All About "A-thons"

    A marathon is a long-distance running race. Now it is not only a competition, but some people organize marathons for charity. Runners get friends, families and other people to support {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (they). They promise to provide a certain amount of money for every race. For example, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the runner runs one kilometer, the providers will each give the runner $1 for the charity. Much of money can be raised this way. However, not everyone can run, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} people in the USA have thought of other ways to raise money, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (use) the idea of marathon.

    Walk-a-thons: A walk-a-thon is similar {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a marathon, but people walk instead of running. This is one of the most popular {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (way) for people to raise money.

    Read-a-thons: Many schools organize read-a-thon to raise money. Students can get money {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (easy) for the number of books they read in a given amount of time. Little kids can also get money according to how many pages they read. The read-a-thons {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (hold) not only to raise money, but also to encourage teenagers to read.

    Bowl-a-thons: Bowling is an interesting sport for many {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (America). In a bowl-a-thon, people raise money for every point they get in the game. The {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (high) the score is, the more money they make for the charity.

    Some people learn a second language easily, while others have trouble in it. How can you help {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(you) learn a new language, such as English? The ways {#blank#}2{#/blank#} can solve the difficulty of learning English and make it a little easier and more interesting are following.

    The first step is to feel positive about learning English. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}you believe that you can learn and you are thirsty for it, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is common that mistakes are made when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. So don't be afraid {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(make) mistakes in public.

    The second step is to practice your English. For example, write {#blank#}5{#/blank#} diary every day. You will get used to writing in English, and you will feel good expressing your ideas in English. Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving. What's more, you must speak English every day. Gradually you will become {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(comfort) communicating in English.

    The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (correct)? Did you pay attention to what the teacher {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(say)? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it. Write these all the notes down and try to do {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(good) next time.

    Hope all the {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(suggest) will be helpful to you, you will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident.