When I was looking for a Christmas present for my daughter in a toy store, a nicely dressed little girl, with some money in her little hand, was looking at some beautiful dolls. When she saw a doll she liked, she would ask her father _________ she had enough money. He _________ said yes.

At the same time, a boy, in old and small clothes, was looking at some video games. He, too, had money in his hand, but it looked no _________ five dollars. Each time he picked up one of the video games and looked at his mother, she shook her head _________.

The little girl had chosen her doll, a very beautiful one. However, she noticed the boy and his mother. She saw the boy give up a video game with disappointment（失望）and walk to _________ corner of the store.

The little girl put her doll back to the shelf and ran over to the video game. After she talked to _________, she paid for the video game and whispered（耳语）to the shop assistant.

So the boy got the video game that he wanted for free—he _________ it was a gift from the store. He smiled happily, although he felt it was so _________.

The girl saw all this happen. She _________, too.

When I walked out of the store to my car, I heard the father ask his daughter __________ she had done that. I would never forget their short talk. “Daddy, didn’t Grandma want me to buy something that would make me happy?”

He said, “Of course, she did.”

“Well, I just did!” With that, the little girl started skipping（蹦跳）towards their car happily.

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to be patient and wise. So he asked them to take turns looking at a pear tree that was far from their home.

The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in autumn.

After they came back, he called them together and asked them what they saw.

The first son said that the tree was ugly and weak.

The second son didn’t think so. He said it was covered with green buds(花蕾) and full of hope.

The third son didn’t agree with them. He said it was covered with flowers that smelled sweet and looked beautiful.

The last son also had his own idea. He said the tree was ripe(成熟的) and full of fruit, ready to be picked.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all correct but not complete because each of them saw just one season in the tree’s life.

He told them that you cannot judge(评价) a tree or a person by only one season. You can see how someone changes and grows as time goes by — some periods are happy, while others are sad. If you only see someone when they are living through the “winter” of their lives, you will miss the hope of their spring, the beauty of their summer, and the greatness of their autumn.

Different people make different kinds of friends. It is rightly said that, “A friend to all is a friend to none.” With time and growing trust, some people get really close to each other and remain true friends. However, every friend is not the same type. Some friends are patient and helpful while others are cheerful and caring. Here provides information on these types of friendship and different kinds of friends.

Animal Friends. It has been rightly said, “ Animals are such wonderful friends, as they ask no questions.” Humans and animals have been knowing to have a special connection with each other since old time. It is without reason that somebody has said that “A dog is a man’s best friends.”

Internet Friends. The Internet has become not only important but also a second world for many people. Not only people use it for business and work, it has also become a popular way of communicating with others. Online friends are those people who have known each other through the Internet. Making Internet friends is similar to making pen pals.

Pen Friends. They are more or less like e-friends. It was quite a popular way of making friends in different parts of the world before Internet came into sight. This kind of friendship is developed when people write letters to each other through mails. Mostly, it helps people to learn different countries, different lifestyle and to even stay away from loneliness.

Women Friends. It is special for men to have female friends. Sometimes many males seem very popular, but they hardly find a “brother” to talk about their secrets. At this time, talking with a woman friend will surely help. With a female, friendship can be really rewarding if you are true to each other.

In China, children like to make promises by hooking pinkies (勾手指) with each other and saying, “A pinkie promise must be kept for 100 years.” Then, they may press their thumbs (拇指) together to complete the promise. Sometimes, couples will hook pinkies and promise to be together forever.

There are many theories (推测) on the beginning of the pinkie promise. Some say it comes from a song for kids. Others say it was introduced from the West out of a love story where a man and a woman hooked fingers.

One theory is that it may have something to do with the role of fingers in Chinese culture. The Chinese character (汉字) for “finger” also meant “aim” in the past. So hooking fingers can be seen as the exchanging of thoughts.

Therefore, the fingers play an important role in making an oath (盟约): they can not only be used to complete a promise, but also be cut for making a blood oath. When someone swears (发誓) to god, they use their fingers to point to the sky.

Generally, hooking fingers means making a serious promise. In some gangster (黑帮) movies, a person who breaks a promise may have his little finger cut off ! ▲ , but we can still see how important “pinkie promises” can be. So next time you make a “pinkie promise”, you’d better take it seriously!

Food waste happens in many places. About 17 percent of the world’s food goes to waste each year from homes, stores and companies, the United Nations reported. In China alone, 35 million tons of food is wasted every year.

Sometimes, people would like to order much food when eating in restaurants. And you? When you and your family go out for dinner, how many dishes do you usually order? It’s fine if you finish all of them. But if you waste too much food, you might pay for it in the near future.

On Dec 22, 2020, China’s top legislature (立法机关) reviewed (审议) a draft law for stopping food waste for the first time. In general, a draft will become law after the top legislature reviews it three times.

According to the draft law, restaurants should tell customers not to order too much. They should describe the size or amount of each dish. If customers leave too much food uneaten, restaurants can charge (收费) them for food waste.

Besides, waiters in restaurants shouldn’t encourage customers to order too much food. Those who don’t follow the law will receive a fine from 1,000 to 10,000 yuan.

The draft law also asks schools to teach their students to avoid food waste.

If everyone follows the draft law and doesn’t waste food, our world will surely become a better place.

It is known that teeth are very important for all of us. With good teeth, you can enjoy more delicious foods and you can smile more freely     54     feeling embarrassed (尴尬的). So you need to develop some good habits to protect your teeth.

Don’t use your teeth as tools. Teeth are mainly used for eating food. It’s     55     to open bottles, remove tags (标签) from clothing or something else with your teeth.

Choose your toothpaste wisely. Maybe you think there is no     56     between expensive and cheap toothpaste.     57    , it’s necessary to choose toothpaste wisely because good toothpaste can help keep your teeth healthy.

Brush your teeth every day.     58     the tip is the easiest, many people forget to do it patiently.     59     your teeth regularly takes out something bad from your teeth. Just make sure that you do it correctly and keep doing it at least 3 minutes each time.

Proper food also makes a difference. Acidic (酸的) and sweet foods can be harmful to your teeth. If you have tooth diseases, they will become even     60     because of these foods.

It’s not so difficult to have beautiful and healthy teeth as you may think. It just     61     you several minutes a day to follow the tips and your teeth will always be good.