The official mascots (吉祥物) of the 19^th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 — three sporty robots    1    (name) Congcong, Lianlian, and Chenchen —    2     (introduce) to the public at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou, China    3    April 3, 2020. Each represents a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the host city.

The robot Congcong represents the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. Its name comes from the Cong jade pendant (玉琮) — a classic relic unearthed from the Ruins    4    dates back around 5000 years. The robot Lianlian represents West Lake and its name means the endless lotus (莲花)     5     (leaf) on West Lake. The robot Chenchen represents the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and it takes its name from the Gongchen Bridge, a landmark structure on    6    Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal. They stand for not only the joy of sports but the peak of     7     (culture) and economic development.

Raja Randhir Singh, the acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia, said    8    the mascots showed the smart intelligence of the modern world     9    the energy of the future. “The mascots are rich in content, combining Chinese culture, the characteristics of the city of Hangzhou, and the spirit of the Asian Games and the Asian continent.” Together, they are calling out to Asia and the world, inviting everyone    10     (meet) in Hangzhou for the Asian Games 2022.

3 . Now, new research suggests frequent exercise might help you live well in another meaningful way—that is, in terms of income. Researchers investigated whether individuals who stayed active would earn more money as a result of their active lifestyle. It revealed that staying active not only resulted in higher present earnings, but also predicted increased future income throughout one’s life.

The researchers set out to explore three key correlations (相互关系)：How mobility-the ability to move, affected income, how mobility influenced income overtime, and whether exercise could help people maintain their mobility as they aged. The team analyzed data from Health and Retirement Study(HRS), the largest study tracking changes overtime in Americans aged 50 and above. This study takes into account various life aspects, including work, social status, health, psychology and family matters, as individuals age.

To evaluate the impact of current mobility on income, the researchers examined data from over 19, 000 respondents (调查对象) to determine how well they could perform simple tasks, such as climbing stairs, or moving around a room. Each person received a score, with 5 indicating full mobility and 0 indicating difficulties with these tasks. The researchers found that for each decrease in the mobility category, individuals lost out on an average of $3, 000 in annual income compared to their peers. Those who were active were also significantly more likely to remain working for longer than the other group. It appeared that engaging in exercise enabled individuals to maintain mobility and engage in professional life for a longer period of time than those who were less active.

Looking at earnings overtime revealed even more substantial benefits for those who remained active throughout their lives. Active individuals showed an overall income level that was $6, 500 higher, along with higher rates of employment. For the third part of the study, it’s not surprising that those who engaged in exercise continued to maintain their mobility after the age of 55 and had higher employment rates. Even exercising just one day a week showed improvements in mobility outcomes.

While this study doesn’t definitively prove that leading a healthy lifestyle directly leads to higher earnings, it strongly suggests that staying healthy and mobile brings benefits beyond just lower levels of disease.

“Green Games” became a calling card for the 19th Asian Games.     1    (make) the Games the world’s first waste-free sporting event, green energy    2    (source) were used at all 56 competition venues (场馆). Some of the renewable electricity    3    (use)at the venues was photovoltaic energy (光伏能源), transmitted from areas such as Qinghai and Gansu.     4    digital management platform was also launched, on which digital technologies were used for managing carbon emissions from venues in the six cities    5    the Games were held.

Among all of the Games’ 56 competition venues, just 12 were    6    (new) built. The rest were, existing facilities repaired as part of the organizers’ mission of sustainability. Zhejiang also improved public access     7    the venues and hosted sports events in them. Since May 2022, all of the available venues     8    (receive) 10 million visits,    9    (allow) the public to experience the world-class facilities. These venues will continue to be used for sports and public    10    (fit) after the Games. Venue owners and operators have developed post-games plans for 51 venues.

6 . Cat-Cow, Crow, Downward-facing dog and Pigeon: these names might sound like animals but they are actually yoga poses.     1    

What is yoga?

Yoga is exercise for the body and mind. It combines moving your body into different positions while focusing on your breathing. Yoga was first practiced around 5, 000 years ago in what is now northern India, where it was linked to the religion of Hinduism. For example, a yoga sequence was developed to greet Surya, the Hindu god of the Sun.    2    There are many different types of yoga but one of the most common is hatha yoga. This combines traditional yoga movements with breathing exercises.

    3    

Yoga encourages you to connect your mind and body and to link your existence to the wider universe. Many people find this helpful because they are reminded of the “bigger picture”, which can make their worries or unhelpful thoughts feel more manageable. Yoga's focus on breathing and movement can be calming.     4    Elysia, aged seventeen, agrees. “I love yoga because it gives me peace and time to think,” she says.

What if my body isn't bendy?

Yoga isn’t just for gymnasts.     5    According to NHS England, yoga can make your muscles stronger, improve your flexibility and lead to better balance and coordination. Many professional athletes and sportspeople practice yoga. This convinced Joseph, aged eight, to try it. He told The Week Junior, “I wanted to try yoga because I love tennis and I know that Novak Djokovic says it helps him be the best and stops him from getting injured.”

7 . Move to the Music

Music helps us exercise, but why does it have this effect?     1     The first is simple: Music distracts us. When we listen to a song we like, our brain pays attention to the music. For example, after we exercise for 20 minutes, our body might be tired. But we may not feel this immediately while listening to music. So we exercise a little longer.

Music also motivates us. When we hear dance music, for example, we naturally start to move to the beat. An upbeat song also puts us in a good mood, so we feel happier. This gives us energy and helps us exercise longer.     2     Songs in the range of 120-140 beats per minute(BPM)are the best, says sports psychologist Dr. Costas Karageorghis.

    3    . Its leading researcher Fritz put 61 people in small groups. They all then exercised twice. One time, each group worked out while listening to music for six minutes. Another time, they exercised for six minutes on special Jymmin machines. The name Jymmin is a combination of “jamming" and “gym.” Using these machines, each group made music as they moved. The exercisers became the composers and the machines became their instruments. In the end, 53 of the 61 people said the same thing: They felt less tired when they exercised on the Jymmin machines.     4    

How does Fritz explain this? Maybe people did better on the Jymmin machines because they had more control, he says. People created the beat. They could make it go faster or slower. Also, the activity was social. Each group was making music together and having fun. Fritz believes that Jymmin exercise may have other advantages, too.     5     For example, it may be even a good way to treat depression.

9 . Linda Munson, 56, has worked a desk job from home since the initial COVID shutdown. At the height of the pandemic, when going to the gym wasn’t an option, millions of people began exploring ________ workouts from home. Munson’s never been much of a ________ person. “I am very socially awkward. I probably would sign up for a ________ and then not go,” she says.

In 2021, she was ________ with diabetes (糖尿病) and her doctor told her she needed to ________ more on her health. She started walking and ________ out junk food. One day, her son brought home a VR headset called an Oculus Quest.

While messing around with it, Munson ________ the popular fitness app Supernatural, and she was hooked. Supernatural lets you box, swing your arms at ________, meditate (冥想) or stretch with a ________ in front of you and in your ear while you’re moving to popular music.

Currently, Supernatural membership ________ hundreds of workouts and costs $179 per year, after a two-week free ________. The Oculus Quest headset needed to ________ it is $299. It’s worth it, Munson says. “When you finish one workout, you’re tired, but you think, “I can do one more.” Moving to the beat is ________, she says, and “so much fun.” Also, “there’s nobody ________ you. I’m home and I can be weird,” she says.

Munson has lost nearly 50 pounds in a year, has not had to take diabetes ________, and can now play with her seven active grandchildren.

10 . The tennis ball is such an unassuming object in our lives that we take its appearance for granted. Who hasn’t stumbled upon one of them, forgotten, in the far corner of their closet or garage? Despite its passive presence, one of the most crazy internet debates of 2018 centered on its distinctive color: Is it actually yellow, or is it green? The shade in question originates from an unlikely source: David Attenborough, the legendary British documentarian known internationally for his Planet Earth series, played a central role in how we see the tennis ball today.

The sport of modern tennis was born out of the English game of lawn tennis, which by most accounts was invented in the 1870s. Lawn tennis was an outdoor adaptation of the indoor racket game “real tennis,” which itself was an adoption of the French pastime jeu de paume, or “the palm game.” After many iterations (迭代), including balls made of cork, wool, and even human hair, the tennis ball found what was then its ideal form: a ball made of a rubber core encased in white or black melton, a tightly woven and felted fabric.

For nearly a century, tennis balls were white or black. It wasn’t until 1972 that tennis balls took on their bright neon colour. At the time, Attenborough was working as a studio controller for the BBC. In the late 1960s he had led the charge for the BBC to broadcast Wimbledon, perhaps the most iconic of tennis tournaments, in color for the first time ever.

Broadcasting tennis in color brought the matches to life, but it made tracking the ball on screen difficult—especially when it fell near the white courtlines. So the International Tennis Federation undertook a study that found that yellow tennis balls were easier for home viewers to see on their screens. An official 1972 ITF rule change required that all regulation balls have a uniform surface and be white or yellow in color. However, Wimbledon did not change the ball color to yellow until 1986.

In 1991, the Chicago Tribune ran a story about white tennis balls making a comeback. In reality, most manufacturers never stopped producing white balls in smaller quantities. Grant Golden, a former United States clay court champion, declared that the comeback of white tennis balls would “go right down the toilet” because “the yellow ball is perfect.”

The unmistakable shade of the tennis ball is officially called “optic yellow” by the ITF. The next time a tennis ball comes rolling out from the recesses of your closet, take a moment to regard the power of its humble design.