Training for a marathon requires careful preparation and steady, gradual increases in the length of the runs.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, buy the best-fitting, best-built 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(仲展) 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 to figure out a goal of improving distance and time

    Do you have a hobby? Something you look forward to spending your time with? Something you love to do?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Or making model airplanes. Sketching. Or making useful things out of waste material. It could be a musical instrument that you love playing. Or singing and dancing.

    There are many things that a hobby can give you, apart from an enjoyable time. Sashay was a shy boy but through his interest in model airplanes he learned the value of sticking to a task until it was finished. His model airplane club brought him to get into touch with similar souls.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Having a hobby helps you relax and get away from the routines of school.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} You really need this well deserved one, too! It gives you focus, self dependence, confidence and builds your personality. This is an opportunity to lose yourself in an enjoyable activity, away from the pressure of school, so at the end of it, you feel relaxed and yet, mentally charged.

    Your hobby defines you.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And it also shows you what you are good at, and how far you can go, when you apply yourself.

    So go ahead.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.For a hobby is: Happiness: something which you look forward to doing. Opportunity: to nurture and develop your special and unique skills and celebrate them. Believe in yourself: makes you understand your strong advantages and improves your confidence. Best in you: brings out your best—for in each one of us there is a best that is only ours. YOU gives you a unique character, and makes you YOU!

A. Develop a hobby.

B. It gives you a break.

C. It proves your ability.

D. Hobbies show your character.

E. It showcases your special skills.

F. It could be collecting something.

G. He learned to make friends for the first time.

    A volunteering vacation can be a meaningful way to spend your time off, but to make the trip satisfying both for you and the cause you are supporting, several factors need to be considered. Here is some advice on planning the ideal vacation:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are hundreds of causes to volunteer for, and finding one close to your heart will lead to a more worthwhile trip. Possibilities include wildlife conservation, education, environmental protection, health and nutrition. Also, consider any personal and professional skills that you can contribute. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Choose your destination and setting. Your volunteering trip will be more enjoyable if you use it to reach a favorite destination. If Southeast Asia is on your mind, helping with tree-planting programs in Bali would benefit the environment and let you appreciate the scenic island. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Is volunteering outdoors in a hot or snowy climate appealing, or do you prefer being in an air-conditioned office?

    Ask the right questions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Be aware that most volunteering programs require a weeklong commitment. Ask other questions like: How many hours of work per day is required? Are there days off? Will you be working individually or as part of a team? And what are the goals of your efforts? {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Ask if the cost includes only accommodations or meals and transportation too.

A. Figure out your cause.

B. Find a well-respected organization.

C. And think about the surroundings you want.

D. Your duty there is to help, as well as to rest and relax.

E. The more you know about your trip, the more successful it will be.

F. Despite the word “volunteer”, these vacations usually cost you some money.

G. If you're a doctor, for example, working at a health clinic could be an ideal fit.

Real-life Room Escape Games

    Real-life room escape games are a type of physical adventure game in which people are locked in a room with other participants and have to use the things in the room to settle a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape the room within a set time limit.

    The game are based on Escape the Room video games, such as Crimson Room and QP-Shot, created by TAKAGISM Inc. By Toshimitsu Takagi in 2005, in which the player is locked inside a room and must explore his or her surroundings in order to escape. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Other inspirations include adventure board games and movies. Real-life room escape games are becoming popular in the United States, Japan, and China. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} For example, some games require you escape prison cells while others require you escape space stations.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Soon, they were exported to North America, Asia and Australia. Examples include the two pioneer companies Hint Hunt and Adventure Rooms.

    The games were so successful that new locations began opening up across China, in cities big and small, according to Want China Times. In the southern city of Shenzhen, for example, the first escape game location opened last August. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} "These real-life escape games can help those who stay at home on their computers and iPads all day to experience real social circles," Tian Xiaochuan, who owns two room escape game stores in Jinan, told Want China Times. Earlier this year, The South China Morning Post said the real-life escape games are a hit among "highly stressed students and overworked young professionals". {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some players get so involved that they tear down equipment or decorations inside their "prisons", as Zhu Yumeng, chief operating officer of Beijing room escape game store Taoquan told China Daily.

A. Each game adds local themes to settings.

B. And seven new game locations quickly followed.

C. They should also be brave enough to face their fears.

D. Sometimes the excitement becomes a bit much, though.

E. Weekend or day event escape games have been held in some stores.

F. Permanent real life escape games in a fixed location were first opened in Europe.

G. Players must be observant and use their critical thinking skills to escape the room.

    Have you ever set a goal for yourself and got excited to get working on it? The first few weeks are great! You're moving forward. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Before you know it, your goals have taken a back seat. Sound familiar? We are not alone. Many face the same struggle. Here are the four ways to complete these goals.

Make yourself a priority（优先权）.

    You most likely put others before yourself. It is a wonderful thing to want to help others, but if you are putting others before your own priorities and goals, you will be quickly in a great pressure. This is a habit we have to get rid of. If we don't care about ourselves first, we can't be our best to help others. Take yourself seriously. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Make clear goals with action steps.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Create action steps, and no matter how small you think they are, use them. It becomes a way for you to measure your progress. Don't discount the small steps. When life gets in the way it's so much easier to move on or pick right back up when you have these small action steps to guide you.

Create your own hope.

    This is your self-talk. Make it positive and daily. You do not need permission to take action towards your goals and don't wait for someone to give you this permission. If you need to, seek positive influencers and listen to their stories. Learn to say “No.” {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. This is your journey, not theirs.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Have a mindset to be grateful for the things, people, and opportunities in your life. If we don't appreciate what we have now, how would we be able to appreciate anything once we completed our goals? Each of us has our own life experiences and life struggles, which shape us into who we are. They are lessons that can either make you or break you. The choice is up to you and determines if you will be successful in achieving you goals.

A. The more details you can have with your goal, the better.

B. Make this a positive healthy habit.

C. Then life starts throwing tons of difficulties at you.

D. Learn to be thankful.

E. Focus on the process.

F. You don't have to do everything for everyone.

G. This is actually difficult for those of us that care for others.

    Every week for the past thirty years, I have hosted a Sunday dinner in my home. People, including total strangers, call or e-mail to book a spot. I hold the salon in my studio. The first fifty people who call may come-twice that many when the weather is nice and we can overflow into the garden.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Last week it was a philosophy student from Lisbon, and next week a dear friend from London will cook.

    People from all corners of the world come to break bread together，to meet to talk， and often to become friends. All ages, nationalities, races, and professions gather here, and since there is no organized seating, the opportunity for connecting couldn't be better. I love the randomness (随意).

    I have a good memory so each week I make a point to remember everyone's name on the guest list and where they're from so I can introduce them to one another. If I had my way, I would introduce everyone in the whole world to one another.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Many travelers go to see things like the Tower of London, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and so on. I travel to see friends， even-or especially-those I've never met.

    In the late 1980s, I edited a series of guidebooks to different countries.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Instead, each book contained about a thousand biographies of people who would be willing to welcome travelers in their cities. Hundreds of friendships evolved from these encounters, including including marriages and babies.

    The same can be said for my salon. At a recent dinner a six-year-old girl from Bosnia spent the entire evening glued to an eight-year-old boy from Estonia. Their parents were surprised, and pleased, by this immediate friendship.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Most of them speak English, at least as a second language. Recently a dinner featured a typical mix: a beautiful painter from Norway, a truck driver from Arizona, a newspaper editor from Sydney and students from all over.

    It is unnecessary to understand others; one must, at the very least, simply tolerate others.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}No one can ever really understand anyone else, but you can love them or at least accept them.

    I am a world citizen. All human history is mine. My roots cover the earth. We should know each other. Okay, now come and dine.

A. I believe in introducing people to people.

B. People are the most important thing in my life.

C. There were no sights to see, no shops or museums to visit.

D. Tolerance can lead to respect and, finally, to love.

E. After all, our lives are all connected.

F. Every Sunday a different friend prepares a feast.

G. There is always a collection of people throughout the world.