1 . It was a cool early morning of the winter season. I was excited to start my morning walk. Every day I promised myself that I would start ‘ walking exercise ’ but it never happened. I saw so many people were engaged in this amazing habit but I could never push myself. So that day I was determined to take the golden opportunity!

I got everything ready， my shoes, socks, hand glove, and jacket, etc from the previous night. I didn’t know why 1 felt as if I were going to do some expedition (探险)! I was ready and started walking on the lonely road. The outside temperature seemed to be below 18 degrees. But I enjoyed the fresh air. Probably that day I was the only one who was walking on the road at that time. I think I was too early but anyhow I loved it!

After a few yards were covered, I felt delighted! Huge banyan trees (菩提树) were on both the roadsides. It was so calm and quiet all around except randomly the chirping (鸟鸣) sound of the little birds was repeated in the air. On one side of the road, a small pond was there. Since it was my first walking exercise, I thought to take a little rest just near the bank of the river and then continue. The sun was moving closer to the horizon scattering colors to the sky.

As the sky started shining brightly with beautiful yellow and red light like every day before the sunrise, I left that place and ended my journey furthermore. I thought to myself that the next day I would increase my exercise a little more. I turned and leisurely walked down towards my home.

3 . You may have seen them coming quickly towards you or passing you swiftly. They’re moving steadily, swinging what looks like a ski pole in each hand.     1     These people aren’t skiing. They’re enjoying a type of exercise called Nordic (北欧的)walking. They use poles not for balance but to get their arms working. And their arms do work! In fact, in Nordic walking, the whole upper body gets plenty of exercise.

    2     Some of the time, they have to go up hills! They use their poles to help push themselves along. Nordic skiers were the first to use poles while walking. It was a way to train for their sport when there was no snow. Then other people, learning of the health benefits of the exercise, began to do it, too.

In the early days of Nordic walking, all walkers -- skiers and non-skiers alike- used ski poles. In 1988, an American company began making and selling poles especially for walking.     3     That’s because they usually aren’t used in snow. And they don’t stick very deeply into the ground. Some of them come with various tips, or ends, for use on different surfaces.

Although regular walking is healthy, studies have shown that Nordic walking is even healthier.    4     This produces strength in the muscles (肌肉) of the arms and chest. It makes the heart and lungs work harder. For young and old, Nordic walking is a great way to exercise the whole body outdoors.     5    

5 . I love outings to the ballpark. My ears perk (竖起) up at the whack of a precisely hit ball, my nose enjoys the scent of hot dogs, and my heart jumps at the possibility of winning it all. But a few years ago I discovered the best way to watch a baseball game might be not to watch at all.

This discovery arose the year I got married. The first apartment my husband and I rented could charitably be called “charming”, although “diminutive” better describes it. But to young newlyweds, the 41-square-metre apartment felt sublime. The best thing about the apartment, in my opinion, was its location a quarter-mile from baseball’s oldest stadium, Boston’s Fenway Park.

The only problem? My husband was not a Red Sox fan. I hadn’t anticipated this stumbling block. He was an avid sports fan, and he’d only just moved to Boston. Surely a love of the hometown team would seep into his heart as naturally as fish take to water.

My hopes faded as the season began. A Seattle Mariners hat remained firmly planted on his head. Matching Red Sox T-shirts earned a veto.

As newlywed disagreements go, this one wasn’t horrible. Plenty of couples flourish with dueling team loyalties. But a worry nagged: If he couldn’t root for the Red Sox, would he ever truly make Boston home?

As a student, when the magic in the air that season permeated (传播) the girls’ boarding school I attended outside Boston, we begged our house directors to let us stay up past curfew to watch the games on TV, and when they at first refused, we listened on radios in our rooms and gleefully burst into the halls to cheer.

So when my husband said he’d never be a Red Sox fan, my heart clenched. But one delightful spring day our teeny apartment came to my rescue. As we sat at our dining room table, we heard a roar swell to a crescendo. This was the first indication that we could hear the stadium crowds from our home.

7 . Two days after eight e-sports (电子竞技) games were officially announced to be included in the 19th Asian Games, China’s Edward Gaming (EDG) team earned its first League of Legends World Championship title with a 3-2 win over South Korea in a tough battle on November 7th, immediately drawing cheers from people around the country. The topic “EDG wins” had been viewed more than 2.63 billion times as of press on Sina Weibo, ranking the top trending topic for a long time.

With the popularity of digital technology, new forms of cultural exchanges have been appearing, of which e-sports are the most popular. Unlike texts and videos, e-sports go beyond the barriers of language and are understandable around the world. E-sports mostly appeal to those in their early 20s, as shown by the carnival (狂欢) of college students. That in turn makes them a good bridge of communication between young Chinese people and their counterparts (对应的人) around the world.

More importantly, the e-sports industry is sustainable in spreading Chinese culture, as the large audiences mean huge commercial potential. In 2020 alone, the sales revenue of the domestic e-sports industry exceeded 278.69 billion yuan, and involved 280,000 enterprises which in turn created over 10 million jobs. According to a media report, nearly 95 percent of graduates from e-sports majors at the Communication University of China in Nanjing, succeeded in finding a job after graduation this year, with 62 percent of them devoted to the e-sports industry, including video game clubs, game design companies and game competition operation companies.

The inclusion of e-sports in major sporting events has been a much-discussed topic in recent years. With more Chinese gaming clubs and teams emerging, the industry is expected to further prosper and continue spreading Chinese culture to the world.

8 . Naismith was born on November 6, 1861, in Ontario, Canada. After earning a bachelor's (学士) degree in physical education at McGill University, he moved to the US to pursue a career. He took up a job at the YMCA International Training College in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was there that he made a plan for an entertaining game that could be played indoors, especially during the cruelly cold winters.

When creating the rules of basketball, Naismith took inspiration from several of the then-popular sports such as rugby (橄榄球), soccer, baseball, and football. The idea of passing the ball was drawn from American rugby, and the shape of the ball was influenced by soccer balls. And in 1891, the well-loved sport of basketball came to life, and Naismith named it "Basket Ball".

In December 1891, the first-ever basketball game was played. The game followed a set of thirteen instructions written by Naismith himself, and players played for two fifteen-minute rounds with a five-minute break in between.

Interestingly, the hoop was a simple fruit basket nailed to the wall, and it was several years later, that an opening was cut at the bottom of the basket! Initially, the game involved tackling until Naismith realized that the players were knocking each other and getting violent. So, he introduced the idea of dribbling (运球) and passing. However, familiar basketball positions, such as forwards, centers, and guards were present since the first game.

Throughout the years, the original list of thirteen rules written by Naismith was printed all across the country. High schools and colleges introduced basketball into their athletics program, and by 1905, basketball was officially recognized as a winter sport. Basketball was adopted in other countries. In 1936, basketball was added to the Olympics Games in Berlin, Germany. According to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), there are 44 million people around the world who play basketball, making this sport the second most popular in the world!

9 . Swimming in freezing water may sound hard to understand. But that's precisely what 400 athletes from 33 countries had to endure in the 3rd International Ice Swimming Championships held in Murmansk, Russia from March 14 to 17, 2019.

Unlike normal swim competitions, ice swimming doesn't suit everyone. The extreme sport can damage the heart. So even the most experienced athletes are carefully monitored and medically examined before and after they enter the water. Individual spotters are assigned to each participant to check for any issues as they swim. Each event also has a strict time limit after which competitors who are still in the water are pulled out.

As a rule, participants don't dive in. Instead, they dip themselves into the water slowly using adders, allowing the body to get gradually accustomed to the low temperature. Swimmers must also stay horizontal（水平的）in the water at all times and aren't allowed to perform flip turns（滚翻转身）. That's because, in cold water, the warmer blood moves to the core（核心）of the body, protecting the organs from the extreme temperature. A flip turn could lead warm blood to move and endanger the organs.

Upon completing their race, swimmers are quickly led to a recovery center, where experts help them warm up by dipping their legs in cool water and covering their bodies with heated towels. Once their body temperature stabilizes, the swimmers settle down into a hot bathtub.

Despite risks, many ice swimming addicts still enjoy participating in ice swimming competitions. They like the physical challenge of actually swimming in freezing water and swimming distance. Besides, they love the feeling of being out in nature.