Last {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (圣诞节) Day, when I was at the street {#blank#}2{#/blank#} （角落）, a car {#blank#}3{#/blank#} （经过） by. The car stopped in front of me. A woman looked out of the car and asked me {#blank#}4{#/blank#} （有礼貌地）, "Excuse me, could you tell me the right direction to the  station?" Oh, my god! She was my old classmate. She used to be a shy girl. She didn't {#blank#}5{#/blank#}（敢于）to speak in {#blank#}6{#/blank#} （公众）. But her English was good and she did well in the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} （发音） and the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} （语法）. I {#blank#}9{#/blank#} （羡慕） her very much. Finally we had a happy {#blank#}10{#/blank#} （谈话） and I told her the way to the station.

All About "A-thons"

    A marathon is a long-distance running race. Now it is not only a competition, but some people organize marathons for charity. Runners get friends, families and other people to support {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (they). They promise to provide a certain amount of money for every race. For example, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the runner runs one kilometer, the providers will each give the runner $1 for the charity. Much of money can be raised this way. However, not everyone can run, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} people in the USA have thought of other ways to raise money, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (use) the idea of marathon.

    Walk-a-thons: A walk-a-thon is similar {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a marathon, but people walk instead of running. This is one of the most popular {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (way) for people to raise money.

    Read-a-thons: Many schools organize read-a-thon to raise money. Students can get money {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (easy) for the number of books they read in a given amount of time. Little kids can also get money according to how many pages they read. The read-a-thons {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (hold) not only to raise money, but also to encourage teenagers to read.

    Bowl-a-thons: Bowling is an interesting sport for many {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (America). In a bowl-a-thon, people raise money for every point they get in the game. The {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (high) the score is, the more money they make for the charity.

    Have you ever picked strawberries yourself? The sweet fruit looks nice, but light pressure can make them out of shape, so you have to be very{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(care) when picking them. Nowadays, there {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(be) many young people who are just like strawberries. They{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(easy) break down when they face difficulties. There is a name for them strawberry kids.

    Why are many children so easy to break down? Many students are the only child in their family. Their parents do almost everything for {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(they) in their daily life. They hardly ever get criticized(被批评) at home and always feel good about themselves. If these students are criticized strictly by teachers, they {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(feel) upset and begin to doubt their own abilities. And schools? Many schools care more about {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(student) grades instead of developing their personality. As a result, students get satisfying grades {#blank#}7{#/blank#}they are not mentally(精神上地) strong enough.

    Young people should learn how to make themselves mentally strong. An expert said, "Whenever you are in trouble, don't ask for help too quickly. You should try {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(deal) with problems first by yourself. Take an active part {#blank#}9{#/blank#}sports and social activities. That can help you become mentally strong."

    Growing up is not just a happy process. Pains also go along. {#blank#}10{#/blank#}most important thing is to face the pains bravely and learn from them.