The Ultra Ironman Triathlon Race (超长铁人三项比赛) is considered one of the most challenging sporting events in the world. Competitors swim, ride a bike, and run. The race is made up of a 3. 86-kilometer swim, a 180. 25-kilometer bicycle ride, and a 42. 2-kilometer run. There are no breaks during the race, so competitors must keep going no matter what. People who choose to enter this race must be healthy and prepared in both mind and body.

There are several rules for those who want to compete in the Ultra Ironman Triathlon Race. The minimum age of racers is 18, so everyone who competes is an adult. Training for the Ironman can take more than a year. People who train often start practicing the events at shorter distances first and then increase the amount of length and time they swim, bike, and run. Training can be difficult because people need to find a balance of strength and endurance (忍耐力) training. Without enough training, people can get harmed. Some people even put on weight when training because their bodies store calories (卡路里) instead of using them for energy. All people in training should drink plenty of water.

In the past 40 years, the Ironman has developed from a single race into a global (全球的) movement. Today’s Ironman races have events of different distances and racers of different ages. Since 2008, Weihai has held the Ironman Triathlon Race once a year. Weihai Triathlon Sports Association (威海铁人三项运动协会) was founded in2011. The 2014 World Triathlon Championships (世界铁人三项锦标赛) was held in Weihai, which was the first time that the event was held in an Asian city.

Look at the pretty WeiWei, the mascot (吉祥物) of Weihai Ironman Triathlon Race.

Exercise is good for people’s health and helps the heart. People take part in other sports and games such as golf or football, but the Ironman is a challenging way to stay fit. Even though it is hard, it can still be fun. It’s a great way to stay active and enjoy life!

Have you heard of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway, which played an important part in serving Beijing Winter Olympic Games? It connects Beijing, Yanqing and Chongli, the three main hosting places together. It shortens the travel time between Beijing and Chongli, from more than three hours to just one hour. Yanqing and Chongli host all ski-related (相关的) events. During peak season, thousands of passengers take the railway every day to ski in Chongli.

If you like, try to experience the hi-tech train and enjoy a travel in style.

Smart operations

Some of the trains along the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway line are smart enough to drive by themselves! They can also open and close the doors automatically (自动地) . There are over 2,700 sensors checking if the train is running smoothly. Most importantly, the trains can run in temperatures as low as -40℃.

Watch on the way

Some carriages have large screens. 5G technology is used to broadcast   (播送) games live. So if you don’t want to miss any of the games during your trip, no need to worry! Media workers can also write news reports based on the live broadcast when they are on the train.

No lost bags

A small smart card will be tied to your luggage   (行李). Connected to your phone through Bluetooth, it can tell you where your luggage is. This way you don’t need to worry about losing your bags!

Safer for babies

Some carriages have beds for babies. Moms no longer need to hold their babies in their arms. Babies can have a sound sleep during the trip. This will also give other passengers a quieter journey.

May 23 in 1981 was a big day for scientist Liu Yinzeng   (刘荫增) . He and his team found seven wild crested ibises   (朱鹮) in Hanzhong, Shanxi province.

“That night, I saw a crested ibis fly across the sky. We ran after it at once and found four adult crested ibises and three young little birds in the woods,” Liu said.

That was the start of China’s efforts to protect the birds. There are 4,400 crested ibises in China, making up most of the bird’s global (全球的) population of over 5,000. It has been more than 40 years since the birds came back.

Crested ibises are one of the oldest birds in the world. There were once lots of crested ibises in Asia. But in the 1960s, they began to disappear because of pollution and other human activities. That was why Liu and his team set out to look for the birds. They spent three years searching in 14 provinces before making their big finding.

Chinese scientists have worked hard to study and protect the birds since then. They have asked people not to hunt (捕猎) the birds, cut down trees, or use fertilizers (化肥) in the places where the birds live. They helped the birds have more babies. Some crested ibises were also sent to Japan and South Korea. All of these countries work together to protect the birds.

Here are five great tips to help you make full use of your time.

    16    

Something may seem important now, but is it important in the long run? In 10 years’ time, 80% of what you do today will not turn into anything useful, so why do it? Spend your time on what is the most important. Forget the rest.

    17    

If you can do something (like a household chore, or reply to an e-mail) in two minutes, don’t put it off. You will have to do it sooner or later, but planning to do it, remembering to do it, and finally doing it in the future will take five minutes or more. Do it now and save three minutes.

    18    

Don’t think that you have to finish a big job all in one sitting. If you do that, you might never start it. Instead, work on it bit by bit, five minutes at a time.

    19    

How do you find time to learn something new or start a new project? Think about all the little “pockets” of time that you have. Every day we have time to kill while we ride on public transport or wait in lines. Other people play games on their phones, but you could be studying a new language. If you have spare minute, use it!

    20    

Always in a rush when you get up? Try brushing your teeth in the shower or eating breakfast while you get dressed. If you do two or more things at once, you’ll be ready for work in no time at all.

Cats and Secrets

In English, there is a common idiom (习语) : “let the cat out of the bag”. It means to tell a secret. But where did this idiom start?

It came from a part of England. Long ago, people there went     51     to sell things like clothes, vegetables, and pigs. They had strong beliefs about honesty. They didn’t like lying. One day, a man went     52     to sell things.

“I have a baby pig for sale! It won’t cost much,” he said. He held the animal above his head. His style was different from honest people’s style. He was a master of tricking people and lying.

A woman named Beth looked at his pig. He     53     her the pig for one gold coin. That was a very small amount. Beth     54     him the coin. He put it in his pocket. He walked ahead of Beth to get the pig.

He gave her a closed bag and said, “Here’s your pig.” He then left very soon.

Beth looked at the bag. It was moving. She opened it to     55     . A cat was inside! “He tricked me! That isn’t proper,” she said.

Later, the man     56     to trick more people. Beth saw him, and the memory of the cat came back. She told her friends. They stopped him. But no one knew     57    .

Someone said, “We need an independent and fair person to decide that.” They went to the judge (法官) . Beth told him about     58    .

The judge asked, “Is there evidence? Can you demonstrate (证明) how he did it?”

“Look in his bag,” said Beth. She opened it and     59    . They learned the man’s secret, and he went to jail (监狱).

That’s how the idiom “let the cat out of the bag” came to mean to     60    .

61. 某英语杂志社Just Ask栏目收到一位青少年Claire的电子邮件，邮件中讲述了自己的困惑，并向大家寻求帮助。认真阅读这封电子邮件，假定你是Sarah或Kevin，请从不同角度给出合理化建议。

I understand you. Once I was also in the similar situation. It’s not easy for us to get through teenage years smoothly. Here are my opinions. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Good luck!

Sarah/Kevin