I hesitated to join the new Tai Chi Club because I always    1    (believe) tai chi was for old people. In fact, it was really     2    (amaze) and had a huge effect on me physically and mentally.    3     is said that a 13th-century Taoist named Zhang Sanfeng invented tai chi after drawing     4    (inspire) from a fight between a snake and a bird. 

While     5    (learn) the basics of tai chi, I found myself bored and aching. Luckily, my coach taught me how to relax my     6    (muscle) and focus on peace of mind. With these requirements in mind, I found my balance and flexibility     7    (slow) improved.  

I discovered that tai chi is deeply rooted     8     the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, and that the practice of tai chi aims to maintain the balance of yin and yang in the body.  

A year of practising tai chi has had a positive effect on my everyday life. I feel    9    (happy) and more confident. I will continue to practise tai chi and enjoy the benefits     10     it has brought me.

You already know the fact that regular exercise is important for controlling weight and     1     (avoid)a variety of health conditions. But it can also improve your academic     2    (perform). And. if you’re a distance learning student, you may miss out on some of the opportunities for physical activity afforded to more traditional students who routinely walk around campus. But it’s well worth the effort     3     (put) the schedule exercise into practice.

The study, which     4    (publish) in the Journal of Medicine & Science, describes physical activity as     5     vigorous movement that produces sweat and heavy breathing. Mike McKenzie found that students who studied over three hours per day were 3. 5 times     6    (likely) to be exercisers. Over a decade ago, McKenzie     7     (say) researchers discovered a link     8     exercise and focus in children.

More recently, another study by Johnson reveals that even short ”microbursts“ of physical activity throughout the day can have positive effects. Jennifer tells that sitting for long periods of time,     9    college students tend to do, can have a negative health effect. In addition, the study found that five-minute bouts of walking every hour had a positive impact on mood, tiredness, and hunger at the end of a day. This may be     10    (particular)beneficial to students who also work a full-time job and study in the evening and nighttime hours.

Why is swimming    1     (benefit)to you? One of the key    2    (reason) is that it’s a total-body workout and builds your muscle all over. Each stroke(划水动作)works out a different set of muscles,    3    no matter which stroke you’re using, the act of pulling your body through the water almost    4    (use) all your muscle groups. Swimming is also a workout for your heart system,    5    (raise) your heart rate without placing extra stress on your body.

While running can have a negative effect on your bones and joints, swimming is    6       (complete) safe, which gives you the opportunity to work out    7    stressing your joints. It’s true that the low-impact nature of swimming makes it much less likely     8     (cause) injuries.

According to a study conducted by New York University, swimming can cut men’s risk of dying by almost 50%, a rate which is significantly    9    (high) than running or walking. The study was undertaken over a period of 32 years, and    10    it was only conducted on men, there’s no real reason why the effects should be any different for women.

Fitness enthusiasts in China are experiencing a change     1     sports habits thanks to the fast development of online platforms and the use of smart technologies.

These enthusiasts now wear smart gadgets(小装置)     2     (track)body reaction during workouts. They make personalized fitness plans on smart apps, and familiarize     3     (they)with smart fitness equipment.

A     4     (new)opened smart running track at Beijing’s Olympic Forest Park,     5     favorite destination for local running enthusiasts, is a good example of     6     smart technologies are upgrading the public’s sports experience.

Runners on the track acquire a range of data, including information about those currently using the track, real-time temperature and weather reports, and instructions about running. This data     7     (present)on smart     8     (interact)screens alongside the track, which opened to the public early last month.

The track is also linked to an app that can be installed on smartphones and other portable devices. Runners     9     (use)the app receive instructions, such as suggested running speeds and the right time to rest or drink water.

Runners on the track also take part in online challenges relating to different distances and particular difficulties.

After signing up for the challenges on the app, they choose the time they want to start. The athletes’ results are uploaded online for     10     (compare)with others, and participants receive medals for outstanding results.

When it comes to exercise, less is not more—but it’s certainly better than none. Physical inactivity makes up nearly 23 percent of all     1     (death)from major chronic(慢性的)diseases, yet almost one of every three Americans spend a lot of time sitting down. They usually say they have no free time     2     physical activity at all.

Light activity can improve physical and mental well-being. While light activity is good, moderate(适度的)activity is even     3     (good). And you don’t have to head to a gym. As recent studies have suggested, “lifestyle” activities, such as walking, house cleaning and gardening, are as     4     (effect)as a structured exercise program in improving heart function(功能), lowering blood pressure     5     keeping or losing weight.

In one study, overweight, sedentary(久坐的)middle-aged men and women     6     learned behavioral skills to make them more physically active, such as walking around airports or train stations while waiting for a departure,     7     (reduce)their body fat percentage and improved their blood pressure and heart function as much as individuals(个人)working out at a     8     (fit)center.

There are different types of activity in a center,     9     people do aerobic and muscle exercise to build up their health. But actually multiple short periods of exercise during the day     10     (be)nearly as beneficial as one long session.

Yoga(瑜伽) is     1     (high) recognized for improving balance and bringing calm. But when it comes to weight loss, many people think that other kinds of exercise, like running, will be more     2     (help). But studies show that yoga,     3       is an exercise that uses your large muscle groups     4     raises your heart rate, is beneficial for you to lose weight. Just how many calories(卡路里) you burn differs, depending     5     how long your exercise is, as well as other     6     (factor), such as your weight and age. Practicing yoga can help you burn more calories long after exercise.

Better yet, recently several studies     7     (prove) that yoga has an effect on the body’s stress response and reduces     8     production of chemicals linked to weight gain. And someone experiencing a more positive mood by     9     (practise) yoga is less likely to overeat when experiencing negative emotions.

Remember     10     (choose) the best kind of yoga that fits for you. There are now many styles of yoga that meet you no matter what your size, age, or physical challenge is. Everybody can benefit from a yoga practice.

Their eyes fixing on their Chinese Tai Chi master, some children in Zimbabwe closely follow a series of martial arts (武术) movements     1    (perform) in a slow and gentle manner

From primary students to adolescents,     2     group of Tai Chi enthusiasts enjoy the power of concentration     3     the guidance of their instructor, Zhu Wei. Zhu,     4     is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor, teaches Zimbabweans Tai Chi, apart from providing medical assistance.

Tai Chi is     5     (deep) rooted in Chinese traditional cultures, including martial arts, TCM, traditional Chinese philosophy etc,     6     (stress) a mind-body connection by gentle movements, meditation (冥想) and deep breathing. Tai Chi is widely recognized as a practice that is     7    (benefit) to both our physical and mental health. Besides, it can improve children’s physical     8     (strong) and develop a sense of self-worth and self-confidence.

Since the 19^th century, the Chinese     9     (understand) the health benefits of Tai Chi,     10    its popularity has grown steadily. At present, Tai Chi is practiced in almost every corner of the world with more than 300 million participants.

Recently researchers went through some survey information about the health and habits of men and women in Scotland,     1     (hope) to determine how much exercise is needed to keep the Scots     2    feeling depressed. The answer: a mere 20 minutes a week of any physical exercise, whether sports, walking, gardening     3     even housecleaning. The researchers found that more exercise brought more mental-health benefits. But their overall conclusion was that being active for 20 minutes a week     4    (be) enough, if your goal is mental health.

How much exercise is enough? This is a question difficult to answer,     5     (part) because the amount of exercise needed depends on the benefits you hope to gain. Twenty minutes a week of housecleaning or other     6     (activity) may, according to the Scottish study, increase your satisfaction, but it certainly won’t do much for your physical fitness and is unlikely     7     (reduce) your risks for diseases. It also won’t help much with weight loss.

Interestingly, they did not find that exercise beyond a certain point would bring additional health benefits. According to the report, “It     8       (estimate) that people who are physically active for about seven hours a week have a 40 percent     9     (low) risk of dying early than those     10     are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”

According to some records,Tai Chi dates back as far as 2,500 years.It’s a practice that involves a series of slow gentle physical movements,and    1    (control)breathing.It originated as     2    ancient martial art(武术)in China.Over the years,it    3    (become)more focused on health promotion and restoration. It may be     4     (benefit)in improving balance and preventing falls in older adults and people with Parkinson’s disease. A study    5    (carry) out in 2021 to evaluate a10-week Tai Chi intervention in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic as a possible way to help improve their mental and physical health. The 30 participants were between the ages of 60 and 78 and hadn’t previously practiced Tai Chi.    6    the results suggested,Tai Chi could possibly help people cope with COVID-19 and the negative effect in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.The authors explained that Tai Chi can be practiced    7    (easy) at home or in groups,    8     (make)it useful during pandemic conditions.This    9    (suggest)was not based on studies of Tai Chi during the COVID-19 pandemic but instead    10    past research about the general effects of Tai Chi.The authors said that future research is needed to determine the effectiveness of Tai Chi during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide more valid and reliable data.