七月周测卷讲解

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 fight against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the fight 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 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, I can now call myself a "marathon winner".

I live on the West Coast of British Columbia with my husband and three children. Our day started like any other day. My husband left for work in the north of the town, which is an hour and a half's drive. The younger children caught their bus to school ten minutes away. Our oldest attends high school and is a 40-minute drive away. I work at home in the office, working on the computer.

It was November 2006 and the news had reported gusty winds. When the winds started to get strong I shut the computer down and tried to phone my husband. I left a message telling him the winds were blowing at 80 to 90 km/hr. As I hung up the phone, I heard a tree crack. I went outside and stood in the driveway. Another tree exploded and my heart was racing.

When the school bus carrying the youngsters arrived, I ran to get them. As soon as we made it to the house, another tree exploded. The children were clearly scared, so I loaded them up into the car and we parked in the middle of the yard, where no trees could land on us, it was starting to get dark.

My oldest son didn't come home on the bus and my husband was stranded at work. I called the high school and reached my son. He said he was stranded and didn't know what to do. I called a friend in town for help. He managed to get my son home to me. Finally, my husband managed to get home.

We had been prepared for such events, as we had a generator, candles, a wood stove, fresh water, batteries and two freezers full of food. We were without power for five days. But we didn't panic—we had all the emergency equipment we needed. Thankfully, none of our neighbors were injured, but the damage was extensive. We are witnessing climate change. We need to be prepared.

Some kids love handwriting, but others hate it when it's time to put pen to paper. Maybe they are worried about their handwriting. Are you one of them? ___ Here are five steps that really work!

Get a great grasp

Try this—hold your pencil at the top and try to write your name. Pretty hard? But when you hold your pencil the correct way, writing is much easier. ___ Hold it in place with your thumb (拇指), and your index and middle fingers.

Let the lines be your guide

Lined paper is your friend! Those lines can help you create letters that are of the right size and proportion (比例). ___ Also be sure to fill up the lined space completely. Those capital letters should be from the bottom line to the top one.

Slow down

If your writing is hard to read, try slowing down a little. If you rush, it's hard to control where you stop and start your letters.

Lower the pressure (压力）

___ That makes it harder to make the smooth lines. Try relaxing and don't hold the pencil too hard.

___

Lots of games need you to write or draw pictures. So even though it's not schoolwork, you're still using the skills you need to control your pencil better.

The earthquake was over and the city was in ruins. I had no choice but to walk home as all the ___ had stopped as a result of the quake. On my way home I ___ an old lady at a bakery (烘焙店) giving out free bread, which made my heart ___. A man was holding a sign saying, "Please use our ___." He was opening his house for people to go to the toilet.

Then the next day I drove to have my car ___. There was not enough ___ then and many gas stations were either closed or had very ___ lines. I got worried, since I was behind fifteen cars. Finally, when my ___ came, the man smiled and said, "Because of this situation, we are only giving $30 worth of gas per person. Is that all right?" "Of course. It's nice that we are all able to ___," I said. His smile gave me so much comfort.

At the shelter center I saw a man ___ when people brought food to him. It was the first time in three days that food had been ___ there. However, after he dried the tears, his next ___ surprised me. "I am very ___ that we are provided with food. But people in the city next to us haven't ___ any food at all. Please go to that center as well." Hearing that, I realized there was a bright future on the other side of this ___.

Sandstorms are a major environmental problem in northern China. They occur most frequently in spring, ___ the weather is dry and winds are strong.

A sandstorm begins ___ strong winds lift sand and dust from the ground. The dust can travel hundreds of kilometers, affecting air quality and ___ health problems for people.

In recent years, the Chinese government ___ measures to combat sandstorms. These include planting trees, building windbreaks, and ___ land management.

One successful project is the "Green Great Wall," ___ is a network of trees and vegetation stretching across northern China. This project ___ reduce the frequency and intensity of sandstorms.

However, sandstorms still pose a threat, especially in areas ___ desertification is severe. It is important for individuals to take action as well, such as ___ water and reducing pollution.

By working together, we can protect our environment and make sandstorms a thing of ___ past.

写作要求

假设你是李华，学校英文报正在征稿，请你以"How to Develop a Sense of Humor"为题写一篇英语短文投稿，内容包括：

内容要点：

1. 观察生活，因为生活中有很多幽默瞬间（moment）；
2. 看幽默电影，读趣味文章；
3. 与幽默的人在一起，尝试开玩笑。

注意：

• 写作词数应为80个左右；
• 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。