A

    Nick, 13, is tall and strong. He is good at running. Two weeks ago a new student came. His name is David. He is thin and short. He plays soccer well, and he can run very fast. Larry told Nick about it. Of course, Nick did not believe it.

    “Why not have a race with him?” said Larry.

    “Good idea!” said Nick. “I'll have a race with him after school.”

    After school, Nick went to the playground. He did some warm-up exercises for half an hour, and got ready for the race. He was sure that he could win it. Larry had to take part in a club activity that afternoon, so he could not watch the race between Nick and David.

    That evening Larry went to see Nick. They began to talk about the afternoon race. Nick's grandmother heard them in the next room. She came in and asked, “Which place?”

    “The second place,” answered Nick.

    His grandmother was very happy to hear that, and asked, “Which place did David win, then?”

    “The last but one.”

    Nadia Comaneci, a famous gymnast(体操运动员), was born in Romania in 1961.

    When she was doing cartwheels (侧手翻) on the playground at the age of 7, a PE teacher saw her. He told her family that she was very good and advised Nadia to train in the capital of Romania. Although it was a long way from her home, Nadia went because she loved gymnastics(体操).

    After that, she trained hard and took part in lots of competitions. In 1975, she was named as one of the Athletes of the 20th Century.

    In 1976, Nadia went to the Olympics in Canada. She was so fantastic in the competition that everyone waited for the score, a high score. But the score board showed 1.00!

    Everyone was surprised. There wasn't a sound for a moment. Then a voice came. "Ladies and gentlemen, Nadia Comaneci…10!"

    The audience cheered very loudly. So what happened? Well, when the scoreboard was built, no one thought a score of 10.00 was possible. The decimal point(小数点) was in the wrong place! In fact, the scoreboard only had three digits (数位) to show scores, such as 9.50 or 9.85 at that time.

    In the 1976 Summer Olympics, Nadia Comaneci scored a perfect 10, which was thought impossible before. From then on, she was looked as a hero. In 1984, she got retired (退休的).

No one knows when the first kite was made. The first record of a kite was more than 2,000 years ago in China. Han Xin, the leader of an army, wanted to bring down a king. He decided to dig a tunnel (隧道) into the king's palace. He flew a kite over the wall of the palace to make sure the length of its string (线). In this way, he could determine how long the tunnel should be. His men in the tunnel took the kite string with them. When they reached the end of the string, they knew to dig up.

  Kites have been flown in Japan for hundreds of years. In the 1700s, kites were flown in autumn to give thanks for a good harvest. They were also flown to send good wishes to couples who had their first son. Today in Japan, kites are often flown as part of a celebration, such as the beginning of a new year. And kite festivals are held each year in many parts of the country.

  Kites have been used for scientific purposes in the western world. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin tied a key to a kite and flew it in a storm to find out that lightening was a form of electricity. In the 1890s, Lawrence Hargrave invented the box kite to test ideas about flight. From 1898 until 1933, the United States Weather Bureau (气象局) used box kites to collect weather data. The Wright brothers also experimented (试验)with kites. What they learnt helped them make the first airplane flight in 1903.

49-year-old Zhang Jianna is from a village in Hebei Province. Recently, videos of her directing foreigners have gone viral (爆红) online. Her beautiful English has deeply impressed the viewers. Zhang had worked as a restaurant server and a store seller. More than 10 years ago, she took on the role of a cleaner in the embassy (大使馆) area of Sanlitun in Beiiing's Chaovang district.

One morning, a foreigner came near to her, gently tapped her shoulder, and spoke a lot of unfamiliar words to her. Standing there, her mind going blank, Zhang didn't know how to react. The foreigner seemed to recognize her embarrassment and gestured (比划) for her to look ahead, giving a thumbs-up while repeatedly saying, "Good, good!" Zhang suddenly realized that the foreigner was praising her work in keeping the streets clean. It deeply moved Zhang and she made up her mind to learn English. "My goal is quite simple. I just want to help whenever someone is in need," said Zhang.

Thus, at the age of 40, Zhang has started a personal challenge. Without a teacher, she began learning English from her children's textbooks, starting with basic words and phrases commonly used for giving directions.

While others rested, she memorized vocabulary and practiced speaking. Upon arriving home after work, she would note down new knowledge points and review them until fully understood. Over the years, she filled over a dozen notebooks with her notes. She reviewed words at night and then repeated them one more time the next day morning. She also downloaded over a dozen English learning apps on her computer and phone, spending any possible moment learning and practicing.

"Growing up in a village without a college education, I sometimes feared being looked down upon. But every time I help a stranger in English, I feel strongly confident," said Zhang. "To serve others makes me happy and it's where I prove my self-worth. After retirement, I also want to introduce my hometown in English and help develop local tourism ."

In a village near a desert lived a young and successful businessman named James. He often felt {#blank#}1{#/blank#} because of the endless challenges he faced.

One day, a wise old man came to the village with 100 camels(骆驼). James went to see him and said,"I always have business worries, family troubles and health problems. Please tell me how to make them {#blank#}2{#/blank#}."

The old man smiled and said,"I' ll give you an {#blank#}3{#/blank#} tomorrow morning. But first, can you do a small thing for me?" James agreed. The old man asked him to take care of the 100 camels for the night, making sure that they all {#blank#}4{#/blank#} and rested before he could go to sleep.

The next morning, the old man asked James how his night went. James said sadly,"I didn't sleep at all. No matter how {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I tried, I couldn't get all the camels to sit together. Even if I managed to get some camels to sit on one side, a few others would stand on the other side."" That's true. Some camels sat down on their own, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} others required some effort, and yet many camels did not sit even after quite a lot of effort," the old man said.

James nodded.

The old man continued," Your problems are just {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the camels. There are always some problems that cannot get solved even if you' ve tried your best. Leave such problems to time until one day they themselves come to an end."

James felt a sense of understanding. It completely changed the way he saw life's challenges.

A.Kung Fu Panda2

Did you watch Kung Fu Panda in 2008?Do you remember the panda Po?He learns Kungfu hard and becomes very strong. Now, he is coming back. He has some new troubles. Po is protecting the Valley of Peace, The peaceful life doesn't last long. 

B.Zootopia

Do you know the big city called Zootopia??Many animals live happily there. Judy the rabbit is a policewoman. She often messes things up. A fox called Nick laughs at her a lot. Judy doesn't like him. One day, many animals go missing in Zootopia. Judy has to find them with Nick's help. 

C. Ratatouille

Remy is a rat. He lives in a French country house with his family. Remy loves fine food. Remy dreams of becoming a great chef(厨师) . It is a hard dream for a rat. But luck comes when he finds himself in a restaurant. There, he meets a young boy, who doesn't know much about cooking. Remy teaches him. 

D.The Princess and the Frog

It is a lively version of the classic fairy lale. It describes a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who wants to be human again, and a special kiss that leads them both on a suffering adventure. The movie also offers a musical experience lo the youngest ears. 

E. Puss in boots

Puss in boots is a cat. He always wears a lat, a sword( 剑 )and a pair of boots. Puss has a childhood friend. They often take the adventure together. They want to find Jack's magic beans. But two bad guys want to use the beans to rule the world. Puss and his friend have to steal the beans. Can they beat the two bad guys?

F.The Lion King

The Lion King includes many great songs. However, it is the film's story that has made it a true classic. Simba experiences the loss of his family, but he also grows stronger and makes new friendships as he grows up. This film can teach children about some of the difficulties that life often brings.