【正文】 kely to suffer painful physical conditions. And that just plain feels good. Passage 04 Olympic Games Every four years, the best athletes from countries around the world e together in the spirit of peace and friendship to pete in the Olympic Games. With the lighting of the Olympic flame the games begin — the Olympic spirit kept alive. That flame has been brought many thousands of miles by relay runners all the way from Olympia, in Western Greece, where the ceremony began 2700 years ago. This simple ceremony, and the lighting of the torch, is the spark that renews the Olympic flame wherever the games are played. The games symbolized the early Greeks? ideal of man?s unity, their vision of peace, and of human perfection. The Olympic began as a religious ceremony. The First Games in recorded history took place in the year 776 BC. This was the time of the Western Zhou period in China. All the Greek citystates participated. States at war with each other would end hostilities for the duration of the Games. The Olympic motto is universally accepted as “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.” One athlete from the games host country takes an oath at the Opening Ceremony on behalf of all the peting athletes: In the name of all petitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.” In ancient times, winners were crowned with wreaths of the sacred olive. Their names were proclaimed throughout the Greek citystates. Things have not changed much in this regard. Today, first place winners are awarded gold medals, second place winners, silver, and third place gets the bronze. And, as in ancient times, Olympic stars bee internationally famous. Let us hope that this living experience of peace and friendship between all the peoples of the world that began in Olympia, in ancient Greece, will continue for many centuries to e. Passage 05 All Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten… Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school. These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don?t hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don?t take things that aren?t yours. Say you?re sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup —they all die. So do we. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: Look. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living. Think of what a better world it would be if we all —the whole world — had cookies and milk about 3 o?clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true。 do not loiter over your toilet. If your braided hair has loosened, if the parting of your hair be not straight, if the ribbons be not fastened, do not mind. Come as you are。 do not loiter over your toilet. Let your work be. Listen, the guest has e. Do you hear, he is gently shaking the chain which fastens the door? See that your anklets make no loud noise, and that your step is not overhurried at meeting him. Let your work be, the guest has e in the evening. It is the full moon on a night of April。 the sky overhead is bright. Draw your veil over your face if you must, carry the lamp in the door if you fear. Have no word with him if you are shy。 the sun has already climbed above the horizon。 I have listened to carefully prepared speeches and eyed a little enviously the model gowns of women far more elegant than I could ever hope to be. I have been impressed, and a little bored. I have just been sitting up all night in a small, unfortable Irish cottage and I have been enjoying every moment of it. Passage 08 Challenges of School Life is full of challenges. School has to be the most challenging obstacle in the lives of youth today. Elementary school brings about a few challenges characteristic of those years spent there. There?s the challenge of coloring in the lines, a very real problem to any youngster. Or how about the challenge of remembering to raise one?s hand before one speaks? There are hundreds of rules and regulations that govern these young children. The one thing that keeps these children in line is the hope of reward. Yes, this is the brass ring. The reward for a clean desk is an extra five minutes of recess! The prize for having all homework done, a shinynew pencil topper! These small wonders keep small people in line. They make the children love challenge. Middle school is not so easy. It is not easy for the students, and it also isn?t easy for the teachers. The challenge of staying out of trouble, or writing that research paper —these are the new confrontations of an older, wiser group. This clan has outgrown the recess and penciltopper tricks. They know that their efforts have to bring them something really useful, so mom and pop are pu