13．Earth Day Activities

14．　　There was once a boy called Joseph Webb. He always loved to show off how many friends he had at school. One day his grandfather said to him, "Joseph, I bet (打赌) you a big bag of popcorn that you don't have as many friends as you think. I'm sure many of them are nothing more than companions (同伴)."
　　Joseph accepted the bet at once. However, he wasn't sure how to test whether his classmates were real friends or not, so he asked his grandfather. The old man answered, "Wait a minute." Then he left and returned soon as if carrying something in his hands, but Joseph could see nothing there.
　　"Take it. It's a very special chair because it's impossible to be seen. It's rather difficult to sit on, but if you take it to school and manage to sit on it, you'll start its magic and it'll be able to tell who your real friends are."
　　Joseph, brave and determined, set off for school with the strange and invisible (隐形的) chair. At break time, he asked everyone to form a circle, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair. Having difficulty seeing it, Joseph tried to sit on the chair but he missed the seat and fell straight onto his backside. Everyone around him had a pretty good laugh.
　　"Wait!Let me try again," Joseph said. But again, he missed the seat, causing more surprised looks and a few catcalls. Joseph didn't give up and kept trying to sit on the magic chair. But he kept falling to the ground until suddenly he tried again but didn't fall. Looking around, Joseph saw three of his best friends holding him up. However, many others he had thought of as friends had done nothing but made fun of him.
　　And there, the show came to an end Joseph understood that true friends were those who cared for him, and not just the companion that happened to be passing by. And someone who took joy in his misfortunes (不幸) was not real friend.

15．　　Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Sometimes a task that takes you five minutes in the morning may take fifteen minutes in the afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. If this were the case, why wouldn't we feel just as sleepy after eating a large breakfast or after dinner? The truth is that this sleepiness is unrelated to meals and is due to another cause.
　　The real reason lies inside your bodies. At that time — about eight hours after you wake up — your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day. The in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern (模式) . They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.
　　In many parts of the world, people take naps (午睡) in the middle of the day. This is especially true in warmer climates where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional, people often suffer less from problems such as heart disease.
　　Many working people, unfortunately have no time to take naps. Though doctors may advise taking naps, employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance, however, here are a few tips about making the most of your nap. Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up. A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward. This can also happen if you sleep for too long.
　　If you're feeling down, try taking a nap to lift your spirits. Napping, or even just resting for an hour without falling asleep, can brighten your outlook.

16．　　The mind is a wonderful thing. It's also an excuse-making machine that frequently tries to make us not to take actions that we know are good for us. And this prevents many positive changes from taking place in our lives.
　　So why does the mind mess with us and make unreasonable excuses? Because the mind wants comfort, that's the reason. It's afraid of discomfort, pressure and change. The mind is absorbed (沉浸于) in its comfort zone, and anytime we try to stretch (延伸) that zone too far, for too long, the mind tries to get back to ground zero at any cost. These excuses, such as "I can't do it", "It is too hard for me", "It's too late now" and so on, are no strangers to our mind.
　　It seems too difficult at first, so you think you can't stick to the positive change you're making. You don't believe in yourself enough to take another step. This is a common excuse that can be countered (反驳) by looking at the fact that other people had no more abilities than you thought you had. For example, my 60-year-old next-door neighbor finished running a marathon, so I told myself, "If she can do it, so can I!" And I was right. Truth be told, the only person who can tell you "I can't" is yourself. if you hear those words repeating in your mind, stop listening or paying attention to them.
　　Another common excuse is that "I've already failed too much". You're only human. If you break down, it's fine. Just don't stay down. Rest, and then pick yourself up so you can go to where you'd rather be. Failures, small and large, happen every day. The strongest, most productive people aren't the people who always succeed, but the ones who don't give up when they lose.
　　Oftentimes you're lot closer to making breakthrough (突破) than you think. Some people give up their efforts when they have almost succeeded, while others attain their goals by making great efforts, until the last moment. Once you learn to give up, it becomes a habit. So, make some necessary changes to throw off the bad habit of making excuses. No excuses! Go on trying! That's how you'll move your life forward.

17．　　Have you ever heard of netball? It is a team sport which is similar to both basketball and handball.
　　Netball was first played in England in 1895 at Madame Ostenburg's College. In the first half of the 20th century, Netball's popularity continued to grow, with the game being played in many countries, it is particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand. In 1995 Netball became a "recognized" sport of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and one of the International Netball Federation's goals is to encourage the IOC to include netball in the Olympic Games Programme in the future.
　　There are seven players on each team and they each wear a bib (号码布) which shows the name of the position they play. Players must throw the ball to one another and the aim of the game is to pass the ball to the "Goal Shooter" or "Goal Attack" who can shoot the ball into the net to score a goal. However, the key rules of netball are that you cannot bounce (拍) the ball and you cannot move your feet when you have the ball. This is called the footwork rule and it can be quite difficult to grasp (掌握) for young children playing the game!A full match lasts for one hour and in a single match often about 100 goals are scored which shows what a fast-paced and exciting game netball is!
　　Netball is typically played by women and girls. However, at many universities, there are mixed netball leagues (联赛) in which teams must have both male and female players.
　　In the UK, there are many different ways to try to attract women to play netball. One such plan is called "Back to Netball" which encourages women who have not played netball since they were at school to rediscover their love for the sport and get back on the court! Walking Netball is another variation (变化形式) of the sport aimed at older women and those who want to exercise in a gentler way. So, why not watch a video of netball online and then have a go for yourself?

1. What is netball similar to?
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2. When was netball first played?
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3. How long does a full netball match last?
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4. What is Walking Netball?
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5. What is Paragraph 3 mainly talking about?
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18．从下面两个题目中任选一题, 根据中文和英文提示, 完成一篇不少于50词的文段写作．文中已给出内容不计入总词数．所给提示词语仅供选用．请不要写出你的校名和姓名．
1. 假如你是李华, 本周日, 你准备邀请你们班交换生 Peter一起去公园野餐, 请用英语给 Peter写一封邀请信, 告诉他野餐的时间和地点, 往返的交通方式, 以及需要做什么准备．
提示词语:park, bike, bring, food
提示问题:
●When and where are you going for picnic?
●How are you going to get there?
●What do you advise Peter to prepare for the picnic?

2. "锲而不舍, 金石可镂．"只要坚持不懈的努力, 再难的事情也可以做到．
某英文网站正在开展以"毅力"为主题的征文活动．假如你是李华, 在你的学习和生活中, 一定有过一些因坚持不懈地努力而成功的事例, 请你选择一个事例, 用英语写一篇短文投稿, 谈谈你的做法和收获．
提示词语: perseverance (毅力), learn, work harder, make progress
提示问题:
●What did you do?
●What have you learned from doing so?
Perseverance leads to success.