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!

The kids mentioned in the text came here _________.

   A. to make new friends

   B. to learn to tell stories

   C. to talk about their efforts to keep fit

   D. to share weight-losing experiences

The achievement that SP, Georgia has made is that ________.

A. he was admitted to the school soccer team

B. he scored a goal in an important soccer match

C. his soccer skills have improved a lot this year

D. he helped the school soccer team win an important match

Who taught other kids sign language?

A.  DP, Ohio     B.  JS, New York 

C.  SP, Georgia   D.  MK, Missouri

The underlined part “a drag” in the text probably refers to something that is ____.

A.  satisfying     B.  rewarding      C.  puzzling      D.  annoying

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.

The kids mentioned in the text came here _______.

        A．to talk about their efforts to keep fit             B．to learn to tell stories

        C．to make new friends                D．to share weight-losing experiences

The achievement that SP, Georgia has made is that ____.

        A．his soccer skills have improved a lot this year

        B．he scored a goal in an important soccer match

        C．he helped the school soccer team win an important match

        D．he was admitted to the school soccer team

Who taught other kids sign language?

         A．DP, Ohio                    B．MK, Missouri        

         C．SP, Georgia              D．JS, New York                                

Teamwork is just as important in science as it is on the playing field or in the gym. Scientific investigations (调查) are almost always carried out by teams of people working together. Ideas are shared, experiences are designed, data are analyzed, and results are evaluated and shared with other investigators. Group work is necessary, and is usually more productive than working alone.

Several times throughout the year you may be asked to work with one or more of your classmates. Whatever teh task your group is assigned, a few rules need to be followed to ensure a productive and successful experience.

What comes first is to keep an open mind, becasue everyone’s ideas deserve consideration and each group member can make his or her own contribution. Secondly, it makes a job easier to divide the group task among all group members. Choose a role on the team that is best suited to your particular strengths. Thirdly, always work together, take turns, and encourage each other by listening, clarifying, and trusting one another. Mutual support and trust often make a great difference.

Activities like investigations are most effective when done by small groups. Here are some more suggestions for effective team performance during these activities: Make sure each group member understands and agrees to the task given to him or her, and everyone knows exactly when, why and what to do; take turns doing various tasks during similar and repeated activities; be aware of where other group members are and what they are doing so as to ensure safety; be responsible for your own learning, though it is by no means unwise to compare your observations with those of other group members.

When there is research to be done, divide the topic into several areas, and this can explore the issue in a very detailed way. You are encouraged to keep records of the sources used each person, which helps you trace back to the origin of the problems that may happen unexpectedly. A format for exchanging information (e.g. photocopies of notes, oral discussion, etc.) is also important, for a well-chosen method not only strengthens what you present but also makes yourself easily understood. When the time comes to make a decision and take a position on an issue, allow for the contributions of each member of the group. Most important of all, it is always wise to make decisions by compromise and agreement.

After you’ve completed a task with your team, make an evaluation of the team’s effectiveness ― the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.

Below is a web page from http://www.parents.com/.

Kid of the Year Photo Competition
Enter your kid’s photo today and win! We’re giving away 52 weekly $250 prizes from Readers’ Choice votes. PLUS our editors will select one entry to win our grand prize of $7,000.
Official Competition Rules
No purchase necessary to enter or win.
The Kid of the Year Photo Competition entry period begins at 12:00 a.m.
January 23, 2011, and ends January 21, 2012 (“Entry Period”). Entries must arrive by 9:00 p.m.
on January 21, 2012 (“Entry Deadline”). Entries will not be acknowledged or returned.
SPONSOR(赞助商): Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa.
ENTRY: There will be two methods of entry.
Share My Entry:
Visit http://www.parents.com/photos/photo-contests-1/kid-of-the-year/ and click the button to enter.
Facebook Entry:
Visit http://Facebook.com/ParentsMagazine and click the Kid of 2011 tab(选项卡).
Then complete the registration form and follow the instructions to upload one album of up to six photos
of your child aged three months to eight years. You may provide one description and one album title that will
be applied to all photos. Photos, without any brand names or trademarks, must be taken by participants,
non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image
formats (格式) and cannot be over 3 MB
This promotion is in no way sponsored, supported or run by, or associated with Facebook. You are
providing your information to Parents Magazine and not to Facebook. The information you provide will
only be used to run the promotion and register for Parents.com.
LIMIT: One entry per family, per child, per week. One weekly prize per child. For entries of more
than one child in a family, the entry process must be completed separately for each child. No group entries.
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that _________.

A．provide a description and an album title for the kid’s photos B．go to Meredith Corporation to fill out the registration forms C．complete the entry process separately for each of her kids D．provide the information to Facebook if she chooses Facebook Entry

Motherhood Is a Career to Respect
A woman renewing her driver’s license at the Country Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily, “I ’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation…‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.
The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate(研究员) in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in mid-air.
I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement(声明) was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask,” said the clerk with interest, “just what you do in your field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up(激励) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants—ages 13,7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6-month-old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable(不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother”.
Motherhood… What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.
【小题1】How did the female clerk feel at first when the writer told her occupation?