Confucius was born on August 27th, 551 B.C. in China. He was_______great teacher at that time. Confucius is also_______as Kong Qiu. It is generally thought that he was born into a rich family._______, some people describe him as being born poor.

Confucius’_______were based on the concept of self-discipline（自律）. He believed that a leader needed to exercise self-discipline. His_______ideas focused on the “Six Art”. To Confucius, the main goal of being a teacher was to teach people_______with honesty. Through his teaching, he made a big difference in that society.

Confucius is famous_______writing. He wrote some of the most famous traditional Chinese works, and one of_______isThe Spring and Autumn Annals（《春秋》）. Confucius also wroteThe Analects of Confucius（《论语》）. It was so important in Chinese culture_______everyone in China knew it.

Confucius died on November 21st, 479 B.C. in Qufu, China. Today he is________regarded as one of the greatest teachers in Chinese history.

Years ago,   a farmer owned land near the sea. He always needed workers to help him, but most people did not want to work on farms near the sea. They were __________of the terrible storms that often hit and destroyed buildings and plants.

Finally, a short man came to the farmer. "Are you a good worker?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although surprised by this answer, the farmer, who really needed __________,   gave him the job. The little man ____________very hard on the farm, and the farmer felt __________with his work.

Then one night the wind blew loudly in from the sea. Jumping out of bed, the farmer ___________to the short man's room. The farmer shouted, "Get up! A ____________is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" But the little man lay in bed ___________ and said, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Hearing the words, the farmer hurried outside to __________the storm on his own. To his surprise, he found that everything was tied down and nothing could blow away. The farmer then __________what the short man meant, so he returned to his bed to sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, you have nothing so worry about. Can you _________when the wind blows through your life?

Today there are 6 billion people on the Earth. By the year 2050, there may be 12.5 billion. There are a lot of people to feed. We need more food.

One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants. For thousands of years, farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very slowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material(遗传物质). Foods from plants grown in this way are call genetically modified foods(转基因食品), or GM foods.

By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. They make plants strong against plant diseases. They can also help in our diseases: a kind of rice is being prepared, for example, which stops people from becoming blind.

Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.

GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050. There are strong feelings against them, because the are unnatural. They may feed people, and then hurt them or their children later. But, both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use, and they are not going away. In 2050, we may think differently about them.

Some people think only school children do not agree with their parents, however, it is not true.

Communication is a problem for parents and children of all ages. If it’s hard for you to communicate with your parents, don’t worry about it. Here is some advice for you to bridge the generation gap (消除代沟).

Don’t argue (争辩) with your parents. Don’t get to your parents when you are angry. Your parents probably won’t consider your ideas if you are shouting at them. And you can’t express yourself well if you are angry. Go someplace to cool off. Make sure you understand why you are unhappy. Then think about what you want to say to your parents. If you don’t think you can speak to them at the moment, try writing a letter.

Try to reach a compromise (和解). Perhaps you and your parents disagree on something. You can keep your disagreement and try your best to accept each other. Michael’s mother didn’t agree with him about buying a motorcycle. They argued over it. But they finally came to a compromise. Michael bought the motorcycle, but only drove it on certain days.

Of course, your parents might refuse to compromise on something. In these situations, it is especially important to show love and respect (尊敬) to them. Showing respect will keep your relationship strong.

Talk about your values. The values of your parents are probably different from those of your own. Tell your parents what you care about, and why. Understanding your values might help them see your purposes in life.

A good relationship with your parents can make you a better and happier person. It is worth having a try!

Go on a road trip? Check out these roadside attractions and museums.

World’s Largest Ball of Paint

In 1977, Michael Carmichael created the biggest ball of paint. Starting with a baseball as the center, he painted layer(层)after layer. After over 20.000 layers of paint. the ball weighs over 1. 300 pounds. Visitors can paint the balls themselves and become part of history.

Dinosaur Park

The land can be found outside Rapid City. On a hill overlooking the city, dinosaurs made out of brightly painted concrete(混凝土) stand guard. The park was built as a work project in 1936 by Debbie Sardone. The five dinosaurs are life-sized and can be seen from miles away.

The Museum of Dirt

The museum is the idea of Glenn Johanson. labeled glass bottles contain dirt from the Great Wall of China and sand from a desert in Sandi Arabia and Omaha Beach in France. Johanson has collected material from the Amazon River and from Times Square after a New Year's Eve celebration, lava(火山岩)from Mt Fuji in Japan and shells from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Best of all, visiting this museum is free.

Paper House

Ellis Stenman built a two-room house almost completely out of newspapers in 1922. At that time, “recycling" wasn't even a word yet. The house was framed(框起来) with wood, but the walls were made of 215 layers of newspapers. The furniture was also made of newspapers. In all. it used about 100, 000 newspapers.

Computers can injure you. Most other injuries happen suddenly. For example, if you fall off a bike and break your arms, it happens very fast. But computer injuries happen slowly. You probably know how to ride a bike safely.     61    

Your eyes

Never sit too close to a computer screen. Too much light can injure your eyes. Your eyes should be at least 50 centimetres from the screen. After some time, remember to look away from it. This gives your eyes a rest.     62     If it is behind you, the light will reflect on the screen. If the window is in front of you, the sun and the screen will both shine into your eyes.

Your hands and wrists（手腕）

Hand and wrist injuries can happen because the hands and wrists are moved in the same way hundreds of times.     63     First, rest your wrists on something. Second, keep your elbows at the same height as the keyboard. Third, stop sometimes and exercise your hands, wrists and fingers in a different way.

Your back

Some people sit for many hours in front of a computer. If you sit in the wrong way, you can injure your back or your neck. So you should sit with your back straight.     64     Your forearms, wrists, hands and the upper part of your legs should all be parallel to the floor. If you are sitting for a long time, get up every 30 minutes and exercise your arms, legs and neck.

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