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.

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.

We all know that a healthy life means     1     (get) both plenty of exercise and enough good-quality sleep,     2     reality often gets in the way. The new research indicates that doing enough exercise could make up     3     some of the unhealthy impacts of terrible sleep.

Cancer, for example, those at the unhealthiest end of the sleep and exercise scale had a 45 percent higher risk of dying from cancer    4     those with good sleep and doing exercise     5     (regular). However, that risk just about disappeared for those     6     didn’t have good sleep but kept regular physical activity.

The weekly amount of exercise     7     (recommend) by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 150 minutes of moderately intensive activity, or more than 75 minutes of vigorously intensive physical activity.

“Levels of physical     8     (active) at or above the lower threshold recommended by WHO appeared to cut out most of the associations of poor sleep and mortality,” write the researchers in their paper.

“Considering that physical activity     9     (be) perhaps more achievable than sleep, the study offers people more health     10     (reason) to be physically active; and provides health professionals with more reasons to recommend physical activity to patients with sleep problems.”