Unit 2 Be sporty,be healthy
Reading
A beginner's guide to exercise
体育锻炼之门
You want to start doing exercise?Congratulations!You have just taken your first step towards a new and improved you! 想开始锻炼身体了吗？祝贺你！你已经向新的、更好的自己跨出了第一步。
Understanding the benefits of exercise
了解锻炼的益处
Most people assume that regular exercise does wonders for the body and mind—but what exactly are its health benefits?To start with,physical activity increases the efficiency of your heart and lungs.During exercise,your heart and lungs must work harder.This extra effort makes them grow stronger over the long term.It has also been proven that active people tend to have better immune systems and are at lower risk of diseases.Moreover,exercise is good for your mental health.Working out can help you reduce stress and get over negative feelings.Some studies even show that exercise improves certain
brain functions,meaning you could actually exercise your way to better performance at school!
大多数人都认为经常锻炼对身心大有益处—不过，锻炼究竟对健康有哪些好处呢？首先，体育活动能增强心肺功能。在锻炼时，你的心脏和肺必须更卖力地工作。久而久之，这些额外的工作使它们变得更强壮。有证据表明，经常锻炼的人往往免疫系统会更好，患病的风险更低。另外，锻炼对心理健康有好处。锻炼身体能帮你缓解心理压力，克服负面情绪。甚至有研究显示锻炼可以改善某些大脑机能，也就是说，通过锻炼，你确实可以提高自己的学习成绩。
Planning your exercise routine
规划日常锻炼
When you plan an exercise routine,the first thing to consider is what you expect to improve:heart and lung efficiency,muscle strength or flexibility.Aerobic activities,like jogging,swimming and skiing,develop your heart and lungs.Strength training,such as pull—ups and weightlifting,increases muscle strength and encourages bone development.Flexibility training,including gymnastics and tai chi,helps stretch your muscles and improve your body's range of movement.These types of exercise all
play a role in a healthy routine.Above all,choose activitise you enjoy because,in this way,you're more likely to stick with them.
在做日常锻炼的规划时，首先要考虑的是你想要提升哪方面：是心肺功能，还是肌肉强度，抑或是柔韧性。像慢跑、游泳和滑雪这样的有氧运动，能增强心肺功能。力量训练，比如引体向上和举重，能增强肌肉强度，促进骨骼发育。柔韧性训练，包括体操和太极拳，有助于舒展肌肉，增大机体活动幅度。在一套健康的日常锻炼项目中，以上三种锻炼都是不可或缺的。而最重要的是，要挑选你喜欢的项目，因为这样才更有可能持之以恒。
Eating and dringking right 饮食得当
Like cars that run on petrol,your body burns carbohydrates for energy.Foods like noodles,rice,fruit and vegetables give your body plenty of carbohydrates to keep up you energy during a long workout.To help your muscles recover and repair themselves after exercise,you need to eat foods rich in protein,such as fish,eggs and milk products.When to eat is also of great importance.In general,you should have your meal an average of 1.5 yo 2.5 hours before exercising.Do not eat immediately after exercise;instead,wait at least 30 minutes after
a typical routine,or as much as an hour after a hard workout.Remember to drink throughout exercise to make up for water lost to sweat.
就像汽车要烧汽油才能跑，你的身体也要燃烧碳水化合物来获取能量。米面果蔬等食物为身体提供丰富的碳水化合物，使你有充足的能量做长时间运动。锻炼后，为帮助肌肉恢复和自我修复，你需要吃些高蛋白食物，比如鱼、蛋和乳制品。什么时间吃也很重要。一般情况下，应该在锻炼之前一个半到两个半小时进食。运动后不要马上吃东西，如果是常规锻炼，至少过半小时再吃；如果是高强度锻炼，就需要等一小时后再吃。锻炼过程中别忘了喝水，一弥补出汗损耗的水分。
Avoiding injury
避免受伤
To prevent soft tissue injury,make sure that you wear proper clothes and equipment when exercising.You should also start small and slowly work your way to a longer and harder exercise routine to avoid getting hurt.Finally,remember to warm up before exercising and stretch at the end of your workout. 为避免软组织受伤，锻炼时一定要穿戴合适的衣服和护具。此外，刚开始锻炼强度要小，要循序渐进的增
加锻炼的时间和强度，以防受伤。最后，记住锻炼前要热身，结束后要拉伸。
So,now you know the benefits of exercise and how to do it safely and effectively.What are you waiting for?
现在，你已经明白了锻炼的好处，也知道如何安全高效地锻炼了。那么，你还在等什么呢？
Extended reading 拓展阅读
Finding a balance:my tai chi experience
找到平衡：我的太极拳经验
When my friend first suggested that we join the new Tai Chi Club at school,I hesitated.I always believed tai chi was for old people.After the first class,however,I had to admit that I had been wrong about tai chi.It was amazing!One year later,I can honestly say it has had a huge effect on me physically and mentally.Just as importantly,practising tai chi has inspired me to explore the Chinese culture behind it.
一开始，当朋友建议我们参加学校新成立的太极拳俱乐部时，我犹豫了。我过去一直觉得太极拳是老年人的运动。不过，上完第一节课后，我不得不承认，我之前对太极拳的认识是错误的。太极拳实在是太神奇了。一年后，我可以实话实说了，太极拳对我的身心
都产生了巨大的影响。同样重要的是，练习太极拳还激励了我去探索其背后的中国文化。
The first few tai chi classes were fun and easy,and the moves really caught my imagination,with descriptive names like "white crane spreading its wings"and "golden rooster standing on ong leg".When I asked my coach where these interesting names came from,he told me about the history of tai chi.Zhang Sanfeng,a 13th—century Taoist,was said to have invented tai chi after drawing inspiration from a fight between a snake and a bird.However,nowadays people tend to believe that Chen Wangting,a 17th—century master of Chinese martial arts,developed tai chi based on martial arts skills.No wonder some tai chi moves are named after animals—Chinese martial arts have a long—standing practice of imitating animals.Chen Wangting's original set of moves is called Chen—style tai chi,but other styles of tai chi have since been developed,including Yang—style,Wu—style and Sun—style.
前几节太极拳课非常有趣，也不难学，像“白鹤亮翅”“金鸡独立”这些很形象的招式名称确实很对我胃口。当我问教练，这些有趣的名称从何而来时，他
向我道出了太极拳的历史。传说13世纪时，一个叫张三丰的道士从蛇和鸟的缠斗中汲取灵感，创立了太极拳。不过如今人们倾向于认为太极拳是17世纪的武学大师陈王廷根据武术技巧演化而来的。由于中国武术中模拟动物的做法由来已久，太极拳的部分招式以动物来命名也就不足为奇了。陈王廷最初创编的招式称为陈氏太极拳，后来也发展出了其他门类的太极拳，包括杨氏太极拳、吴氏太极拳和孙氏太极拳。
After learning the basics of tai chi in those first few classes,I found myself bored and aching from doing the same moves over and over again.Luckily,my coach taught me how to relax my muscles and focus on peace of mind while performing the routine.With these requirements of tai chi in mind,I found to my satisfaction that my balance and flexibility slowly improved,that I was able to do more difficult moves,and that my love for tai chi returned stronger than ever.
学完前几节太极拳基础课后，我发现一遍又一遍重复这些招式让我心生厌倦，而且肌肉酸痛。幸运的是，教练教会了我放松肌肉的方法，以及在日常练习时如何注意心境的平和。将太极拳的这些要求铭记于心，慢慢地，我发现自己的平衡能力和柔韧性得到了改善，
我可以尝试一些难度更大的招式，我对太极拳的热爱又回来了，而且比以前更强烈，这令我十分满意。
In time,I began to look into the ancient Chinese culture behind tai chi.I discovered that tai chi is deeply rooted in the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang,which are believed to form the unity of opposites.Neither can exist independent of the other;for example,there is no shadow without light.The practice of tai chi aims to maintain the balance of yin and yang in the body through opposite movements:forwards and backwards,up and down,left and right,breathing in and breathing out.Eventually,tai chi brings about a state of physical balance and mental peace.
我不失时机地开始探寻太极拳背后的中国古代文化。我发现，太极拳深深地扎根于中国的阴阳学说之中，人们认为阴和阳构成了对立统一，彼此不能独立存在：比如，没有光就不会有影子。练习太极拳旨在通过一些相对的动作—进退、上下、左右、吐纳—来维持人体内部的阴阳调和。最终，太极拳可以带来一种身心平衡的状态。
A year of practising tai chi has had a positive effect on my everyday life.I sleep better at night,and I am more energetic during the day.I feel happier and more confident.Tai chi has
taught me to relax my mind,enabling me to stay cool in stressful situations.I am sure I will continue to practise tai chi and enjoy the benefits it has brought me.
一年练习太极拳的经历已经对我的日常生活产生了积极的作用。晚上我睡得更香，白天则精力更充沛。幸福感倍增，人也更加自信。太极拳让我学会了放松心态，使我在有压力的环境下也能冷静应对。我相信我一定会继续练习太极拳，并不断地享受太极拳带给我的好处。