Liu Genghong, a Taiwan-born singer, has     1     (surprise) become an online hit for his workout livestreaming (直播) from his home on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. Liu’s workout sessions have been so popular     2     they have broken Douyin’s livestreaming record for 2022 so far.

Chinese musician Jay Chou’s songs often serve     3     Liu’s background music. One of his most-watched workout routines     4     (set) to “Herbalist Manual” (本草纲目) from Jay Chou’s Still Fantasy album. In his livestreams, Liu and his wife exercise and dance to up-beat songs while     5     (explain) and showing their moves.     6     Liu’s dance moves look simple, they are often too intense (剧烈) for his audience     7     (follow).

Many netizens even joked that     8     49-year-old was facing a popularity contest with Li Jiaqi, China’s “livestreaming king”     9     (know) for his sales tactics (策略). “Mr. Li empties our wallet,     10     Liu Genghong empties our body,” joked a netizen.

Nowadays, football is one of the most popular sports in     1    world. Its history    2     (go) back over two thousand years to ancient China, and it was known as cuju then. Modern football started in Great Britain,    3     the new game rules were made.

Football is simple and very cheap    4    (play), which is perhaps the basis of the popularity. People needn’t expensive equipment    5    the football doesn’t cost much money.

Another factor behind    6    (it) global popularity is the creativity on the field. It is attractive    7    millions of people. People can see children playing with a ball everywhere. People also can feel the    8    (excite) of a game even without recognizing the skill of professional players.

What’s more, it has become one of the    9    (good) ways for people to communicate. It doesn’t require    10    (word), but everyone can understand it. It breaks down walls and brings people together on and off the field.

As the experts say, swimming is an excellent way to work your entire body. An hour of swimming     1     (burn) almost as many calories as running. There are a host of benefits you may gain from swimming     2     (regular).

One of    3     biggest benefits of swimming is that it truly works well from head to toe. It can not only increase your heart rate without     4     (stress) your body, but also build up your muscles and strength. Besides, swimming makes your heart and lung strong.     5     (research) say that it may even reduce your risk of death.     6     (compare) with inactive people, swimmers have about half the risk of death. Some other studies have shown that swimming may help lower blood pressure and control blood sugar.

The number of persons     7     experience some level of insomnia (失眠症) is increasing, so this is excellent news — the researchers conclude that swimming is a potentially powerful way     8     (relieve) stress quickly and promote deeper sleep.

As with any workout, there are certain risks associated with swimming. If you     9     (injure) or have certain medical conditions, be sure to check with your doctor before swimming.     10     general, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor whenever you start a new exercise program.

Winter Solstice Festival

As early as 2,500 years ago, about the Spring and Autumn Period, China decided the point of Winter Solstice by observing the    1     (move) of the sun. The time will be each December 21 or 22 according to the Gregorian calendar.

The Northern hemisphere on this day experiences the    2    (short)daytime and longest nighttime. As ancient Chinese thought, the yang, positive things, will become stronger and stronger after this day,    3     it should be celebrated.

The Winter Solstice became a festival during the Han Dynasty and thrived in the Tang and Song dynasties. The Han people    4    (regard) Winter Solstice as a “Winter Festival", so officials would organize celebrating     5    (active). On this day, both officials and common people would have a rest. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day to offer sacrifices(祭品) to Heaven and ancestors. The Qing Dynasty even had the record that “Winter Solstice is as formal as the Spring Festival", representing the great importance     6    (attach) to this day.

In some parts of Northern China people eat dumplings,    7    will keep them from frost in the upcoming winter. But in parts of South China, the whole family will get together to have     8     special meal made of red-bean and rice to drive away bad things. The Winter Solstice dumplings could    9     (use) as sacrifices to ancestors, or gifts for friends and relative. People of the same family name gather together to honor their ancestors    10    age order. After the ceremony, there is always a big dinner.

Chinese Herbal(草本的) Medicine

Genuine Chinese people have found thousands of plants and herbs associated with the     1    （treat）of diseases, so herbal medicine is really     2    large system. Doctors would analyze their nature or property such as “cold and hot” or “yin and yang”, use all sorts of raw     3    （material）, and mix them to cure disease. Thus it is also different from the western medicine.

About the classification, in the Compendium（纲）of Material Medical by Li Shizhen in the Tang Dynasty （618-907）, there are 1892 types     4    （record）. Today we can     5    （brief）divide them into roots, rhizome(根茎), leaf, flower, seeds, grass, vines（藤蔓）, and so on.

Of course these raw（生的） herbs cannot be eaten when put before you; they need your own hand to prepare.     6       patients take is decoction（煎汁）of the herbs.

The quality is concerned     7     the decocting jar, quantity of water, and the frequency of decoction. Doctors suggest that water amount       8    （control）according to the nature of absorbing. Because the herbs bought from the chemist’s are usually dry, most of     9     need to be immersed into the water for 1-3 hours before decocting. The effect after 2 or 3 times’ decoction is     10    （good） than once. The mount patients will take is about 200-300 mi for children and 400-600 ml for adults.