At the beginning of this new school year, I joined a boxing (拳击) class. I love sports and believe that sports can free     1     mind from daily worries and problems.

I was the only girl in the class. My first boxing class was exciting. Although I didn’t get any     2    , I felt happy.

After about a month, the boys’ boxing skills improved     3    , but I had a hard time seeing the difference. I didn’t know     4     I should do to improve it. I continued practicing, but things didn’t go     5    . Each time I practiced, at least a boy     6     me. “Oh. you’re too short to box. You’re not strong. You punch (用拳猛击)     7     a mouse,” a boy once said. I knew he didn’t mean to hurt me. I still felt really upset. Actually they started to discourage me. However, I hid the feeling in me,     8     I thought that would show I was doubting myself. In a way, it would make things even     9    . Instead, I replied, “I might not be as strong as you, and some of my punches need improving. I will probably be knocked down if we fight. However, that doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

I felt happy after I told him so, and in the following practices, Mr. Vernon was surprised to find my punches were     10     more and more powerful.

“Always continue walking a lot and loving nature, for that’s the real way to learn to understand art better and better,” the famous     1     Vincent van Gogh told his brother in a letter in 1874.

Actually not only artists in Van Gogh’s time     2     to walk in nature, but also many people living in cities today like to     3     greener spaces in their free time. They enjoy quiet walks through grass and trees in a local park, or perhaps a longer trip over hills, along rivers, or across     4    .

A group of scientists in Germany have     5     that a one-hour nature walk can decrease (减少) the activity in the amygdala, a part of the brain connected to stress and emotion (情绪). The scientists studied the brains of sixty-three     6     volunteers before and after a one-hour walk. Half of the volunteers walked through Berlin’s Grunewald forest, while the rest walked along city streets with     7     traffic. Tests on the brains of the nature walkers showed decreased activity in the amygdala. But the change didn’t happen to the volunteers walking along city streets.

An earlier study also found that older people in Berlin     8     more likely to have a healthy amygdala if they lived close to a forest. They were more likely to enjoy     9    .

So scientists hope their research will     10     cities to add more green spaces and people to take more nature walks.

Once upon a time, some wasps (黄蜂) found some delicious honey in a forest. They said it was their honey, but the bees nearby were also sure that the honey was theirs. They     1     louder and louder but could not solve the problem. “We’re good animals. We can’t fight to solve this problem, but we     2     our judge (法官) for help.” said the bees. So they flew to the judge’s house. Their judge is an elephant. The elephant has been a judge for many years, and he     3     many animals in the forest since becoming the judge. All the animals in the forest trust him. He     4     the piano when they came to him for help.

“Judge Elephant, you play so well,” said the wasps. “We all     5     the piece ‘The Little Star’.”

“I played ‘The Lion King’, not the ‘The Little Star’.” the elephant said with a frown (皱眉) and stopped playing.

“We need your help, Judge Elephant,” said the bees. “This morning, we went out     6     honey nearby. When we returned to our honeycomb (蜂巢), we found that the wasps wanted our honey.”

Some witnesses (目击者) came forward. “We saw some yellow and black animals with wings     7     around the honeycomb this morning.” they explained. “We thought they were bees.”

But the wasps immediately replied, “Of course it was us. We’re yellow and black animals with wings.”

The judge could not decide what to do next. Then an old sheep spoke up. “Why not give them a few days to build a honeycomb? Then we     8     whose honey it is.”

When the wasps heard that, they couldn’t help     9    , “That’s not fair.”

The judge soon understood why. The wasps were angry because they couldn’t build a honeycomb and fill it with honey. Now it’s clear that the honey belongs to the bees.

Later, the story     10     to other animals. And they all praised the wisdom of the old sheep and the justice (公平) of the elephant.

There is a little girl named Ramona. She lives with her parents and her sister. The     1     moment for them is when their father gets paid (获得报酬). Dad usually buys each of them a     2     that they really like. Sometimes, Dad takes them to a nearby     3     for a big meal. They look forward to (渴望) this day every     4    .

One day, Ramona     5     as usual about the gift on her father’s payday.     6    , on that day, bad news came: her father had lost his job. In order to support (供养) the family, Ramona’s mother had to     7     a hard job. Whenever (无论何时) Ramona saw her mother’s tired face, she would secretly tell     8     in the heart: I will try to help Mom and Dad cut down the burden (负担) of     9    .

The New Year was coming, and Ramona made a little     10    . Do you want to know what a wish she has made? I believe that you will find the answer by reading this book.

Picture yourself on an adventure sailing across the endless sea, where each wave has a story. “The Old Man and the Sea”     1     written by Ermest Hemingway. Winning the Nobel Prize in literature in 1954, this short novel made Hemingway famous worldwide.

“The Old Man and the Sea” is     2     basic story with big meanings. Imagine an old fisherman named Santiago fighting hard against the strong ocean waves, he struggles (奋斗) for 84 days     3     he catches a huge fish, but soon sharks attack and eat most of the fish leaving only its bones.     4     Santiago loses his catch, he believes that a man can be destroyed but not defeated (击败). It’s a message that speaks to everyone showing the spirit of not giving up no matter what happened.

Hemingway’s     5     in “The Old Man and the Sea” is a great example of saying a lot with a little. He only tells part of the story leaving the rest for us to     6     . This is called “the iceberg theory”. It’s a clever way of writing that makes us think more deeply about the story.

It was a bright and sunny day. I     1     the day with my friends at the local beach, and we were having a good time. However, there was one thing that was stopping me from enjoying     2     fully—my fear of heights.

My friends had decided to climb a large rock on the beach, and     3     they were ready to climb, I felt my heart sink (下沉) with fear. The rock was high, and the thought of climbing made me feel weak at my both     4    .

At     5    , I tried to make excuses to avoid the climb. My friends could see through (看穿) my excuses and encouraged me to have a     6    . They reminded me that it was okay to be scared, but it was not okay to let my fear control me.

So, I took     7     deep breath, and with shaky legs, I began to climb.

When I finally reached the top, I was     8     with such a sense of achievement. I felt free and alive. I realized that sometimes, the things we fear the most can actually be the things that make us much     9    .

From that moment on, I knew that I had overcome my fear of     10    . I knew that I could overcome any trouble in the future. This was a day I would never forget.

Rhiannon shared a story last week. Many years ago, she had a car accident.     1    , a kind young man saved her. Rhiannon doesn’t know the man’s name. “You     2     on the road that day,” Rhiannon said to her unsung hero (无名英雄) on the Internet. “You saw me lying in the middle of the     3    . You ran to me quickly. Then you took me to the hospital.”

Doctors spent several     4     saving Rhiannon. The next day, she woke up and found     5     in a hospital bed. A doctor told Rhiannon she would     6     without the man’s help.     7    , she didn’t thank him at that time. Now, Rhiannon     8     sorry for that. She advises people to show their thanks in time     9     they get help. “My unsung hero, thanks for your     10    . It really makes a big difference to my life.” Rhiannon added.