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In the United States, "hitting the books" means studying a subject with great effort.
One of the greatest challenges for students is taking tests. Students 1 long hours preparing for a test. They read all their books carefully, and then read them a second time and a third time. They 2 they know all the material the teacher has offered and prepare for every possible question. They study every night. They are "hitting the books".
In the United States, most children go to school 3 they are 5 years old. Public education is free and most children go to schools near their homes. School in these early years is 4. The children learn to read and write, but they also play games and go on trips. There is no 5 for them to hit the books at such an early age.
This situation changes as children become older. The subjects become more difficult. Students must 6 world history, physics and the life sciences. Tests become more common.
Pressure is 7 to hit the books, study hard, and advance（升级）. However, most serious students only really begin 8 the books for long hours when they reach high school.
High school students who hope to continue their education at a college or university 9 take a special test called the SAT. If they get a 10 score on the test, they have a good chance to enter a top American college. For this reason, many students hit the books for months to prepare for the SAT.
All this adds up to a lot of work-"hitting the books". Knowledge is a prize that is not easy to gain.
Dear Readers,
Imagine an 11-year-old girl whose days are often spent washing clothes, looking after a baby, working hard in the field.
Imagine a little girl who knows there will not be enough food for dinner, who can't fill her stomach with water because it's polluted, and who has watched life slip away(消失) from her father, little brother and sister because the family is too poor to see a doctor.
Is it hard to believe? For Maria Pastora, these are the real life.
Maria would gladly walk miles to school, but her mother, now alone, needs her badly at home. If Maria grows up without any schooling, what will be her future?
But for just 52 pennies a day, you can sponsor a child like Maria. Through "Save the Children", you can help Maria's mother get the tools she needs to turn their poor food into a good dinner and the money she needs to buy clothes and school things for Maria.
To help Maria most, your money will be put together with that of other sponsors, so hard-working people can help themselves. Build a school, a hospital……bring in clean water. This is what "Save the Children" has been about since 1932.
For you, there are many rewards. Have the chance to write to or hear from your sponsored child. Receive photos or progress reports. Know you are reaching out to another person, not with a handout(施舍物), but a "hand up". That's how "Save the Children" works. But without you, it can't work. Please take a moment now to fill in and post the form to help a child like Maria and her village.
It can make such a difference in her life and yours.
