That year I went to the college. On the first day of the term, I was so ________ that an old lady sat next to me. She was very old, but she looked very ________.

“Why are you in ________ at such an age, Rose?” I asked her. “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have several children and travel,” she answered jokingly. I was ________ in what may have made her take on this challenge at her age. “In fact, I always dreamed of ________ a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me. Later, we became friends.

At the end of the term, we invited her to give a ________ to our class. I’ll never forget what she said. She cleared her throat and ________: “We do not stop working because we are young; we grow old because we stop. Do you hope to stay young, be happy, and get ________? Do you have a dream? I had a dream of going to college. It almost took me all my lifetime, but here I am. Never lose your dreams and never ________.” We were all moved by Rose’s words. And I still remember her words in all my life, so I continue my dreams and try my best ________ them.

You might not think much about where your garbage goes. But now you might want to know. On July 1 Shanghai introduced a new garbage-sorting policy (垃圾分类政策). People there need to put different kinds of garbage into different bins. Other cities in China will do the same soon.

Garbage sorting is a big problem because there is too much garbage these days. It is bad for our environment. In fact, we can make use of some garbage again. But first, we need to sort it.

For example, if you put an old battery (电池) into the “harmful waste” bin, people can use it to make new batteries. But if you don’t, the battery will end up somewhere else. Then, it will pollute the environment.   

Garbage sorting and recycling around the world

Germany: There are big machines in supermarkets. You can put bottles in the machines and get money back.

Japan: A truck playing music comes to people’s doors to pick up their garbage. If you sort any of them wrong, you will get a notice on your door.

Indonesia: People can take buses for free if they give plastic bottles to bus station. An-hour-long bus ride costs three large bottles.

Four kinds of garbage in Shanghai

Recyclable garbage includes paper, books, boxes, newspapers, and glass bottles. Harmful garbage includes lamps, batteries and other things with harmful chemicals (化学品). Wet garbage usually comes from the kitchen, such as food, vegetables, flowers, leaves and eggshells. Dry garbage is anything you cannot put into the other three bins, pens, toilet paper, hair, and towels, for example.

How can cactus(仙人掌) help the world? It can provide a new kind of sustainable fuel(可持续燃料). Nopalimex, a company in Mexico, has made one of the world’s first cactus-powered factories. The idea came to Sosa in Nopalimex when he was looking for ways to save money for his food factory. He now powers his factory with cactus gas(气体). The cost to produce the gas is half the cost of electricity.

Soon, the gas produced by Nopalimex will also be used in cars. Nopalimex’s gas is made by using the prickly pear(刺梨), a kind of cactus. To make the gas, the prickly pear is mixed together with manure(肥料). Then the mixture produces the gas that can be used as fuel.

Why cactus? Fuel can be made from other plants such as corn, but there are a few reasons why cactus is a better choice. First, prickly pears need very little water very little care, and grow well in hot temperatures. Today, these characteristics (特点)are key. Also, unlike corn, prickly pears don’t need space that could be used for other food plants. They can grow in   areas where many food plants can’t grow. Last, after making gas from prickly pears ans manure, their byproducts (副产品) can be used to help grow food.

Scientists still need to do more research on making prickly pear gas. As projects like Nopalimex show, we have the possibility to produce more sustainable fuel to power our lives.

Every living thing needs to reproduce(繁殖). Reproducing means creating more members of your group. In order for plants to reproduce, they have to spread their seeds(种子) to other areas. Plants have developed all kinds of ways to do this.

The simplest way is gravity(重力). Many seeds are inside of fruit. When fruit gets too heavy, it falls from a tree to the ground. Sometimes animals will pick up the fruit and drop it in another area. That helps move the seed even farther away. Apples spread this way.

Other plants use wind to spread their seeds. Dandelions(蒲公英) are a good example of this. Dandelion seeds are so light that when wind blows, it carries dandelion seeds to new places. Maple(枫树) seeds also use wind. Their seeds are connected with long, thin leaves that look like wings. When the seed falls from the tree, its “wings” help it fly farther from the tree.

Some animals help plants spread their seeds. The animals eat the seeds. While the seed is in the animal’s body, it stays whole. When the seed leaves the animal, it’s in a new place.

Ants also help spread seeds. Some seeds have a special smell that appeals to ants. The ants bring the seeds back to their home, which of course is underground. They only eat part of the seed. They leave the rest of the seed underground. After that, the seed can start growing.

Tina graduated from the college. She got a new job after an interview several days ago. So Tina would soon work in     26    (big) company(公司）in her city. All her friends admired her very much.

On her     27     (one) work day, Tina arrived quite early. She took the lift to the 11^th floor, and a clerk showed her where her desk was. As a green hand, she didn't know what to do, she tried to talk to the girls who sat near her in the office.     28     , they were not friendly to her at all

After a while, a young boss came in. Tina got very     29    (surprise) to find the boss was not the old man who interviewed her before. The boss gave her a lot of reports    30     (write). But she found that she had much trouble even understanding the reports. She spent almost the whole day     31    (try) to do the work. Finally it was time to go home. Although most of the reports     32    (not finish),she got into the lift.

On the 10th floor, she was greeted by John, the old man who interviewed her several days ago, "Tina!" he said, "Where were you going? Why didn't you work with    33    today? We're waiting for you the whole day!"

All of     34     sudden, Tina realized she mistook the 11th floor for the 10th floor.

"Oh, my God!" she answered, "So I have been in the wrong office all day!"

After     35    (hear) this, John couldn't help laughing.

He is often called the father of modern Chinese literature. His works are in textbooks for Chinese classes. He is a household(家喻户晓的) name in China.

This year marks the 140th anniversary of Chinese writer Lu Xun’s birth. Born on Sept 25, 1881, his real name was Zhou Shuren.

At first, Lu Xun studied medicine in Japan. However, seeing his country in great danger, he decided to give up his doctor’s white coat and pick up a pen. He wanted to use his writings to inspire(鼓舞) people and save the country. Some people say his writings are like weapons(武器). They show the dark sides of society and are very inspiring. Just as the writer Lin Yutang said, “He is a warrior(战士) more than a literary man”.

Lu Xun’s stories still inspire young people today. “He really encouraged me a lot as he changed his dream to save the country.” said Zhao Zhihan, 13, from Beijing “When we make choices, we should think about what they are for”.

Though Lu Xun’s works were written in his time, they are still a part of pop culture. His words are often used in stories, videos, emojis and creative products. Lu Xun is also the most talked-about writer on the video website Bilibili. By now, there are more than 13,600 videos about him with 170 million views according to the site.