2 . If you thought running was just great for the body, then think again. Scientists have found that the sport not only keeps people fit but also improves your brain power (脑力).

The research found that people who keep fit are more likely to have larger brains, better memories and clearer thinking. They also found that unfit people tended to have smaller brains and reduced cognitive skills. The findings add to a growing body of evidence which links exercise with helping protect the brain against ageing (老化) and also helping it replace dying cells (死细胞). This might reduce the risk of many illnesses and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

One research paper within its latest issue sees scientists at Kentucky University putting 30 adults aged 59-69 on a treadmill (跑步机). Their heart and lung capacity (肺活量) was measured and an MRI scanner was used to assess the blood flow to their brains. Those who were less fit had smaller brains compared to the fitter volunteers who had larger brains. Scientists in Germany followed 21 adults aged between 60-77. As they went through a three-month fitness program, they saw improvements in their memory.

Researchers are not yet sure why exercise helps to protect brain cells but some research in mice has produced results. Mice, examined at the National Institute on Ageing, in Baltimore, found that cells in the hippocampus (海马体), an area of the brain used for memory, were actively reproducing while their fatter peers were in decline.

Linda Clare, professor of clinical psychology of ageing and dementia at Exeter University and a member of the Global Council on Brain Health told The Sunday Times: “Moderate intensity aerobic (有氧的) activity such as walking, cycling or running can produce changes in brain structure and function.”

From October 4 to October 6, the National English Speaking Competition    1     (hold) in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. A total of one million people of different ages, from kindergarten kids to young professionals, took part in this year's event.

During the three-day event, young competitors expressed     2     (them) by delivering speeches about     3     (vary) topics, including History as a Mirror, The Promise of Youth, and The Power of Dreams. Besides showing their     4     (impress) English ability, they also shared their views on the world as a generation of being open-minded, individualistic, and     5     (social) responsible.

When the competition was first run in 1996, the goal was     6     (train) college students to master another language and communicate clearly with foreigners.     7    , in the past 25 years the competition     8     (go) far beyond this simple goal. It now plays a role in helping document every major step the country takes in its development,     9     (encourage) young people to share China's stories and providing a stage for those     10     will shape the future.

4 . My father often works very hard. And he has __________to see a film. Here I’ll tell you __________about him.

One afternoon, when he finished his work and __________ go home, he found a film ticket under the __________on his desk. He thought he __________to have not much work to do that day and __________ was quite wonderful to pass the __________at the cinema. So he came back home and __________finished his supper. Then he said __________ to us and left.

But to our ____________, he came back about half an hour later, I ____________ him what was the matter. He smiled and told us about ____________funny thing that had happened at the cinema.

When my father was sitting in his seat, a ____________came to my father’s and said that the seat was ____________. My father was surprised. He took out the ticket ____________ looked at it carefully. It was Row17, ____________. And then he looked at the seat. It was the same. So he asked her ____________ her ticket. She took out the ticket at once and the seat shown in it was Row 17, Seat 3. ____________? What’s the matter with all this? While they were wondering suddenly the woman said, “The ____________of the tickets are different.” So they looked at the ticket more carefully. After a while, my father said, “Oh, ____________, I made a mistake. My ticket is for the film a month ago. Take this seat, please.” With these words, he left the cinema.

5 . With the cold weather drawing nearer, few people will choose swimming as a daily or usual activity.     1     Here come the reasons.

Good for your brain.

Swimming is one of the best activities you can do all year round, which benefits your body and your mind. Swimming has been found to increase blood flow to the brain, which leads to more oxygen.     2    

Work your muscles.

Every time you swim, it is like doing a mini-resistance workout. Each kicks and pull works your muscles more than you could imagine, especially your arms, shoulders and gluteus — the muscles that are inactive all day when you’re sitting at your desk.     3     So along with building fitness, it is a wonderful full body exercise.

Lift your spirits.

    4     They can cause a positive feeling into your body which makes you happy. Swimming has been shown to reduce stress and tension. The repetition, movement and the breathing can help you to relax , and that’s why swimming is also regarded as a relaxing exercise.

    5    

While swimming is an individual sport, it is also very social. You can meet people from all walks of life when swimming. Have a chat in the lap pool, join a swimming club or get involved in social water sports to get to know people in your community. Besides, the great thing about swimming is that you can do it — rain or shine. Although your backyard pool, the river or beach cools down over winter, most inside swimming pools run heated pools year round, so you’ve got no excuse to stop swimming.

6 . Shyness can have a huge effect on your life.     1     The tips below can help overcome your shyness and improve your life very much!

Make eye contact with everyone you talk to. It is so easy to look at the floor, the ceiling, anywhere but into the other person’s eyes. Looking directly at someone makes them see you in a different light. If they think you are confident, you will become more confident! If you find it really hard, look just above the eyes, and they will never know.     2    

Start a conversation with a new person every day. Think of four or five things you could start a conversation with and then find at least one opportunity each day to talk to a new person.     3     Just exchanging a few words will get you used to talking to new people and you can gradually deal with it well as your confidence grows. Asking people something about themselves is often a good opener as it encourages them to talk!

    4     Your body language has a huge effect on both how you feel and how other people think of you. Walk around your home or garden as if you are the most important person in the world. Then go out and continue that; you are really the most important person in the world.

In a word, never give up, keep practising and soon you will be a different person.     5     You need to take action to increase your confidence and beat shyness.

7 . Jim Thorpe is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He had amazing athletic abilities and was well-known during his lifetime, yet that did not make Thorpe a stranger to adversity.

Thorpe was an American Indian from Oklahoma who developed his extraordinary athletic skills in his youth through hard labor. It was also in his youth that he learned to endure hardship brought upon by racial prejudice. Many would say his childhood was not easy. He grew up poor and at age 9 his twin brother passed away and a few years later he lost both of his parents.

But that did not stop him from doing what he loved and pursuing his dreams. Nothing seemed to stop him, not even stolen shoes. Just hours before Thorpe was going to compete in the 1912 Olympics, somebody stole his shoes. Thorpe improvised (临时拼凑) by getting shoes out of the garbage. The shoes were two different sizes. He wore an extra pair of socks on one foot to even them out.

He still went on to win two gold medals—winning each event he competed in except for one, the javelin (标枪). The javelin was the only event he didn’t win, probably because he had never competed in that event before. It is interesting to note that Thorpe had tried to throw the javelin once before in the Olympic trials. At the time, he didn’t know that he could throw it with a running start. He threw it standing still and was placed second.

At the Olympics，he also took part in the decathlon (十项全能运动). He finished first in two events, third in four events, and fourth in two more. Thorpe ended up finishing third in the world. He was undoubtedly a dominating force that couldn’t be stopped and just kept on going.

I think Paul Dughi said it best, “It’s hard to imagine now that pro athletes get paid millions of dollars just to wear a particular brand of shoes. For Jim Thorpe, it didn’t matter what kind he wore.”

8 . Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.

In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm－hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.

10 . When your dream is to become a footballer, nothing should get in your way —even if you have no feet.

Gabriel Muniz, an 1l–year-old Brazil kid, was born without feet. Although his family thought he would have serious difficulties living a normal life, he started walking before he was one year old. His mother would go after him, expecting him to keep falling, but he never fell. It took him a while to make the jump from walking to playing football, but he did make it. And, in fact, there’s nothing he loves more than playing football. In his school, the skillful youngster is not only the best player in his school team but also the captain of his gym team.

He knows that his disability means he’ll never be able to play for a professional football team. So Gabriel is hoping that football will one day become a Paralympics(残疾人奥运会)sport. He proved to everyone there he could go head to head with any other boy. Watching him play is unbelievable. He’s fast and he’s got a big bag of tricks – he’s very skilled and he does everything he can to copy his hero, Messi so much that he was invited to go to Spain to meet his hero Messi and show his talent in the Barcelona Football Club. His coach says he is proving the disability only exists(存在)inside our heads and he is challenging the social rules.