Thanks for your question. As people often say, any exercise is better than none, but long-distance running in particular has a lot of benefits.

It is a great sport for beginners — you do not need a gym membership or any special equipment. Just a pair of good running shoes will do. Then keep it up. There is also no better way to know yourself and to see what you are capable of.

You are also somebody who worries about getting sick. Running will help you get fit and prevent diseases. It will give you good upper and lower body strength. Like any exercise, running increases the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It makes your heart stronger and allows more blood to flow around your body. It also strengthens your immune system and reduces the risk of serious health problems, as well as more common illnesses like colds. Besides, anybody who is feeling down can go for a run to cheer themselves up. Even a thirty-minute run will provide relief from aches or tension that you may be suffering due to stress.

If you’re new to running, here is some advice for you. It is important to warm up and cool down properly before and after running, so you do not hurt yourself. A warm-up gets your body blood flowing faster and prepares your body before you exercise. After a long run, you should jog slowly for ten minutes, then walk for five minutes. Such kind of warm down relaxes your body after exercise.

For more guidelines on running, click here. I hope this will help.

Best regards,

Dr. Martin

2 . Interschool Sports Programme is coming. It will start on 30th April and end on 15th June.

Students in our school will join the boys’ basketball games. Each Wednesday the players will travel by bus to Sports Centre, Erinvale Street, Corinda. They will leave school at 12: 20 p.m. It will take them about 20 minutes to get there. The games will begin at 1:00 p.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. Players must wear their school clothes and sports shoes. It will be great if they can bring large water bottles.

If you are good at playing basketball and want to join the games, please go to Mr. David’s office (Room503) before 15th April to fill in form. We will choose 15 players.

Volunteers are also needed. Anyone who wants to be a volunteer needs to send an email to Mr David (davidss@qq.edu.au) to introduce yourself before 20th April.

For more information, please call Mr David (6783-5682) or visit his office.

3 . Over the past few decades, children have been taking part less in free play and more in organized sports. While doing organized sports has both social and physical benefits for young children, worries about safety and benefits increase.

Though most children are naturally likely to be physically active, not all kids are willing to get up and move. Soccer coach Joseph Luxbacher says, “Every kid has the possibility of being a good sportsman in different kinds of sports. Participating (参加) in organized sports such as the school soccer team introduces direction to children’s physical activities. Following a team schedule gives kids a set time and place to exercise. As a result, kids can be safe from accidents and be protected against physical harm.”

What’s more, participating in organized sports gives children time to communicate with others and shows good sportsmanship. For young children who may still be very self-centered, participating in team, sports teach them to think about the group and encourages them to be glad about the success of their teammates. Kids can also benefit from spending time with their coach and having a chance to develop a positive (良好的) relationship with an adult other than their parents, especially if the coach is both skilled and devoted (全心全意的) to being a positive instructor.

Playing organized sports requires a lot of time for practice and games, so it would seem that this could influence students’ study. Actually it can ameliorate students’ test performance. That’s because to play organized sports well, players have to memorize information, do repetitive actions, and learn from teammates. All these types of learning skills can make students score higher.

Since stress can come from many different sources — parents, coaches, teammates or themselves — many children who participate in organized sports feel pressured to succeed. While a little stress can be helpful in leading children to perform with increased focus and strength, too much stress will leave young kids feeling very tired. Organized sports are more likely to put the right amount of pressure on them.

4 . A few days ago, the Brooklyn Nets basketball player Ben Simmons donated a basketball court to Machang township in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province during a ceremony. Simmons has visited China several times since he was young. He has been deeply touched by the Chinese people’s warmth and friendly feelings toward him and their enthusiasm for basketball.

Impressed by the news that basketball competitions had been held in Guizhou at a village with their own “Village Basketball Association (VBA)”, Simmons decided to donate a basketball court to the village during the Chinese New Year Basketball Competition in January. After conducting a survey, he set up the basketball court in Machang township in Gui’an New Area in the hope that it would create more opportunities for young fans to play basketball.

In the mountainous village of Machang, there are no huge electronic screens or advertisements at basketball games, but they can still be thrilling thanks to local players’ love for the sport. These players later became a hit in China and even went viral (迅速传播). A recent final competition attracted 30, 000 viewers on site and more than 1 billion viewers online.

Comparatively, the NBA boasts the best players in the world, top-class basketball gyms and professionally made commercials, so its exciting games draw fans around the world. The NBA and the “VBA” are thousands of miles apart, but their games are equally striking, fueling thousands of fans’ enthusiasm. Both focus on a common interest of basketball fans in the U. S. and China and their shared pursuit of sports and a better life.

Although Machang township lacks modern sports facilities, the local people’s love for basketball remains strong. So Simmons’ donation will surely help improve the village’s situation to a certain extent, but more importantly, it will bring people separated by the Pacific Ocean closer through this sport.

6 . 为增强学生体质，你校将在下周举办一次“Love Sports, Love Life”的体育活动。假定你是学生会主席李华，请你用英文写一篇倡议信，呼吁同学们积极进行体育锻炼。

内容要点包括：

1.活动的目的；

2.进行体育运动的益处；

3.提出倡议，表达期待。

注意：1．词数 80 左右；

2．开头已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear friends,

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With best wishes.

The Students’ Union

Chinese kung fu, also known as wushu or Chinese martial arts, is one of the most well-known examples of traditional Chinese culture. It is probably one of the     1    (early) and longest     2    (last) sports which uses both muscles and brain.

The theory of kung fu is based     3     classical Chinese philosophy(哲学). Over its long history it     4    (develop) as a unique combination of exercise, practical self-defense, self-discipline, and art.

It is estimated that Chinese kung fu dates back to primitive society. At that time people used sticks     5    (fight) against wild beasts.     6    (gradual) they accumulated experience in self-defense.

Chinese kung fu is a large system of theory and practice. It combines     7    (technique) of self-defense and health-keeping.

In Chinese kung fu, however, a     8    (different) is made between “external(外部的)” and “internal” kung fu.     9     is said that “In external kung fu, you exercise your tendons(筋), bones, and skin; in internal kung fu, you train your spirit, your qi, and your mind.” And so internal kung fu can continue later in life,     10     the external body weakens.