Caving is the sport of walking and climbing through caves under the ground. It is     1     (true) an adventure sport that takes you to another world. But it’s also quite a well-kept secret, enjoyed by a relatively small group of devoted     2     (follower). Caving calls for a range of skills. That’s     3     it involves climbing, squeezing and squirming (扭动) your way into openings in the Earth’s rocks     4     (discover) the many interesting, sometimes very large and beautiful caves.

Despite its rather dangerous image largely     5     (acquire) from television programmes, the sport has an excellent safety record, so long as you go with a qualified     6     (instruct) or caving club. Wearing both a helmet (头盔) and waterproof clothing, you     7     (equip) to explore a hidden world of stalagmites and stalactites (石笋和石钟乳), although you may have to not only walk through fast-flowing underground rivers     8     negotiate thunderous waterfalls in order to reach the most     9     (impress) spots. The challenge of having an exploration     10     darkness can be terrifying, so it is wise to choose your location carefully.

4 . My mother turned ninety. I knew I needed to find a senior _______ center. Not for her — for me. If I were at her age, I would want to stay in shape to _______ life, getting a lot of pleasure. Yes, walking in local parks was my _______, but I wasn’t so active as before.

I called a nearby center, “Do you have aerobics (有氧运动) classes _______ for seniors?” “Sure. Come and check us out! We start at 10 am,” the receptionist (接待员) replied and _______. The next morning, I went there. One part of me was _______ that the class was too easy, not doing me any good. The other part feared it was too hard for me to _______.

When I came into the room, a woman _______ me, “Oh, you’re new. Welcome.” Then the music started. The hour-long workout woke up the muscles I didn’t often _______ in daily walks, suiting me fine. I became a member there. My classmates ranged in age from fifty to ninety. Most gave the exercises their own ________, doing as much or little as they could. ________ no one kept score. Soon I learned physical well-being wasn’t the only ________ there. During breaks, people chatted happily. Whenever some people were ________ we asked around. Were they busy? Were they in hospital? Moreover, we signed cards for those who were ill.

I ________ to be in good shape now as I’ve hoped. Still, I’m grateful for things more valuable from the class — close friendships and new social ________.

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.

7 . Four Soccer Clubs for Kids in New York City

Soccer is a sport loved by many kids, families and countries. Here are four soccer clubs that are great for kids throughout New York City.

Stellar Soccer

Address: 1047 Amsterdam Ave

Stellar Soccer was created and taught by early-childhood educators. All classes are held outdoors and are for children aged 2 to 8 years old. No experience is necessary and players of all skill sets are welcome. They offer private lessons on the weekdays and public lessons on the weekends. They also have programs for boys and girls individually.

Soccer Friends USA

Address: 106-06 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills

Soccer Friends USA offers soccer programs for kids aged 18 months to 14 years old. Their philosophy is that the best way for young children to learn soccer is by having fun! Children here are able to learn the game of soccer in a non-competitive environment. In order to teach kids how to play, they believe as teachers they need to have good social skills and a talent for teaching.

Downtown United Soccer Club

Address: 527 Hudson St

Downtown United Soccer Club values friendship and good sportsmanship in a caring and supportive way for every player. Training is offered to players of all ages and genders (性别). They hope to develop a community that helps children develop their lifelong love for the game of soccer.

Coney Island Cyclones Soccer Club

Address: Bill Brown Playground, 4475, Brooklyn

Coney Island Cyclones Soccer Club provides soccer training for kids aged 3 to 15 years old. Their programs include a soccer academy (学院), as well as winter and summer camps that have indoor and outdoor facilities. Their goal is to teach young players the values of sportsmanship, teamwork, self-confidence and respect.

8 . How I Signed My Kids Up for Rock Climbing

As a sports family we’ve tried it all. However, we were lost when it came to finding a sport for our two youngest, 9 and 11. They can’t play on the same team because of the age difference and gender separation in sports.

I was about to throw in the towel when I was hit by inspiration. It was at the farmer’s market that I saw a group from the local climbing gym handing out flyers.     1     They break up the age groups into 6—8 and 9—12 and there’s also no gender separation in rock climbing. So I knew that my two youngest could do it together with no trouble.

The kids were super excited when I first brought up the idea. My husband also pointed out that climbing was definitely a good sport. The first few weeks I stayed close just to see how they were going to treat the kids and how much fun everyone was having.     2    

The first session filled me with delight. They spent a lot of time talking about safety, how to use the ropes and how to stretch properly, and all that made me interested in.     3     Every child got a chance to go up with the instructors showing the one-on-one instructions but it took so long for each kid to go up. I was worried my kids were going to nod off before it was their turn.

    4     As soon as they started climbing on the huge wooden walls with plastic holds, the kids were unstoppable. Once they got the hang of it they were practically flying up the wall. The instructors were very good with kids, too.

All in all I have to say that signing my kids up for rock climbing was a resounding success.     5     It’s great for staying healthy and my kids tell me that it’s a ton of fun.

9 . Here we’ve got three tips to help you start an exercise habit that can stick. It’s a lot easier than you think.

    1    

You don’t have to be a marathoner to get meaningful health benefits from exercise. Experts say even daily activities, which include mopping the floor, organizing a room or carrying groceries up the stairs can reduce the risk of diseases like diabetes, heart disease and even some cancers.

So remind yourself that it’s not a choice between hours-long workout or nothing at all. Instead, think of starting an exercise routine like standing up from your chair and sitting back down repeatedly.     2    

Focus on how exercise makes you feel great

There are so many positives that happen when you move. It improves all the tasks that demand focus and creativity. It helps you generate energy. It boosts mood.     3    . When you feel better, you will bring more enthusiasm and energy to your work and the people working around you.

Forget long- term benefits like weight loss or better overall health.     4    . Actually, they’re not super motivational in real-time and can be disheartening when you don’t see results quickly.

Figure out what kind of exercise and workout location makes you feel good

If weightlifting in a crowded gym gives you anxiety, try to get a set of weights for home or follow workout videos on YouTube or ride a bike in the park.     5    .

10 . Over the past decades, experts have done a considerable amount of research to explore different ways to encourage children’s learning. Especially, there has been a common focus on how physical activity, separated from the learning activities, can improve children’s learning. However, there has been less of a focus aimed the potential of integrating physical activity into the learning activities.

The main purpose of the Basket Mathematics study conducted at five Danish primary and elementary schools by researchers from the University of Copenhagen therefore was to develop a learning activity that integrates basketball and mathematics and examine how it might affect children’s motivation for mathematics.

756 children from 40 different classes at Copenhagen area schools participated in the project, where about half of them－once a week for six weeks－had Basketball Mathematics during gym class, while the other half played basketball without mathematics.

“During classes with Basketball Mathematics, the children had to collect numbers and perform calculations associated with various basketball exercises. An example could be counting how many times they could sink a basket from three meters away vs at a one-meter distance, and adding up the numbers. Both the math and basketball elements could be adjusted to suit the children’s levels, as well as being adjusted for whether it was addition, multiplication or some other operations that needed to be practiced,” explains Linn Damsgaard, a leading researcher.

The results showed that children’s motivation for math integrated with basketball was 16% higher compared to classroom math learning. Children also experienced a 14% increase in self-determination compared with classroom teaching. Meanwhile Basketball Mathematics improved their math confidence.

“We are planning to do research to examine whether the Basketball Mathematics model can strengthen performance in mathematics. Once we have the final results, we hope that they will inspire school teachers and principals to prioritize more physical activity and movement in such subjects. Eventually, we hope to succeed in putting these tools into school system and teacher education,” says Associate Professor Jacob Wienecke.