Directions: You are expected to study this section in class. Don’t preview.

1. Word Pretest

For each italicized word or expression, choose the best meaning below.

1. There are many myths about the cause of cancer. Unfortunately many people believe them.
A. untrue beliefs　　 B. true beliefs 　　C. religious beliefs 　　D. old beliefs
2. There’s been a boom in exports this year; the increase is tremendous.
A. fall 　　　　B. mistake 　　　　C. growth　　　 D. flaw.
3. Centuries ago people had an erroneous belief that the earth was flat.
A. true 　　　B. strong 　　　C. right 　　　D. mistaken
4. This is difficult and exhausting job.
A. rewarding 　　B. tiring 　　C. interesting 　　D. challenging
5. She is very lean and thus weak, compared with other girls in the class.
A. pretty　　 　B. ugly 　　　C. thin 　　　D. poor
6. She can’t skate well yet — she is only a novice.
A. beginner 　　B. newcomer 　　C. novelty　　 D. visitor
7. A stationary target is easy to aim at.
A. stationery　　 B. station 　　C. moving 　　D. fixed
8. After he finished 1000 meters race, he gasped for air.
A. took in breath slowly　　 B. took in breath quickly
C. took in breath easily 　　D. took in breath smoothly

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Text　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　Some Myths about Physical Fitness

1.  One of the most surprising characteristics of the fitness boom is how little many people seem to know about the subject. In fact, even those who’ve been exercising for years have wrong ideas about how exercise and their bodies work. Here are some of  the most common misconceptions:
Myth 1: I’ve been doing 100 sit-ups and side bends a day for weeks. Why can’t I get rid of my fat waist?
2.  Because spot reduction is almost impossible. “When you use fat, it comes from fatty substances throughout the body, not from one specific part,” says Robert M.  Otto, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Adolphi University. Sit-ups are fine for strengthening the abdominal muscles, but they won’t melt fat away.
3.  So how do you lose fat? It seems relatively simple: just burn off more calories through exercise than you take in through food. Even then problem weight may be the last to go: There’s a genetic tendency to lay down fat in certain areas. We lose weight last from the place we put it on first. For most men, that will be in the abdominal or side areas, and for most women the upper thighs, buttocks and arms.
Myth 2: If I keep lifting weights, I’m going to end up looking like one of those heavily muscled body builders.
4. Don’t worry, you won’t — not unless you’re the one in a million with the genes of an Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even then, you’d have to experience the same kind of exhausting physical exercise that most body builders do. The average person who works out three times a week for a half-hour will never get this look.
Myth 3: I don’t really need to lose weight. I just want to redistribute what I’ve got.
5. “You can’t redistribute weight,” says Otto. “We’re talking about two different elements — fat, and lean body mass, which includes muscle, bone and internal organs.” If you want t maintain your same basic weight, it’s a two-part process: you need to lose fat while gaining lean body tissue. There’s no way fat can be changed into muscle.
6.  This misconception is the basis for another related myth:
Myth 4: I don’t want to start building muscle, because if I stop exercising my muscle will turn to fat.
7.  To repeat: muscle can’t turn into fat. Fat can’t turn into muscle. “The reason many retired athletes often appear overweight is simple: They don’t use their muscles as much as they did. Thus their muscles get smaller. But they’re still eating about the amount they used to, so they gain fat.

Myth 5: The harder I work, the faster I’ll burn off calories.
8.  Eager to get in shape, the novice gets on a stationary bike, and pedals away. A few minutes later, he is forced to stop, gasping for breath, but proud because he gave his heart a real exercise and burned off plenty of calories. Or did he?
9.  In terms of caloric expenditures, time is more important than intensity, and the average person cannot exercise at a high intensity for very long. A slower, steady speed is going to burn off more calories in the long run than are short and exhaustive exercise.

Myth 6: No pain, no gain.
10.  This may be true if you’re training for the Olympic team. But for the average person, pain is a warning. Everyone should pay attention to what his body tells him. If it hurts, stop.
11.  That doesn’t mean exercise should involve no strain or stress. There is a difference between pain and discomfort. True pain indicates an injury. The treatment for injury is rest, not more pain.

Myth 7: I want to lose weight fast, so I’ll wear an extra sweat suit while I jog.
12.  “Increase sweating merely makes you loose water more quickly,” says Otto. “When you weigh yourself, that will appear as weight loss. But within twenty-four to thirty-six hours your body will return to normal weight. It’s simply a temporary water- weight loss that you’re seeing. And, under some conditions, that loss could be dangerous.”

Myth 8: If some exercise is good, more must be better.
13.  Too much of a good thing can have negative consequences. Overtraining is a problem, especially for beginners. The body needs time to rest and recover. In fact, it’s during those periods of rest that the positive things we seek from training, such as increased muscle mass, take place.
14.  Furthermore, exercise reaches a point of diminishing returns. If you exercise three times a week, you’re making gains. But if you exercise six times a week, your gains will not be twice as great; they’ll be only slightly higher. You also increase the risk of injuries due to overtraining.

Total words: 800
Total reading time:       minutes       seconds         
The text is based on “Ten Great Myths about Physical Fitness”, in Reader’s Digest, March, 1986.

Read each of the selected paragraphs in Text A carefully. Write down its topic in words or phrases, and its main idea in a full sentence.

1. Paragraph 2
Topic:

Main Idea:

2. Paragraph 4
Topic:

Main Idea:

3. Paragraph 7
Topic:

Main Idea:

4. Paragraph 9
Topic:

Main Idea:

5. Paragraph 12
Topic:

Main Idea:

Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. We usually lose weight          .

2. Which one of the following statements is true?

3. If you want to maintain your same basic weight, you need to          .

4. Retired athletes often gain fat because          .

5. In the long run, much caloric expenditure depends on          .

6. If your body hurts through training, you, an average person, should          .

7. Jogging with an extra sweater will make you          .

8. Overstraining may result in          .
A. injury             B. rest 　　 C. recovery           D. disease

① Word Match
Match the following words with their definitions within each group of five words.
gene         share out again in a different way
tissue        basic element of heredity, passed from parents to their children
redistribute    pressure
expenditure   a sudden short period of great activity
burst         spending or using up
lapse         including everything
diet          a failure in correct behavior; a small mistake
yo-yo        the largest number
overall       changing repeatedly
maximum     a limited list of food or drink that one is allowed

subtract       observe
accumulation   pressure
strain         very fat
monitor       take (a number, amount, etc.) from something larger
obese         the collecting together of things over a period of time
Complete the sentences by using the words above. Change the forms if necessary.
1. If you          2 from 30, you’ll be left with 28.
2. With a final          of speed she overtook the leading runner and won the   race
3. The doctor has been          the patient’s illness.
4. My          impression of his work is good
5. The company will          its profits among its employees.
6. Mary is going on a          in order to lose weight.
7. If they overeat, they are very likely to become          .
8. Don’t put too much          on the little boy.
②Prefix
Many words in this unit begin with prefixes pre-, physi- and sub-. Study the  examples and their meanings, and then list some more words with this prefix in the space provided. Add more if you can.

prefix       example                   meaning
pre-         predict, premature          before
post-        postgraduate, postwar        after
physi-       physical, physiology         of the body, of living things
sub-        subsoil, sub-committee        after

pre-, post-   1.          2.          3.          4.          5.          
6.          7.          8.          9.          10.          
physi-, sub-  1.          2.          3.          4.          5.          
6.          7.          8.          9.          10.          
Read each of the following sentences and decide the meaning of the italicized word.
1. The words that precede this paragraph are really important in this essay.
2. Mr. Ford went to his office by subway.
3. A pregnant woman will have some physiological changes.
4. There are many interesting cartoon programs on TV for preschool children.
5. In winter we often have subzero temperatures.
6. A weight lifter always has a strong physique.
7. The boy’s answer seemed to come from the subconscious.
8. The readers and critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the posthumous publication of his last novel that they recognized his great talent.

Fill in each of the blanks with a word given below.
joggers     shoes       far        distance     protect
run        later        advice     difficulty    short

　　Every day, in all kinds of weather, many thousands of men and women jog. Why has jogging — running slowly for long distances — become so popular? Most          
Begin because they hear it is very good exercise. Jogging makes the heart stronger and helps lose weight. It can also help them feel better about themselves.
　　Does jogging cost much? No, it costs almost nothing. But it is very important to have a good pair of          that were made especially for jogging. They          your feet and legs from the shock of running on hard surfaces.
　　How fast should you go? Jog with a friend and talk to each others as your run. If you have          talking, you’re going too fast.
　　How         should you jog? Remember not to go too far too soon. In fact, you should walk, not run, the first few times. Then do some        jogs, but no more than what you can do comfortably. After that, increase your         a quarter or half mile every two weeks or so. Maybe in a few years, you too can          in a marathon. Thousands of people do.

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