Handwriting can make or break the first impression. If your handwriting is difficult for others to read, you will sometimes feel embarrassed.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. It needs lotsof practice to improve your handwriting.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try each of them out on a piece of paper bysigning your name. Find out which type of pen you can write best with. You maybe amazed at the change in your handwriting just by changing to another pen.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Do not just do what feels comfortable becausethat is just your old bad habit coming back into play. Try to hold the penlightly and don't press too hard.

      Use your chosen pen to write Os on some pieces of lined paper.Write until you have filled up all the lines. Be careful with each O that youwrite.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Practice writing Os as much as possible.Remember : practice makes perfect. You may practice for weeks or months if youneed to{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

As your handwriting shows signs of improvement , go ahead andkeep on practicing by writing more words.

A. Gather different types of pens.

B. Practice holding your pen in different ways.

C. However , a bad writing habit is hard to break.

D. Choose a type of pen with which you write best.

E. It won't help if you write a lot of careless Os on the paper.

F. Two to three months' practice is enough to get goodhandwriting.

G. After you are confident in your Os, do the same thing withyour name.

    As a little child, I was always plump（胖的）. In college I started blowing up. It got out of control when l went to law school.

    I'd made a decision a thousand times: I'm going to lose weight now. But what motivated（激发） me to get serious about it was turning 30.1 weighed 414 pounds.1 was always tired. Some of my family members have suffered from heart disease, and l was frightened. I also wanted to look better.

    So after my birthday, I walked into the office of a weight loss doctor.

    She was very understanding. Her focus was on balanced meals and she wanted me to exercise.

    Walking was all I could do at first. I started by walking a few blocks and gradually increased the distance, until one weekend, I heard myself saying, "Wow, this seems pretty easy." So I started to run.

    I was losing nine or ten pounds a month, and I had more energy. I started to think about the New York City Marathon. For years, I watched the runners and thought, "This looks like fun, but I could never do that." But now I realized that maybe I could. I joined the New York Road Runners. I ran a 10km, then a half marathon.I still wasn't confident I could run a full 26 miles. But I told myself I was going to do it, no matter what.

    By my 33rd birthday, I was down to 180 pounds. I started formally training for the marathon.

    And on the morning of November l, I stood on the Verrazano Bridge in Staten Island with more than 40,000 0ther runners, waiting for the event to start.

    It was unbelievable to have the audience cheering me on, handing me cups of water. And I crossed the finish line. My friends sprayed（向……喷射）me with beer, as if I'd won the Super Bowl.

    And at that moment, I knew: If I set my mind to something, nothing is impossible.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

    Chiang Mai is proud of the city's 700- year history, which has rich traditional relics and unique culture. It is located 700 km north of Bangkok and is situated among the highest mountains in the country. Chiang Mai means “the new city” in Thai. King Mengrai founded the city as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom on April 12,1296. Therefore, Chiang Mai not only became the capital and cultural center of the Lanna Kingdom, but was also to be the center of Buddhism in northern Thailand. King Mengrai , a very religious leader, founded many of the city's temples (寺庙) that remain important today.

    It is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to experience both historical and modern Thai Culture. The city has old temples next to modern stores. It has more than three hundred temples, among which some are the most beautiful and honorable in the entire Buddhist world, giving the city an atmosphere (氛围) of calmness.

    The old city of Chiang Mai has various dialects, architecture, traditional values, festivals, handicraft and classical dances. In addition, it has hill tribes and their wealth of unique culture. Chiang Mai city features old-world beauty and charm as well as modern enjoyment and convenience. It is also filled with natural resources including mountains, waterfalls and rivers. Nowadays there are many activities and attractions both in the city and the surrounding province, including river rafting , elephant riding and golf.

    The quality of living is excellent. Accommodation and food are of the highest standard at a very low cost. Entertainment is plentiful with numerous festivals, outdoor activities and great nightlife. A number of elephant camps, numerous outdoor activities, a variety of handicraft workshops, various cultural performances, and breathtaking scenery make Chiang Mai one of Asia's most attractive tourist destinations.

    Just an hour from Atlanta,CounterPoint is held at beautiful Kingston Downs.The grounds include 5,000 acres of rolling North Georgia Hills.They are surrounded by a river on 3 sides with beautiful views of the Appalachian Mountains in the distance.The site hosts plenty of stages,art festivals,camping and many other activities.The site is easy to reach from most of the biggest cities in the Southeast.For questions about the festival grounds,email us at info@counterpointfestival.com.

    Camping

    CounterPoint is a"Camping Optional" Festival.You can take a tent,bring an RV,or stay at a hotel.The campgrounds have featured comforts and amenities（便利设施）that will make you feel right at home.If you don't want to camp,there are buses and travel package options that offer a quick ride back to your hotel.For questions about camping,email us at info@countenointfestival.com.

    Art

    The visual experience at CounterPoint is one-of-a-kind.Take a walk through the Art Village to check out rare arts and various crafts.More details on the art,artists,and the 2016 Art Village will be shown soon.The application to be an art exhibitor at the 2016 CounterPoint Music And Arts Festival is now closed.Check next January for the 2017 application.Contact vendors@counterpointfestival.com with questions.

    Food & Drink

    We've got everything you need to fuel up your festival experience.Pack an appetite（食欲）—CounterPoint will have plenty of food and beverage options for you.The application to be a food court exhibitor at the 2016 CounterPoint Music And Arts Festival is now closed.Check back next January for the 2017 application.Contact vendors@counterpointfestival.com with questions.

    CounterPointer Cares

    CounterPoint wants to keep Kingston Downs looking beautiful.With your support,we can leave a lasting positive influence through recycling and waste reduction programs.If you represent a nonprofit organization interested in being featured at CounterPoint,Contact vendors@counterpointfestival.com to tell us more about it.

    Do you intend to study at an American university? It takes a long time to get accepted at most American schools, perhaps as much as a year. That's why you should start choosing a school as soon as possible. It's a good idea to apply to several different institutions, so that you'll have a better chance of acceptance at one. You should start looking for information now, because the more information you have about each college, the better choice you can make.

    There are two good ways to get information you need. One is a general reference (参考) book, called Guide to American Colleges and Universities. The other good source of information is the catalogue (目录) published by each school.

    You can study the general guide in almost any American library. This book has many useful statistics, such as the number of students, the average test scores for people accepted to the school, the number of books in the library, and the number of teachers. You can also find the address of each school in this book.

    Although the general guidebook has helpful information, some of the facts may be out-of-date. For example, many schools raise their tuition every year. Since you'll need to know what your education will cost, out-of-date information will not be good enough. Also, schools sometimes change their requirements for entrance. To be sure that you are getting present information, write to the university and ask for its catalogue. The catalogue has more detailed information. For example, the catalogue can tell you if there is a special foreign student advisor, what kind of courses are offered, and what kind of housing is available. Some universities have dormitories, but at others you have to find your own place to live.

    With all of this information, you should be able to pick out several good schools.

    Bamboo is one of the nature's most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.

    Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist recorded one bamboo plant that grew almost 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo that grow around the world on both mountains and plains(平原).

    Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.

    Many Asian countries have been using bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for building new buildings. As a matter of fact, the cables(绳索) that hold up the hanging bridge across the Min River in Sichuan are made of bamboo. The bridge has been in use for more than 1,000 years, and is still holding strong.

    In Africa, engineers are teaching poor farmers how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. It seems that bamboo is one of the best things they can use. Bamboo pipes and drills(钻) can help to make the poor thirsty fields to be watered.