01 Read the following passage and identify the paragraphs from which the following opinions are derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter.

Exercise: 9 benefits of regular physical activity

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Want to feel better, have more energy and even add years to your life? Just exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore.

 A）Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.

B）Regular trips to the gym are great, but don’t worry if you can’t find a large chunk of time to exercise every day. Any amount of activity is better than none at all. To reap the benefits of exercise, just get more active throughout your day — take the stairs instead of the elevator or rev up your household chores. Consistency is key.

C）Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight is, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol, and it decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Regular exercise helps prevent or manage many health problems and concerns, including: 

●Stroke

●Metabolic syndrome

●High blood pressure

●Type 2 diabetes

●Depression

●Anxiety

●Many types of cancer

●Arthritis

●Falls

D）Need an emotional lift? Or need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A gym session or brisk walk can help. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier, more relaxed and less anxious. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

E）Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores.

F）Struggling to snooze? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, get better sleep and deepen your sleep. Just don’t exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to go to sleep.

G）Exercise and physical activity can be enjoyable. They give you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. So take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. Bored? Try something new, or do something with friends or family.

H）Exercise and physical activity are great ways to feel better, boost your health and have fun. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends: At least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. The guidelines suggest that you spread this exercise throughout the week. Examples include running, walking or swimming. Even small amounts of physical activity are helpful, and accumulated activity throughout the day adds up to provide health benefits. Strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. Examples include lifting free weights, using weight machines or doing body-weight training. Spread your activities throughout the week. If you want to lose weight, meet specific fitness goals or get even more benefits, you may need to ramp up your moderate aerobic activity to 300 minutes or more a week.

I）Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have any concerns about your fitness, haven't exercised for a long time, have chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes or arthritis.

Disadvantages of Physical Fitness

By Jonathan Thompson

Certified Personal Trainer

J）To understand some of the problems you might encounter on your quest for physical fitness, it's important to understand one basic truth: Exercise damages your body. This damage, though, is a good thing. In response, your brain starts a cascade of biological processes that rebuild the affected tissue stronger than it ever was before. The problem, however, is that stress can become too much if you exercise too hard or too often, denying your body the chance to recover properly. When you run, for example, your knees deal with impact forces that are four times your weight with each step. Running every single day, then, puts your joints through more than they are prepared to handle safely. As a result, you could face any variety of overuse injuries. Used as an umbrella term, overuse injuries can include anything from tendonitis-like tennis elbow-to small stress fractures in the bone.

K）Very closely related to overuse injuries, you could also develop an oft-ignored condition called overtraining syndrome. As the descriptive name suggests, overtraining syndrome occurs when an athlete repeatedly exercises beyond their capacity or tries to push progress too quickly. While overtraining syndrome could- and often does-occur along with overuse injuries, the two conditions are very separate. Unlike overuse injuries, which impact a particular joint or muscle, overtraining syndrome can affect many aspects of your general health and well-being. Some of the most common symptoms of overtraining include: 

●Depression

●Sleep disturbances

●Mood swings

●Decreased physical performance

●Lack of mental focus

●Headaches

●Extreme thirst

●Lack of appetite

●Rapid weight loss or gain

●Increases pain in joints and muscles

●Changes In appetite

L）Frustration and unmet goals are a very really part of the fitness journey. As you work to progress and make chances in your life, things will likely get in your way. Sadly, this could become a major problem for some people. Frequently, individuals who have made many attempts in the past to lose weight or reach some other goal simply give up when those goals are not attained. But the same can also happen to those who have been exercising for years and are already relatively fit. This individuals may find that their progress has slowed or that changes in their circumstances have made it difficult to keep up with the old routine. All of these factors could contribute to discouragement and even depression and anxiety.

M） Although there are some distinct disadvantages to physical fitness, they really are minimal when compared to the potential benefits. Often, these drawbacks can even be avoided altogether through careful planning, setting appropriate goals and following a well-designed program.

(Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389 & https://exercise.lovetoknow.com/Disadvantage_of_Physical_Fitness)

02 Read the following statement. Decide to what degree you agree or disagree to it. Write your own pros or cons of the statement in the box, and set out your viewpoint and the reasons to drive your view point home.