Mary likesto run. Ever since she was in the third grade, she has been training to runlong distances. Now that she was in her eighth grade, her parents agreed to lether run in the Banana Classic. The Banana Classic is a ten-kilometre race. Ittakes place every year in Mattydale. The winners get a lifetime supply (提供) of peanuts and fruit juice.

    Marypractised by running ten kilometres, twice every day. On the average (平时的) run, she would finish inthirty minutes. Last year's winner finished the race in twenty-six minutes andten seconds!

    On the dayof the race, Mary ran faster than she ever had in the past. As she came acrossthe last kilometre, she was in the fourth place. She picked up the pace (步伐) and quickly reached the secondplace, just as she could see the finishing line. She ran as fast as she couldin a mad dash (冲刺) to the finish line, but she justwasn't fast enough to get ahead of the leader.

Beijingis the capital of China. It is a very1 city. Lots of people live and work there. Itusually takes them a long2toget to work.

Myfriend Zhang Yu works in a company (公司) in Beijing. Thecompany is3from his home. He goes to work either bybus4 bysubway. When he gets up early, he5the bus to work. His home is next to thefirst stop of the No. 456 bus. It is easy for him to get a seat (座位)6 the bus. But hespends (花费) two hours getting to the7. When hedoesn't get up early, he takes the subway. It takes8 aboutone hour to go to work by subway. But there are too9people on it. Sometimes Zhang Yu can't even(甚至)10!

Itis Zhang Yu's dream to buy a house near his company. Can his dream come true?

It's common for us to take a train. But have you ever thought of having a special place to study on the 1 ? This will 2 be a very unusual experience.

The train No. 5609/5610 is a slow train. In some carriages (车厢), there are no hard seats (硬座) but some desks and chairs next to the 3 . They became bright "study carriages" for passengers in need.

Some other slow trains also have their own bright "study carriages", including No. 5619/5620 and No. 5633/5634. Many students from 4 schools often take the trains between school and home at weekends. The trains are their "school buses" and many of them use the 5 time to finish their homework.

On the train No. Z150, which 6 between Guiyang and Beijing, a "book bar" carriage has been popular among college students. There are nearly 400 universities and colleges in the cities along the rail line, making No. Z150 the first 7 for most students. Since 2015, the train's dining car has been open at night to 8 students with a lending library and some tea. There students enjoy reading books and drinking tea for free. They even start discussions on some topics in groups.

These 9 methods were made to offer a comfortable environment for learners to continue their studies. And they are well welcomed by many passengers. Many students say it's meaningful to 10 such carriages and they'd like to share them with their friends.

When I was eight, I got a book about stars. That was the beginning of my lifetime hobby. 

I used to go outside with my mum at night and look at the sky. After stars {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, the sky looked like black velvet(天鹅绒) with millions of diamonds(钻石). How beautiful and {#blank#}2{#/blank#}! I shared the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} of seeing stars with my mother. 

Studying stars is great fun for me. Once I learn a little about stars, I soon want {#blank#}4{#/blank#} more. I never {#blank#}5{#/blank#} lonely on my way because stars are always there. Now it is my career. 

Actually, everyone can turn their hobby into their career, too. Anybody has a chance to achieve their dreams. You just need to enjoy what you do!

Good Moments of Your Life

Bruce Kelly, a reporter interviewed some people and asked, "What are some of the good moments of your life?" Here are some of the answers.

I'm a foreign student at Ningbo University. Can you guess what I'm majoring in? It's   Chinese Language and Literature! When I was young, I found a book in the library, Journey to the West. The story about Tang Monk and his three disciples (徒弟) was so fascinating. After I finished high school, I decided to come to China. But my parents didn't understand me. In their minds, China was still a developing country, and they couldn't see why I would like to go there. This July, China had a 72/144-hour visa-free(免签) policy for foreigners, so I invited my parents to travel in China.

 We started our joumey from Ningbo, where Ningbo University is located. We went to Tianyige Museum, China's oldest private library and the Moon Lake Park, feeling the rich history of China. After that, we flew to Chengdu. We visited cute giant pandas and even had the chance to feed them bamboo. We also tried the delicious and spicy Sichuan hot pot, which was truly a unique experience. Finally, we took the high-speed train to Beijing. The train ride was smooth, quiet, and fast. Both my parents and I enjoyed the ride very much. In Beijing, we visited the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Beijing is a modern city, yet it still has its ancient beauty.

 On the way to the airport, my mother left her passport on the subway. Thankfully, the subway staff were very friendly and quickly found the lost passport. They even delivered it to the airport for us. When it came time for our tearful goodbye, my parents said to me, "Now we understand your choice, and we fully support you."