My First Marathon（马拉松）
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn't do either well. He later informed me that I was "not athletic".
The idea that I was "not athletic" stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn't even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: "GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!"
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a "marathon winner".
How to make friends at a new school
You're about to start a new school and want to make friends there. What do you do? Here are some tips on how to meet people and make friends at a new school and how to adjust to your new surroundings.
There's nothing that attracts people more than someone who's secure in who they are and has a fairly positive attitude about life in general and other people's ideas, too.
Invite others to do things. In a lot of cases, you'll need to make the first move to find potential friends. Ask some people to share a table at lunch or study hall, ask someone to be your volleyball partner in gym class ...
Join some clubs and activities. A new school and a new group of classmates offer great opportunities to explore some new interests. You're able to meet people who share your interests and are looking forward to making new friends, too.
Have an opinion. Do you want to help the homeless or prevent the destruction of the rainforest? Speak up. Offer your opinions in class. People will remember you in no time and want to talk to you and, most likely, hang out to get to know you better.
Remember people's names. Do your best to remember other people's names and interests. Say something like, "I remember you said something really interesting about X yesterday and wanted to talk about it some more, but I'm new here and don't remember your name yet. Could you remind me what it is?"
A. Be as confident as you can.
B. Smile at people when they look at you.
C. Try out for a school play or sports team.
D. Share your unique viewpoints in conversation.
E. It's a great conversation starter and it makes you seem friendly.
F. Once you've found a few people you like, ask them to eat or have fun after school.
G. More importantly, don't be afraid to ask people more than once what their names are.
When I was ten I was suddenly very sad, for I had to move from the only home I had ever known. My whole life had been spent in that big old house which saw the laughter and tears of four generations.
When the final day came, I ran to the front of the house and sat alone, crying. Suddenly I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I looked up to see my grandfather. " It isn't easy, is it, Billy?" he said softly, sitting down on the steps beside me.
"Grandpa," I replied how can I ever say goodbye to you and all my friends?"
"Goodbye is such a sad word," he said. "It seems too final, too cool, which has one thing in common: sadness."
He gently took my hand in his." Come with me, my friend," he whispered.
We walked, hand in hand, to his favorite place in the front yard, where there was a huge red rose bush — his beloved rose bush.
"What do you see here, Billy?" he asked.
I looked at the flowers, not knowing what to say," I see something beautiful, Grandpa."
"It isn't just the roses that are beautiful, Billy. It's that special place in your heart that makes them so." His eyes met mine again." Billy, I planted these roses a long time ago—before your mother was even a dream. I put them into the soil the day my first son was born. It was my way of saying thank you to God. That boy's name was Billy. I used to watch him pick roses for his mother.
I saw my grandfather's tears. I had never seen him cry before. His voice became hoarse(嘶哑的).
"One day a terrible war came, and my son, like so many sons, went away to fight a great evil. He and I walked to the train station together... Three months later a telegram came. My son had died in Italy. All I could think of was that the last thing I say to him in his life was goodbye."
注意：
1）所续写短文的同数应为150左右；
2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3）续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好；
4）续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Grandpa slowly stood up.
Paragraph 2:
Soon my grandfather became seriously ill.
