A marathon(马拉松) is a long-distance running race. Now it is not only a competition, but some people organize marathons for charity(慈善). Runners get friends, families and other people to (支持) them. They promise to provide a certain amount of money for every race. For example, if the runner runs one (千米), the providers each give the runner $1 for the charity.
A (许多) of money can be raised this way. However, not everyone can run, so people in the USA have thought of other ways to raise money, using the idea of a marathon.
Walk-a-thons A walk-a-thon is similar to a marathon, but people walk(代替) of running. This is one of the most (受欢迎的) ways for people to raise money.
Read-a-thons Many schools organize read-a-thons to raise money. Students can get money (简单地) for the number of books they read in a given amount of time. They may have (十) weeks to read. Little kids can also get money according to how many(页) they read. The read-a-thons are (举行) not only to raise money, but also to encourage teenagers to read.
Bowl-a- thons Bowling is an (有趣的) sport for many Americans. In a bowl-a-thon, people raise money for every point they get in the game. The higher the score is, the more money they make for the charity.
