I'd gone from a tiny village school with a total of 60 students to a huge-school with thousands of pupils. I was a little fish in a very big1. I lived too much of my first year 2 doing anything wrong. I just decided to be the wallflower when it 3 class discussion and answering questions. I was always the one that 4didn't look the teachers in the eye 5 they asked me to answer. I listened well, and6 everything in, but I always liked to be a spectator（旁观者）. It is hard not to 7 what others may think of you when you are speaking in front of many 8. It did take long for me to feel 9 with teachers and make friends with classmates.

Some people 10 straight into a new learning environment.11 most are nervous and feel they don't fit in. It's completely 12so it should not be a worry to you. Be 13and you will adapt to the new school. School life is 14 you make of it. Some 15 it; some love it. But it's only when you leave that you can really appreciate how school16you into the person you become.

It's so important to 17 yourself out of your comfort zone. If you are shy, tell yourself you will raise your 18at least once every lesson; if you are quick-minded, try to give other people a(n)19In time, you will20 how much you loved it or hated it.

    “We have visitors this morning,” Ms. Myers told Class 5. “A journalist and a photographer from the newspaper are doing an article about our new school1. And some of you will be in the photo.”

    The kids were2, except for Brad. He knew he wouldn't be in the photo. Brad was small. Kids were always making jokes about how3he was.

    “They won't put Brad in the photo,” John said. “You'd need a magnifying glass（放大镜）to see him.” The other kids 4. Brad grinned (smiled widely), even though John's comment was rude. He5grinned when people made jokes like that. He figured they didn't mean to hurt his feeling.

    The newspaper people6half an hour later. The journalist was called Tegan and the photographer was a short, fit-looking guy named Rick. Tegan7to the class about how a journalist had to8clear sentences and paragraphs, and then Rick told them about some amazing9he'd taken. Once he had to hang on a rope from a cliff(悬崖) to take shots of a10.

    “I could be a photographer,” thought Brad. I'm not afraid of11. I wouldn't weigh much on a rope, either.

    “Any questions you want to ask our12?” said Ms. Myers.

    Brad put his hand up. “Rick? What things don't you like to photograph?”

    “13are tricky,” Rick said. “Once I had to photograph a mother duck that was looking after a baby duck. She thought I was trying to14the baby duck, so she started hitting me with her wings. Picking on a little guy like me!”

    Class 5 laughed again, and Brad grinned, too. It's OK when you make jokes about15, he thought. It was jokes from other people that could hurt.

Time to take photos. Rick said, “I'll have them.” pointing to 6 kids, Brad16. Brad could hardly believe it.

    In the hall, Rick put them in front of the new library's big painting of stars and planets and books. “It's big, eh?” he said. “We'll get you guys to17in front of it, so it looks even bigger.”

    “Is that why you picked Brad?” called one of the Class 5 kids. “So it looks really big?”

Some people laughed. Brad started to grin, as he usually did.18Rick shook his head. “No way,” he said. “I picked him because he's got a19two miles long.”

    He looked at Brad and said, “Plus, this guy is20inside, where it matters. Right, mate?”

This time, Brad spoke before he could think. “Inside, I'm three miles long.”

    Class 5 laughed again. But Brad knew that they were laughing with him, not at him.

    Shayla Mitchell, 16, was diagnosed with the terminal stage of cancer. As a father, Mitchell always stayed home to care for her. He said the 1 1eft them financially worse off. Then a group called Growing Hope 2 in with $1,800 to help with his living costs.

    3, he wanted to pay them back. In his 4, he had once been a 5. So at age 40, Mitchell took up the 6 again, participating in two fights in Fairfax. Mitchell was 7 out in the first and second rounds, but he still 8 to raise $ 20,000 that he gave to Growing Hope. During this time, he 9 his daughter. “I fell into a dark bottom,” Mitchell said, and for six months, he did little but 10.

    One day, Mitchell 11 upon a Mark Twain quote- The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you 12 why. “After I read that quote, I was going to spend the rest of my life helping kids with 13 and their families,” he said.

    Mitchell thought of creating a foundation, though boxing did not seem 14any more for fund-raising, due to his age. Then he found that 15 could be a source to raise money. In the Corps Marathon, he cut a striking figure on the course. 16 by this success, he set his sights higher. He 17 each of the miles of the race to a different child with cancer, and he carried their 18 with him. Years after his daughter's death, Mitchell now 19 up in the morning knowing his 20.

    One of the most important events in the modern Olympic Games is the Marathon(马拉松)race. The race 1 one of the great events in Greek history.

    In 490 B C. about 10,000 Greeks 2 against the Persian army at a place called Marathon. It is 3 that the Persians were ten times as4 as the Greeks. However, where there is a will, there is a way.5 the brave attack of the Greeks, the Persians were badly beaten and6away from the plain of Marathon. When the Persians had run away, a soldier, who was the most famous7in Athens, was 8 to carry the good news to the city and he was also asked to march at full speed.

    Although he had fought through the battle and 9many wounds, the soldier at once started off toward the 10 city 11 was twenty-six and a quarter miles from the plain of Marathon to the Marketplace of Athens, 12 there the elders of Athens had gathered 13 for news. He ran and ran over 14 and across plains. As he went on, his lips became 15 and his breathing hard, but when he thought of the 16 of the people of Athens on hearing the news, he 17 harder than ever.

    At last the elders of Athens heard a great shout and saw a soldier staggering(蹒跚) toward them.” Rejoice! Rejoice! We won!” said the soldier, and fell down 18.

    In19of this noble soldier and athlete, we have in the modern Olympic Games the Marathon race,20 the athletes run this same distance.

On her 71st birthday in July, Sajean Geer went to spread her husband's ashes near Obstruction Point, inside Olympic National Park.

When she finished, she realised she had got 1 . Geer became worried. Though an experienced hiker, she wasn't prepared to be in the park for such a(n) 2 period of time. She only had her 3 

with her. She had a cellphone, but there is no signal. And worst of all, she hadn't told anyone where she was going because she hadn't 4 to be gone for long. 

She spent that first day trying to 5 her way out of the park but was unsuccessful. Geer remembered the knowledge she'd picked up from several outdoor survival books. One key tip 6 her:it's important to have a positive mental 7 and a fighting spirit that you're going to live through this. 

So she 8 what she needed. She started by constructing a shelter. She walked to a stream three times a day to get fresh 9 and lived on pine needles and even bugs(小虫). 

Ticking off the days, she 10 the six nights she and her dog had spent in the wilderness. All the while, she remained 11 , remembering that motto about a positive attitude. 

Meantime, a friend in Hawaii grew worried when she couldn't 

12 Geer for several days. She contacted Geer's brother, who asked the police to check on her. 13 , a park worker noticed her car and they began to look for her from the sky. Then they found her. When Geer was rescued, she had only a few bug bites, but 14 that, she was in good shape and spirit. 

Now, she views the experience as a good one, allowing her to learn about herself and 15 on what's important in life.