Part 1
Questions 1–10
Read the text below about Pilates, and complete the summary that follows. Use UP TO TWO WORDS from the text to complete each gap.
An example (0) has been completed for you.
Pilates
Have you heard of Pilates? Some people call it a sport, but it’s probably more accurate to call it a fitness system, as it consists of a series of exercises that are good for your mind and body, rather than being purely athletic or competitive.
In some ways, Pilates looks similar to yoga, and it is usually practised in a gym, either standing, sitting or lying on a mat. One difference is that Pilates focuses on using the ‘core’ muscles – including those around your stomach, lower back and hips – which are often called the body’s powerhouse because they are so important for enabling safe movement. If it is practised regularly, Pilates can make you stronger, stand straighter, and gain flexibility. It also aims to improve your coordination, so you can move in a more controlled way. Above all, it teaches you how to breathe properly.
Pilates was developed in the early twentieth century by a German man called Joseph Pilates. As a child, he was frequently unwell and was quite weak. When he was growing up, he began to recognise the link between physical and mental health, and he believed that exercise would enable people to overcome their illnesses. He went on to become a skilled gymnast, and he worked for a short time as a circus performer and self-defence instructor. Meanwhile, he was developing his form of exercises, which were based on muscle control. He believed that doing a few well-designed movements, properly performed and in a balanced order, was much more effective than spending hours doing other typical forms of exercise.
Having spent some time living in England, Joseph Pilates moved to New York, where he opened what
