4 . Are you looking for a fun way to improve your fitness? Look no further than tennis! This fast-paced sport offers more than just a good time on the court. Here are a few reasons why you might want to pick up a racket (球拍) and start swinging.

Become more agile (敏捷的) and flexible. Tennis, as you may know, demands quick reactions, swift changes in direction and agile movements.     1     That’s why tennis players show a greater ability for flexibility and agility compared to people who lead a less active life.

    2     Tennis is one of those sports that can get your heart pumping and blood flowing. A study performed by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that sports with rackets, like tennis, can help lower their player’s risk of heart disease.

Strengthen your mental wellness and growth mindset. Tennis training encourages discipline and requires a person to be in what is known as a growth mindset. It can help improve your psychological resilience (适应力), which is the ability to thrive when being exposed to hardship.     3    

Strengthen your overall strength. Have you ever noticed that tennis isn’t just about the arm movements?     4     The constant running, swinging and hitting the ball builds muscular strength and endurance. Because of this, tennis can make you physically as well as mentally strong.

Build social interaction. Some sports can be played or done on your own, such as swimming. Tennis is not one of them.     5     According to a report, the social interaction that happens while playing tennis with someone else is beneficial to mental wellbeing. Why? Because just being on the court with someone else can make you feel less alone.

7 . It’s my dream. I’m nine years old now, but have been _________ competitively since I was six. I love it, because it makes me feel good. I have a lot of _________to use up and I can do it by just moving my legs.

One recent Sunday morning, my mum drove me to a 5 km race in Minnesota.

The starting line was_________because there was also a 10 km race. That morning, I was running confidently and feeling _________. At one point, I came to a _________ in the course. A woman who was directing us _________ the route I thought I was meant to take and told me to go the other way. I was confused, but I had to follow her _________.

After a while I saw route directions for a 10 km race. I was worried, thinking I was _________, but had to keep going. My body started to get _________. I said to myself, “You’re almost there. Just keep __________. ”

__________ I saw the finish line. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even know I was running a 10 km and I had __________ it. I didn’t do this on purpose. It was a __________. I felt happy and proud. It was my first time running such a(n) __________.

It has made me want to do more 10 km races. I hope my story__________ other people to run, too.