Hi Grace,

    How's it going? Sorry I haven't emailed for a while, but I had so much to do!

    I had told you about my decision to take up a sport. I knew I wasn't fit and I wanted to get some exercise. But that wasn't the only reason that I decided to do a sport. Students who play sports do better at school. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Exercise also helps learning and memory.

     {#blank#}2{#/blank#} First, I tried soccer. I had played a bit of soccer before and I thought it wouldn't be too bad. I knew I couldn't run for very long without feeling tired. On the first day, I was able to run for the first ten minutes, but then I was so tired that I couldn't even kick the ball!

    Then, I tried volleyball. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} I was able to run for the first twenty minutes and I wasn't the slowest runner in the team! After a few weeks, I could run faster and longer. I was doing better and feeling better. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Maybe I'm not a team sport person after all!

    Finally, I tried Kung fu. It's a great sport that exercise the body and the mind. You learn to follow instructions carefully and do what you are asked to do. This is the right sport for me! {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I feel so confident that I even showed some moves to the class last week! Can you believe it?

I hope you're OK! Write and let me know what you've been doing!

    Bye for now!

                                                                                                                                                                               Kristie

A. I got very excited about soccer.

B. But I couldn't decide on a sport.

C. Running helps me to keep fit.

D. Things were a bit better this time.

E. Then I found volleyball terribly boring.

F. They are more confident and less stressed.

G. I practice twice a week and I haven't missed a class.

    Although most games have winners and losers, the goal of sports is not to win every game. The real goals include getting exercise, having fun, and learning important social skills, like sportsmanship.

    Good sportsmanship is all about respect. Good sports (具有运动家品格的人) respect the other players on their team. They respect the players on opposing teams. They respect coaches, and they also respect the referees or other officials involved in their games.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} They shout at their teammates and they talk back to coaches or referees.

    Kids usually learn sportsmanship ─ good and bad ─ from the adults in their lives.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If parents and coaches show disrespect to other fans, referees, or each other, kids will likely act the same way on the field.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some of them are very basic and easy to do, like shaking hands with other players before a game. Other examples may take a little more courage, such as acknowledging a great play made by the opposing team.

    Learning good sportsmanship is important because it helps you develop an attitude of graciousness (礼貌) and respect that will carry over into all the other areas of your life! {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Being a good sport in the classroom will eventually lead to being a good sport in the workplace.

    So be a good sport in whatever you do! {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When others see you acting in a way that makes it clear that winning isn't the most important thing, you can move on to focusing on the important things, like having fun, getting exercise, and improving your skills.

A. Good sportsmanship can be shown in many ways.

B. On the contrary, bad sportsmanship is all about disrespect.

C. The example you set can be a powerful teaching tool for others.

D. Players 'parents and coaches set examples that kids tend to follow.

E. We can be good sports by encouraging others but not laughing at them.

F. Starting as a good sport earlier will help you be a good sport as you get old.

G. If you're a good sport on the field, you'll also likely be a good sport in the classroom.

Things to Remember When You're Having a Bad Day

    Even the hardest days contain lessons that will help you be a better person. Feeling down? Consider these things to remember when you're having a bad day.

    No one promised life would be perfect.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Don't base your happiness on meeting every expectation you set for yourself. It is good to be ambitious, but you'll never be perfect. If you expect otherwise, your life will be filled with disappointments.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit. Don't kid yourself into thinking success will come quickly. It isn't easy to be patient, but anything worth doing requires time{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Without hard times, you wouldn't appreciate the good ones.

    Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to give up, that is strength{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is hard to find much to smile about when you fail, but how else would you improve yourself? If you look at failures as a part of your growing process, you'll stay positive and follow your goals for as long as it takes.

    It's OK to cry sometimes.

    Do not apologize for crying. Without this feeling, we are only robots. Don't be afraid of crying{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Instead, it is an acceptable way to let go of your depressed feelings. If you let those feelings build up without release, you'll have a much harder time dealing with them later.

A.Don't get sad if you lose.

B.It isn't a sign of weakness.

C.Success doesn't happen overnight.

D.It's not OK to worry now and then.

E.Don't compare your life with others'.

F.Remember: Rome was not built in a day.

G.If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.

    The running of the bulls is a nine-day traditional Spanish festival in honor of Saint Fermin in Pamplona. Every year, at midday on July 6th, the Mayor of Pamplona shoots a rocket.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The participants are usually dressed in white and wear red neckerchiefs and belts. They open champagne(香槟酒) mostly used for sprinkling(撒) other people.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It starts every day at eight in the morning and the runners run, sometimes wildly, sometimes less. They shoot the first rocket as a sign that the run has begun. Then they shoot the second one when the bulls are out in the streets. Six bulls which are trying to attack the participants from behind run down the 900-meter-long street with a lot of spectators.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} All of the six bulls are going to be killed at the bullfight in the stadium.

    The bullfight in the stadium begins at half past six in the afternoon. First, there comes the first bull. There is also a person called “picador”{#blank#}4{#/blank#}That makes the bull very wild and it starts to run all over the stadium. Later when the bull is tired, there comes another person—a “matador” who kills it with an arrow{#blank#}5{#/blank#}At the end of the celebration, another rocket is shot as a sign that the bullfight is finished.

A. It makes the bull very nervous.

B. It is one of the greatest events in the city.

C. The main event is the running of the bulls.

D. He waves a red cloth in front of the bull.

E. This is a sign that the celebration has started.

F. The participants can get injured or even killed.

G. The same thing happens with the other five bulls.

    It is not as simple as opening the door and hitting the track in winter. There are a few things you can do to ensure you are getting the most out of your run, and, importantly, not doing more harm than good.

    Warm up, cool down

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Your muscles need some time to warm up when it's cold  so take it easy when you set off and do a few stretches (伸展) once you're finished.

    Drink water

    You might not feel hot, but that's because sweat evaporates (蒸发) more quickly into the chilly, dry air. So be sure to drink water before, during and after cold-weather workouts. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A belt bottle conveniently attaches to your waist so you don't have to carry it and can have a drink whenever you feel like it.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Running in cotton is a bad idea. Wear thin, breathable layers of synthetic (合成的) clothing that help protect you from the wind and snow, but still let out heat and moisture (水分).Thirty percent of your body heat escapes through your hands and forty percent through your head. Wear a hat, or beanie (无边小便帽), and gloves so your circulatory system can distribute warm blood to the rest of your body. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Run into the wind

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Obviously, it will be an easier passage home with some extra help from Mother Nature. But, more importantly, you won't have the wind in your face for the second half of your run, when you are more likely to be sweating and catch a chill.

    Education has always been a hot topic. How to educate children can be a sweet but painstaking task for parents, many of whom try to offer their children the best environment. Competition between parents over children's education may start from the kind of animated (动画) series children watch. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} By watching the former, children can learn English at the same time. However, this does not mean those watching foreign shows perform better than those watching Chinese ones. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They can help children learn traditional Chinese culture and history. Take Journey to the West for example. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    By watching this show, children can learn more about the history of the Tang Dynasty and the development of Buddhist culture in China. Foreign shows can open a window for children to gain a better understanding of the outside world. So, children ought to be encouraged to watch both as long as the content of the show is beneficial.

    This can also be applied to other things beyond animated series. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, some parents fail to do this. Their incorrect view can more or less leave an influence on their children. Innocent (天真的) children, influenced by their parents, slowly hold the view that watching foreign shows is better than watching Chinese shows. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Chinese shows have their own advantages.

B. Foreign animated series are always the first choice for parents.

C. Children often follow their parents' advice when choosing animated series.

D. For example, children can be encouraged to read folk tales at home and abroad.

E. Once the view is formed in children's minds, parents' education proves a failure.

F. This show is based on one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature.

G. For some parents, watching foreign animated shows is better than watching Chinese ones.