As this year’s ski season got underway, Liu Zhihua,     1     (age) 87, joined the crowd at a ski resort and glided fluently down the piste (滑雪道).

Actually, Liu took up the sport in 2007 when she was 72. “After conquering the fear of falling. I became increasingly interested in skiing.” Starting on the beginner slopes, Liu     2     (gradual) moved to intermediate runs, and has even got onto the advanced ones.

When asked about the setbacks she had encountered. Liu,    3     is an excellent skier now recalls that she fell over while going down a slope due to a lack of experience. “But skill comes     4     practice. Just get used to it,” she says.     5     (wear) a bright smile, Liu adds “No one can tell your age when everyone is in a ski suit.”

These days, Liu skis for about two hours at a time under the     6     (protect) of her instructors.     7     she skis less often than in previous years, Liu is determined    8     (persevere).

“I’d rather fall on a piste than lie on a sickbed,” says Liu. “Health and happiness are the two things that doing sports     9     (bring) to me over the past years,” she says. “I don’t think age has much to do with my mindset. Old or young, I have been     10     (courage)and optimistic.”

3 . Everyone has hobbies. Hobbies bring us a lot of _______. For most of us, the activities we take part in are common and easy to do. However, there are other people who like to take _______. They are more interested in doing extreme sports, such as snowboarding, diving and rock climbing.

Many people _______ rock climbing. They can do it indoors on _________ walls or outdoors on real mountains. There are many advantages of rock climbing - it is fun and it also helps people _________ their worries.

The most important equipment to have is good shoes. They need to be half a size smaller than your usual size. The next thing you need is a harness (保护带). This allows you to _________ freely, but will hold you up if you fall. It's important to know how to use your equipment. If you are a _________, it's best to have lessons. A climber with experience can help you a lot when you are learning to climb.

Rock climbing is very _________ for people of different ages. Climbers, however, must be careful not to _________ the mountains. When some rock climbers climb, they sometimes leave a lot of __________ on the mountains. They should take it with them and throw it away into the dustbins. This will let future climbers enjoy a clean environment.

4 . If you've ever considered training for a marathon, but you are a bit scared by the idea of 26. 2 miles, here is some motivation.

A slow and steady six-month training program designed to gradually build up endurance, gave a group of novice ( 新手) runners , ages 21 to 69, an impressive boost to their heart health.    1    Using these images, researchers documented reductions in aortic artery stiffness (大动脉僵硬).

“As you get older, the normal aging process causes changes in your heart and your vessels," the study author Dr. Bhuva says.“And hardening of the arteries increases the risk of many diseases."     2    Many studies have shown that exercise over a lifetime reduces aortic stiffness.

The training program was a slow build-up over six months. But it turned out that the older, slower runners saw the most benefits, in terms of reducing blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Even among people with existing heart disease, regular physical activity can help improve heart health.    3    

Ready to go? 2 tips to get started with your running goals.

Tip 1: Commit to a specific race or event.

18 million people in the U. S. participated in road races last year. If a marathon sounds frightening, aim for a half or a 5K.    4    Parkrun USA organizes timed 5K races around the country that are free and open to everyone.

Tip 2:    5    

“We normally tell our patients, look, you need to run or exercise, 150 minutes a week. But, of course, that's very boring for people to follow," Bhuva says. When you find a group or a partner to train with, it will be more likely that you'll stick with it.