In this section there are six reading passages followed by a
total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your
answers on your coloured answer sheet. TEXT A The prevention of illness
through exercise and nutrition was a small step from movements like hydropathy
(which advocated the "natural" healing powers of water), to the idea that fresh
air, healthy food, and exercise could be beneficial. The physical fitness
movement in America followed the influx of a large number of German immigrants
who fled their country due to the 1848 revolution. The movement began there with
Fredrich Ludwig Jahn, who unified exercise and sport with German history and
tradition and saw a connection between mental and physical health. Charles
Follen, a Jahn student, led the movement in America, organizing the Round Hill
School at Harvard, which stressed rigorous mental and physical exercise. In the
mid-west, the Germans established their first gymnastic institution called the
Turnverein in Cincinnati in 1848. Later called the Turners, these groups
developed nationally and organized outings of picnics, games, gymnastics, and
celebrations of German culture. Catherine Beecher promoted
physical fitness for women, and felt that corsets not only made such exercise
impossible, but actually deformed women’s bodies, and could even be passed on
to future generations and degrade the race. She was also an advocate of
improving nutrition, and an early opponent of gluttony, believing condiments on
food stimulated the appetite towards excess. Others championed
vegetarianism, or saw lack of sunshine as a cause of stomach discomfort.
Regardless of their particular bent, all of the food reformers had a common
philosophy: had eating habits led to social disorder. Like physical fitness
proponents, they saw a connection between reshaping the body and reshaping
American society to improve the individual and the country. The
physical fitness movement declined in the years preceding the Civil War, then
revived, as Americans became city dwellers and took sedentary jobs. Advocates
promoted "Muscular Christianity", a movement begun in England, which stressed
that the best and most moral Christians were those with sound bodies. Indian
clubs became a favorite exercise tool with entire books written for club
exercises. Team sports became popular after 1865, reflecting America’s growing
urbanization. The most popular was baseball, and in 1879 the Cincinnati Red
Stockings became the country’s first professional team. By the 1900s, Luther
Gulick transformed the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) into the epitome
of "Muscular Christianity". It became the largest organization of urban
gymnasiums and fitness centers in America. Why did the physical fitness movement revive after the Civil Ware______.
A.Because people returned to their usual occupations. B.Because "Muscular Christianity" became popular. C.Because of urbanization. D.Because of physical injuries caused by the war.