Once I spoke at a high school. After the speech, I was asked to see a special student. An illness had kept the boy Home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed. He was Matthew. When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal weight lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles (障碍) and going for my dreams.

    I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain (抱怨) . He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. He knew what he was talking about. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me.

    When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, "You are a champion (冠军). You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you."

    Last summer I got the news that Matthew had died and a letter Matthew had written me a few days before:

Dear Rick,

    My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. The doctors tell me that I don't have long to live any more. But I still smile as much as I can.

    I told you some day I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I'll never make it. But I know I'm a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you.

    Thank you for loving me.

Your friend

Matthew

    Most animals on land are known to us, but many living things underwater are not. Now let's get to know some of them.

    Sea cucumber

    Sea cucumber are strange animals living at the bottom of the sea. They wear brown or pale green coats with many sticks up. When summer comes, they stay deep to sleep because they are afraid of heat. And when it is autumn, they move to shallow (浅的) water and get their food.

    Pike

    The pike is a kind of freshwater fish. They are good swimmers and like swimming near boats, waiting to be fed.

    They have sharp teeth to catch fishes. When they are young, they live in groups. However, when they grow up, they prefer to live alone.

    Cuttlefish

    A cuttlefish can swim quite fast, so it is also called rocket (火箭) fish. It has eight arms and two feelers on its head, just around its mouth. It ejects ink (喷墨） when it is in danger. Its meat is delicious, and it is often the first choice for many people.

    Octopus

    An octopus has long arms, with which to catch food and protect itself. When it is sleeping, one or two of its arms are still on duty, keeping moving. Once it feels something dangerous, it can wake up at once to take action.

    I remember the day when I first learned to ride a bike. It was a frightening, yet fun experience. My granddad was the one who taught me, and he helped me when I got hurt. The first time I got on a bike, I had no idea what I was doing, and just about everything went wrong. My granddad told me to just put my feet on the pedals and start pedaling (骑自行车) .He also told me he would hold onto the back of the bike the whole time, yet he didn't.

    As soon as I started trying to balance myself, he let go. I happened to look back just then. I was scared to death that I was going to fall and hurt myself. When I was scared, my mind went blank from pedaling, and I just wanted off. I forgot how to use the brakes (车闸) and fell right off the bike. My granddad kept encouraging me to get up and try again, and after about 15 minutes, I finally stopped crying, got up and tried again.

    As soon as I started pedaling again, my pants got caught in the chain, and I fell flat on my face and hit my nose. Since that happened, my granddad decided to call it a day and try again the next morning. The next morning I woke up bright and early, and was very eager to try to ride my bike. My nose felt better, so I wasn't that afraid of falling anymore.

    Though I knew there were a lot of difficulties on the way to mastering the skills in riding a bike, I believed I could do well with my granddad's help. After all, riding a bike was what I wanted to do eagerly.

How to Be Grateful

    Has your mother or best friend told you that you're an ungrateful person?  Do you keep thinking about the things you don't have, instead of being thankful for what you do have? If so, then you need to work on being a more grateful person.

    1

    This isn't a religious (宗教的) thing. You don't have to hold off on noting everything you're thankful for until Thanksgiving. Every Sunday, get a notebook and sit outside for fifteen minutes while making a list of all of the things you're thankful for.

    2 Be grateful for your friendships.

     You may come to think that your friends are kind and they're just there, like the couch in your living room. If you take your friends for granted for too long, then they will slowly make their way out of your life.

    3 Be grateful to your family.

    Your family is another thing you should be grateful to. Your parents might have even been the people who tell you that you should be more grateful.  Don't let a day go by without telling your family how much you love them.

    4

    Throughout history, imagine how many people have contributed to where you are now. Realizing that you couldn't be what you are now if it weren't for all of these people is an important step in being a grateful person.

A. Make a gratitude list every Sunday.

B. Friendships are very important in our life.

C. Be grateful for all of the good deeds done for your benefit.

D. Many people are guilty of taking their friends for granted.

E. Keep everything that you are grateful for in mind every day.

F. So, take the time to tell your family how much they mean to you.

G. Do you feel unable to appreciate the beauty, nature, and love that are all around you?

    One of the most inspiring quotes (名言) I ever heard was by Brian Tracy. He said: "The 1 between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people 2 many more times than unsuccessful people."

    I deeply understood the 3 of the quote soon after my first book was published.

    I was living in Atlanta at the time and 4 my first signing sale for my new book at the Phoenix and Dragon, the largest bookstore in the city. Although a nice sign was placed outside the room 5 images of both me and my book, The 9 Insights of the Wealthy Soul, not a single customer entered the room. 6 each minute passed, I became increasingly 7.

    At 6:55pm, just before the store's 8, I began to get myself ready to leave. At that moment, just when I couldn't fell any 9, a middle-aged couple walked into the room. I managed to 10 my emotions and introduced myself and my book.

    The couple turned the pages each other, and the husband 11 to his wife. She then told me, "I think we'll get the book."

    Despite the impulse (冲动) to jump 12, and hold their hands to thank them for being my 13 readers, I realized the woman was trying to say something else.

    "The 14 we're buying it is that our son died two years ago," she said. "Maybe your book will help us 15 it."

    At that moment, I knew if I never sold a copy of the book, my four years of 16 had been meaningless.

    Although I would have many more challenging years 17 my book became a bestseller, this couple's story was all the 18 I needed at that point to keep me 19.

    Thanks to them, I would realize that the greatest of lives are made all in the same way: One challenge… one difficulty… one step… and one small 20 at a time.

    One day a lonely girl was walking in the woods  she found two starving songbirds. She took the birds home and put  in a small cage. She cared for them with love and the birds grew stronger. Every morning they greeted her with  wonderful song. The girl showed great love for the birds.

    One day the girl left the cage's door open. The  (large) of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was  (frighten) that he would fly away. As he flew close, she grasped at him wildly. She was glad at her success in catching him. Suddenly she felt the bird go limp (柔软的). She opened her hand only to find him  (die). Her desperate love  (kill) him.

    She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. She flew him  the sky. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. After some time the bird flew towards her and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest melody  she had ever heard.

    The worst way  (lose) love is to hold on it too tight, while the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

1）比赛之前：认真准备，如平时可对着镜子练习；用语简练，使评委印象深刻。

2）比赛时：保持微笑；忘词时不要紧张，继续演讲。

Dear Zhang Wei,

Yours,

John

    Water is the driving force of all nature, Leonardo da Vinci claimed. Unfortunately for our planet, water supplies are now running dry at an alarming rate. The world's population continues to increase but that rise in number has not been matched by adequate supplies of fresh water. Reports show that more than a billion individuals-one in seven people on the planet-now lack access to safe drinking water.

    In Sao Paulo, a Brazilian city, drought got so bad that residents began drilling through basement floors and car parks to try to reach groundwater. Officials in this city warned that rationing (配给制) of water supplies was likely soon. Citizens in Sao Paulo might have access to water for only two days a week. In California, US, officials have shown that the state has entered its fourth year of drought. At the same time, its per capita (人均) water use has continued to rise.

【写作内容】

1）用约30词概括上述信息的主要内容；

2）结合上述信息及日常生活，简要分析导致全球淡水资源短缺的主要原因（不少于两点）；

3）谈谈在日常生活中我们应如何保护淡水资源（不少于两点）。

【写作要求】

1）写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；

2）作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；

3）不必写标题。