When I walk through the streets, I pass strange rooms where people are doing strange things. Some are biking madly. Others are holding metal bars to keep them from dropping down. Still others are jumping around while someone is shouting at them. It looks like something out of Dante’s Inferno (但丁《神曲》中的《地狱篇》). But what is the most amazing is that people pay for these sufferings!

The strange rooms are gyms. It is reported that some 41 million Americans are gym members. 12% of the memberships are born in January, as they are determined to knock off (使减少) the holiday fat. Maybe it is good to exercise in the gym. However, should they know they can keep in good shape, spending little money, would they still agree with its necessity?

At the age of 23, I joined a gym. I lifted weights twice a week in Muscle’s Gym. I paid as little as $200 per year. You can’t find such gyms in every city any more. Too often, the gym is fancy (花哨的) with lots of equipment. If you ask how much it costs to join it, the person at the front desk often won’t tell you straight. Instead, he’ll let you meet with a fitness consultant (健身顾问), who will provide you with a great number of reasons and suggestions, such as losing weight and getting healthier, just in order to put pressure on you to spend much money joining the gym and becoming a member there.

Working out with the help of equipment at home has problems, too. In the early 2000’s, I bought a spinning bike at a cost of $700 for home use. I tried a few times only to find that it brought me a neck problem.

Now I’m back to my old way. I do Yoga(瑜伽)every morning and evening. Total cost: $60 for an exercise mat (垫子) . I’m enjoying fitness.

1.The strange rooms are places where people _________.

A. do strange things B. suffer from great pains

C. play Dante’s Inferno D. take physical exercise

2.In the author’s opinion, joining a gym nowadays is __________.

A. exciting B. inexpensive C. unnecessary D. helpful

3.The author wrote something about Muscle’s Gym to __________.

A. tell us he was fat when he was young

B. suggest a new way of losing weight

C. provide us with an example of gyms

D. compare it with the gyms of today

4.From the text we can infer that _________.

A. many Americans put on weight after Christmas and New Year’s Day

B. the author and his family had spent a lot of money exercising in gyms

C. 12% of the American people are members of gyms

D. spinning bikes are good equipment for exercise

Every year in America, high-school students who want to go on to college take a national examination called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT in a shortened way. Their score is an important factor in determining which colleges will admit them. The Scholastic Aptitude Test measures one’s mathematical ability and use of the English language. Traditionally, the English part involved grammatical questions and paragraphs that test reading comprehension.

But the SAT folks have added a single question, to be answered in an essay, handwritten on the spot. That’s an interesting way to test writing ability, but content aside. Have you ever seen young people’s handwriting lately? Or anyone’s for that matter, in this age of computer keyboards? Students write numbers and sign their names on bank checks. They scribble class notes in what can generously be described as the written word.

Yet today’s kids are asked to write, thoughtfully and clearly, for several minutes on this SAT Test. Good luck to the text scorers who must work out difficultly the scrawl(潦草的笔迹)of young people who’ve been typing on computers since the age of three! Teachers insist that good handwriting can not only help one’s score on the SAT, but also, later on in life, impress potential employers. And don’t forget, we all have to use handwriting from time to time, as computers go down when the power goes out.

Then how to improve the handwriting? Well, with a few simple steps you can improve your handwriting.[来Position the pen. You should hold the pen between the forefinger and the thumb. You should then rest it near the first knuckle(指节)of the middle finger. The rest of your fingers should be curled(卷曲)under your hand and your hand should remain relaxed.

Evaluate your writing. What do you like and what don’t you like about the way you write? Make changes to your letters till you like how they look.

Take your time. Make sure that, while you are writing, you take your time. Speed can definitely make your writing terrible. If it is worth writing well, then take your time.

Practice. Practice it a lot; it’s not enough to do it once and hope for the best. It has to be something you work at to make great improvements.

1.At present, the SAT tests students on ______.

A.math, English, reading and writing

B.math, grammar, reading and handwriting

C.math, foreign language and writing

D.math, foreign language and handwriting

2.The underlined word “scribble” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A.writing quickly and roughly

B.typing simply and correctly

C.painting clearly and neatly

D.describing properly and well

3.According to the text, good handwriting can ______.

A.help students pass the test

B.make a student more popular

C.show students’ ability

D.assist students in getting a job

4.Which of the following should you avoid when improving your handwriting?

A.Practicing writing a lot.

B.Writing as fast as you can.

C.Relaxing your hand when holding the pen.

D.Changing your letters till you like how they look.

5.The author mainly wants to tell us that ______.

A.writing seems to be very important in the SAT

B.those who will go to college have to take the SAT

C.students should practice handwriting more often

D.kids don’t know how to write in the computer age

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