Fans of basketball all know who LeBron James is. His fans like to call him King James. The 33-year-old basketball star was again the best player in the last season of the NBA. The most popular American sports magazine Sports Illustrated also named him the best player for the fourth season in a row (连续).

    King James was born on December 30 in Ohio, the USA. He is 203cm tall and weighs 113kg. He is the perfect combination (结合)of strength, size and speed. Some people see him as the best physical specimen (体格范本)in sport.

    James beat Golden State Warriors' player Stephen Curry, 29, to the number one place, even though Curry had a great season. Last season (2015-2016), the two top players led their teams to the highest rank of the NBA. So people had different ideas about who might be the best player. James finally won the award because he helped his team Cleveland Cavaliers beat Curry's team in the NBA Finals.

    To his fans all over the world, James is the king. He is also a hero to many sports fans in the United Sates, especially in his hometown Cleveland. At a celebration in the city after he won the NBA Finals, James made a short speech and thanked everybody in his team. He said that he could not have won the award without them. He even bought each of them a gold headphone as a gift!

    James also started The LeBron James Family Foundation. It raises money and helps people in need. By now, the foundation has spent $41 million sending poor children to universities in his hometown. Maybe that is another reason why his fans love him so much.

    The famous scientist and thinker, Charles Darwin, was born on February 12, 1809.As a boy, Charles liked to go for walks in the fields and forests. He enjoyed watching nature, and comparing what he saw with everything he had read in science books. He also liked collecting very much. He collected many things, such as birds, eggs, stones and leaves.

    At sixteen Darwin was sent to the University of Edinburgh to become a doctor. But he was interested in the history of nature.

    Then he was sent to study in the University of Cambridge. There he studied until 1831.

    Some time later he heard that the ship Beagle was going on a trip to South America and wanted a scientist. His teacher advised him to go. So when the Beagle left England in December, 1831, Darwin was on it.

    The trip lasted almost five years. Darwin saw many new plants and animals. He collected all kinds of plants.

    In 1842 Darwin went to live in Kent, and there he continued his studies of change in nature. Darwin understood that plants and animals are not always the same, and that they really change.

    By 1859 Darwin had finished his famous book The Origin of Species. It made a great hit in the world of science. He was opposed(反对)by the church and even by some scientists. But later, more and more scientists agreed with him.

    In1871 Darwin wrote another important book. Darwin continued his studies in science until he died in 1882.

    In 1996, Subaru Takaiashi sailed alone across the Pacific Ocean. Many other people did this before Subaru, but he was special. At 14, he was the youngest person to sail across the Pacific by himself.

    Subaru left Tokyo on 23 July, 1996. His boat was 30 feet (9 metres) long. In the boat, he had a two-month supply of food and water. He also had a radio and other modern equipment for sailing.

    The beginning of this trip went very well. Subaru often talked to his parents by radio. He didn't have any problems with his boat. Then on 11 August, the engine in his boat quit. This affected his navigation(导航)equipment. Then five days later, his radio quit. So he wasn't able to communicate with anyone. And he was still 2,770 miles (4,490 kilometres) away from his destination-San Francisco.

    By the end of August, many people believed that Subaru was lost. No one was able to contact him by radio. His parents expected him to arrive in San Francisco on 3 September, but he didn't. Then, on 13 September, Subaru sailed into San Francisco. After 55 days in his boat, his trip was finally over.

    Many people believe that Subaru was too young to sail alone. They say that parents shouldn't allow children to make such dangerous trips. However, other people say that children should have adventures, too.

    You might have heard the story of The Tortoise and the Hare (《龟兔赛跑》). The hare lost because he was sleeping {#blank#}1{#/blank#}of keeping running during the race. However, there is another more interesting story.

    Once {#blank#}2{#/blank#}a time, a rabbit (家兔) and a turtle (海龟) were arguing about who was faster. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}could give an answer, so they decided to have a race.

    Before the race, the story The Tortoise and the Hare{#blank#}4{#/blank#} the rabbit of his friend, the hare." He should be able to teach me{#blank#}5{#/blank#}useful lesson." So he called the hare." How can I{#blank#}6{#/blank#} the race?" he asked. The hare answered, "Don't be{#blank#}7{#/blank#}like me!"

    The next day, the two animals met. When the fox called "Go!" in  a loud {#blank#}8{#/blank#}, the rabbit started running as fast as possible. Soon, he couldn't see the turtle. He didn't slow down. He ran the whole race {#blank#}9{#/blank#}he reached the finishing line.

    In the end, however, he was so{#blank#}10{#/blank#}that he found the turtle was already at the finishing line!" How did you get here so fast?" asked the rabbit. The turtle smiled and said, "Well, I also called the tortoise. He told me to take a taxi!"

Clark and Dale were staying in the same room in a hospital. Clark was so sick that he could not even move his body._He had to spend all his time lying on his back. Dale could sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon. His bed was next to the room's only window. 

Over time, Clark and Dale became good friends. Every afternoon, Dale would look out of the room's only window, describing the scenery outside for his friend. He told Clark about the flowers in a park outside the window, the people walking by, the green trees beside roads—anything that might interest a man. 

One morning, when a nurse came to check on the two men, she found that Dale had died in his sleep. As soon as the room seemed tidy again, Clark asked if he could move to the bed next to the window so that he could look out of the window himself. The nurse agreed. Slowly, he could take his first look at the world outside. To his surprise, he could see nothing but a blank wall of another building. 

The nurse explained that Dale had been blind. He had never seen anything outside the window at all—but he described beautiful scenes to help his friend feel better. 

Fred had something important to tell his family. Everyone in his family 1 to sit at the dinner table and listen.

"I'm going to take part in the Olympics," he said.

"2 a fourth-grader do that?" asked Anna, his younger sister.

"I'm not going now. I'll go when I'm a little 3 ." Fred shook his head. "I've studied 4 the athletes become the best. That is practice. If I practice 5 enough, I can't fail."

"Sounds like a big challenge," said Dad. "Which sport will you take up?"

"I 6 up my mind yet," said Fred.

After a month's practice, Fred got hurt again and again when he 7 to find out which sport for him. "I don't think I can find a sport right 8 me," said Fred.

The following Sunday, the family sat down for dinner as usual.

"I've decided not to play a sport," said Fred.

Everyone was surprised.

"You're giving up on 9 Olympic dream?" said Anna.

"I didn't say I was giving up," said Fred. "I'm still going to the Olympics."

Anna looked puzzled. "How can you go 10 you don't do a sport?"

Fred held up a book titled Is Sports Medicine the Career for You? "Over the past few weeks, I've discovered that athletes need 11 medical help. So I am going to become 12 sports doctor. I'll still go to the Olympics — 13 as a doctor, not an athlete." Fred answered confidently.

"Now that is 14 challenge, Fred!" said Dad. "I'm sure you would do as well as you can 15 your dream."