In my old school days, running     1    (consider) boring and painful for me. When I started to work, I realised exercise should be part of my lifestyle. Later, running became my career. Over the years, I     2    (coach) many running teams. Needless to say, running has its benefits. It is believed     3    running can decrease the risk of death. So are you currently not doing it? I encourage you to start now.

Last Saturday, I went to the school sports field to watch the final of the 4×100-metre relay at our annual sports tournament.     1     the race, everyone was quiet and still. When the runners set off, everyone went wild! We all stood up and started shouting. It was like being hit by a huge wave of     2     (excite). The race was all over in just one minute. When the first runner     3     (cross) the finish line, everyone was on their feet, cheering.

Paul jumped up and     1     (rush) onto the court. And clearly all the extra hours that he had spent practising alone paid off. The other team just couldn’t keep up with his energy and speed. He made shot after shot and the crowd couldn’t stop clapping and     2     (cheer).When the game ended, our team     3     (win) by two points. “Well,” said the coach as he hit Paul on the shoulder, “you’ve just earned your place on the team, big guy!”

Paragliding is a kind of flying, but instead of the wing being made of metal, wood or plastic, it is made of nylon or polyester. The wing is attached to a harness by lines where a pilot sits, similar to a parachute.

Is it safe?

Paragliding, is as safe as sailing and deep-sea diving. The big advantage is that it’s probably the slowest form of aviation, so if you do crash, you'll hit the ground quite gently! It’s a very relaxing sport as you're mostly sitting down. Yet, you’ll probably experience pain in some muscles you didn’t know you had while learning, but many of those will be due to the walk up the training hill to launch.

Where do I learn?

There are lots of schools, mainly based inland by appropriate hills or mountains, and there are also schools on the coast near spectacular cliffs. These are very attractive, though the prospect of landing in the sea seems to discourage beginners! It takes seven days to get your basic license; then you’re free to fly independently at sites across the country.

What do I need?

Pilots normally wear warm clothes in case they get very high up, and a helmet in case they stumble on landing. In terms of gear, schools supply basic training, canopies, harnesses, etc. However, you'll probably want to buy your own more sophisticated equipment, which you’ll be able to choose much better once you’ve tried some out on your course.

Who can do it?

There’s no upper age limit provided your instructor judges you capable, but the youngest is 14. Anybody with good eyesight and good balance is a potential paraglider pilot.

Flying a paraglider is a great sport. We hope to see you in the air with us this season!

6 . Here is a brief guide to every sport at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Alpine skiing, 11 gold medals awarded

The disciplines include downhill, the fastest event; super-G, with more turns added; giant slalom (回转), still more turns; and slalom, the slowest and most technical event.

Biathlon (冬季两项), 11 golds

Take the endurance test of cross-country skiing and shake it up very few kilometers by having athletes stop to shoot at targets. Too many misses, and skiers must take a penalty lap. Germany, France, Sweden and Norway should dominate the medals.

Figure skating, 5 golds

The strong Russian team swept the top three spots in the women’s competition at the last world tournament, with now 17-year-old Anna Shcherbakova on top. American Nathan Chen’s potential duel (对决) with Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, the 2014 and 2018 Olympic champion, could be a highlight of the Games.

In the pairs event, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong could bring the gold to the host nation.

Freestyle sking, 13 golds

There are six disciplines. In the aerials and the new big air event, skiers launch themselves of a ramp and perform flips (空翻) and spins. In half pipe, they perform in a U-shaped bowl, and in slope style, they ski down a course with rails and jumps. In moguls (雪上技巧赛), they ski over a bumpy course and are judged on turns, jumps and speed. The only event that is timed instead of judged is ski cross (障碍追逐赛), in which skiers race against one another in groups of four.

Speedskating, 23 golds

Long-track speed skating is dominated by the Dutch. They won seven of 14 gold medals in 2018 and eight of 12 in 2014. Short-track provided China with its gold of the 2018 Games. South Korea will also be a major contender.

7 . COMPETITION

Draw a sea creature for our ocean poster

Are you a gifted artist? Do you think you can draw a prize-winning dolphin or shark? In celebration of World Ocean Day on 8 June, The Week Junior is running a competition to create an awesome poster featuring some of the world’s coolest sea creatures, and your artwork could be part of it!

How to enter

Draw a picture of your favorite sea creature and send your picture by email to competitions@theweekjunior.com with OCEAN POSTER as the subject line by 10 April 2022. Make sure you’ve included your name, age, chosen sea creature, the address and phone number of your parent or guardian.

Once the competition has closed, our judges will pick 10 of the best animal drawings. They will be looking for the most creative and colorful drawings, so don’t be afraid to go big!

What you could win

The winning pictures will be shown on a The Week Junior ocean poster.

Each winner will also receive a paint brush set worth over £80, which will be delivered to you.

Terms and conditions

The Week Junior will not share your personal details with third parties. The Week Junior will only use personal details to contact the competition winners.

No responsibility can be accepted for entries that have been lost or damaged in transit( 运送 ), any technical failure or any event that may cause the competition to stop. Entries must be received before 11:59 pm on 10 April 2022.

All winners will be informed accordingly 4–6 weeks after the competition closes. By entering the competition all participants give permission for their artwork to be published online. Entries cannot be returned to senders.

Long-distance running is a great for beginners. To start with, you should draw up a training plan. Set    1     (achieve) goals. Make sure you are running the right amount that your body can take without getting hurt. There will be times when you want to give up. But just hang in there and tell yourself that it will get easier. If you are feeling    2     (stress), you should definitely go for a run.     3     gives you more satisfaction than realizing that all the sweat and hard work paid off in the end.