“...This season is all I have left togive. My heart can take the pounding(重击). My mind can han-dle the grind(苦差事) but my body knows it's time to say goodbye"

  “Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game. Whether competing in the Fi-nals orhoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym,  Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.

    I join Kobe's millions of fans aroundthe world in congratulating him on an outstanding NBA career and thank him forso many thrilling memories.”

——Adam Silver, NBA commissioner(总裁)

“We're all sad. This era of Lakers basketball has been one of the most fun, exciting prosperous eras we could imagine. We're in full support of him. But it's still very sad.”

——Jeanie Buss, Lakers president

“I know his purpose is to finish outthis season and play. It's always sad when greatness decides to hang it up" "I thought he had at least another year in him.”

——Byron Scott, Lakers coach, andBryant's teammate during the 1996-97 season

¨He pushed me to be better more than any player I've faced. Kobe is the greatest competitor I have ever faced. I am glad he has found peace. I don't know if we'll see another one like him.”

——Shane Battier, of the Miami Heat

“Hard to believe @ kobe bryant isfinally going to hang it up. One of the NBA's great champions. En-joy the restof this season, my friend.”

——Scottie Pippen, retired NBA All-Star

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

    The Gold Coast family holidays are always great fun whether you are from Australia or from abroad. There are beautiful beaches, adventure (冒险) parks, nature parks and so much more.

    There are so many sights to see here. It is a pity to drive in a car and you'll miss a great part of it. Australia is home to many animals and birds that can only be seen when moving slowly and going into the areas where they live.

    When you are on a bicycle, you have the advantage of being able to stop whenever you want to see an interesting animal or bird that you have never seen before. It is a quieter way of transportation as well, so you might even be able to take a picture. When you are on the beach, you can breathe that clean air and view the beauty of the water and sand. It is a totally different experience from passing it in a car.

    There are many choices of hiring (租用) a bicycle to experience the Gold Coast. There are stores that will fit a bike perfectly to your size. These bikes for both adults and children are in many kinds and colors to please any taste. If you have ever wanted to try a tandem bike (双人单车), now is your chance, because they have those too.

    A bicycle hire on Gold Coast is something that everyone should try at least once. This is a wonderful chance for anyone who likes to cycle and it is also a cheap way to travel with your family.

    Do you jump out of bed early, wide awake and ready to start your day？ If so, you would be called an "early bird". Perhaps, you hate the sound of your alarm clock（闹钟） each morning and have little energy until afternoon. If so, you're probably a "night owl".

    Most people can be divided into such two groups, but what makes us this way？ And is one better than the other？ There are different opinions.

    Usually, early risers have been praised as hard-working while those who prefer to get up late are considered lazy. Most people believe the early bird catches the worm.

    Yet some scientists now believe "night owls" can really focus(集中) longer and produce more than early risers.

    Research has found that the early bird does not always get the worm. In a Belgian study, both "morning people" and "evening people" were watched during their normal asleep and awake routines(常规).After 10 hours of being awake, the "evening people" became more alert(思维敏捷的). However, the "morning people" became sleepy and less focused. Researchers believe the reason for this difference is that night owls receive a last-minute increase from their brains. This added energy allows them to stay alert for longer periods of time.

    Environment, lifestyle, activities and childhood routines all may have an effect on sleeping habits, yet genetics(遗传学)may play the biggest role.

    It is possible to change your sleeping habits through regular bedtimes, early exercise and by avoiding midnight snacks. But if you're happy rising early or staying up late, you're probably doing what works best for your own personal body clock.

    The United States Postal Service(LISPS)is offering a way to people who are interested in seeing tomorrow's mail today. The postal service will send consumers images(图像)of their letters, magazines and other mail before they arrive. The new service is called Informed Delivery. It is an attempt to remain competitive in an ever—changing world.

    Postal service officials say the increased use of email, digital messaging services and social media has made it difficult to stay relevant. David Rupert is a media relations specialist who spoke about the competition the agency now faces. Whether you turn on a television or your computer, or people come to your door with different products and services, all of those are competing for consumers' time and energy, he said.

    Interested users are first required to sign up for Informed Delivery. Once registered, the consumer receives a daily email with virtual(虚拟)images of letters or other things to be delivered. The US Postal Service says it can especially help those who have a mailbox at their local post office, so they know when to get their mail：

    Another postal offering is a service that seeks to make advertising-related mail-often called junk mail—more fun. The service uses virtual and augmented reality(虚拟现实和增强现实)to let consumers interact with their junk mail. Many companies put special coding on their advertising, which can give users an interactive experience. Some companies even put virtual reality eyeglasses in the mail to make their ads come to life. Consumers have mixed reactions to virtual and augmented reality advertising. “You can find some good things within junk mail. It is a good idea. We'll see how it works, ”Postal service user Victor Teah said. But Jocelyn Coatney doesn't think it would change her mind about junk mail. “For some, that might be fun. But for me, it would be useless, ”she said.

    Move over, helicopter parents. "Snowplow(扫雪机) parents" are the newest reflection of an intensive(强化的) parenting style that can include parents booking their adult children haircuts, texting their college kids to wake them up so they don't sleep through a test, and even calling their kids' employers.

    Helicopter parenting, the practice of wandering anxiously near one's children, monitoring their every activity, is so 20th century. Some rich mothers and fathers now are more like snowplows: machines moving ahead, clearing any difficulties in their children's path to success, so they don't have to suffer failure, frustration(挫折)or lose opportunities.

    It starts early, when parents get on wait lists for excellent preschools before their babies are born and try to make sure their kids never do anything that may frustrate them. It gets more intense when school starts: running forgotten homework to school or calling a coach to request that their children make the team.

    Rich parents may have more time and money to devote to making sure their children don't ever meet with failure, but it's not only rich parents practicing snowplow parenting. This intensive parenting has become the most welcome way to raise children, regardless of income, education, or race.

    Yes it's a parent's job to support the children, and to use their adult wisdom to prepare for the future when their children aren't mature enough to do so. That's why parents hide certain toys from babies to avoid getting angry or take away a teenager's car keys until he finishes his college applications.

    But snowplow parents can take it too far, some experts say. If children have never faced a difficulty, what happens when they get into the real world?

    "Solving problems, taking risks and overcoming frustration are key life skills," many child development experts say, "and if parents don't let their children experience failure, the children don't acquire them."

    Free Online Drawing Classes

    Drawing is a skill you can learn at any age. When you are ready, you can learn the basics of drawing by taking one or more of the free online drawing classes offered here. The websites all offer helpful instruction for beginning artists, and many of them offer classes at intermediate (中级的) or high levels. When you use the websites as your art instructors, you can log on to learn whenever you please.

    Artyfactory

    The Artyfactory Art Lessons Gallery offers free online art lessons that include basic drawing classes for pencil, ink and colored pencil. For visitors who want to expand their knowledge of art, the site also offers an Art Appreciation Gallery and a Design Lessons Gallery.

    Academy of Art University

    This free video class from the Academy of Art University called "How to Draw a Head" teaches you how to draw a head from a photo or from memory. The instruction is mainly on facial proportion (比例), expression and drawing basics.

    How to Draw It

    The How to Draw It website offers a simple approach to drawing animals and people. The animal tutorials (教程) are super easy to do, while the people lessons are a bit more difficult. All are free to visitors and making fast progress in your drawing skills is possible.

    Free Online Art Classes

    This site covers a range of art classes, but there are several free drawing tutorials for online learners, including: Learn Basic Drawing, Draw with Pen and Ink, and Learn Colored Pencils. Some of the classes are downloadable and some are in video form.