2 . Sports play a key role in the physical and mental development of children. Although it’s great to see a child succeed in one sport, it’s important to keep their activities in balance. Participation in multiple sports enables children to acquire a knowledge of many movement skills. In addition to this, here are some other good reasons why kids should be encouraged to play several sorts of sports.

Repetitive movements can overstress growing bodies which later on can lead to injuries. With multi-sports, each sport works the body slightly differently. This will lead to fewer overuse injuries. Also, kids who overspecialize in one sport may end up losing interest and eventually give up. Specializing in a sport raises expectations and may put too much pressure on young kids. Having a variety of experiences will keep children interested and motivated, and even make them enjoy sports without any pressure.

Multi-sports also allow kids to experience different roles. Being a goalkeeper in a football team is very different from being a point guard in basketball. Being exposed to baseball develops better hand-eye coordination (协调). Soccer develops better footwork (步法). Volleyball develops jumping and hand-eye coordination. Martial arts develop strength, mobility, and discipline. Swimming develops full-body coordination and strength. The list goes on and on! Participation in multiple sports broadens a child’s developmental social, and situational experience. It opens up opportunities to become a better competitor and a promising athlete — flexible and energetic.

Many sports superstars like Stephen Curry achieved their standing today by playing multiple sports. Curry played basketball but he also played baseball, football, soccer, and everything else in a sports buffet. What worked for Curry, experts say, could work for most of us.

Besides developing a wide range of sports skills, more importantly, multi-sports provide opportunities for children to discover their liking. With the help of the right coaches, sports become fun, inspiring kids’ interests. So if you can’t decide whether your child should focus on one sport or try some different sports, I hope you can make a better decision now.

3 . The Underwater Photographer of the Year, which originated from 1965, is a yearly contest based in the United Kingdom. As you might expect, the focus is on photos taken underwater, whether in the ocean, in lakes or rivers, or even swimming pools.

The pictures are judged in several different categories. The contest in 2020 had over 5,500 entries from 70 different countries.

The grand prize winner was “Frozen Mobile Home” by French photographer Greg Lecoeur. The photo shows seals swimming around a small iceberg. To get the picture, Mr Lecoeur traveled to Antarctica in a small boat and spent time tracking the life around floating icebergs.

The photo “Last Dawn, Last Gasp” by Pasquale Vassallo of Italy won the award for Ocean Protection Photographer of the Year. Mr Vassallo said that he went diving early in the morning to take this picture of a tuna (金枪鱼) trapped as fishermen pulled their nets in.

Mr Vassallo also took “Octopus Training”, a picture that won in the category of “Behavior”. He says that when he came up after a dive, he noticed a soccer ball floating on the surface. When he went to check it out, he saw that there was an octopus hanging from the ball. Mr Vassallo says he doesn’t understand what the octopus was doing, but wonders if it was training for the World Cup.

Though Rooman Luc of Belgium didn’t win the “Portrait” category, his photo, titled “Angry Seahorse”, is quite striking. The close­up shot of a seahorse staring strictly into the camera was named runner­up (second place). He said he spent nearly an hour standing in knee­high water being bitten by mosquitos in order to get the picture.

The contest has many more amazing photos that can be viewed on the site, along with the stories behind them. There is even a book with all of the contents that can be downloaded for free.

The Chinese women’s volleyball team stood on the top of the podium at the Rio Olympics. People could see Chinese players     1    (embrace), with tears of happiness in their eyes. They     2    (achieve) their another dream. The team     3    (hold) a very special place in the nation’s heart with several major world     4    (title). They have become heroes in people’s minds,     5     they have won honour for the Chinese people. Especially at the Rio Olympics, they painted the     6    (vivid) portrait of the team’s competitive spirit. As     7    (assign) to the “group of death”, they would face several strong opponents and needed fighting spirit and perseverance. Every single member of the team gave their all to the fight. Their perseverance paid     8     with an epic comeback against the defending champion Brazil and Serbia     9    (seize) gold in the final. The Chinese women’s volleyball team has fought their way     10     ups and downs. In this way, the team begins its journey to the next Olympics.

A great rivalry (对抗) can make a hockey (曲棍球) game exciting. But it’s even better when both sides share the same goal. Students of Boston College (B.C.) and Boston University (B.U.) held a game for a good cause. Former members of the schools’ hockey teams faced off in the 4th Annual Commonwealth Avenue Charity Classic. It took place at B．U.’s Walter Brown Arena. Every year, the competition raises money for Compassionate Care ALS, the Pete Frates Home Health Initiative and the Travis Roy Foundation. This year’s event brought in a record­breaking $78,432.

Frates is fighting ALS, a disease that affects the brain. A former B.C. baseball team leader, he was diagnosed (诊断) with ALS in 2012, when he was only 27. Frates and his family have since raised hundreds of millions of dollars for ALS research, most famously with the Ice Bucket Challenge, which began in 2014.

“Pete likes social media (媒体) very much, so he wanted his voice, his face, everything that was happening to him to be recorded to help more people,” said John Frates, Pete’s father.

The B.C. and B.U. students enjoy coming together for the event. “This is just the best of the hockey world,” said former B.U. hockey player Travis Roy. “Both schools have a lot of great hockey players. Their skills are impressive, and the fact that they come out here to support good causes is a big deal.”

After a heated battle (较量), the B.U. Terriers won. Afterwards, former B.U. star Charlie McAvoy summed up the feeling of friendliness on the ice. “We all come together,” said McAvoy, who now plays for the Boston Bruins, “and we’re able to put aside the rivalry for great causes.”

B.U.’s Danny O’Regan, who now plays for the Buffalo Sabres, added, “You work hard on the ice and off the ice, and good things will happen.”

10 . While the temperature in Chicago on March 4, 2018 was 5 degrees, the water was even colder—2 degrees. That didn’t stop over 4, 800 people on North Avenue Beach jumping into Lake Michigan.

The Chicago Polar Plunge is a yearly event to raise money for Special Olympics Chicago. Each of the participants (参与者) collect at least $200 from friends and family members to get the chance to jump into the lake’s icy water. More than $1.5 million was raised for a great cause: Special Olympics Chicago and the over 7, 500 athletes it serves.

Special Olympics, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1968. The group’s purpose is to provide athletic training and competition in 22 sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities (缺陷).

After some initial speeches, the first group of participants ran into the lake. Many of the participants were members of teams that dressed up in costumes (服装), including Minions and Waldo from the Where’s Waldo book series.

Chloe Krecun, 12, from Chicago, was shaking when she got out of the water. “I can’t feel my feet or fingers and my shoes are filled with water,” she said afterwards. But she would do it again to support the Special Olympic athletes.

As other participants headed towards the water to “take a plunge”, one of them shared why he participated in the event. “My cousin has benefited from the Special Olympics, so my family and I are here to support him by plunging,” said Brandon Marty.

Brunida Cotton, a special education teacher, was also paying attention to the Special Olympics as she prepared to plunge. “It gives the athletes confidence; they belong to a team and they enjoy being able to do things other kids do, ” Cotton said.