Swimmers enjoy cold swims

Many people enjoy swimming in icy cold water. An open-air swimming pool,     1     (know) as a lido, in Bedfordshire, England, proved very popular this winter. The Woburn Lido is usually open from May to September,     2     this year it stayed open to swimmers throughout the autumn and winter months too.

Until the lockdown for England was announced on 4 January, outdoor pools were allowed to remain open. “Demand has taken us by surprise,” said Murray Heining, a volunteer at the Woburn Lido. Over Christmas and New Year, the lido had to offer extra openings to keep up with the demand from     3     (swimmer).

Cold-water swimming has grown in popularity in the UK over the past few years. A survey found that 7.5 million people in England had swum in outdoor pools, as well as lakes, rivers and the sea, in 2018. In some areas, such as the river Wharfe in Yorkshire, this new trend has made environmental groups think more about     4     the water is cleared of pollution and clean enough for bathers.

Some people make it a regular practice;     5     just enjoy a refreshing dip on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day. Every year around the UK, people     6     (photograph) plunging into icy water, often in fancy dress, and the recent festive period was no exception,     7     freezing temperatures.

The Outdoor Swimming Society classifies temperatures below 6℃ as “Baltic” and from 6-11℃ as “freezing”. They advise people     8     (get) in the water gradually, so as not to shock the body. Likewise, they recommend warming up gradually, and not     9     (rush) the process by leaping into a hot bath when you get out. Instead, they suggest layering up and drinking something warm.

It wasn’t just the water that was cold—many people experienced a white Christmas; snow fell in several counties including Yorkshire and Suffolk. Paul Davies, the UK Met Office’s chief meteorologist (气象学家), a scientist     10     job is to study the weather, said the forecast indicates “the likelihood of the cold conditions experienced recently continuing through January”.

Gathering a few close friends to take a delightful stroll through the city streets     1    (become) a favored activity among young people in China in the past few months.

Referred to as Citywalk, this trend involves leisurely traveling around urban areas     2     foot. Participants can follow a distinctive urban route or without one, losing themselves in the atmosphere, discovering historic buildings, exploring boutique shops, sipping     3     cup of coffee, and indulging in authentic local snacks.

Across various Chinese social media platforms, Citywalk hashtags (标签) and keywords have gained     4    (importance) popularity as more individuals seek to share their experiences and thoughts online. Originating in big     5    (city) like Beijing and Shanghai, the Citywalk phenomenon has begun to spread to second and third-tier cities in China, encouraging more participants and event organizers to get     6    (involve). Some organizers even invite folk culture enthusiasts and researchers to act as tour guides.

Citywalk not only     7    (offer) a way for young people to interact with a city but also provides them with a new social scene, where people who share the same interests and ideas can     8    (easy) make friends.

Even though Citywalk is relatively new, it offers a positive shift for urban travelers,     9    (allow) them to select experiences according to their interests and needs.     10     is more important is that it presents an opportunity for tour guides and travel service providers to offer more tailored and professional services, catering to the ever-evolving market demands.

From London’s Trafalgar Square to major cities across Britain, tens of thousands of British people have joined Chinese communities    1     (welcome) the arrival of the Chinese New Year.

In Manchester there was a Dragon Parade,    2     (lead) by a very breathtaking 54-meter long dragon, ending in Chinatown    3    people could enjoy a wide range of Chinese food and enjoy a spectacular fireworks show.    4     (celebrate) also took place in Liverpool, Birmingham, Lake District, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle.

Academic Dr. Wu Kegang said, “ The Chinese New Year event in Britain is now     5    (impress) than ever and it is growing every year”.

On arrival in Britain 26 years ago from Guangdong, south China,    6     first thing Wu noticed was that Chinese New Year was celebrated    7    (main) in towns and cities with big Chinese communities. “You would go to London Chinatown and join your countrymen to celebrate,    8     to Chinatowns in places like Liverpool and Manchester for events almost only held for Chinese people,” Wu recalled.

“    9     is different now, is that we are seeing local communities all over the country taking part alongside their own Chinese populations,” he said. “ It is clear to me that the event will continue to grow in Britain where Chinese New Year    10    (earn) its place in the calendar of events so far.”

Public-square dancing is now very popular with the elderly people in China. In fact, many Chinese ladies, mostly women     1     their fifties or sixties,     2     (regard) square dancing as a regular form of exercise over the years. Every day after supper, they gather on the square dancing. They think     3     square dancing is of great help. Besides helping them keep fit, it also provides them with a good chance to improve the relationship with neighbors. Also, such dance actually enriches their cultural life on the whole.

    4    , public-square dancing has also caused a wide range of social     5     (concern). The music of square dancing tends to be very     6     (noise), which of course disturbs the normal life of people     7     (live) nearby.

Square dancing is no doubt     8     excellent form of exercise and enjoyment, but dancers should take their neighbors’ needs into     9     (consider). They should choose a right time and turn down their music a bit so that they will cause little trouble for others. Only in this way can they dance     10     (happy) and live in harmony with their neighbors.

If you have learnt some maths at school, you can quite     1    (quick) work out that one eleventh is about 9 percent. But did you know that 9 percent is also the number of children     2     are not at school? That’s right - one in 11 children is not     3    (study) and probably even cannot do the simple maths you just did so very easily. They drop out of school     4     their families are too poor and they have to work like adults. In 2013, millions of children and     5    (teenager) were out of school. Most live in poor countries, but there     6    (be) also some boys and girls who cannot go to school in rich countries. If you are one of the lucky ones who can go to     7     senior high school, you should be grateful for the opportunity. So the next time you feel like you do not want     8    (do) boring, difficult homework or go to class, think about the children who don’t have the chance to get a good     9    (educate). Make the most of your education and make the world a     10    (good) place.