In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
　　As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
　　A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
　　I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
　　Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
　　While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
【小题1】What did the author say about her own writing experience?

A few months ago I was at a bus stop in town in the evening. The bus came on time and I took the window seat. The bus route was by the seashore and I was enjoying the breeze (微风) while watching the sea waves. After a few minutes the bus made its next stop. A young boy and a girl got on. They were standing on my left when the bus pulled off. I looked at them curiously and realized that all the window seats were occupied (占据). They could sit but not together. Suddenly a different wave passed through my body and my inner mind gave me the advice to get up. I got up and offered them my seat. The young lady smiled kindly and said thanks. I occupied another seat and we parted our ways. I don’t remember whether I got off the bus before them or not.
Months passed by. Suddenly one day while I was standing at the same bus stop waiting some time for the bus to arrive I heard a voice.
“Excuse me, Uncle.” I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a beautiful young lady.
Puzzled, I said, “I do not recognize you.”
She said, “Do you remember you gave us your window seat?”
Puzzled, I said, “Maybe, but what is so great in that?”
She said, “If you had not given your seat that day, perhaps I would have not sat with my friend. By sitting together it helped us bridge a misunderstanding that had been between us forever. Do you know we are getting married next month?”
“Good! God bless both of you,” I replied.
The young lady again said thank you and went on her journey. I realized the importance of giving that day.
【小题1】 Why were the young boy and the girl standing on the bus?

Sports are full of wonderful moments, but perhaps  36   is as exciting as the finish of the marathon. It is the longest, hardest  37   of all. The name “marathon” comes from a village in  38  . A famous battle was 39  there in the year 490 BC. When the Greeks had beaten the Persians, a soldier  40   all the way  41   Marathon to Athens, more than 40 kilometers to  42   people the good  43  . When the modern Olympic Games  44   in 1896, the organizers knew this  45  . The marathon has been a race  46  that time.

In the ancient world the Olympic Games were held  47   four years of 1000 years. They were an important part of life. In the  48   Games we try to copy their  49   . The finest sportsmen in the world are collected in one place   50   at least the finest “amateurs（业余爱好者 ） ” are. An amateur is someone who does not earn 51  money from sport. It is often difficult to say who is an amateur and who is not. It is  52  that Olympic athletes do not earn large amounts of  money like professional （职业的）sportsmen. But Olympic athletes are often students or teachers of a  53  . They have to  54   a lot of time training. Their governments pay for their training travel and pocket money, 55  they want them to win. Some people think this changes the Olympics. They feel that the Games are now a political marathon.

1.                A．something      B．everything      C．anything  D．nothing

2.                A．run            B．race           C．game D．match

3.                A．Greece         B．England         C．America  D．France

4.                A．broken out      B．fought          C．happened D．taken place

5.                A．went           B．drove          C．ran  D．walked

6.                A．in             B．of             C．with D．from

7.                A．tell            B．say            C．talk  D．show

8.                A．story           B．film            C．result    D．news

9.                A．held           B．broke out       C．had  D．started

10.               A．news          B．soldier         C．story D．race

11.               A．at             B．from           C．after  D．since

12.               A．in             B．each           C．every D．after

13.               A．modern        B．exciting        C．interesting D．important

14.               A．plans          B．diaries         C．ideas D．programs

15.               A．and           B．but            C．where D．or

16.               A．some          B．any            C．a little D．much

17.               A．true           B．false           C．a lie  D．interesting

18.               A．country        B．lesson          C．game D．sport

19.               A．use            B．take           C．spend D．cost

20.               A．as             B．because        C．since D．if

This is the place for you to come to share stories with other real kids who are trying hard to improve their bodies and minds! Did you score a goal in your soccer game? Have you got rid of a bad habit? Are you working to reduce your stress in life? Tell the world what makes your body and mind healthy!
Posted by Dp, Ohio
I have been working on a fitness equipment to exercise for over four months. I have completed my goal of losing weight and I am very proud of myself. That is so cool!
Posted by MK, Missouri
I was always tired at school, because I used to stay up late watching TV. I even fell asleep one day in my history class, and when I woke up, the teacher was looking at me and laughing! I decided that minute to start going to bed on time. It’s kind of a drag missing the shows I like, but I can tell my body loves it – I feel so much better!
Posted by SP, Georgia
Last year, I didn’t make the soccer team at school. I didn’t want to try out again this year, but a few weeks before tryouts(选拔赛), I started kicking the ball around and practicing. When tryout day came, I decided to give it another shot. Guess what? I made the team!
Posted by JS, New York
I’m deaf, so I’ve had more trouble playing sports than other people. But who wants to sit at home all the time? I like to play basketball with guys in my neighborhood. I can’t hear the ball bounce(弹起) or listen to the guys call plays, but I’ve taught them to use some sign language, and so far, we’ve been unstoppable!
【小题1】 The kids mentioned in the text came here _________.

Common sense would tell us that physically active children may be more likely to become active and healthy adults.
In the United States, elementary and middle schools are advised to give students two and a half hours of physical activity a week. That is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association recommend. They say high schools should provide about four hours of physical activity each week.
Yet many schools across the country have reduced their physical education programs. Just this week, a study reported that life expectancy has fallen or is no longer increasing in some parts of the United States. The situation is worst among poor people in the southern states, and especially women. Public health researchers say it is largely the result of increases in fatness, smoking and high blood pressure. They also blame differences in health services around the country.
In 2006, a study found that only four percent of primary schools provided daily physical education all year for all grades. This was true of eight percent of middle schools and two percent of high schools. The study also found that twenty-two percent of all schools did not require students to take any P.E.
Charlene Burgeson , a health expert says one problem for P.E. teachers is that schools are under pressure to put more time into academic subjects. Also, parents may agree that children need exercise in school. Yet many parents today still have bad memories of being chosen last for teams because teachers favored the good athletes in class.
But experts say P.E. classes have changed. They say the goal has moved away from competition and toward personal performance, as a way to build a lifetime of activity. These days, teachers often lead activities like weight training and yoga.
Some parents like the idea of avoiding competitive sports in P.E. class. Yet others surely dislike that idea. In the end, schools may find themselves in a no-win situation.
【小题1】 The underlined word “expectancy” in Paragraph 3 probably means “       ”