Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules… planning your next move…acting as a team member… these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.

Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating.

Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (协调) needed in hunting.

Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.

Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.

Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.

1.Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.

2.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can ________.

3.According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?

4.Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to ________.

Great Wall Xmas BBQ

Beijing Hikers are organizing a three-hour hike on a rarely visited part of the Great Wall and will celebrate Christmas afterwards with a Christmas barbecue dinner in a small hotel at the foot of the Great Wall . Meet at 8:30 am. Dec. 25 in front of Starbucks at Lido Holiday Inn , Jiangtai Lu. Please write to info@beijinghikers.com or 139-100-25516.

Pingyao tour

High Club will guide a weekend trip to Pingyao , an ancient walled town near Taiyuan , capital city of Shanxi Province . The town is one of the best-preserved(保护) featuring courtyard buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) . Among them is the Qiao family courtyard house, the shooting location of Zhang Yimou’s Raise the Red Lantern （《大红灯笼高高挂》）. Leave on Friday (December 23) night by train and back to Beijing on Sunday morning . For sign-up and more information , contact Lucy at lucy@highclub.cn or 8580-5080,130-11171326.

New Year Harbin trip

The Chinese Culture Club is running a new year trip to Harbin , to catch a fresh view of its yearly ice and snow lantern festival .

As the temperature is expected to fall between minus 20 to 30℃, visitors are warned to prepare well with jackets , masks , fur gloves and boots. The trip sets out by train at night on December 31 and gets back on the morning January 2. The cost is 2,300 yuan (US$ 284) . Reservation(预订) is required at 8457-2772.

1.One who is interested in life of ancient Chinese is more likely to contact ______.

2.The term “BBQ” in the topic “Great Wall Xmas BBQ” should mean a kind of ________.

3.Pingyao is worth seeing mainly because ________.

4.The last advertisement of New Year Harbin trip offers NO information about _____.

 As a music teacher for twenty-seven years I have always known that music touches the soul. It can break through all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the means for each child to find their light.

A few years ago I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old ，had difficulty walking and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped two times while singing the repeating phrase “Oh yes！” Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class Vanessa and I clapping together. She never said or sang a word.

One day late in the school year when the song was finished Vanessa turned around， looked at me in the eye， clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words “Oh yes!” I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music we had made a connection.

Several years later I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times mimicking the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl through her connection with music left an impression on me that will last forever.

Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s light.

1.The author thinks music__________.

2.According to the second paragraph Vanessa_________.

3.When Vanessa spoke the words “Oh yes!” the author felt________.

4.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

The party began shortly after Mr. Wood ,who lived in the flat below ,signed (叹息)to himself as he heard excited voices and the noisy music. Luckily he had ___36___ some work home from the office, ___37___ he kept himself busy for a couple of hours ,thus managing to pay no attention to the noise___38___ . But by eleven o’clock he felt ___39___ and was ready to go to bed ,though from his earlier experience he knew it was ___40___ trying to get to sleep. He undressed and lay for a while on the bed ,trying to read ,but he___41___ himself reading the same page over and over again. He then turned off the light and ___42___ his head in the pillow(枕头). But ___43___ he could not shut ___44___ the noise ，finally after __45____ seemed hours his___46___ was gone.

He jumped out of bed ,__47__ some clothing, marched ___48___ up the stairs and walked into his neighbor’s flat. The owner of the flat, who ___49___ him in his dressing gown came ___50___ the room and__51___ Mr. Wood could say anything, cried “My dear fellow ,come and ___52___. I know our parties ___53___ you. I meant to send you ___54___.” Mr. Wood’s anger disappeared then and there. He said “I’d better go and get __55_.” Minutes later, he returned properly dressed, only to find that the party was nearly over.

 What _______ the foreign experts most is that the new factory is perfectly environment-friendly.

 Can you make sure_______ the gold ring?

In order to increase the______ of the farm______, our government offers a lot of money to the peasants every year.   

 She was not______ frightened; in fact, she was nearly frightened to death.   

At last they______ an agreement______ it.

 _______to improve the students’sight,  the eye exercises are done in schools nationwide.