1 . 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.

2 . Benefits of Sports

Doing sports is a physical, mental and social adventure. It’s a great way for children to take a break from studies and release extra energy. It also helps them lead fuller and happier lives as regular sports have proven beneficial to overall well-being.

The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious. Regardless of your fitness level when you start playing sports, you’ll notice an increase in your overall fitness once you’re involved.     1     Basketball players focus on strength training; football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs. The training process helps promote physical fitness and performances in competitions.

    2     Playing sports also contributes to mental health, helping to increase confidence and self-worth. A pat on the back, a high five from a teammate, or a handshake after a match really boosts a child’s confidence. Words of praise and encouragement from the coach, parents and other players raise self-worth.     3     So after a game, it’s a better idea to ask “Did you enjoy the game?” rather than “Did you win?”

Children who participate in sports might also benefit from the social aspect, feeling part of a group, building up responsibility and leadership.     4     Teamwork involves both being dependable as a teammate and learning to rely on your teammates to achieve a positive outcome. Teamwork breeds responsibility and challenges you to be responsible for your actions. Being part of a team gives you an opportunity to be a leader.

Discipline is another social advantage. Most organized sports require a strict training and practice schedule. As a student-athlete, you need to balance studies and athletics.     5    

There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to get involved in. Are you ready to go? Pick one and get moving!

5 . All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.     1    . They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when their player or team wins.

    2     Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy!     3    . Think how many lovers to skate or ski in Japan, Norway or Canada.

Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet.    4    . Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.

People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends.     5    . One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace.(胜不骄，败不馁)

6 . What is better for you? Exercising in the great outdoors, or signing up for a gym?To try and find out, the Guardian was invited to spend a month working withfitness and sports psychology experts at Bath University and the National Trust. The concept was that participants— including me — would spend alternate weeks exercising in a gym and on National Trust land.

The first week was spent on the exercise bikes, rowing machines and treadmills (跑步机) in a gym at Bath.Getting started at the gym was easy. There was a nice community too. People are gently teasing and encouraging each other.

On the downside, it was hard to ignore the background noise ofdance and pop music. And all the machines faced screens showing music videos, rolling news and sports channels. Not a place to get away from it all.

So it was a relief in week two to head for the hills of Dyrham, a National Trust parkland full of birds and deer.

Weeks three and four followed the same pattern. The diaries I had kept, questionnaires I had filled in, and heart monitors I had worn, were then analysed by scientists from Bath University.

The findings surprise me a bit. The heart monitors showed I had consumed a similar amount of energy whether exercising in the gym or outdoors. But fitness expert Martyn Standagewas most interested in the fact that on the days when my exercise had been done outside, I used more energy through the rest of the day.Standage said this fitted with studies that suggest working out in the outdoors leads to a greater feeling of vitality (活力).

Jo Barton, who specialises in studying outdoor exercise, suggested that working out in the fresh air could be “life-changing”.“Exercising in nature lifts your mood and increases your self-respect,” she said.

My verdict? It was more fun outside but sometimes more convenient to get to the gym. A bit of both may be the way forward.

My favorite sport

Many people like sports.

9 . When winter came to Washington and the streets froze over, Henderson could finally teach his favorite sport hockey(冰球). One day in 1978, Henderson______there were too many kids to just keep playing in the street. He felt it was______, so he walked to the Fort Dupont Ice Arena and______ice time. As more kids came, he

kept buying ice time and,______, skates and sticks, too.

What______as a dad, son and neighborhood kids playing turned into the Fort Dupont Cannons, the oldest minority hockey______in North America. It______close to 50 players ages 8 to 18 each year for free; Henderson's original equipment bank has been filled through donations over the years. Participants are required to meet______standards.. Henderson______report cards for participants every academic quarter. If a player has a______grade, Henderson sends them to a classroom to do their homework.

To Henderson, his club was always about more than learning a new______or having fun. The team______its travel for tournaments to visit museums and sometimes colleges,______players from mostly lower- income families to new places. “Hockey has so many interesting______,” Henderson said. “It's a sport where you can use your______,your strength and your understanding. You can______how well you know your teammates without speaking. You have seconds to do what you have to do each time. so it______your attention nonstop.”

More than four decades later, Henderson is still______by the sport and his hockey club, mending and ordering equipment, checking report cards and so on.

Because of his______, Henderson was nominated(提名) as one of three finalists for the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award, recognizing a figure who has______influenced his or her community, culture or society through hockey.

Everyone knows that regular exercise is good for the body. But exercise is also one of the most effective     1    (way) to improve your mental health. Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive influence     2     depression, anxiety, and more. It also relieves stress,     3    (help) you sleep better, and makes you feel happy. Research indicates that no matter how old you are or how fit you are, you can learn to use exercise as a     4     (power) tool to feel better.

Sure, exercise can improve your physical health, improve your waistline,     5     even add years to your life. So people who exercise     6    ( regular)) tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep     7     (well) at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about     8    (they) and their lives. And it's also powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges.

Wondering just how active you need to be to get a mental health boost? It's probably not as much as you think. You don't need     9    (devote) hours out of your busy day, train at the gym, or run mile. You can gain all     10     physical and mental health benefits of exercise with 30-minute of moderate exercise five times a week. Two 15-minute or even three 10-minute exercise sessions can also work just as well.