1 . You may have read that to stay fit and healthy, you need about 30 minutes of exercise each day, at least five days a week. New research suggests that the time we need to spend on daily workouts could be less than that.

Edvard Sagelv, a researcher at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, was part of a team that found being sedentary (久坐的) more than 12 hours a day was associated with a 38 percent higher death risk. This was only the case for individuals who managed less than 22 minutes of medium to high intensive physical activity a day, however, and it is relatively easy to achieve that minimum by taking a brisk (轻快的) walk.

“In research on physical activity, fast walking is estimated to be four kilometres an hour,” he said. Although it may not seem like a lot, it depends on a person’s fitness level. “It is interesting that 4 km/h — a pace achievable for the vast majority of the population — is what it takes to really invest in your physical health,” he added.

For a walk to positively affect your heart, which will then impact your brain and your circulation, you need to “feel it”. To feel the work your body is doing, you need to walk at 4 to 6 kilometres an hour. If you wear a fitness tracker, aim for more than 100 steps a minute.

A recent study published by researchers at the Cambridge University found that just 11 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activities — a brisk walk — was enough to lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers.

Lead author Soren Brage was not surprised by the findings. “Doing some physical activities is better than doing none. This is also a good starting position — if you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you could try stepping it up gradually to the full recommended amount,” he said. The point is that a relatively short period of high-intensity exercise isn’t just better than nothing; it has a measurable and positive impact on health.

2 . Skeet shooting is a type of target sport in which the shooter uses a special gun to hit moving clay target, which are sometimes referred to as “clay pigeons (陶土飞靶)”. This target sport is an important, competitive sport in the Olympic games.     1    

Skeet shooting was invented by the bird hunter in the early nineteenth century under the original name of “clock shooting”. The game was changed slightly and reached a wider audience over the coming years. Once, a competition was held to determine a new name for this shooting game.     2     The term “skeet” is a Scandinavian word meaning “to shoot”.

Today, skeet shooting is as American as apple pie and McDonald’s. At first, fans of the sport were male, but now, a fair number of women also love skeet shooting.     3     For friends or families, skeet shooting at a sporting club can be a fun activity.

    4     Generally, people will need to purchase related equipment, including something guaranteeing personal safety such as safety glasses. And they’d better have a large, private yard. If the players have never done shooting of any kind before, they should also take a safety course, which will teach them about the proper use and storage of the equipment.

Like most skills, skeet shooting takes a lot of patience and practice.     5     But those folks are few and far between, especially if they’ve never picked up a shotgun before. If you aren’t a patient person, that’s okay because skeet shooting can help you develop patience.

Asia’s first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) world champion Weili Zhang knocked out Poland’s Joann a Jedrzejczyk to win the chance     1     (challenge) for the women’s strawweight title at UFC275 on June 12, 2022 in Singapore.

The fight     2     (set) off wild celebrations on Chinese social media so far. The 32-year-old is seen as a genuine star. She became China’s first UFC champion in 2019. “Together we put girl power on display in the Octagon (八角笼). We’ve proved to people     3     said we cannot do certain things that we can.” Zhang said after the fight when     4     (interview) on stage.

Zhang’s fighting dream began young. Her childhood hero, Bruce Lee,     5     (inspire) her to take up kung fu when she was 6. Later, she learned sanda. But at 17, her sanda fighting career ended because of     6     (injury). Over the next six years, she tried different jobs, like a kindergarten teacher, a saleswoman     7     a bodyguard.

However, she still dreamed of being     8     fighter. In 2013, she started learning MMA. Many people think that the sport isn’t     9     (suit) for the “weaker bodies” of women. But Zhang     10     (strong) disagrees. “Anything men can do, women can do, too—and we can do it just as well as them.” Obviously, she has proved it’s true!

5 . Writing competitions

Author of Tomorrow aims to find future adventure writers. Young people under 21 can send entries (参赛作品) between 1,500 and 5,000 words (under 500 words for primary-aged pupils). The prizes are £1,000 for the 16-21 age group, £100 and £150 in book tokens (购书券) for the 12-15 age group, and £100 and £150 in book tokens for the 11 and under age group. The closing date is 29th April.

Tadpole Press is running a worldwide 100-word writing competition open to writers of all ages. Entries of 100 words can be sent in any type. The competition requires a small entry fee and 1st place receives a cash prize, while 2nd and 3rd places get writing coaching and editing packages. The deadline is 30th April.

The Martha Mills Young Writers’ Prize invites young people in the UK aged 11-14 to send under 500 words of “writing that is lively, unusual or otherwise original”. This year’s topic is “The Stranger” and the closing date is 22nd May.

War Through Children’s Eyes is open to children aged 7-17 in the UK and aims to “raise awareness of the impact of wars on the communities caught up in them, and particularly on the most vulnerable members of those communities: their children”: Entries of up to 1,000 words are invited, and full details about the competition are available on its website. The closing date is 10th May.

Fusong County in northeast China’s Jilin Province was abuzz (热闹) with activities last winter,     1     (especial) when the World Robot Contest Finals 2023 were held there. The finals attracted over 5,000 youngsters from across the country who competed fiercely with their self-designed robots.

“We need to compete in assembling, programming and operation. I believe that maintaining a resilient mindset is the key to     2    (win) out,” said Yu Yiyang, who is a fifth grader from Shanghai and has a profound passion     3     robots. Yu said that from robotics class, he acquired knowledge beyond     4    (convention) textbooks, refining his practical skills and fostering innovative thinking.

Many of the contestants     5    (educate) in robot programming before participating in the robot contests. Their skills, mental strength and the sense of teamwork improved a lot as a result of their     6    (expose) to such competitions.

The young contestants, from various places and with diverse     7    (background), offered a glimpse of the popularity of robotics education among Chinese students. For many,     8     they learn robot programme and participate in robot contests offers opportunities     9    (sharpen) their cognitive abilities and their skills. The contests also serve as     10     effective means to boost their spirit of teamwork.

10 . Pickleball (匹克球) is like a combination of ping-pong and tennis, and attracts many beginners.     1     Here are some pointers on avoiding injuries.

    2     Doing some types of exercise preparation beforehand makes a big difference to prevent injuries. After that, do some arm circles and shoulder rotations (旋转). Hold your arm s straight out from your sides and rotate them in small circles, and then gradually make bigger circles before rotating in the opposite direction. Finish with some leg swings. Stand next to a wall for support, and then swing one leg back and forth, then side to side.     3    

To build coordination (协调), about 15 minutes should be taken to do a few drills. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. and then quickly move side to side.     4     Cross one leg in front of the other. Then quickly move your back leg out from behind the front leg to return to the position you started in. Keep moving side-to-side, crossing and uncrossing your legs in this way.

Choose the right gear (装备), too, including a paddle that is appropriate for your strength level. You may need different shoes for outdoor and indoor play.     5     Protect yourself from the sun with sunglasses, possibly with a string or silk tape that helps keep them in place, and sunscreen of SPF 50 or higher.