13．My First Marathon (马拉松)
　　A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles (脚踝)was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I decided to go ahead.
　　I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P. E. class, the teacher asked us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn't do (1)      . He later told me that I was "not athletic".
　　The idea that I was "not athletic" (2)       me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or if I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
　　The night before my (3)      , I dreamt that I couldn't even find the finish line. I woke up sweating (出汗) and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
　　Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces (鞋带)became untied. So I (4)       to readjust (再调整). Not the start I wanted!
　　At mile 3, I passed a sign: "GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!"
　　By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then (5)      again.
　　By mile 21, I was starving!
　　As I got mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never (6)       the alarm clock sounding at 4 a. m. or questioned my expenses on running.
　　I was one of the (7)       runners to finish. But I finished!And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
　　Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels (世俗标签), I can now call myself a "marathon (8)      .

14．　　Our school will hold a book review meeting next month. You have to choose one of the following books and write a book review. Then send it to 12636789@qq. com.

15．　　Anderson Carey is 12 years old. One day, he saw a magazine article that interested him. It was about prosthetics (假肢), which can be used to replace a missing body part, like a hand, arm or leg.
　　The article said people are using 3﹣D printers to build these devices (装置). Anderson thought this was very cool. He wanted to learn more about it. So Anderson talked to his science teacher, Dr. Holly Martin, about building a prosthetic together. The timing was perfect. Martin had just heard about a group called Enabling the Future. This group asks volunteers to help build robotic arms and legs. The volunteers build them for people who share their stories on the website.
　　Anderson and Martin looked through the website together. They decided to help a man from the country of Romania. His name is Comel Crismaru, who lost his leg, hand and part of his arm.
　　In February, Anderson and Martin got to work. Building the robotic arm was not easy. Anderson had some problems. He had hoped to use a 3﹣D printer at his school. One of the pieces for the arm was bigger than the size of the printer, though.
　　Soon Anderson had an idea to solve this problem. He reached out to a 3-D printing company in Woodstock, Georgia. The company agreed to help. Anderson and Martin could use their big 3-D printers. After that, Anderson worked on the arm for about three months.
　　Anderson and Martin sent the arm to Crismaru in May. In August, they received a note. It was from Crismaru's son. He thanked Anderson and Martin for their help.
　　Martin said she hopes children and grown-ups who hear about Anderson's projects will realize that it may be hard to change the world, but they can start with small acts. Some of these can help a person in a "huge way".

16．Enjoy Happiness From Sad Music
　　What would life be like without music? Songs and tunes fill our lives, influencing our emotions, bringing back memories and sometimes making us dance. There is a song for everyone and for every moment, but it seems that it's sad music that moves us most.
　　Sad music certainly does its job in making us upset, causing us to feel strong emotions — it's something we might listen to after a break-up, for example. And a recent study has shown why some people are interested by sad music. Professor David Huron from Ohio State University conducted the research and found the differences between people who love to listen to sad music and those who can't stand it.
　　He told the BBC radio programme The Why Factor that it comes down to a natural hormone (激素) called prolactin(催乳激素). He says, "As you might have guessed from the name, it's connected with 'lactation (哺乳期)' from breast-feeding. When people cry, they also release prolactin. And, there are circumstances in which prolactin seems to have this comforting effect." It seems that people who like sad music are maybe getting too much prolactin, or more than is normal, and when they hear sad, downbeat music, it gives them a good feeling. But if prolactin isn't released, or there isn't enough of it, some people find that sad sounds don't help to cheer them up.
　　Previous research by Durham University has also suggested that listening to sad music can lead to pain and sadness;but it can also provide comfort and even enjoyment. A high number of people they surveyed were cheered up by listening to sad songs. Though the feeling may not be exactly the same as happiness, it may be the ability to deal with the sadness that gives the feeling of comfort.
　　So, reacting to sad music on the radio may have nothing to do with the melancholic sound of a piece of music, but rather a natural chemical reaction taking place in our bodies. Maybe that explanation is music to your ears if you're wondering why you've been listening to Billie on repeat!

17．　　Teens' behavior is difficult to change because they are very sensitive to anything they regard as a danger to their autonomy (自主). And, as many parents know, many problematic behaviors come about because teens aren't motivated by thinking about long﹣term results and they won't be willing to listen when you point out they are doing silly things.
　　Among other things, these attitudes make it hard to make teens eat healthily. However, a recent study published in PNAS shows that it's possible to use teens' social values to motivate them to accept a better diet. The method makes sense, considering that teens are known to place a high value on their social environments.
　　The study showed teens' tendency to develop social justice (公正) goals during their adolescent (青春期)years — they often do this as a reaction to authority figures (权威人物) whom they regard as unjust. The researchers designed an intervention (干预)to show the teens how high-calorie / low-nutritional value foods are misleadingly marketed as healthy choices. They also educated teens about poor people and young children were often misled into eating the unhealthiest foods. The intervention framed healthy eating as a way of "sticking it to the man".
　　The researchers found that teens who received the intervention were less likely to make unhealthy choices than teens who didn't. After the intervention, they were more likely to pick snacks like carrots or fruit than they were to pick cookies or chips. They were also less likely to choose sugary drinks and food with low nutritional value.
　　This study shows that it isn't necessary to cause long-term results in order to encourage teens to make healthier choices. Instead, educating teens about the symbolic meaning behind the choices that they make seems to be enough to motivate them to make better choices.
　　This finding has a lot of practical value. Public health professionals are often looking for ways to encourage people to make better food choices, and many food-based habits are developed in childhood and adolescence. If more young people are motivated to make good food choices, those decisions are likely to keep into adulthood and have a lifelong positive effect.

18．Passing on Beauty of Words
　　Famous American poet Robert Frost once said, "Poetry is what gets lost in translation." A well-known Chinese translator, Xu Yuanchong, has tried his best to pass on the beauty of ancient Chinese poetry all his life.
　　Xu has just turned 100 years old. On April 1, China Translation and Publishing House published a series of books about his life and career to pay respects to him.
　　Since 1978, Xu has published more than 100 translated novels, anthologies (选集) and plays in Chinese, English and French. Especially, he translated Chinese poems into English and French. He is also the first Asian winner of the "Aurora Borealis Prize" for Outstanding Translation of Fiction Literature.
　　Xu is known to be very strict in his work. He has given his mind to "translating beautifully". For him, English is a "scientific" language that requires correctness, while Chinese is an "artistic" language that includes a wider range of content. Following this, Xu keeps his translations correct and beautiful.
　　Through Xu's translations, historic Chinese wisdom has made an influence on Western societies and the world at large.
　　For example, when former US president Barack Obama tried to begin a reform (改革), some officers were against at first. But after reading the poem titled Fishing in Snow (《江雪》)translated by Xu, one officer was so impressed with the fisherman's independent, non-conformist (不墨守成规的)thinking that he chose to support Obama, noted NewsChina.
　　Having made such great achievements, the 100-year-old is still hard-working. He lives alone in an old house near Peking University. Every day he translates about 1, 000 words, working till 3 to 4 am, sleeping about 3 hours and getting up at 6 am to continue.

1. Who is Xu Yuanchong?
      
2. How old is Xu Yuanchong?
      
3. How many translated novels, anthologies and plays has Xu published since 1978?
      
4. Which poem translated by Xu impressed the American officer?
      
5. What does Xu Yuanchong's translation mean to China?
      

19．题目①
下星期学校将举办英语演讲比赛, 组委会正在招募英语主持人．假如你是李华, 请你用英语给负责此次演讲比赛的老师写一封自荐信, 内容包括:你的基本信息, 申请英语主持人的理由, 以及你将做哪些准备工作．
提示词语:apply, spoken English, be good at, practice, perform
提示问题:
●What's your basic information?
●Why do you want to be an English host?
●What skills do you have to be a host?

20．题目②
"没有目标而生活, 恰如没有罗盘而航行．"
某英文网站正在开展"目标指引我前行"为主题的征文活动, 假如你是李华, 请你用英语写一篇短文投稿, 谈谈你的目标是什么, 你打算怎样做来实现你的目标．
提示词语:goal, want to be, study hard, overcome, try one's best, give up, achieve
提示问题:
●What is your goal?
●What are you going to do to achieve your goal?