More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that's why there are about 1.4 billion bicycles and only about 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

    Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighbourhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car. You can bike to work and benefit (受益) from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don't even have to ride all the way.

    Folding (可折叠的) bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by accessing on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travellers.

    Health Benefits of Bicycling:

    It helps to prevent heart diseases.

    Bicycling helps to control your weight.

    A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year. Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).

    Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident. Bicycling is healthier than driving.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James became NBA players when they graduated from high school. Their stories have encouraged many student basketball players in China to dream big. Kobe was born on August 23, 1978. He is an American professional basketball player. He plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. His nickname is "Black Mamba" or "Little Flying Man". LeBron James( born on December 30, 1984)is an American professional basketball player.He plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association.He is commonly nicknamed "King James" or "The Chosen One".

However, almost all professional players in China come from state-run (公立的) sports schools. This makes most talented student players in ordinary schools（普通学校） give up their dreams in sports, and concentrate on their studies instead .

The Nike High School League(耐克高中篮球联赛) gives Chinese school players a chance to play their games like never before. High school students from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei compete in the game.Although they have not yet become professional players ,their excellent performances are highly recognized(认可) by a number of people. Thousands of audience of members, including China national basketball team players Yi Jianlian and Ding Yanyuhang, watched the final of the league.

The Nike High School League encourages student players to keep making their basketball dreams come true.People hope they will work hard towards their goals and become professional plays in the future.

Long long ago, a man went to his neighbor's house and tried to steal something. On entering the gate, he saw there 1 a big bell. The bell was beautiful in design and shape, so the thief 2 to carry the bell back home. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not move it, because the bell was both big and 3 . He thought for a while and believed there was only one way to solve the problem. He had to break the bell to pieces before he was able to carry them back to his home 4

The thief found a big iron hammer, with which he struck(敲击) the bell with all his strength. The striking5 a big crashing sound, which made the thief terribly frightened. He got flurried(慌乱的）and hugged the bell, trying to muffle(裹住) the crashing sound with his6 . But how could the sound the muffled? He subconsciously (下意识地) shrank back and covered his ears hard with his hands.

The sound became weaker, so the thief became7 at once. The sound of the bell couldn't be heard when the ears were covered. He immediately had his ears plugged(堵住) with some cotton. He thought that in this way 8 could hear the sound of the bell. Feeling relieved, he began striking the bell, one blow after another. The sound of the bell was heard in the 9 , and finally people caught the thief.

Later, people used the interesting phrase "plugging one's ears while stealing a bell" to10 the ignorance and foolishness of the person who deceives(欺骗) himself as well as others.

This summer, when I walked into my grandparents' house with my little brother Frank, Everything still looked the same. Grandpa's blue 1 was on his chair. My cousin Jack was playing in the yard as if nothing had happened. 

" Let's go to catch fish!" Jack pulled out the fish net from the corner, Grandpa's net. 

 Last summer, I was holding the 2 when Grandpa asked me whether I could help him teach Frank to play chess. I said no because I wanted to catch fish. Grandpa had been the one who'd taught us how to catch fish, but then the 3 made him stay behind. 

 Now I wouldn't have a chance to play chess with him any more. Nobody knew how 4 I was for saying no to Grandpa. 

 When we reached the stream, we began to catch fish. Suddenly, Jack shouted, " Look! Frank is in the water. He is shaking!" We hadn't brought anything to keep 5 , so I had to send him home. Grandma was 6 to see a wet Frank. She hurried to take him into the room and 7 put Grandpa's blue blanket around him. 

 As I went to the stream again to meet Jack, I looked back at Frank with that old blanket. Something seemed to 8 me at that moment. Everything was just like before, but Grandpa was gone. 

I walked to Frank. " Did Grandpa teach you to play chess last summer?"I asked. " No, Grandpa   was too sick then. " he said, "I 9 him. "

" Me, too. " When I said it, I knew Grandpa was never gone. What 10 us was still there. It could be the fish net. It could be the chess. It could be the blue blanket. 

Friends are a part of our lives. In my life，I have a best friend named Lucy. She means a lot to me. My life would be less colorful without her. Although we sometimes argue，we still treat each other as best friends. 

We met each other four years ago. She said hello to me with a sweet smile. I guessed that she was a gentle girl. And she really was. When I was in trouble，she always stood by me and made me feel better. 

This winter holiday，we went to the amusement park Happy Valley together. We had fun together on the roller coaster （过山车）. We held each other's hands and shouted loudly when we were riding the roller coaster. It was so exciting. The ride made me feel a little sick, so she bought a bottle of water for me. This experience left me with a lot of good memories（回忆） and made our friendship stronger.

There is a line in the movie Soulmate that says， "If you step on someone's shadow，you will never leave each other. " So I will try my best to "step on her shadow". Many adults think that children can't be friends forever. But I don't believe this. 

Maybe we won't always spend all of our time together. But I will enjoy the time I spend with her and the good memories she has given me. 

As we know, many people want to learn Chinese well. A big family from the US is among (在……中间) them.

Lucy Brown lives in New York with her family. She is fifty-nine years old and has four daughters. They are from 13 to 20 years old.

Lucy loves Chinese history very much and she asks all of her daughters to learn Chinese. "Chinese is not easy to learn, so I ask all my daughters to learn it at an early age (在小时候). China is great and I think learning Chinese can help them to know about China well," says Lucy. Every day, Lucy and her daughters listen to Chinese music and read Chinese books. She also asks them to go to bilingual (双语的) schools, so they can learn Chinese. Lucy is proud of her daughters because they can do well in Chinese now. And they all like making friends with people from China.

Lucy's daughters think Lucy is a "tiger mom", because she asks them to learn Chinese for many hours every day. But Lucy says, "I'm sure some day they will thank me for this."