For some students, getting better grades can seem like an impossible task sometimes. With the challenges(挑战) of school, just paying attention in class or studying hard isn’t always enough. But what if there were other ways for students to improve their grades? For parents and students who have ever wondered if this is possible, now you can rest easy. Research suggests that a person who likes doing activities can improve their grades.

Scientists think that those students who are active are not just exercising their bodies, but also exercising their brains(大脑). In turn, they can be able to improve their grades at school.

In the most recent study, researchers found that when children played for half an hour each day, they were better at organizing(组织) their schoolwork as well as doing project work and learning traditionally “difficult” subjects, such as maths.

What does this mean for children who aren’t active? Researchers think that if kids don’t get enough activities, they are going to be at a disadvantage when it comes to school performance.

In the research experiment, a group of children skipped with ropes(跳绳), played basketball and did a number of other games or exercises. Another group of children didn’t do any activities. They took part in testing both before experiment and after the experiment. Testing was mainly for maths and reading skills. Results showed that the children in the activity group did better on the tests than those who had no activity.

All work and no play will not only make Jack a dull(迟钝的) boy, but will also negatively(消极地) affect his grades in school, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Parents complain(抱怨) children today are actually less active and they always worry about their grades. Dr. Belton, an expert, said, “If you’d like to see your kids do better in school, have them close their books, set down their pencils and go outside to play.”

Maybe you are a common student. You may think you will never be a top student. However, anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here’s how:

An old farmer lived with his grandson. Each morning, the _________ got up early and read his Bhagavad Gita《薄迦梵歌》.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to read the book like you _________ I can’t understand it, and I forget it easily. What’s the _________ of reading it?”

The grandfather said, “Take this coal (煤炭) basket down to the _________ and bring me back a basket of water.”

The boy did as his grandfather _________, but all the water ran _________ he got home. The grandfather laughed, “You’ll have to move faster next time.”

This time the boy _________ faster, but again the basket was empty. He told his grandfather that is was _________ to carry water in a basket. He wanted to use a bottle instead, but the old man said, “I just want a _________ of water. You’re not trying hard enough.”

The boy wanted to show his grandfather that the water would surely run. He again put the __________ into the river and ran hard. But there wasn’t anything in it again. He said __________, “Look, grandpa, it’s useless!”

“Watch the basket.” said the grandfather.

For the first time the boy __________ the basket was different. It had changed from a dirty old coal basket into a __________ one, inside and out.

“Boy, you might not understand or remember __________ when you read the book, but when you read it, you will be __________, inside and out. That’s what you got from it.”

There is     51     man who I see on the subway every morning. He always sits alone, and never listens to music. Around eight days ago, I     52     (notice) him chatting with a friend by signs(手势). After chatting with his friend, he looked so sad. I wanted to make him feel     53     (happy) than before. I tried to ask him if he was okay,     54     we could not understand each other. I felt so helpless. So I started staying up for hours many     55     (time) a month to learn the sign language. After periods of     56     (learn) and several tries, I could use it     57     (communicate) with others well. When I met him again, I said hello to him and I asked him how he was for the first time. The shocked smile on his face made all the tired time     58     (meaning). Then he took his phone out and     59     (slow) typed out a message. It just said, “Thank you.” It seemed I have made a great impression     60     him.

71. 大自然赋予了我们美好的四季，每个季节都有不同的特点。树人学校英文杂志社正在举办以“My favourite season”为题的征文活动，请你写一篇英语作文，描述你最喜欢的季节，向杂志社投稿。

My favourite season