Long-distance running is a great for beginners. To start with, you should draw up a training plan. Set     1     (achieve) goals. Make sure you are running the right amount that your body can take without getting hurt. There will be times when you want to give up. But just hang in there and tell     2     (you) that it will get easier. If you are feeling     3     (stress), you should definitely go for a run. It gives you more satisfaction than realizing that all the sweat and hard work paid off in the end.

My dad is an enthusiastic (狂热的) runner who     1     (great) influenced me when I was young. So I was very sporty before the age of 14. However, when my family moved, my new school didn’t pay much attention     2     sports and had no after-school activities like football or running. Over the next few years, I     3     (stop) exercising apart from during Physical Education lessons at school. I looked like I was healthy; however, I was not.

One day, I was late for a bus, tried to run after it and in under a minute was out of breath! This made me realize how unfit I was.       4     (help) myself get in shape again, I made a(n)     5     (decide) that I would take up a kind of sport.

A friend of     6     (I) suggested a swimming pool close to my house     7     she goes to a few times a week. Now, I’m a swimming lover! I find swimming in the pool is very     8     (relax). I swim for     9     hour three times a week. I hope I will soon start to feel the benefits of regular exercise, and will become     10     (fit) than before.

Liu Genghong, a Taiwan-born singer, has     1     (surprise) become an online hit for his workout livestreaming (直播) from his home on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. Liu’s workout sessions have been so popular     2     they have broken Douyin’s livestreaming record for 2022 so far.

Chinese musician Jay Chou’s songs often serve     3     Liu’s background music. One of his most-watched workout routines     4     (set) to “Herbalist Manual” (本草纲目) from Jay Chou’s Still Fantasy album. In his livestreams, Liu and his wife exercise and dance to up-beat songs while     5     (explain) and showing their moves.     6     Liu’s dance moves look simple, they are often too intense (剧烈) for his audience     7     (follow).

Many netizens even joked that     8     49-year-old was facing a popularity contest with Li Jiaqi, China’s “livestreaming king”     9     (know) for his sales tactics (策略). “Mr. Li empties our wallet,     10     Liu Genghong empties our body,” joked a netizen.

This global site is a place for runners     1     (share) their stories about running. Here are four runners.

Li Yue was born with asthma and he never thought he     2     (be) a runner! He only joined his local athletics club because his doctor said that in his particular case exercise could improve how his lungs work. But before he knew it, he was taking part in local races. This year he won silver in the under 18’s 10,000 metres! Sarah didn’t do any exercise — not even any jogging not so long ago. Then she discovered an app called Running Power, which lists your     3     (perform) against other runners in your social network. Now she no     4     (long) uses the app, but she has fallen in love     5     running. David is a computer engineer. The work can be quite stressful at times, though,     6     in turn makes him feel anxious. To help deal with this, he goes running as often as he     7     (possible) can. Grace entered the Great Gorilla Run in London this year. This is a programme run by The Gorilla Organization to raise money to save the world’s last remaining gorillas from     8     (die) out. Each runner     9     (receive) a gorilla suit and off they go!     10     funniest moment was when someone watching the race offered her a banana — a real treat for a running gorilla!

Running a few kilometres each day is good for our health. However, new research says running too much could be bad for us.Running long distances     1    (regular) for many years could make our life     2    (short), not longer. The study is from the Minneapolis Heart Institute. A researcher said too much running can create plaque(斑) inside your heart,    3    can lead to heart disease. He wrote that running too much for many years takes away the good things from exercise. He     4    (add) that the risk of heart disease could be     5    same as someone who never exercised. 

Researchers looked     6    the health and training of 3,300 runners over the age of 35. Seventy percent of them ran over 30 kilometres a week. Men who ran marathons for 25 years had 62% more plaque in their heart than men who did little     7    no exercise. A doctor said he felt     8    (cheat). He started running marathons in 1967. He used     9    (run) 60 kilometres every week. He said, “I thought I was out there exhausting     10    (me), building an absolutely strong heart.” The doctor advised people to exercise frequently but not to overdo things.

Yoga makes you feel     1    (relax). Smith Farm is now offering people the chance     2    (do) their daily yoga with goats. In fact, the goats don’t actually take part in the yoga. They are more for moral support (精神支持), preventing you from getting bored. “It is a wonderful experience,” says Smith, “It may sound silly but it’s truly getting outside in nature with beautiful scenery and lovely animals around you. Animals can     3    (real) help humans deal with stress, illness or sadness.”

The ancient Xi’ an held China’s 14th National Games in September. Being the capital of thirteen     1    (dynasty) throughout Chinese history, the ancient city has never been far from sports. Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty (618-907),     2     city has held many sports events. Cuju, the origin of modern football, was an     3    (amaze) game requiring kicking a ball into a net.

    4    (describe) as a form of entertainment among the public, Cuju first appeared in the ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce (Strategies of the Warring States). In this period, people played the game     5     fun. Later, Cuju was     6    (usual) played in the army for military training purposes during the Han Dynasty. Emperor Hangaozu Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Western Han Dynasty not only liked watching Cuju games, but always tried his footwork on the playground. Liu Che, emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty,     7     was crazy about Cuju, would build a Cuju field wherever his army went. He used Cuju as a way     8    (train) soldiers. The     9    (early) record of women Cuju players can date back to the Han Dynasty.

As a way of national culture protection, Cuju     10    (list) into the first group of China’s intangible cultural heritages (非物质文化遗产) in 2006.

As the experts say, swimming is an excellent way to work your entire body. An hour of swimming     1     (burn) almost as many calories as running. There are a host of benefits you may gain from swimming     2     (regular).

One of    3     biggest benefits of swimming is that it truly works well from head to toe. It can not only increase your heart rate without     4     (stress) your body, but also build up your muscles and strength. Besides, swimming makes your heart and lung strong.     5     (research) say that it may even reduce your risk of death.     6     (compare) with inactive people, swimmers have about half the risk of death. Some other studies have shown that swimming may help lower blood pressure and control blood sugar.

The number of persons     7     experience some level of insomnia (失眠症) is increasing, so this is excellent news — the researchers conclude that swimming is a potentially powerful way     8     (relieve) stress quickly and promote deeper sleep.

As with any workout, there are certain risks associated with swimming. If you     9     (injure) or have certain medical conditions, be sure to check with your doctor before swimming.     10     general, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor whenever you start a new exercise program.