I am sure that all of us have had an unforgettable experience which is regretful in our life. We have all done or said ______ without thinking twice, which we will regret later. Sometimes we do it only out of ______ for a time and then we realize that is a big mistake soon.

One day a boy in my class left his math workbook at home. I spoke something to the 8-year-old boy angrily. Of course, I just wanted to take the child as a(n) ______ so that the rest of my students would learn a lesson from it—______ show up without their homework done in the future. The poor boy sat there, head down and tears falling from his face. A little girl sitting next to him told me something ______ a low voice. The little boy’s mother had been ______ by ambulance (救护车) to the hospital in the middle of the night before. He had to spend the whole night at his grandmother’s. His mother was ______ at the hospital and he didn’t know what was wrong with her. I can’t describe ______ I felt at that moment I have been so sorry for what I said that day. It has changed the way I ______ my students from that moment on.

As a young teacher, I was not patient enough with my students. If I had taken time to ask the boy why he forgot his workbook, I would have understood why the homework was the ______ thing on his mind. And I would have known that his mother was in hospital. Life would be more enjoyable if I take time to fully understand the situations around me before acting.

Taking online classes is becoming popular, but students have different views (见解) about it.

Wang Qi, 14: I love taking online courses. They give me a lot more choices and freedom. We can choose to learn whatever we want. Also, online classes allow us to study whenever and wherever we want, which is very convenient (方便的).	Wu Jun. 13: I don’t think taking online classes is a good way to study. There are many exciting things on the Internet. Students can be distracted (使分心) from their courses easily.   The whole learning process (过程) is not as organized as it is in the classroom.
Zhou Siya. 13: Online classrooms are advantageous. We might pay more attention to learning when we are alone in front of a computer with no one to distract us. Taking courses online also means we can have more time to use a computer, which is a good way to practice our computer skills.	Li Chunjie, 14: I think the idea of taking online courses is terrible. It can increase our touch with computers and the radiation (辐射) from them could do harm to the human body, especially our eyes. Also, sitting in front of a computer for a long time without exercising can be harmful to our health.

My grandma came over to look after me when I was young. Laughter always filled the tiny but warm house. Watching grandma in the kitchen was amazing: she walked around the kitchen, busy but happy. She never seemed to need the recipes (食谱) and everything she made tasted delicious.

At first I would just sit in the kitchen and watch. Even though I didn’t understand what she was doing, I really enjoyed watching her and waiting for the cakes. As I got older, she let me help with the easy parts, such as measuring (测量) the sugar. The day I helped her bake (烘焙) cakes, I felt like I found complete pleasure.

Later my parents decided that I could take care of myself and my grandmother stopped coming over every day. The love of baking, however, stayed with me. I started baking by myself, and even if the cookies ended up burnt sometimes. More often they turned out pretty good. I tried out new recipes, and whenever I got to a thorny part, I would call my grandmother for advice and she would always give lots of useful advice patiently. Sometimes I would call her just to talk, too. I felt like I could talk to her about anything.

My grandmother passed away three years ago, but I still think of her sometimes. Last week, I found a recipe book she made for me in her bedroom. It included her recipes for cakes, cookies and my favorite, lemon pie. As I looked through the pages, I thought I could hear her voice and see her smile. She was the one who taught me not only about baking, but about life.

It’s 9:30 a.m. Thirty minutes before the party, volunteers arrive and get to work. They hang colorful balloons, set up toys, games and activities, and prepare different kinds of food and gifts on a table. Soon it’s time to play the music and welcome the guests. The kids rush in, ready to celebrate. Happy Birthday!

Every month, parties like this can be seen at some places for the homeless. The host, a nonprofit organization（非营利组织） called the Birthday Party Project, throws birthday parties for groups of kids who don’t have a home. For some children, it’s the first birthday party they’ve ever had.

Let’s celebrate!

Paige Chenault is the creator of the Birthday Party Project. “Everyone wants a chance to feel known and seen, and a birthday is a perfect place and a perfect time in our lives to stop and celebrate,” she says.

Chenault and her family threw the Birthday Party Project’s first event in January 2012, in Dallas Texas. “We realized serving children in our own community was a great place to start,” she says. Since then, the organization has grown. Now the Birthday Party Project hosts about 50 monthly parties in 15 cities. More than 10, 000 kids have celebrated their birthdays at these events.

Jamie Gates, who works at the housing community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, says that the Birthday Party Project holds parties there on the third Thursday of each month. According to Gates, if she doesn’t put up the notice for the next event at least five days ahead, kids will start asking her about it. “They love it,” she says. ““Parents will come to the too. It’s a really good time for them to sit and talk, and for the whole place to come together.”

My First Marathon

A month before my first marathon, one of my knees was hurt and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I decided to go ahead.

I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P. E. class, the teacher asked us to run laps and then hit a ball. I didn’t do either well. He later told me that I was “not athletic (运动型)”.

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.

The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating (流汗)all over, but ready to face the challenge (挑战).

Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces became undone. So I stopped to tie them again. 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 my knee hurt badly. Though feeling very painful, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.

By mile 21, I was quite hungry and thirsty!

As I drew closer to 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 cost on running.

I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the me medal as the one that the guy who came in the first place had.

Decide to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels (世俗的标签), I can now call myself a “marathon winner”.

According to a study, kids spent three fewer hours each week on outdoor activities in the 2010s than kids did in the 1980s. In fact, outdoor activities such as taking a friend along, kicking around a ball and taking photos can help. It is important for kids to play outside.

Firstly, outdoor activities open up your senses. You will feel better after spending time outside. “Surfing, camping and fishing help bring all of your senses to life,” says Betsy Keller, a professor at Ithaca College in New York. “Smell, sight ... they’re all active when you’re outside.” With your senses getting stronger, you’ll feel free and more creative.

Playing outside helps your body. When playing outside, you can be on hills, beaches or lakes instead of a flat floor. Different areas offer special fun and challenge your strength and balance(平衡). It also helps you sleep better at night and feel less sleepy during the day.

Outdoor play also makes your mind relax. Too much time indoors, such as watching TV or activities in non-green areas, may make it hard for kids to focus their attention and easy to feel stressed out. But staying in the nature helps them concentrate(集中精力) and lowers their stress levels.

Besides, spending time outdoors brings you closer to the environment. Hearing the leaves crackle underfoot, breathing in fresh air, walking through the woods in search of cool birds remind you of the beauty of the nature. You needn’t go to the countryside. _________. It can be your own backyard or that block of trees at the end of the street.

So the next time you sit down to spend time with a TV, consider treating yourself to a little outdoor play instead.

Every year, wildfires destroy (毁坏) much forest land. Homes are broken down, and thousands of people die. Smoke jumpers are helping to stop this.

A smoke jumper is a special kind of firefighter. They jump from airplanes into areas that difficult to reach by car or on foot. They race to put out fires as fast as they can.

At a fire site, smoke jumpers first examine the land and decide how to fight the fire. Their main goal is to stop fire from spreading. They clear land of burnable material (可燃物) like plants and other dry material. They carry water with them too, but not much.

The work is dangerous but makes their lives valuable. For these firefighters, smoke jumpers isn’t just a job. They love being able to jump out of planes, fight fires, and live in the forest. As 28-year-old Russian smoke jumpers Alexi Tishin says, “This is the best job for the strong and brave.”

61. 假定你是李华，是第一中学学生会主席，请你代表全校给Professor White写一封感谢信，内容包括：

A Letter of Thanks

March 10. 2021

With the best wishes to you.

Your sincerely,

Li Hua