1 . Although most games have winners and losers, the goal of sports is not to win every game. The real goals include getting exercise, having fun, and learning important social skills, like sportsmanship.

Good sportsmanship is all about respect. Good sports (有体育精神的人) respect their teammates and also their opponents. They respect their coaches, and they also respect the referees or other officials involved in their games.     1     They shout at their teammates and they talk back to coaches or referees.

Kids usually learn sportsmanship good and bad from the adults in their lives.     2     If parents and coaches show disrespect for other fans, referees, or each other, kids will likely act the same way on the field.

    3     Some of them are very basic and easy to do, like shaking hands with other players before a game. Other examples may take a little more courage, such as acknowledging a great play made by the opposing team.

Learning good sportsmanship is important because it helps you develop an attitude of graciousness (礼貌) and respect that will carry over into all the other areas of your life.     4     Being a good sport in the classroom will eventually lead to being a good sport in the workplace.

So be a good sport in whatever you do!     5     When others see you acting in a way that makes it clear that winning isn’t the most important thing, you can move on to focusing on the important things, like having fum, getting exercise, and improving your skills!

2 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball？

“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.

The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.

The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.

3 . I come from a family that loves sports. My father coaches Little League baseball. My mother swims nearly every weekend. My brother is on his high-school basketball team, and I am the best hitter on my middle-school volleyball team. All of us have benefited(受益）from sports. One of the most common ways for kids to take part in sports is to join a team. Joining a sports team should be a school requirement.

Playing sports is good for both the body and mind. Everyone knows that exercise helps people stay fit. For example, swimming helps your heart work better and it also helps build muscle strength(肌肉力量）. In addition, school athletes(运动员） often have a healthy diet. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and avoid fatty foods because I must stay in great condition.

Being on a team allows students to enjoy a healthier social life. They often make more friends and can be some of the most popular kids in school. Since joining the basketball team, my brother has made friends with a lot of his tea mates and has showed more interest in spending time with them.

Kids who take part in school teams sometimes earn college scholarships(奖学金）. My brother's friend, Justin, played football in high school. His family did not have money to send him to college. However, a college invited him to play on its team. The college is paying for him to go to school. Joining a team turned out to be one of the best decisions he had ever made. Now he studies at a great college and plays on its football team Not every school athlete gets a college scholarship, but joining a school team-makes it possible.

Although some people may not like the idea of forcing students to join a school team, its many benefits such as keeping kids heal thy, new friendships, and possible scholarships cannot be denied(否认）.

5 . I started training in tae kwon do (跆拳道) by accident. But in the first class, I learned something exciting—how to ________ someone grabbing your arm. I loved it, so I kept practicing and earning higher ranks.

At every rank, I found something ________, whether it was the kicks in the air or the increasingly complex patterns. But over time, “I can’t” ________ “How can I?” which then became “How will I?”

One day, I showed up to class and students were ________ wooden boards. I was convinced that they were all crazy and “I can’t” voice yelled again.

I watched, in ________ as student after student walked up to solid pieces of wood and broke them with their hands or their feet. When I was given the opportunity to ________ I chickened out. But my ________ were extremely patient. They invited me to work individually with them. I refused their first and second offer, but ________, I agreed to try.

They told me that board breaking was more a mental ________ than a physical one and taught me how to line up to break that board. And the first time I went to ________ it, I was so afraid that I missed and accidentally kicked the board holder’s fingers. I felt ________ but he encouraged me to try again. I told that doubting voice in my ________ to “shut up!”

I focused on the ________ I thought about how much I had improved and how I had surprised myself. I told myself I ________ to believe that I was able to do amazing things. And then—suddenly that board looked a lot less ________ I kicked with everything I had and it worked.

6 . Why play sports? You might say “to get exercise” and you would be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more.     1     According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports get a lot more than just fit.

Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up all your study time.     2     Exercise improves learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom.

Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills.     3     When working with coaches, trainers , and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you're learning how to be successful. Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life.

Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or osteoporosis(骨质疏松症).

Playing sports improves self-confidence.     4     Why? It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals. Sports are also a feel-good activity because they help girls get in shape, keep a healthy weight, and make new friends.

    5     Playing sports can reduce stress and help you feel a little happier. How? The brain chemicals leased during exercise improve a person's mood. Friends are another mood-lifter. And being in a team creates tight bonds between friends. It's good to know your teammates will support you-both on and off the field!

There is no doubt that doing more exercise is helpful to us.

Yours,

Li Hua

9 . Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son's soccer team. It was the quarter final. The score was two to one, my son's team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.

With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son's teammate Mickey O"Donnel. With shouts of "Kick it!" echoing across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted (突然发出). He had scored!

Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a deathly hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征)and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.

The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, "I scored! I scored! Everybody won! Everybody won!" For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, "Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!" Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joined in the chant and congratulated him on his goal.

Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, "It was a tie. Everybody won."

10 . Walking with a purpose

Humans were made for walking. With our strong leg muscles, our bodies were literally designed with walking in mind — which is what makes it such perfect exercise.     1     And best of all: it’s a great way to see new things and meet new people!

This month, why not focus on walking with a purpose? Wherever you are, in the city or at the campground, you’ll find plenty of walking going on. Maybe you already love to walk, but you’re getting tired of going your same old route day after day. Or maybe you’re new to walking and aren’t sure how to get started.     2     To get started, sit down with a map and make a plan. Ask yourself, what do you want to get out of walking aside from the health benefits? Do you want to meet other people?     3     Get out into the wild or explore a city? Knowing your priorities will help you decide on the type of walking you want.

If making trends and socializing is your goal, call up your friends and schedule walks with them.     4     Go online and look up your local mall or shopping center. Many malls have groups that come every day, or every weekend, to “walk the mall”. These groups are always happy to include one more walker!

    5     Then tie up your shoelaces and prepare to get to know the place from the ground up! Many of our great historic cities offer detailed and well-planned walking tours. Nearly any city you can think of offers a walking tour with maps provided by the tourist bureau. And small towns generally have a special route that will carry you past its best boutiques, shops, and cafes.