The performance of living statues (雕像) has become a popular art. In many big cities, you will see statues of characters _____ in the streets. They are actually real people working as street artists. They often cover themselves completely with paint. They have to stand still (静止的) and keep eyes open for several hours. Street artists need to be strong-minded and _____. It is not an easy but fun job for them.

Yorge is one of the most famous street artists in Brazil. He stands out _____ his partner, a cute dog named Jaspe. When Yorge goes to work, Jaspe rests on his arm and keeps still as long as she can. Most people are _____ by their perfect work together. However, the pair once got into trouble. Some animal lovers thought that Yorge forced his dog to give a _____ in the street. In fact, Yorge never trained Jaspe at all.

Some people have no interest in sports. They think that sports make them _______ and smell bad. They say, “Why waste time playing sports?” To these people, I politely say, “You have not discovered the _________ of sports!”

Let me share with you a basketball game I played two weeks ago. Our parents and friends were there to _______ us. A lot of people were watching. We all wanted to _______ the game in front of so many people.

The game was _______ over and we were one point behind. Our coach (教练) called us together and said, “Okay, this is it! Either we score now or the game is over. Let’s work hard to score. _______ we don’t score, at least we know that we have tried our best. So, boys, don’t think too much. It doesn’t matter if we lose. Just do it.”

Well, in the last _______ of the game, we truly scored and two teams tied (打成平局)! We went into overtime (加时) and we lost in the end. But after the game, the coach hugged all of us. He told us that he was _______ because he had never seen a team try harder than us.

To be honest, I _______ a lot of pleasure in playing sports. It makes me happy and comfortable. That’s why I play sports whenever I get the chance. So my ________ is to choose a sport and keep doing it. Your body will thank you and your mind will be ready to work well.

New rules and behavior standards for middle school students came out.     71     The best students won’t only have high marks. They will also be kids who don’t dye (染) their hair, smoke or drink. The following are some of the new rules.

Tell the truth. Have you ever copied anyone else’s paper on an exam?     72     That’s not something an honest student should do. If you have played computer games in your room for several hours, don’t tell your parents you have finished your homework.

Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Don’t look down on new ideas.     73     You should welcome them, because new ideas make life better for everyone.

Protect yourself. Has anyone ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don’t let it happen to you.     74    

    75     The Internet can be very useful for studies. But some things on the Internet aren’t good for kids. So try to look through websites that are good for you. You can use the Internet for fun or homework.

The hot pot has a long history of about 2, 000 years.The hot pot used to be preferred in winter, but recently it has been appearing on tables all year round.

Apart from (除了) its delicious taste, there are two other important reasons for the Chinese to like the hot pot. The first one is that the hot pot is considered a great way to make new friends. People gather around the pot, chatting, eating, drinking and having fun. The other is that the hot pot is a “healthy meal”. Eating the hot pot can warm the body and improve circulation (血液循环) in winter, and increase perspiration to help cool the body in summer.

There are several kinds of hot pots in China with different soup. Two of the most popular hot pots are Sichuan hot pot and Beijing mutton hot pot.

Sichuan hot pot is famous for its numbing and spicy (又麻又辣的) taste, due to the addition of a special food material—Sichuan pepper—and other spicy things like chili, which makes it different from other hot pots. Beijing mutton hot pot is regarded as the typical of the northern China hot pots. Mutton is its main part, and the soup is made from lamb bones.

When you eat a hot pot in a restaurant, generally, there are two kinds of soup bases spicy and clear. A clear soup base has quite a mild (温和的) taste, which is made from seafood or meat bones. A spicy soup base usually has Sichuan pepper, which is spicy and salty.

If you have a mixed group with some who don’t eat spicy food, there is a special pot with a divider in the middle between the spicy and clear soup, which is called a double-flavor hot pot (鸳鸯锅).