The loss of handwriting in our high-tech world saddens me. People of all ages openly admit their handwriting is becoming worse as keyboards replace pen and paper. Increasingly, schoolchildren deal with assignments on computer and struggle to write, having had little practice. I am of the generation that learnt to write with a dip pen in kindergarten and a fountain pen in high school; by the time I reached university, like everyone else, I used a functional ballpoint. Handwriting has filled every aspect of my life since I was first taught to shape letters on the lined pages of my exercise books.

    From the age of 12, I have kept a handwritten journal, recording my thoughts and feelings regarding both the significant and boring aspects of my life. Through this daily practice I connected with myself, explored experiences and found a way to interpret and make sense of my relationships. Although I rarely reread my written material, the process of writing has remained with me as a means of processing my feelings and filtering（过滤)）my experiences.

    Yet today, handwritten letters are as rare as a red panda. Few of us write letters any longer, even to those to whom we are close. We communicate differently when we e-mail or text, both methods characterised by speed and informality. The deep thinking, which accompanied a handwritten letter, is almost entirely absent. We may be communicating more frequently and with more people, but the depth and quality of our communication has reduced.

    Sadly, modern technology tends to be temporary. Few of us keep old e-mails or even print them out, so a sense of history and memory is lost. Archivists（档案管理者）report that more information has been lost in the past decade than in the previous 150 years. It is too easy to press the delete button.

    In many other areas of records, material is now in the digital format. Yet saving material in a digital format only is extremely unstable. How it will survive the future remains a problem.

    In this digital world of text, e-mails and instant messaging, the perceived value of writing is no longer obvious and the case for retaining the practice of writing needs to be made. Should we save the humble pen and paper when laptops and mobiles are functional, universal and unstoppable? Should children continue to be taught to write with a pen and paper?

    With its passing, a good mode of self-expression is being lost. I invite readers to engage with handwriting and become aware of this special skill that has created civilization for centuries.

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The current{#blank#}1{#/blank#} of handwriting   

▲    Students {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to computers to complete their homework.

▲    With little practice, students have{#blank#}3{#/blank#} writing.

▲    We seldom write letters even to people we are close to.

The author's link with handwriting

▲    The author{#blank#}4{#/blank#} himself to handwriting from kindergarten to university.

▲    The author kept {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of his thoughts and feelings by keeping writing journals.

▲    The author also takes {#blank#}6{#/blank#} of writing to process his feelings and filtering his experiences. The {#blank#}7{#/blank#} with modern communication methods

▲    There is an{#blank#}8{#/blank#} of depth and quality in e-mails and texts.

▲    The temporariness of modern technology tends to give {#blank#}9{#/blank#} to the loss of some history and memory.

▲    Saving materials only in a digital format is not very stable.

▲    A style of self-expression is being lost.

The author's {#blank#}10{#/blank#} to people for handwriting  

Write as much as possible and realize the importance of this special art.

    Youth sport has the potential to accomplish three important objectives in children's development. First, sport programs can provide youth with opportunities to be physically active, which can lead to improved physical health. Second, youth sport programs have long been considered important to youth's psychosocial development, providing opportunities to learn important life skills such as cooperation, discipline, leadership, and self-control. Third, youth sport programs are critical for the learning of motor skills; these motor skills serve as a foundation for future national sport stars and recreational adult sport participants. When coachers develop activities for youth practices and when sport organizations design youth-sport programs, they must consider the implication of deliberate play and deliberate practice.

    Research from Telama （2006） states that regular participation in deliberate play or deliberate practice activities during childhood and youth （ages nine to eighteen） increases the likelihood of participation in sports during adulthood by six times for both males and females. Côté （2002） defines deliberate play activities in sport as those designed to maximize enjoyment. These activities are regulated by flexible rules adapted from standardized sport rules and are set up by the children or by an involved adult. Children typically change rules to find a point where their game is similar to the actual sport but still allows for play at their level. For example, children may change soccer and basketball rules to suit their needs and environment （e.g. in the street. on a playing field or in someone's backyard）. When involved in deliberate play activities, children are less concerned with the outcome of their outcome of their behavior. （whether they win or lose） than with the behavior. （having fun）.

    On the other hand, Ericsson （1993） suggests that the most effective learning occurs through involvement in highly structured activities defined as deliberate practice. Deliberate practice activities require effort, produce no immediate rewards, and are motivated by the goal of improving performance rather than the goal of enjoyment. When individuals are involved in deliberate play, they experiment with different combinations of behaviors, but not necessarily in the most effective way to improve performance. In contrast, when individuals are involved in deliberate practice, they exhibit behavior. focused on improving performance by the most effective means available. For example, the backhand skills in tennis could be learned and improved over time by playing matches or by creating fun practice situations. However, players could more effectively improve their backhand performance by practicing drills that might be considered less enjoyable. Although drills are used in most effective means available practice might not be the most enjoyable, they might be the most relevant to improving performance.

    （Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS）

    Our series The Genius Behind will take you inside the minds of people who are making the impossible possible. Whether it is designing the fastest ever land vehicle, helping the blind to see or creating space history, success relies levels of knowledge to new heights . What can we learn about genius from minds? Based on the people and the projects outlined in the series, we've come up with five lessons.

    Lesson one: New challenges require new ways of thinking

    Bloodhound SSC aims to be the first vehicle to break the 1,000 mph barrier. One of the key challenge has been to design the wheels. Thinking twice, Mark Chapman, chief engineer decided to change the way they were trying to solve problems and came up with a wheel design, part car, part jet fighter and part spaceship, which would hold together and was strong enough.

    Lesson two: Let evidence share your opinion

    Geophysicists widely believed that water on Earth originated from comets. But by studying rocks, Steven Jacobsen discovered water hidden inside, suggesting that the oceans gradually made its way out of the planet's interior many centuries ago. “Unfortunately, I had a pretty hard time convincing others,” he admits. Only time can tell whether the new theories are true.

Lesson three: It really is 99% efforts

    Sheila Nirenberg at Cornell University is trying to develop a new prosthetic device(假肢器官)for treating blindness. “Sometimes I'm exhausted and I get burnt out,” she adds. “But then I get an email from somebody saying that they can't see their own children's faces, and it is like, 'How can I possibly complain? Once I thought of this, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep—all I wanted to do was work'. It gives me the energy to just go back and keep doing it.”

    Lesson four: The answer isn't always what you expect

    Sylvia Earle has spent decades trying to see the ocean with new eyes. Her “dream machine” is a submarine that could take scientists all the way to the bottom of the deepest ocean floor what sort of material could best withstand the types of pressure y would encounter thousands of miles below the ocean surface?” It could be steel, it could be titanium, it could be some sort of ceramic, or some kind of aluminium system,” says Earle. “But glass is the best choice.”

    Lesson five: A little luck goes a long way

    It was considered as one of the biggest success stories in the history of space exploration—20 years of planning ended earlier this year with the Philae lander landing safely Comet 67P over 300 million miles(480 million kilometers)away from Earth, though Philae's anchoring harpoons(锚定鱼叉)didn't fire as planned.

    As a matter of fact, genius is difficult to define. “Genius is a funny word,” says Nirenberg. “I just sort of ignore it and just go on with life. You just do what you do regardless of whatever label's attached to you. I don't know really how else to explain it.

    The rules about how to talk, eat and sit, which are highly limited, are observed in most Western restaurants and homes. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many Westerners have no idea how to act at the Chinese dinner table. No forks or knives for them to use! The Chinese host makes great, sweeping arm movements that go over large sections of the table, passing over both food and friends alike. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} However, it leaves many foreigners at a loss for what to do.

    In my childhood home, dinner was enjoyed with low voices, and the topics that we could discuss were very limited. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If I had to leave the table to use the toilet, I had to excuse myself without mentioning what it was that I was going to do. “May I be excused, please? I need to wash my hands.” I would say. My mother would say, “Sure.” My father would often play a joke on me by saying, “{#blank#}4{#/blank#}”

    As for eating, we did it quietly. No eating noises were allowed. Everything must be done as quietly as possible. If any sound was created by eating food or drinking, it would be considered as bad manners!

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}He is to sit up straight with the recessive hand (usually the left) in one's lap holding a napkin while the dominant hand (usually the right) holds the fork or spoon. The only time one is allowed to have both hands on the table is when he is using a knife to cut something.

A. The scene is fantastic.

B. Your hands don't look dirty!

C. How one sits at the table is also prescribed.

D. Can't you think up a better excuse than that?

E. In general they were all strictly forbidden topics.

F. They're completely different from what we find here in China.

G. We were not allowed to talk about anything that made listeners uncomfortable.

    Over the past twenty years, American country music has become more and more popular. Song writers are no longer writing about the modern values of the USA—money, success or expensive things to buy. Instead, they are writing once more about things that are common for everyone: feeling alone in the modern world, the value of having good friends and so on.

    In the 1950s, American music was about other things, for example, love—getting or losing a boyfriend or girlfriend. Money was also thought to be important.

    Then in the 1960s, song writers turned to other subjects. During these years many young students were angry with society, so songs were often full of anger. Political leaders were not well thought of.

    Today country music has returned. It has become big business and brings in between 200 and 400 million dollars a year. Once, the home of American country music was Nashville, Tennessee. Now, however, the music has reached all parts of the States, from Los Angeles in the west to New York in the east. Singers do not just come from the States but from all over the world. There are many famous singers from Britain, Canada and Australia. A lot of them appear on television too.

    The first country singers sang while playing the guitar. It was easy for them to carry a guitar on their travels. Now, however, a lot of electrical equipment is needed for large theatres.

    Country music today still remains very popular.