2 . Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.

But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.

According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.

To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade.

“The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.

Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website.

It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes.

When I was four, my seven-year-old brother received a baseball glove for his birthday. Every night. as we went to sleep. I’d listen to him throwing a ball into the glove over and over to soften the leather. I wanted a glove so much that I almost cried. But, back then, girls didn’t play sports; they played with dolls (洋娃娃).

Fast-forward twenty-six years. Now a thirty-year-old mother of two boys and a girl, I happened to sec a notice in my local paper: “Women’s Baseball League opens soon. Anyone interested, sign up at the community service center.” I cut it out and set it on the kitchen table, Could I? After all these years?

I looked at that notice on my table every day. l thought of a thousand reasons I couldn’t play. But the idea of playing baseball stuck in my head and wouldn’t go away. Finally, 1 gathered up my courage and signed up. Since I wasn’t a member of any team, they told me I’d be assigned (分配) to one. Two weeks passed before they gave me the name of the team to look for. Since my husband worked Monday nights, I arranged for a babysitter. It was a luxury (奢侈) but, at that moment in my life, a necessity.

On Monday, heart pounding, I walked through the park filled with women of all ages practicing. It took me a while to find my team. They were all high-school girls, seventeen and eighteen years old! I waited a couple of minutes before approaching the coach. He had put together top athletes for his team, and he didn’t want some old lady messing things up. He looked me over. His girls had fine gloves and metal cleats (棒球钉鞋). They looked like players. I had no glove and wore an old T-shirt and gym shoes. I didn’t care. I wanted to play. That first day, he had me run bases (跑垒). I never got a chance to bat or play the field. I just ran bases all night. The next morning, I could hardly stand.

When I showed up the next Monday, the coach was clearly surprised.

“Impressive catch!” my teammates cheered for my performance after the training.

4 . I always wanted to look like the slim girls on TV even though I knew that it was impossible. I worried about my _______ and tried every new diet I read about online. I tried low-fat, no-fat, only bananas, no bananas — I almost went bananas, too.

Then I read an article that said _______ asking “Am I fat?”, I should be asking “Am I _______?” I had no _______ a letter could make such a _______! Once I started thinking about fitness rather than weight, things began to _______. Instead of saying “I want to lose three kilos”, I would say “I want to _______ two kilometers in eight minutes” or “I want to be able to do 30 push-ups”. Rather than _______ the foods I enjoyed, I added healthy foods to my meals. I could _______ have a burger now and then, but I would ________ a salad or an apple.

Finally, I stopped ________ myself with actresses and models and ________ things that were wrong with my face or body. Instead, I made a list of the things I ________ about myself. By being ________ about myself and my body, I became both happier and ________.

Is there a Chinese soccer team at the Qatar 2022 World Cup? No. But one can’t miss Chinese elements in and around the stadiums there. One can drink water from ponds,     1    (dig) by Chinese engineers,take a nap in a“mobile hotel”, built by Chinese engineers,    2    take a shuttle imported from China to move between hotels and stadiums.

Did we forget something?Yes,even some stadiums are built by Chinese construction    3    (company),while the souvenirs one can buy there, too,     4    (make) in China.

That’s     5    China has participated in this world Cup and earlier tournaments, and may do so in the upcoming ones too, thus     6    (impress) the world with its technology and products. While “Made in China” has left its stamp on     7    (early) soccer World Cup World Cups and other sports events , what makes the Qatar     8     unique one is the kind of technology China is providing. For example, the Stadium 974, built by Chinese enterprises, is the first     9    (move) “green stadium” that can recycle rainwater for future use and make the garbage collected from the stadium into fertilizer.

I think the reason why Chinese firms perform well in the World Cup is that China has registered good economic     10    (grow) during a global recession.

Sport Makes Me Happy

9 . In the sport of track and field, athletes compete not only with one another but against themselves, and with each race they try to ______ a new personal best.

As a student in Omaha Burke High School, Blake Cerveny was running in a race. Aiming to ______ his own personal record, after a fast start, he continued to ______ himself hard. With less than 400 meters to go, Cerveny's legs cramped（抽筋）up and ______ him. Determined to finish, Cerveny rose from the ground and continued on, only to ______ again after another 150 meters.

______ , his coach asked him if he wanted to stop. He didn’t. With great ______ Cerveny pulled himself up and with a（n） ______ pace, moved forward for one final push. ______ , it wasn’t enough. Less than 100 meters from the finish line, he lay curled on the ground. His legs had simply ______ .

Before Cerveny's coach could ______ him, Brandon Schutt was at his side to offer a helping hand. His first ______ to get Cerveny up failed, but like Cerveny, he ______ to quit, too. With a second pull, Cerveny was ______ .

At a measured jog, with Cerveny holding Schutt for ______ , the two completed the final 75 meters of the ______ together. Schutt even made sure the injured runner crossed the finish line first, ______ his opponent a faster time.

In today’s ______ world in which the emphasis in athletics is so often put on breaking records, it was ______ to see that for an athlete like Schutt, the value of true ______ still had legs.