A game of catch is not difficult at all. The two people throw a ball back and forth（来回地掷球）. It seems a little boring. The two people are close enough to talk, but too far to touch(触碰）.

In fact, playing catch is part of baseball practice. It's a popular game. Because baseball is an American sport, and a big part of being American, playing catch is kind of an all-American dad activity. Outside cities, most people have backyards（后花园）not large enough to play baseball in, but just big enough for a game of catch.

But any American kid will tell you it's much more than a game. Playing catch is a time to be with your father. It's a time when there's nothing to worry about except catching a ball. When they play it, words move together with the ball itself, back and forth, easy and relaxing（放松）.

Kids and dads spend time together. The game can be good memories(记忆) of dads. Why? Dads are usually very busy. But there is no work, no phone and no other people around to take your dad away from you. For the time that it takes to play a game of catch, your dad is all yours.

Do you often play hide-and-seek (捉迷藏) with others? Most of the children often play this game and love it a lot. Hide-and-seek is a very old game. Maybe your father and mother like playing it. Maybe your grandfather and grandmother like it, too.

But how do people know about this game? Old stories tell us about hide-and-seek. Very old picture s also show the game. Today, boys and girls play many games and they always like them. Older children show little children how to play them. Then those games go on (延续).

Today, many children spend a lot of their free time playing games on the Internet. In the UK, 99% of kids aged 8 to 15 play video games. They spend almost 14 hours gaming a week. This information tells us that the benefits and dangers of video games must be carefully considered.

For many people, video games are fun. They have bright lights, funny cartoons and exciting stories. Everywhere you look, you can see children playing these games. They play on buses and trains, in restaurants and even at school.

Video games are educational too. They make kids think in a creative way and they have to move their hands and eyes quickly. This can improve the way that a child’s brain works. What’s more, video games make children use their imagination. The player has to do many creative things, like drawing, telling stories and building things. Video games are also good for children to learn about technology because they can learn how computers and other devices work while they play.

However, a recent study suggests that video games can also be bad for children. First, children can download many games for free. This means that parents often don’t know if their children are playing violent (暴力的) or scary (恐怖的) games. Second, many children spend too much time playing games on computers and this can lead to health problems. Third, if children spend too much time playing games instead of doing homework, they can have problems at school and get bad grades. Finally, video games can affect children’s social skills. If children spend too much time playing video games by themselves, they might not learn how to play with their friends.

In conclusion, it seems clear that video games have some advantages and some disadvantages. Parents should know what games their children are playing and how much time they spend on them. Parents should also make sure their children get enough exercise and spend time with other children.

Since the “double reduction”（双减）policy was carried out, our school and our students’ lives have changed a lot. The goal of the double reduction policy is to let students develop all-round abilities and be independent learners. It’s challenging for students, but it will help them become more creative.

“Do some housework, make an English video to introduce a Chinese custom, read aloud Home Letters by Fu Lei.” These things are part of the winter holiday homework of Ma Miyang, an eighth-grader from Henan. During the first long holiday after the “double reduction” policy, Ma found herself doing more practice-based learning instead of always doing homework silently at home. “Doing homework was enjoyable this holiday, since it was much less.” said Ma.

Like Ma, many junior high school students welcomed the changes brought by the policy. Liu Yifei, 14, said she visited the local museum in Shanxi, as part of her homework. “It’s more fun than memorizing things from books,” Liu said. “My life is clearly changing now—I don’t have tutoring（辅导）classes anymore. This gives me more time to play badminton and gradually get healthier.”

What do you want to be when you grow up? Would you want to be a scientist or an artist? According to the research, the order of the birth in your family may affect（影响）your choice of job. Birth order can affect people’s behavior（行为）and shape（塑造）their personalities.

A group of scientists studied 500 people from 11 different career groups. They found that older children are more likely to become astronauts and scientists. NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and British scientist Stephen Hawking are both the oldest children in their families. The reason is probably that parents usually treat older children more strictly than younger children. This gives the older children a more disciplined personality（性格）.

The scientists also found that middle children are 30 percent more likely to become CEOs than their brothers and sisters. The scientists said the reason could be that middle children need to do more to get attention from their parents. This makes them more competitive（有竞争力的） and better at communication. Mark Zukerberg, founder of Facebook, and Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft , are both middle children.

Younger children, on the other hand, tend to be the “softest”. They learn to pay attention to other people’s thoughts. This makes them sensitive to others’ feelings. Therefore, younger children are more likely to become musicians. German musician Johann Bach and Austrian composer（作曲家） Wolfgang Moszart are both the youngest children in their families.

The results of the study also suggested that the only children are more likely to become artists. They get full attention from their parents and are freer to develop themselves. This makes them more creative and confident.