2 . Recently, a 70-year-old woman has won hearts with her energetic workouts on Douyin- -a social networking video platform, also known globally as TikTok, where men and women commonly show their working out or share ________ tips.

Trying to stand out from the crowd amid the floods of such videos can often be difficult, but a/an ________ new account, which has only been active since last year, has ________ to do so easily.

The fitness instructor behind this account is not a young woman with a slim, well-built ________ that would leave viewers green with ________ .The star here is 70-year-old Chen Jifang, a Shanghai resident with 3 million likes on her Douyin videos. She was once even ________ on a reality show on China Central Television.

According to her trainer, who helped to manage the Douyin account, Chen attracted more than 400,000 ________ within just a few months. “The main group that I wanted to encourage was people aged 30 to 50,”says Chen. “I think they will be ________ to work out in the gym after seeing that a granny like me can also achieve something in the gym. The message I want to ________ is that it is never too late to ________ good health.” For Chen, her ________ for exercising was born out of a need ________ desire to become famous.

According to Chen, her health had been ________ since she was a child. “In the past, whenever I felt uncomfortable, I would lie at home for an entire day,“ says Chen, who used to be a saleswoman in a local food company before retirement. She ________ had to give up her job after giving birth to her daughter because her health was severely affected by the pregnancy.

“We cannot stop aging ________ exercise can slow it down, she says. “Instead of spending money on medicine, it is better to spend money on fitness.”

4 . At 81 years old, Jeanne Daprano is still pushing her body to the limit. She’s still running competitive races, breaking world records and taking on new challenges.“The thing I’m learning about aging is that it’s inevitable,” Daprano said.“I’m not going to escape it. There are two ways to go:You can either press on or give up.”

Daprano grew up in Iowa. Then, she moved to California. As a primary school teacher, she began running in order to keep up with her student.“I was known as a running teacher,” she said.“I had my students do fitness before we studied in the morning and then throughout the day.”Then she began running competitively with 5K and 10K road races before moving to the track. She is now the world record holder in the women’s 75-year-old age group 400 meters and 800 meters. “When I get to the final fi nish line, I want this body to be worn out. I’m not doing this to live to be 100. I’m doing this to be the best I can be today.”

After moving to Atlanta about a decade ago, Daprano met fitness trainer David Buer. Ever since, she’s been coming to his gym, where he tailors workouts for Daprano’s specifc needs.“When she came to me, she was pushing 70 years old,”Buer said.“I’ve worked with other individuals of Jeanne’s age, but she came to me with different goals. She had a unique drive and passion—not just a passion for fitness or athletics but for life in general.”

Last February, Daprano took on a new challenge: her first indoor rowing competition. In classic fashion, she broke the world record in the 80-to-84 age group, rowing 2,000 meters in 9:23:7. For those hoping to either start getting in shape or stay in shape for a long time, she offers this advice: Listen to your body. What are you passionate about? How are you going to keep physically fit and mentally fit? Start where you are. Don’t look ahead or compare yourself to somebody else.

Sports and Health

It was Dragonboat Day. Shiny white tents lined the waterfront,     1     (provide) shade and refreshments for Dragon Boat paddlers(桨手)from all over California,     2     gathered around the Castaic Lake for a festive competition.

Giggling kids raced cheerfully along the lakeside beach,     3     their parents enjoying the shady picnic areas under the trees along the shore. “It’s a great day out,” said Paul Lin, co-founder for Castaic’s own Dragon Eyes team.

Dragonboat racing has been going on for thousands of years in China,     4     (initial) in honor of the Chinese water dragon deity(神)in an effort to call down rain and avoid     5     (fortune) and disaster.

In the race, a drummer     6     (use) a large traditional wooden drum to keep the paddlers on beat, while a steersman in the back keeps them in their lane.

Lin said a friend got him    7     (involve) in dragon boat racing over a decade ago. In 2018, they decided to host their own festival. “There’s     8     really special to be learned from our dragon boat motto: ‘One Boat, One Beat ’,” he said. “Paddlers come from all walks of life and that kind of     9     (close) with people is nowhere else to be seen.”

“We really want to help expand awareness and grow the sport,” Lin said. “We’re hoping one day it’ll become     10     Olympic sport.”

Be Sporty, Be Healthy

Hello, everyone!

I feel honored to be here to talk to you on exercise.