13．Luke, Jay and Zach's Winning Game
　　It was the last game of the regular season. Luke really wanted his baseball team, the Wildcats, to win because he had never been to the playoffs (季后赛) before.
　　The coach called the whole team together before the game began. He said, "It has been a great season. You should all be (1)      of yourselves. Let's give it our best effort."
　　The team really was a good one. All of the teammates got along well and encouraged each other. Luke's best friend, Jay, was on the team too. They were two of the best players on the team.
　　The Purple Sox were the Wildcats' opponents. Both teams and all of their (2)       were super excited about the game.
　　The Wildcats had a good start. They had three runs (分) by the end of the second inning (局) and had prevented the Purple Sox from scoring. (3)      , by the end of the fifth inning, the Purple Sox had taken over the lead and were ahead of the Wildcats by four runs. Luke and Jay were starting to (4)      , but they knew they had to remain positive.
　　"Don't give up, Wildcats!" urged Jay. "We can do it!" cheered Luke. "Be proud and give it your best effort, like coach said." Luke (5)      the team.
　　Over the next few innings, the Wildcats did better and by the bottom of the ninth inning, they were ahead of the Purple Sox by one run, but the Purple Sox had the last at bat for the game. Zach was one of their weakest players. His Purple Sox teammates cheered for him. Then they started chanting. Before too long, the fans joined in on the chant too. Even the Wildcats started cheering to (6)      him, because they knew how hard Zach always tried. Finally, he made it. He hit the ball, then he ran as hard as he could to the first base.
　　The next Purple Sox batter was up. Zach was ready to run. They might just win the game after all. But the ball was not far enough. Luke was able to catch the ball and(7)      the game for the Wildcats.
　　When the game ended, both teams shook hands and congratulated each other. It really was a (8)      for everyone. Luke, Jay and the Wildcats made the playoffs, and the Purple Sox saw their teammate Zach have his first hit.

14．　　The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics were more than a sporting event. They were also a showcase (展示) for science and technology. Let's look at some.

15．　　Lee ran home almost all the way from the bus stop. His brother Jason had promised to take him to the new skate park today.
　　As soon as he rushed inside the house, he picked up his skate equipment quickly. He was so excited he put his elbow pads and knee guards on even though Jason wasn't home yet.
　　"Hey, Lee, " Jason said, walking through the door."
　　Are you ready to go?"
　　Lee held his arms out. "Ready! "
　　"Who's that?" Jason asked, pointing out of the window.
　　Lee saw Alice standing by the mailbox. "Oh!What's she doing here?I told her I'd work on the science project with her tomorrow."
　　"Then why is she here today?" Jason asked.
　　"Well, I did tell her I'd do it today, but that was before you said you'd take me to the skate park."
　　"So you promised her you'd work on it today but then you got a better offer and canceled on her?"
　　"But I'm still doing the project with her, just not today. " Jason nodded. "I'll get my car keys. Wait here."
　　Lee couldn't stand still as he waited. When Jason walked back into the room, he was on the phone.
　　"Great! I'll be right there." Jason hung up the phone. "You're never going to believe this, but Scott got tickets to a minor league baseball game for tonight."
　　Lee's face fell. "You're going to the ball game? What about the skate park?" "We'll go tomorrow. You don't mind, right?" Jason said carelessly.
　　"Well, kind of. You promised to take me skating today."
　　Jason's smile disappeared. "Like you promised Alice you'd work on your project today?"
　　Lee sighed. "Scott doesn't have tickets, does he?"
　　"No. I just thought you should see how Alice is feeling."
　　Lee looked out of the window. Alice was still standing by the mailbox. "I'll go to get her and work on the project."
　　"Good for you," Jason said. "And ask her if she wants to go to the skate park after you're finished."
　　"Really? You'd take us?"
　　"Of course. I promised."
　　Lee nodded. "And a promise is a promise."

16．Lunch or Junk?
　　It's lunch time at Hall Memorial School in Connecticut, and 10-year-old Haley is making her way through the food line. Many of her friends are pleased with the day's lunch selections:pizza and French fries and hot dogs. But Haley feels discouraged." I use four or five napkins just trying to get the grease off the pizza," she says. "Where are the healthy choices?"
　　Health experts are asking the same question. They say foods high in fat, salt, and sugar should be banned from school lunch programs. This includes some items you might not suspect (怀疑), like fruit punch, which is loaded with sugar, and macaroni and cheese, which is sky-high in fat and salt. "Children are already having too much junk food," says Jen Keller, a dietitian at the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. "It's important to offer them only healthy items in school."
　　It's not that health experts want to take foods kids like best from them. They just want to help kids avoid many of the health problems that come with eating large quantities of unhealthy food. Today, 15 percent of children ages 6 to 11 are obese, or seriously overweight. That's up from just 6. 5 percent in the late 1970s. Poor diet and obesity can cause diseases like type-2 diabetes (糖尿病), which can lead to blindness and kidney problems. As of a few years ago, this disease didn't happen so often to children that it was called "adult on set diabetes. " "Many foods that are offered in cafeterias (自助食堂)are linked to these problems," Keller says.
　　Most school do offer some healthful foods, but experts say that doesn't solve the problem. "Given a choice, most kids are going to choose junk over something healthy, " says Pat Thorton, a psychologist who studies obesity in children.
　　Thorton and other experts agree that schools and parents need to educate kids about making good food choices, both in and out of school. For example, few kids understand that many popular candies, chips, and sodas come in containers (容器) that actually have two or even three servings. And kids need to become skeptical about food advertisements they see on TV and in magazines. "Just because Beyonce sells Pepsi doesn't mean it's a good product for your body," Thorton says.
　　Of course some kids already seem to know all of this. "The junk food is tempting (引诱), " says 10-year-old Tim. "But my parents tell me that if I eat healthily now, I'll have strong bones when I get older."

17．　　Bats are the only mammals (哺乳动物) that can truly fly. They play a very important role in ecosystems (生态系统) around the world. They help kill pests for farmers. They also help ensure that rainforests stay healthy. Bats face many dangers though. This means ecosystems across the globe are endangered too.
　　There are more than 1, 000 groups of bats. The most of bats are insectivores. This means that insects make up most of their diet. There are also bats that are nectar — eaters and fruit-eaters. A small number of bat groups are blood-eaters.
　　Nectar-eating bats and fruit-eating bats play an important role in desert and tropical (热带的) ecosystems. They are considered a "keystone group". This means they help ensure a rich diversity (多样性) of plant life and food for other animals. Nectar-eating bats help pollinate (授粉) plants in these environments. Fruit-eating bats help spread seeds in their rainforest environment. They also help restore (修复) rainforests that have been cut down by spreading seeds over large areas. Bats are sometimes called the "farmers of the tropics".
　　Bats that are insectivores help farmers around the world with pest control. They eat insects that can damage agricultural crops (农作物). One pest that bats like to eat is called the corn earworm moth. This type of moth causes about 1 billion a year in crop damage.

　　Bats can eat large amounts of insects at night. For example, the famous bat group that lives in Austin, Texas eats between 10, 000 and20, 000 pounds of insects each night. The Austin bat group is made up of 1. 5 million Mexican free-tailed bats. They rest under the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin during the summer months. The number of the bats is so large in North America that many tourists come to watch them leave their resting place in the evening.
　　Resting place loss is the biggest threat facing bats worldwide. Bats in North America are also in danger because of white-nose syndrome. This disease affects bats while they are living during the winter. White﹣nose syndrome is a deadly wildlife disease. Millions of bats in North America have died from the disease since it was first recognized exactly in 2006.
　　Bats around the world are facing many other threats unknown by us yet. Large numbers of bat groups ar in danger of disappearing forever. Scientists believe that almost 80 groups of bats are endangered. They also believe that over 900 groups of bats will become endangered. Conservation organizations are working hard to save bats around the world. Although some people fear bats, they are an important part of the natural world. Protecting bats helps protect the environment.

18．　　Weifang in Shandong province has a long history of making kites. It is known as the birthplace of kites.
　　According to local artisans (工匠), Weifang kite-making can be traced back to 2000 years ago. At first, they were often used by the military for measuring distance and communication purposes. During the Ming Dynasty (1368 — 1644), kites started to be popular among ordinary people as entertainment.
　　Made from bamboo and featuring traditional Chinese paintings, Weifang kite-making was included in the national﹣level intangible cultural heritage( 非物质文化遗产)lists in 2006. The International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year since 1984.
　　Yang Hongwei, 56, is an inheritor (传承人) of the Weifang kite-making technique. She was born in a kite－making family. Yang often saw kites with bright colors and different shapes in her grandfather's workshop.
　　"Every time I see these beautiful kites, my boredom and negative feelings go away," said Yang. Having a special connection with kites, Yang learned the technique from her grandfather at the age of 16. After she had practiced the technique for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992.
　　"Many places around the world have a tradition of flying kites," Yang said. "But I think the cultural context behind our kites is unique (独特的)."
　　On Yang's kites, people can see not only common patterns like butterflies and swallows (燕子), b ut also some prints telling Chinese myths, legends and history. For example, she once made a kite showing a phoenix head lined with portraits of 50 famous women in Chinese history on each side.
　　Though the idea was cool, the process was not easy. Yang said that each woman has different characteristics in look, attire (服装) and makeup style. To create their portraits, she spent much effort and time checking historical records or discussing the details with professionals. "It's time-consuming," Yang added, "but when I explain the stories on the kites to foreign customers, I feel a sense of great achievement."
　　In her spare time, she also travels to different countries including Germany, Australia, the US and New Zealand to tell people about Chinese stories seen on kites and the traditional ways of making kites.
　　"I'm an inheritor of the culture. It is also an important job of mine to spread the heritage around the world and onto the next generation," she said.

19．假如你叫李华, 你们校一直在开展以"学雷锋" 为主题的社会实践活动, 你们班交换生Peter想参加本周日的活动．请你用英语写一封电子邮件, 告诉他活动的具体时间和地点 , 活动的内容, 以及需要做的准备．
提示词语 :gate , community, clean, rubbish, show window, plastic glove, Cleaning cloth
提示问题:
• When and where will you meet?
• What will you do?
• What do you advise Peter to prepare for the activity?
Dear Peter,
　　I'm writing to invite you to take part in the social practice activity of learning from Lei Feng. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
　　Please let me know if there is anything more that I can help with.
Yours,
Li Hua

20．在2022 年北京冬奥会上, 苏翊鸣和谷爱凌不断挑战自我, 勇夺金牌．
某英文网站正在开展以"我眼中的奥运冠军" 为主题的征文活动．假如你是李华, 请用英语写一篇短文投稿, 谈谈你认为是什么造就了他们的成功, 这 对你今后的学习和生活有什么启发, 以及你会怎么做．
提示词语:train , love, challenge, insist, support, improve
提示问题:
• What makes Olympic champions successful?
• What can you learn from them?
• How will you do in the future?