I have been unusually silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end,, but I'm afraid I must tell you now that fate（命运）has decided on a different course for me.

    In August of last year, I underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in my abdomen. That operation was thought to have been a success, but it caused a series of secondary complications – which I have been fighting in hospital ever since. It was along and hard fight with many setbacks, but I was steadily, if slowly, overcoming each obstacle along the way and gradually making my way back to health.

    However, recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign or it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final conclusion. My fight is over.

    I wish to thank my doctors and caregivers, who efforts have been magnificent. My dear friends, who have given me a lifetime of memories and whose support has sustained me through these difficult months. And all of my partners at The Washington Post, Fox News, and Crown Publishing.

    Lastly, I thank my colleagues, my readers, and my viewers, who have made my career possible and given consequence to my life's work. I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and thorough argument is a noble undertaking. I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation's destiny.

    I leave this life with no regret. It was a wonderful life – full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.

    All over the world people enjoy sports, Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.

    Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when "their" player or team wins.

    Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for(参加) them. Football, for example, has spread(展开)around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! And think of people in cold countries. Think how many love to skate or ski (滑雪) in Japan, Norway or Canada.

    Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.

    People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends. Sports help to train(培养,训练) a person's character(性格,品格). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(胜不骄，败不馁).

    Hi, everyone! I am Paul Hawking, the trip leader for this weekend's activity.

    It's that time of the year again when the days are long and it is nice to sit outside and enjoy some oysters(牡蛎).

    We plan to head out to the Mission Bay this Sunday for a beach picnic. You can buy fresh oysters at the Mission Bay Oysters Company and you just need to pay $6 to $10 for each dozen, depending on the size. It's on Sunday, June 30.

    We will meet at the Student Center at 9:00 a.m. and all go together. The driving time is one and a half to two hours, and the time of return is still uncertain. Come and join us in what must now be the 4^th or 5^th such trip for the Outing Club.

    The oyster farm has a small picnic area with chairs and barbecue grills(烧烤架). Bring some briquettes(煤球) if you would like to grill. Except for oysters, oysters and oysters, little is available there, so please bring your own food and drinks. And of course, if you have any special oyster recipes(食谱), bring them, make them and share them!

    The weather forecast(预报) says it's going to be sunny and around 26℃ this weekend. My telephone number is 408-896-3228. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. Remember to finish your homework before we leave for the picnic.

    When Randy Heiss went hiking behind his Patagonia, Ariz. farm, the last thing he expected to find was a Christmas list from a little girl across the US-Mexico border. "I found this balloon on my morning walk near Patagonia on Sunday. Attached to it was a piece of paper with the Christmas wishes from a little girl," Heiss wrote on his Facebook page.

    When he brought the list home to his wife, who speaks fluent Spanish, they determined that the little girl had asked for Enchantimals toys, clothes, art supplies and various other gifts. That's when Heiss set out to make the little girl's Christmas dreams come true. Heiss said he had attempted to send Christmas letters to Santa Claus via balloon when he was a kid but never received a response.

    Heiss sent a Facebook message on Wednesday to XENY, a radio station in Nogales, to see if it could help him track down the girl or her family. He later received a response from the station, which had determined the author of the letter was an 8-year-old girl named Dayami, and the station wanted to set up a meeting between the two on Thursday. "It just changed my entire day," Heiss told the Washington Post. "Instead of going back to my office in Bisbee, I went with my wife to Walmart."

    The couple bought almost everything on Dayami's list. They also brought a few gifts for Dayami's little sister, Ximena. They told the children they were " ayudantes de Santa," or Santa's helpers.

    Heiss, 60, said the experience was very healing for him and his wife. Nine years ago, the couple's only son died. "Being around children at Christmas time has been absent in our lives," Heiss said. We now have friends for life. For a day, that border fence with its concertina wire melted away.

    When we are young we are taught that it's wrong to lie and we should always tell the truth. Unfortunately, most children lie even if they're told not to. Research carried out at the Institute of Child Study at Toronto University has shown that this might not be such a bad thing. Apparently (显然地), children who tell lies when they're two years old have a good chance of becoming successful adults (成年人).

    According to the research, at the age of two, 20 percent of children lie. At the age of three, 50 percent lie, and at four almost 90 percent lie. By the age of 12 almost every child tells lies.

    Lying needs much brain work. And the better the lie is, the more work the brain has to do. By training the brain early, researchers believe children will be able to think more clearly when they are adults.

    Recent research, carried out by the Science Museum in London, has shown some interesting facts about the way we lie as adults. According to the research, the average British man tells three lies every day, that's over 1,000 lies a year. However, the average woman apparently only lies twice a day.

    Most people think women are better liars (说谎者) than men although in fact they tell fewer lies. Popular women's lies include 'Nothing's wrong, I'm fine', 'I don't know where it is, I haven't touched it', and 'It wasn't that expensive'.

    Some people say you can lie as long as it's a white lie. A white lie is a lie told to avoid hurting someone's feelings. One of the most common lies for both men and women is 'It's just what I've always wanted', said after opening a present from their partner.

The quality of your sleep is just as important as the quantity. Getting the right number of hours every night is unlikely to benefit you if you are frequently waking up, if you sleep at wildly different times, or if you sleep shallowly. Here are some tips that help you get quality sleep.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} You will sleep the most soundly if you go to bed and wake up around the same time every day. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Work, children, and other demands on your time may determine your rhythm. Many sleepers, especially night owls, may be tempted to sleep in longer on weekends. Try to keep the same wake-up time, even on weekends.

Determine your natural sleep schedule. If you have the freedom to determine your own sleep schedule, do so around the rhythms of your body. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Notice when you feel sleepy, and when you feel the most awake. To establish a natural sleep rhythm, spend a week or two waking up without an alarm clock. Keep a log with all the times you wake up.

Stay asleep.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}This can be difficult if you are an evening person, if you have children, or if you are a light sleeper. Making arrangements in your bedroom and winding down properly can make a huge difference, but so can prioritizing staying asleep. Tell yourself and tell everyone you live with that you need to stay asleep all night.

Sleep enough. Most adults need to sleep between seven and nine hours a night. Teenagers need eight to10 hours of sleep, and school-aged children need at least 10 hours. Sleeping too little can expose you to higher risks of illness, anxiety, and disease. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Make lifestyle changes to promote better sleep.

B. Establish a regular bedtime and wake up time.

C. This rhythm helps your body prepare for sleep.

D. Your body has natural waking and sleeping moments.

E. Do everything in your power to avoid waking up at night.

F. Sleeping too much, however, may reduce the quality of your sleep.

G. If you haven't fallen asleep after 15 minutes, get up and do a brief, relaxing activity.