of delicate body parts involved in mousing,” explains Cameron Stiehl, a San Francisco-based ergonomic assessment specialist. “When you’re at the computer for hours at a time, having a mouse that doesn’t fit properly or is positioned incorrectly can cause soft-tissue injuries in the fingers, wrists, hands, elbows and even in the shoulder.” Countless ergonomic mouse models promise improvement. If you’re ready for a level up, here are four mice that will give you a hand.
| 1 | Semi-vertical mice like the Logitech MX Master 3S have a 30 to 45-degree slant, which can help reduce stress on the forearm muscles. It can help relieve discomfort from epicondylitis (or ‘tennis elbow’) or help a sore wrist. At 141 grams, the MX Master 3S is a bit heavy but is designed to be especially responsive so that you needn’t move it too much. You can also custom-program the functions of the mouse’s seven buttons and two scroll wheels, letting you avoid certain repetitive motions that can cause injuries. $100, Logitech. com |
| 2 | Look past their uncanny resemblance to Kubrick’s HAL 9000. Trackball mice can be particularly helpful for treating shoulder discomfort by limiting most of your mousing movement to the fingers and wrist. For the most natural motion, Stiehl suggests the Kensington Orbit Trackball. It has both the namespace feature for moving your cursor with little effort and a ring-style scroll wheel encircling it. Unlike traditional scrollers, you use it like a dial. This, Stiehl says, makes the mouse “especially good for people who have issues like trigger finger” (when bending your digits causes them to painfully click and pop). The Orbit also takes the ergonomics a step further, with an included, detachable wrist rest. $50, Kensington. com |
| 3 | A vertical mouse lets you position your hand not flat but tilted sideways as if you’re shaking hands with the device. This position, reduces wrist and forearm movement and can be soothing. The Logitech Lift version’s small footprint and light weight (125 grams) make it a good fit for small hands. “It’s not a long vertical, so I think it can be very comfortable if it fits the hand,” said Stiehl. Six buttons allow for control customization, and it comes in three colors (including a very cute rose), and is made of mostly recycled material. $70, Logitech. com |
| 4 | Working away from your desk doesn’t mean you can’t cast an eye toward ergonomics. The Lenovo Go Wireless Vertical Mouse is a compact vertical mouse, powered by a single replaceable AA battery, which the manufacture r promises will last a year. It also features a handsome cork thumb divot. But the selling point is its smaller footprint, which makes it easy to pack with your laptop. $50, Lenovo. com |
A． | B．  | C．  | D．3 |
| A．Logitech MX Master 3S. | B．Kensington Orbit Trackball. |
| C．Logitech Lift. | D．Lenovo Go Wireless Vertical Mouse. |
| A．Suited for smaller hands. | B．A universal upgrade. |
| C．Trigger finger treater. | D．Ergonomics can go everywhere. |
Going to extremes
James Kevin recently jumped out of a plane over a mountain, and then snow boarded down it.
One popular theory is that extreme sports have evolved as a reaction to our increasingly safe lifestyles. In the past, just staying alive and finding enough food to eat was a daily challenge but now in most developed countries, that is no longer the case.
Another theory argues that extreme sports attract adrenaline junkies.
However, for psychologist Eric Brymer, neither of these theories is accurate. Having interviewed many extreme sports men and women, he doesn’t believe they are thrill-seekers who risk their lives for an adrenaline high, or people who find modern life too safe so feel the need to take risks.
It seems that extreme sports participants may have been given a bad press. Whichever theory you believe, you may be able to benefit from some extreme sports. They aren’t all as dangerous as base jumping. So why not give one a go？
| A．Critics say that these foolhardy people endanger themselves and others and should therefore have to pay for their own treatment. |
| B．These are people who do them for the danger, because they get an adrenaline rush and feel a “high” when they participate. |
| C．Last year he tried base jumping and whitewater kayaking. |
| D．Not everyone enjoys the thrill of extreme sports-- for some people that are a terrifying experience. |
| E．In contrast, his research shows that for participants risk-taking doesn’t come into it at all. |
| F．As a result, some people feel that need to experience the thrill of risk-taking to counteract this. |
It was Susan’s 12th birthday. She had been expecting to receive a yo-yo (悠悠球) from her parents as her birthday gift for several months. However, she received a purple dress instead, which made her really disappointed.
“I only want a yo-yo as my birthday present. I don’t want the dress and I hate purple.” Susan shouted at her mother when she saw the dress. “Even a five-year-old child has a yo-yo. Do you know why others don’t want to be my friends? It is all because I don’t have a yo-yo. It is so boring to live in this house,” Susan said angrily.
Her mother ignored her complaints and changed the topic, saying, “Uncle Brown, Uncle Smith, Aunt Aniston and their children are coming for dinner tonight. So, you can play with your cousins.” “But, I don’t think there is anything interesting to play in the house.” Susan complained again.
The guests arrived at 6:00 pm. Susan guided the four children who came with the adults to her room. “Do you have any interesting toys? Susan...” asked Jim, one of the children. Susan felt that Jim was asking for a yo-yo. She felt embarrassed and brought out her Snakes and Ladders (蛇梯棋). All the children played the game together. Everyone enjoyed playing the game except Susan. After a little while, her cousin Sara asked, “Susan, can we go downstairs to the basement?” Susan said, “No, there is nothing interesting to play in it. Ignoring Susan’s words, the children raced to the basement excitedly. They found there were some empty cartons, ropes, old broken toys…” Upon seeing this, Sara came up with an idea- the memory game. She arranged a few things on the floor and closed her eyes. Then Jim took away an object randomly and Sara should guess what the missing object was.
When Susan arrived there later, she looked at the children in surprise.
That night after the guests left, Susan sat alone in her room.
| A．had left; came | B．has left; comes |
| C．left; had come | D．had left; would come |
| A．whose | B．which | C．to which | D．to whose |
| A．one of them; where | B．one of them; that |
| C．one of which; that | D．one of which; where |
| A．that | B．which | C．for what | D．on which |
| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. |
| A．He can fly in the sky. |
| B．He can create force fields. |
| C．He can operate unusual devices. |
| A．They run a school. |
| B．They control everything. |
| C．They help the community. |
| A．Working hard at school. |
| B．Learning to be independent. |
| C．Applying science to daily life. |
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