Early in the morning, at noon, or in the evening in big cities and in the countryside, all over the United States, you can see Americans running-men and women, young and old.  People run 1-along the beaches of California, 2 Central Park in New York, down quiet streets in small towns or at the gym.  Some people even run in 3 living rooms.

    Running wasn't so popular in the past. In the 1960s, runners were mostly athletes and healthy strong people.  When people saw a runner, they used 4, "Hey, what's the hurry for?" or they might say to 5, "Is he crazy?" At that time, women almost never ran. If they did, they might be laughed at. But today all these have 6 Men and women of all 7 enjoy running.

    Doctors say many of the health problems in the United States 8 these bad habits: eating too much, smoking cigarettes, and taking 9 exercise. Doctors tell us, "Eat less, don't smoke, and exercise more." Running is a good exercise 10 it helps build strong hearts and lungs. It also helps most people lose weight

—They're very nice. They feel soft and smooth.

—Well, you     . Some opinions are worth weighing.

— You're right.

    My friend Bob has a large police dog named Jack. Every Sunday afternoon, Bob and Jack have a walk in the park near their home. Jack likes these walks very much.

    On a cold Sunday afternoon, I go to Bob's home. Bob is happy to see me. At first Jack is happy too. Bob and I talk for a long time. Jack plays with a ball in the room for some time. Then he sits down in front of me and looks at me. I go on talking with Bob. Just at that time, Jack takes my hat and runs out of the room. I go after him to get my hat back. Suddenly, I know what Jack wants to do.

What a clever dog!

    An old man was fishing on the bank of a river. A child came to see him fishing. The old man was really good at fishing and it didn't take long for him to catch a full basket of fish. The old man saw that the child was very cute, and he wanted to give her a whole basket of fish. But the child shook her head. The old man was surprised and asked, "Why don't you want the fish?"

    The child replied, "I want the fishing rod(竿)in your hands."

    The old man asked, "Why do you want the rod?"

    "It doesn't take long to eat all the fish in a basket. But if I have the fishing rod, I can go fishing by myself and I won't be afraid of not having any more fish to eat.

    I think you will certainly say that the child is very smart. Wrong! If she doesn't know how to fish, she cannot have fish to eat, even though she has the fishing rod. It's useless to only have a fishing rod. Fishing skills are the most important, not the fishing rod.

    Too many people think that if they have a "fishing rod" in their life, they will no longer fear the wind and rain. They are just like the child, who thought that if she had a fishing rod, she would have fish to eat.

Dear Cathy,

I saw your name and address on the Internet, and I hope to be your e-friend. My name is Lily. I live in Shenzhen. I am in Grade 7. I have short black hair and black eyes. I don't like table tennis and I'm not interested in badminton.

My favourite sport is swimming. My dream is to be an excellent swimmer like Phelps in the future.

My father is an engineer and my mother teaches English in a middle school. They are very kind.

I have a sister. She is eight years old. She studies in a famous primary school. She likes reading and she is very clever.

I love my family very much. Here is a photo of my family. Tell me something about your family. Please write to me.

Best wishes

Lily