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.

One day, Mr. White takes his mother to a shopping mall. He wants to buy a new pair of shoes for her.

There are so many beautiful shoes, and the old woman tries on（试穿） some shoes happily. But she doesn't like any of them when she knows the prices.

Seeing this, Mr. White speaks to the shopkeeper quietly（轻轻地）, "Next time. when my mother shows interest in（对……感兴趣） some pairs, just tell her the price is only 15 dollars."

"But that's not the real price!" the shopkeeper says.

"Don't worry! I will pay（付钱） for the shoes at the real price."

Then, the old woman gets her favorite shoes. Mr. White pays 15 dollars at first, and then he pays another 50 dollars privately.

Three days later, the shopkeeper asks Mr. White to come back and pay more money. Mr. White feels surprised. He asks, "Why?" Because your mother brings many of her friends to buy that kind of shoes."

Michael is a 12-year-old student. He and his parents are going to travel around Hangzhou this summer. Here is some information that he got.

Once upon a time, there was a family with 8 children living in a village. Two of the children, both boys, loved painting very much, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} the family was so poor that it was impossible to send both of them to study at art school.

After many discussions, the two boys finally came up with {#blank#}2{#/blank#} idea. They would toss (抛) a coin. The loser would go down into the mines (矿井) and support his brother with his pay. Then, when the brother who won the toss finished his studies, in four years, he would pay the school fee for the other brother {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (study) at the college.

One of the brothers, Albrecht Durer, won the toss and his brother Jack went down the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (danger) mines. Durer worked with all his heart and his paintings were much better than those of most of his {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (teacher). He made a lot of money for his paintings.

Durer {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (return). When he told Jack he could go to art college, Jack said {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (quiet), "The four years in the mines has done too much to my hands. It is too late. Now I can't even hold a glass."

To show his love to his brother, Durer drew his brother's hands {#blank#}8{#/blank#} palms (手掌) together and thin fingers towards the sky. He called his drawing simply Hands, but the whole world almost quickly opened their {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (heart) to the great work and renamed it The Praying Hands.

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (two) look. Let it be your reminder: No one can ever succeed alone!

Jack worked in a shop that sold clocks. He was always telling Harry1 a new clock. But Harry, who lived next to Jack, said he 2 one.

"3 needs a clock," Jack said. "How do you know when to get up?"

"My landlord Mr Smith turns on his radio at seven o'clock and listens 4 the news," Harry said. "That's my morning call."

"OK. But how do you know when to go to work?"

"By the time I have eaten my breakfast, it's eight o clock. It's time 5 for the office. Then I walk there. When I arrive at my office, it's nine o'clock. That's 6 time I start to work." "OK. But how do you know when to go home?"

"The factory bell 7 , " Harry told him.

"But how do you know when to go to bed?"

"When the television programmes come to an end."

Now Jack was really8 . "OK." he shouted. "Now tell me what will happen9 you wake up in the middle of the night and want to know the time."

"That's easy," Harry said." I will knock heavily on10 wall. Then you will shout at me, "Why are you knocking on my wall at three o'clock in the morning?"

Many people like collecting things.  For some people, they don't throw away the unwanted things because they believe they may be useful one day.  For others, especially old people, old things keep memories of the past and old friends.  They carry a special meaning.  Collecting things can easily become a hobby.  When people really put heart into it, the hobby can do them much good. 

Collecting makes people happy during their free time.  Collectors do not have to go outside for fun.  They keep collections at home: stamps, books, pictures, model cars, toy animals, etc.  It is always enjoyable to look at the collections. 

Collecting keeps people busy, too.  When there is a new piece of collection, they need to find the right place for it.  Sometimes this new piece pushes them to read.  In this way, collectors learn new things from the hobby. 

Collecting also gives people a reason to make new friends.  Collectors may want to meet other collectors to show new findings, to share stories, and to get advice.  So the hobby leads to travel.  Collectors take trips to meet new friends.  Their group of friends grows.  After years of sharing, collectors may become closer friends. 

Collecting things helps people make good use of their free time.  It brings collectors a busy but happy life.