3 . Badminton was known in ancient times; an early form of the sport was played in ancient Greece. In India, the game was called “Poona” during the 18th century, and British Army officers stationed there took a competitive Indian version back to England in the 1860s, where it was played at country houses as an upper class game. Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, “Badminton Battledore — a new game” in 1860, but unfortunately no copy has survived.

The new sport was launched in 1873 at the Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort. During that time, the game’s official name became “Badminton”.

Until 1887 the sport was played in England under the rules popular in India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. The basic regulations (规则) were draw up in 1887. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today’s rules. They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.

Badminton World Federation (BWF) was founded in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as a member in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and works in cooperation with regional governing bodies to improve the sport of badminton around the world.

While originated in England, international badminton has traditionally been controlled by a few Asian countries, plus Denmark from Europe. China, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades and influenced competitions on the international level.

4 . With more and more kids picking up bats and gloves, efforts to build a “baseball ecosystem” in China continue to produce impressive results. And with Major League Baseball a key contributor to the drive, Chinese kids are learning from the very best in the business.

“The baseball environment has changed greatly since MLB entered the Chinese market. When we first came to China in 2007, the baseball population in the country was very limited.” said Tony Qi, managing director of MLB China. “But in 2019, the active baseball population had reached over 20 million. When we first organized the youth baseball match in five Chinese cities in 2008, each city had only one age-group to take part. But this year we have 20 cities, and in some cities we have competitions for five age groups.”

Around 400 teams have taken part in the MLB China Cup, a nationwide youth competition designed to encourage kids to take up baseball. During one recent season in Beijing, there were about 100 teams that wanted to take part in the MLB Cup. So, MLB, the Chinese Baseball Association and local baseball organizations are all working together for a brighter Chinese baseball future.

Audiences have also been attracted by the 2020 short film Tough Out, which tells the lives of a group of Chinese teenagers whose lives are changed through baseball. “In the short film, the kids build a new home in their baseball team, together with their coaches in a Beijing suburb (郊区),” said Qi. “The notion (观念) of home is very important in baseball culture. Through baseball, these kids gained home, friendship and confidence. They also gained the courage to fight against the hard situations they found themselves in. We’re planning to produce more content like this to make baseball culture popular.

5 . Defeating her Russian competitor with the last shot. Yang Qian, 21, won the first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday in the women’s 10-meter air rifle.

The junior student from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, who is studying at the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, became an immediate hit at home thanks to the calmness and confidence she has displayed.

It was Yang that drew the nation’s attention to the Games, which have been delayed from last year due to the COVID-19. Although wearing a mask, her smiling eyes and the gesture she made on the podium, forming the shape of a heart with her arms, have touched audiences around the world.

For too long, the world has longed for such a moment when countries can come together. The openness, courage and self-control Yang showed during and after the event have proved to be a common language.

With her baby face and fashionable appearance, and her enthusiasm for her sport, Yang has shown young people that the Olympic Games is not only an opportunity to win honor for the nation, but also a personal stage for the athletes to enjoy themselves, show their skills, display their personal charm, and actively interact with audiences.

Compared with the predecessors, the young Chinese athletes are more likely to enjoy the moment with smiles instead of tears. And while most Chinese Olympic gold winners of the last generation regarded winning as a reward for their countless hours of practice, the young athletes tend to view winning as a new beginning rather than the end of their sporting journey.

Competing for the country and enjoying it for oneself in the Games will attract more young people to enjoy sports, and doing so can also bring more honor to the motherland.

6 . Watching a young, 21-year-old Jordan Spieth win the US Masters today, I could not help but think of the great qualities he displayed to win the most famous golf event on the calendar against the greatest players in the world.

Jordan Spieth has learned to keep himself in check. There is a great proverb: “A fool shares all his or her feelings while a wise man keeps them in check.” As I watched Spieth playing, I noticed a constant calm around him. Whether he hit the shot he wanted or not, he was the same and kept his emotions steady (稳定的) and strong. He never blamed the crowd, clubs or wind.

He knows which club he is going to drive with on every hole; he knows which side of the fairway (高尔夫球道) to land and exactly where he wants to be standing on every green when he is putting; he has played it through his minds for months. He is the person who makes things happen by planning in advance. Winning is not a fluke (侥幸击中); it’s a by-product of months and years of planning. Nothing happens by chance.

If there is an event that every golfer dreams of winning, it’s the US Masters. So, how would Spieth have felt in 2014 getting so close to winning but coming second? As good as second was, he only wanted to be first. The difference between great shots and poor shots at the Masters is only inches. In that 2014 final round, Spieth was standing on the 8th hole with a 2-shot lead, but through a number of small misses he lost it and never recovered it. However, he never stops learning. As a great person once said, “While you’re green, you’re growing; when you’re brown, you’re dying.” He stays green. He is always reading, learning, and he understands that the greatest teacher of all is failure.

7 . Reading out loud is one of the most useful ways to practice when you are learning a foreign language. If you want to improve your fluency, you should read a lot, and not silently but out loud!

This competition is designed to encourage all the Chinese learners to read Chinese out loud. And we hope to introduce the importance of reading out loud when learning Chinese. Also, we have brilliant prizes for the top three competitors! We look forward to hearing from you reading Chinese stories, poems, tongue twisters, lyrics, etc. We would post the recordings on our official account anonymously (匿名) and ask everyone to vote online for the recordings.

The top six will get the prizes below:

First prize (1 person): 5 hours one-to-one Chinese lesson

Second prize (2 people): 3 hours one-to-one Chinese lesson

Third prize (3 people): one 200 RMB voucher (代金券) for our course

Timeline

Please choose one from the ten materials given to you at the bottom of this web page, from 6 to 10 are lyrics, you can read or sing.

Sign up before 11 p.m., 16th of February.

Record the name: your file with your name and nationality (eg: Mike+US)

Send your recordings to hanlinmandarin@163.com, before 7 p.m., 19th of February.

We will post the anonymous recordings on HLC official account on the 21st of February. Vote online from 21st of February to 25th of February.

The result would be posted on HLC official account on the 26th of February.

If you don’t know Chinese characters, you can copy them and change them into pinyin on the following website https://www.pinyinzi.com/hanzipinyin/.

9 . Do you want to look slim? Here are four easy walking ways to help you lose weight.

●The I'm-so-mad walk.     1     You’ll not only get a great physical workout, but you’ll also burn off some of the stress in your body. So when you feel annoyed, go for a walk to lose weight.

First step: You can shout wildly, and gesture to yourself. But invite a friend or a family member who understands the situation to join you so as not to attract too much attention.     2    . Sure enough, you will feel free.

●    3     Studies show that you can actually get muscle fibers to fire by imagining yourself performing an activity. Look for opportunities to be “active” rather than to “exercise”.

First step: On days when you're too busy to walk, at least spend a few quiet minutes with your eyes closed. Imagine yourself walking powerfully and purposefully. It will help you develop muscle memory.

●The mini walk. If your day is too packed for your typical 45-minute walk, then take just three separate 15-minute periods.     4     Besides, you’ll keep your metabolism (新陈代谢) working throughout the day so you'll burn more calories.

First step: It's the same way that basketball players use to train shots mentally. That's a key difference. The latter often feels like an interruption to the day, while the former is a natural part of it.

●The parking and walk. Do you live too far from workplace to walk?     5     You’ll get your exercise almost without realizing it, save gas, and build a stress-easing area around your workday.

First step: Dress in casual clothes and walking shoes, and then change into your business clothes at the office.

10 . If you're looking for a new sport to have a go at, put skateboarding at the top of your list.     1    All you need is a skateboard, some protection and somewhere to skate.

Choosing a board is straightforward — you can easily find inexpensive boards, but your best bet is to visit your local skate shop, where the staff can give you advice on the right board for your height and age. You will also need protection — a helmet, elbow, knee and wrist pads (软垫)are essential when you take fall.     2    

Once you have your board and protective equipment, you are ready to roll. It's a good idea to begin on grass or a patch of carpet, because that will stop the board's wheels from moving while you learn how to balance. Stand on the board with your feet over its bolts (闩).     3     Aim for a relaxed position with your knees bent and head facing in your direction of travel. Then try pushing yourself along on a patch of smooth concrete (混凝土). You will quickly learn which foot feels more comfortable at the front of the board and, before you know it, you will be rolling along with a huge smile on your face.

    4    You will meet many new friends at your local skate park or ramps (坡道), all of whom will be eager to welcome and help a beginner. With your friends you can spend hours perfecting tricks and attempting impressive jumps as you work on your technique and style.     5     However, it's worth it for the excitement of knowing you try to pull off a trick and, eventually, you achieve it.