Nenad Bach, an American composer and singer who lives with Parkinson’s disease (帕金森病) is the founder of “Ping-pong Parkinson”, a movement that promotes ping-pong as a therapy (疗法) to improve the lives of Parkinson’s patients worldwide.

After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010, Bach found that his tremors (颤抖) and other symptoms were keeping him from playing his guitar. But a friend introduced him to ping-pong, also known as table tennis, and he soon found that both his motor skills and his mood seemed to improve when he played. Bach’s doctor confirmed his improved state. And that’s when the idea for “Ping-pong Parkinson” took root.

In 2017, Bach worked with well-known New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz. Shortz also happens to be the owner of the Westchester Table Tennis Center. In October of 2019, the first Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championship was held at the Center, attracting people with Parkinson’s disease from as far away as Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Croatia, England, and China.

Recently, a small study was conducted by scientists at Fukuoka University in Japan. People with Parkinson’s disease participated in a table tennis exercise program once a week for six months. Participants experienced significant improvements in facial expression, posture rigidity, speed of movement and hand tremors. They also experienced improvements in speech, handwriting, getting dressed, getting out of bed and walking.

Dr. Ken-ichi Inoue, the study’s author, comments, “While this study was small, with twelve participants, the results are encouraging because they show ping-pong, a relatively inexpensive form of therapy, may improve some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.” Dr. Inoue is planning a much larger study to confirm his findings.

【小题1】Why did Bach pick up ping-pong?

A．He found it great fun.

B．He followed his doctor’s advice.

C．He wanted to improve his conditions.

D．His friend needed someone to play it with.

【小题2】What can be inferred from the text?

A．“Ping-pong Parkinson” met with wide objections.

B．Doing word puzzles benefits people living with Parkinson’s disease.

C．Bach taught people living with Parkinson’s disease to play the guitar.

D．The first Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championship was held in the US.

【小题3】What is a limitation of Dr. Inoue’s research?

A．Small subject number.	B．Short studying period.
C．Incomplete study aspects.	D．Limited subject performances.

【小题4】What’s the author’s intention in writing the text?

A．To promote a sports event.

B．To tell the story of Nenad Bach’s struggle.

C．To introduce a therapy for Parkinson’s disease.

D．To present the findings of Nenad Bach’s research.