Dear classmates, I learned how to make dumplings last month. Let me introduce the steps of making dumplings to you.

First, cut ________ the vegetables and the meat, and put them in a bowl.

Next, add some salt and oil, and ________ them together.

Then, put a ________ of filling (饺子馅) in a wrapper (饺子皮) and fold the wrapper around it.

Finally, put the dumplings in the boiling water and cook ________ they are on the surface of the water. And then it’s time to enjoy them.

I’m so ________ to share my way of making dumplings. Thanks for listening.

2022 is the Year of the Tiger in China. Tigers are very     26     not only in China but also in Western countries. Would you like to learn something about tigers in different     27    ?

In Chinese culture, the tiger plays an important role. It is the     28     of all animals. It often reminds people of power, bravery and protection. It’s said that the     29     who are born in the Year of the Tiger are brave and strong. You can     30     the pictures of tigers on the walls of houses. That is because the owners     31     to keep away from bad things.

In Western cultures, tigers are     32     very powerful animals in people’s eyes. In English,     33     you want someone to keep his cool, you can say “easy tiger”. There is     34     phrase “eye of the tiger”, which means fierceness (凶猛) and strength. However, in some Western countries, a tiger is not seen as the strongest one of all animals, but a lion is.

Now, you may understand tigers     35    . Isn’t it amazing?

Jilin Province lies in the northeast of China. It’s a good place to visit. Come and have fun!

There is a traditional toy called taiping nijiaojiao. It is a clay toy and also a whistle (哨子) in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. It has a history of over 1,000 years.

Taiping nijiaojiao is made of the mud from the local mountain. It takes more than ten steps to make the clay toy, and the key step is to knead (捏) it with your hands. You can knead the clay toy into anything, like animals and plants. The blowhole is the most difficult part to make, for the size of the blowhole makes a difference to the sound. While coloring, you can use traditional cultural elements (元素) that carry good meanings. It’s hard to make taiping nijiaojiao. But when you finally make it, you will feel proud of yourself.

Zhou Baokang, a lover of folk art, learned how to make the clay toy from local artists about 20 years ago. He wants more people to know about it, so he has opened a museum to introduce the clay toy. He teaches kids how to make the clay toy, too.

There are many traditional art forms in China, but some of them have been lost. Luckily, the traditional clay toy taiping nijiaojiao is kept to this day.

Today, many teenagers have already put technology to good use. Here are two good examples.

• A new reader (阅读器) for the blind

The two 14-year-old students, Meng Shuqi and Feng Boyao, are from Taiyuan. They invented a new kind of reader to help the blind read books. The new reader can turn words into raised dots (盲点) when connected to a computer.

As we know, the blind read by touching raised dots. However, there weren’t many books for the blind in the past, and it was difficult for them to get new information in time. As the old readers in the market were very expensive and difficult to use, the two students decided to invent the new reader which was easier to use. They hoped that the new reader could be widely used to help more blind people.

• A smart system for the old

A 16-year-old American boy Vetri Vel created a smart system. It is made up of a small computer and a camera. The system can catch the heat signals (热感信号) of a fallen person and send messages for help at once.

After Vetri’s neighbor had fallen down alone at home, Vetri realized that falling down was a common problem for many old people. It may even lead to death. Vetri hopes that his invention can help more old people in time.

Teenagers’ technological inventions full of love and intelligence can make our lives easier and more convenient. Why not have a try?

Jack is my good friend. A few months ago, I saw a guitar in his room.     51     I asked him why the guitar was in his room. He told me that he would challenge (挑战) something difficult before 18 years old, and playing the guitar in public was the first thing he wanted to try.     52     but now he is confident (有信心的) enough after his first successful show at school.

After watching Jack’s first show, I thought carefully about myself that night.     53     That was because I was not good at writing. Jack’s story made me think of the saying: “Where there is a will, there is a way.” I couldn’t achieve my dream in a day, but I could start to do something easy.     54    

From then on, I wrote every day to improve my writing skills so that I could publish (发表) articles in the school newspaper.

Now everything is going well and my writing skills have improved a lot.     55     Thanks to Jack, my life is full of confidence.

I’m Lin Yue. In March, 2022, COVID-19 started suddenly in my city. It was so serious that the whole city was locked down. At the very beginning of the lockdown (行动限制), some old people, especially those living alone, had difficulty getting vegetables.

One day, in the community WeChat group, an old man said that he was short of vegetables so I had an idea of setting up a food bank in the community, and my neighbors were also ready to offer help.

To keep social distancing (社交距离), I used a large box as the food bank, and put it in the public area. Neighbors could give away and get some food there. The large box was quickly filled with vegetables, rice and snacks.

One evening, I saw a bag of vegetables with a note saying “These are fresh vegetables. Please take them home if you need.”

In the WeChat group, an old lady who got the vegetables said, “I was so moved by the good-will (善意), but I only took three tomatoes, because I wanted to leave the rest for those people really in need.”

There were many similar stories in my city during the lockdown. Although COVID-19 keeps us apart, we can get through the hard times as long as we pull together.