My occupation is an 【小题1】 (architecture). I had only swum in open water a few times, and always in gentle lakes, so how rough Lake Windermere appeared on a cold day was not 【小题2】 I was prepared for. 【小题3】 was acknowledged that the water might feel colder than it had been measured, and that the water was a bit rough. But I, along with 10,000 others, was about to face the challenge. The task might sound 【小题4】 (ambition). I said to my family members, “At this time tomorrow I will be swimming in the lake.”

Most of the participants were doing a one-mile race, and 10 races were planned over the weekend. The participants ranged from very old people to very young swimmers. The oldest woman competing was 77, taking part in the two-mile race, alongside a man who last year swam in every one-mile race.

It was the third one-mile race of the day that 【小题5】 (chose) by me three days before. There were over 600 participants in my race. After being taken through a preparation area, we felt how cold the water was. “Not too bad” was everyone’s thought! Then we headed out towards the middle of the lake.

I stared at the lake for some time, wondering if I could finish the competition smoothly. Though 【小题6】 (warn) that the first 100 meters would be really rough, somewhere near the 750m mark I was still waiting for the calm. It felt more like swimming in the sea than a lake. I tried to focus on my breathing and skill, and just constantly made an effort 【小题7】 (swim). Hardly had I approached the 400m-to-go mark when my lower right leg became incredibly painful. I began to feel the entire le g tight and exhausted. No matter how terrible I felt, I didn’t want to stop, so I bent my right knee and just kicked with the left leg. The 【小题8】 (consume) of my energy was so high.

My finishing time was 38 minutes 25 seconds but that didn’t matter—the atmosphere was absorbing and everyone felt a sense of achievement, whatever their time was. It was my perseverance that contributed to my finishing the race. The success could boost my 【小题9】 (confident). I’m attracted and want to give it another go. If possible, I will sign up for my next open-water swim. Now this is an activity I am willing to engage 【小题10】.

Parkour (跑酷) is a sport which trains people to deal with any physical obstacles in their path. It is not a competition but a physical training. A person joining in parkour is called traceur. Traceurs run along a path and use only their bodies to deal with obstacles in the most efficient way. Parkour pays more attention to efficiency, 【小题1】(make) it different from the similar practice of free running. Parkour 【小题2】(common) includes running, jumping, climbing, rolling and other similar types of physical movements. Many teenagers think that parkour is quite【小题3】cool sport. They have great interest in it.

The 【小题4】(invent) of parkour can’t 【小题5】(give) to one person because many people have worked on it. A French officer developed the earlier form of parkour. The term “parkour” was first introduced by David Belle and Sebastiar Foucan in the early 1980s. 【小题6】that time, they were two teenagers. This sport【小题7】(become) more popular in the 1990s when many films were made on it.

【小题8】makes parkour different from other sports is its power to bring people together. It allows traceurs to forget the【小题9】(society) and other problems, and makes a large group work and grow together instead of competing with each other. People can benefit from parkour as it can make them stronger. Still, it also influences one’s thought process by improving self-confidence and critical-thinking skills. In this way, parkour allows one to deal with 【小题10】(difficulty) in daily life if he or she deals with them through parkour.

Caving is the sport of walking and climbing through caves under the ground. It is 【小题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 【小题2】 (follower). Caving calls for a range of skills. That’s 【小题3】 it involves climbing, squeezing and squirming (扭动) your way into openings in the Earth’s rocks 【小题4】 (discover) the many interesting, sometimes very large and beautiful caves.

Despite its rather dangerous image largely 【小题5】 (acquire) from television programmes, the sport has an excellent safety record, so long as you go with a qualified 【小题6】 (instruct) or caving club. Wearing both a helmet (头盔) and waterproof clothing, you 【小题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 【小题8】 negotiate thunderous waterfalls in order to reach the most 【小题9】 (impress) spots. The challenge of having an exploration 【小题10】 darkness can be terrifying, so it is wise to choose your location carefully.