Training for a marathon requires careful preparation and steady, gradual increases in the length of the runs. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} , buy the best-fitting running shoes you can find. No one can say which brand will work best for you or feel best on your feet, so you have to rely on your experience and on the feel of each pair as you shop. When you have found shoes that seem right, walk in them for a few days to double-check the fit.    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}      As always, you should stretch(伸展) at least ten minutes before each run to prevent injuries.

During the first week, do not think about distance, but run five minutes longer each day.   {#blank#}3{#/blank#}        , it is wise to take a day off to rest. But during the next week, set a goal of at least a mile and a half per run. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}       . After two weeks, start timing yourself.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}    . Depending on the kind of race you plan to enter, you can set up a timetable for the remaining weeks before the race.

A.    After six days
B.    For a good marathon runner
C.    Before you begin your training
D.    With each day, increase the distance by a half mile
E.    If they still feel good, you can begin running in them
F.    Time spent for preparation raises the quality of training
G.    Now you are ready out a goal of improving distance and time

Four Ways to Give Truly Meaningful Gifts

    Buying someone you love a gift that expresses your truest feelings isn't always easy. But when you get it right, the joy they show is worth it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Listen up.

    While you may think it's a great idea to surprise someone by giving them something you think is meaningful, it's best to get them exactly what they have told you. For example, you heard friends say they wanted the newest bike but you bought them a gym membership instead. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So get them what they've specially asked for.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    In the spirit of showing love, we might go big. However, we may not be thinking of what really makes the person happy. You might think buying your father the latest TV is perfect, but then when you get it home, it lights up the living room like a stadium and is totally wrong for the space. So think smart.

    Keep it open.

    Many of us may consider giving cash impersonal（没人情味的）. But this may save you some concern. The receiver can be allowed to choose whatever they want. In a recent survey of over 7,000 Black Friday shoppers, 39 percent said the receiver they were shopping for was “picky（挑剔）”. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Create an experience.

    Visit websites where you can get the latest tickets for a play, buy a surf lesson, or even something unexpected like a flight lesson. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, if your kids are into NASCAR, just imagine the look on their faces when you score them a ride at a race car driving school. So give them a time that they will remember to heart.

    Test anxiety can be a real problem if you're so stressed out over a test that you can't get past the nervousness to focus the test questions and do your best work. Feeling ready to meet the challenge can kept test anxiety at a manageable level.

    Be prepared. Some students think that going to class is all it takes to so well on tests. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You will find your test anxiety eases when you start to study more regularly. The reason is that the more you know the material, the more confident you'll feel. Having confidence going into a test means you expect to do well.

    Watch what you're thinking. If expecting to do well in a text can help you relax, what about if you expect you won't do well? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They can contribute to your anxiety. If you find yourself having these thoughts, replace them with positive ones. Not unrealistic positive message, of course, but ones practical and true.

    Accept mistakes. Another thing you can do is to learn to keep mistakes in view-especially if you are a perfectionist or you tend to be hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and you may have heard teachers refer to mistakes as learning opportunities. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If sitting for a test gets you so stressed out that your mind goes blank and causes you to miss answers that you know, then your level of test anxiety probably needs some attention. Your teacher or your school guidance counselor（顾问）can be good people to talk to.

    Take care of yourself. For some people, this might mean learning a simple breathing exercise. Practice breathing exercise regularly when you feel stressed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can calm yourself down and get centered.

A. Ask for help.

B. Learn to praise yourself.

C. This helps your body receive a signal to relax.

D. But good study habits and skills are more important.

E. So it's time to regard small failures as valuable experiences.

F. Then you will become more interested in asking questions.

G. You may send yourself some negative messages about the test.

    Why play sports? You might say “to get exercise” and you'd be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports get a lot more than just fit．

    Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that playing sports will take up all your study time. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Exercise improves learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom．

    Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goalsetting skills. Sports teach valuable life skills. When you work with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you're learning how to be successful. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who exercise are less likely to get osteoporosis(骨质疏松症) later in life.

    Playing sports improves self-confidence.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Why? It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals. Sports are also a feel-good activity because they help girls get in shape, keep a healthy weight, and make new friends.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Playing sports can reduce stress and help you feel a little happier. How? The brain chemicals released during exercise improve a person's mood. Friends are another mood-lifter. And being on a team creates connections between friends. It's good to know your teammates will support you－both on and off the field!

A. Exercise cuts the pressure.

B. In fact, there are at least 5 more reasons.

C. Regular exercise increases quality of life.

D. Girls who play sports feel better about themselves.

E. Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life.

F. Playing sports offers children more than just physical benefits.

G. But research shows girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't.

    Get a Thorough Understanding of Oneself.

    In all one's life time it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate(高估) yourself. It seems that everything you seek for is within your reach.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's likely that you think it wise for yourself to stay away from the outer world. Actually, to get a thorough understanding of oneself, you may as well keep the following tips in mind.

    Gain a correct view of oneself. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for dreams can never be fully realized. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Self-appreciate. Whether you compare yourself to a towering tree or a blade of grass, a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you earnestly (诚挚地) admire yourself you'll have a real sense of self-appreciation.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In time of anger, do yourself a favor by releasing (释放) it in a quiet place so that you won't be hurt by its flames; in time of sadness, do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a bad mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep.

    Get a full control of one's life. Then one will find one's life full of color and flavor.

A. It has its own value.

B. Do oneself a favor when it's needed.

C. Do yourself a favor when you resist the attack of illness.

D. But it is precisely oneself that one has the least understanding of.

E. Especially if it is well within your reach, you are just too blind to see it.

F. When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself for your own incompetence.

G. So long as you have a perfect knowledge of yourself, there won't be difficulties you can't overcome.

Bees (蜜蜂) touch our lives in ways we may not realize. They are responsible for as much as one third of the food that we eat, and even play a role in growing the cotton (棉花) used in much of our clothing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here's how you can help:

1. Plant more flowers

Bees depend on garden flowers to ensure they have different kinds of diet. By planting flowers in your garden you can create a pleasant place for bees. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Another idea is to add hanging baskets of flowers next to your front door.

2. Find a space for a beehive (蜂窝) in your garden

Many would-be beekeepers find it difficult to find a safe space for their bees. If you have some space, contact your local beekeeping organization. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You will be surprised what a difference a beehive will make to your garden.

3. Give bees water

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} They use water to produce food for their bee families and control the temperature in their hives. Bees look for a clean source of water. Leave out containers filled with clean water in your outdoor spaces and refresh them often.

4. Be bee friendly

Bees are good neighbors, and only sting (蜇) when they feel threatened. Beekeepers wear protective clothing when they are dealing with bees. If a bee flies in front of you when unprotected, do not flap (拍打) your hands. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The bee will soon lose interest.