2 . A recent series of studies examined the role of talent in the sports world. They focused on three different sports: World Cup soccer, professional basketball, and professional baseball. The results are mixed. For soccer and basketball, the studies revealed that adding talented players to a team is indeed a (n) _______ strategy, but only up to a point. Performance _______ when about 70% of the players were considered top talent. Above that level, the team’s performance began to decline. Interestingly, this trend was not evident in baseball, where additional _______ talent continued to enhance the team’s performance. (Figure 1 and 2)

In looking for an explanation for the different results for different sports, the researchers _______one important factor — the extent to which a good performance by a team required its members to coordinate (协调) their actions. This task _______ distinguishes baseball from basketball and soccer.

In baseball, the performance of individual players is _______ teammates than in soccer and basketball. The researchers concluded that when, during the course of play, task interdependence is high, team performance will _______ when there is too much talent in the group. When task interdependence is lower, _______ individual talent will have a positive effect on team performance.

One explanation for this phenomenon is not so far from the pecking order (等级排序) situation among chickens. If a basketball star is pursuing his own personal goals,_______ trying to gather a high personal point total, he may be less ________ than team player. He may take a shot himself when it would be better to pass the ball to a team mate, thus making the team’s overall performance suffer. “There is no________in TEAM,” young children learning to play team sports are often told. Apparently stars ________ follow this basic principle of sportsman ship.

Another possibility is that when there is a lot of talent on a team, some players may begin to________ This is referred to as the Ringelmann effect. Ringelmann conducted an experiment in which he asked two, three, four, and up to 28 people to participate in a game of tug-of-war. He measured how much force each person used to pull the rope. He found that whenever he added a person to the team, everyone else pulled with less force.

________ the ideal team — for sports, business, science, or entertainment — is more complicated than simply hiring the best talent. An A-team may require a________ not just A players, but a few generous B players as well.

A Short Stretch Before Bed

Many people may struggle to sleep. I have found one small change that all of us could make and truly works: a short stretch before bed.

Studies have shown that low-level physical activities     1     use gentle stretching, like yoga or tai chi, help with sleep quality. And     2     it is good to stretch anytime of day, a gentle and quiet routine before bed works best to help send a signal to the brain that it is now time for sleep.

Most importantly, stretching doesn’t require money. There     3     (be) plenty of exercise apps for you to buy or subscribe to, and they all have guiding routines. I have found that the subscription-based app Sweat and Centr has good, short routines and clear instructions     4     (improve) your form. There are countless personal trainers and yoga instructors on the Internet who have been giving free classes to people     5     (stick) at home. Yoga from Adriene is the best known,     6     a huge library of videos available. If you’d rather perfect your technique in person, you     7     also find free yoga and tai chi lessons in your local community and take those lessons home.

And of course,     8     works for you will depend on your current physical state. I’ve seen women in     9     80s who could do a cartwheel (侧手翻) over my poor, suffering body. So clearly I am no expert, but I     10     (stretch) right before bed since last year and have found that I always sleep better on the nights that I do it.

7 . Why Is Exercise Important to Teenagers and How to Get Started?

Teens get involved in a lot of things in high school. Some are involved in clubs and others are part of the band. There are many reasons why sports are great for teens and here’s how they can get started.

One of the biggest benefits for teens to be involved in sports is that it keeps them active. Some teens would be content to play video games or watch television all the time they’re at home. If a teen spends all their waking time being inactive they could gain weight and become unhealthy.     1    

Be sure your child knows to warm up properly before playing any sport. Warming up before any physical activity will help your child avoid injury.     2    

Encourage your teens to try out for one high school sport. Perhaps they’re not comfortable with football, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t excel in swimming or tennis. They may also enjoy playing baseball or soccer. Girls may enjoy basketball, swimming.

Many sports team will require that students try out before being able to join. Try-outs may include showing how active your teen is, running, jumping or if they are quick enough. They want to ensure your teen has at least the minimum skills required for the sport they’re trying out for.     3     That shouldn’t prevent them from trying to play team sports. There are often teams with the YMCA or other leagues which are just for fun.

Being a part of a sports team can also help your teen make friends.     4     They spend so much time during practice and at games that they can become very close. Of course, no one will be able to take your place as their family, but you’ll be glad they’re able to make good friends.

8 . Have you tried to run or walk for exercise and then given up? If you answered yes, you should try a new kind of exercise: aquatic (水中的) exercise. Aquatic exercise is like exercise on land, but you do it in a swimming pool. More and more people are trying aquatic exercise now.

Aquatic exercise feels easier than exercising on land. Why? You weigh about 90% less in the pool. It is better for your knees than running or walking. Water is about 1,000 times thicker and heavier than air. To move through the water, your body has to work four times as hard. As a result, you can burn more calories (卡路里).

In fact, most people say they feel more relaxed in the water. They stop thinking about the things that make them worried. They feel in control of their bodies. The cool, quiet environment makes them feel good.

But what if you are afraid of the water? No problem! There is nothing to worry about. Aquatic exercise is safe and easy to learn. It doesn’t require any special skills. You don’t even need to know how to swim. Aquatic exercise is for everyone.

9 .

Prizes Sponsored by Pfizer, dedicated to the quest for longer, healthier, happier lives. In conjunction with National Healthy Lifestyle Programme.