Have you ever dreamed of your high school life? Most students may hold the idea that high school life is busy and boring, but I’d like to say that it isn’t what you think.

In my _______, study always comes first. When I received the letter of admission (录取通知书) in summer, I clearly knew _______ I should do. So I made up my mind to study hard and keep learning as much as _______. I strongly believed that knowledge can change my life. By working hard, I got good grades in exams.

My school also provided me _______ many good chances that helped me to improve myself. For example, I used to be afraid of standing in front of crowds to express _______. But after taking part in many competitions held by my school, I’m not afraid anymore. Donating activities made me know how to communicate with others. I also _______ social skills and trained my abilities.

I often visited the library. It is _______ that “Shelves of books, oceans of knowledge”. Keeping reading the books I was interested in gave me the chance to _______ stories with my new friends and it also broadened (拓宽) my horizon (眼界). _______ I felt sad, lost or being in trouble, staying in the library could help me calm down.

In short, my high school life was busy __________ meaningful, and I also became a better person during this period. Though life is busy, chances will come only if you have a prepared mind. Am I right?

There once was a farmer who had over a hundred cows. He milked them during the day and set them out into the pasture（牧场） at night. His neighbor, a banker, had just moved in the next door.

On the first night, the banker sat outside to enjoy the sunset. He could hardly breathe. The smell from the cows was so disgusting（令人恶心的）. The next evening, he tried to enjoy the sunset again but was forced to go back inside because of the smell.

The banker had a lot of money, so he offered to buy the farm.

“Yes, I will sell you the farm, but it will take me at least a week to sell the cows and take care of them. Would you be willing to wait for a week?” asked the farmer.

The banker agreed. At the end of the week, the banker came to the farmer again. The farmer wondered if they could wait until his visiting brother left. The banker agreed again. A month passed. The farmer came to the banker to see if he still wanted the farm.

“Why, no,” replied the banker.“You keep it. I’m getting used to it now.”

The farmer smiled and left.

Can anyone be an astronaut?

Of course not. You don’t have a science degree but most astronauts do. Most of them are pilots too. Life in a spaceship is hard so you must have a healthy body and mind. You need to be easy-going, patient, and helpful to spend so much time in a small space with other people.

What’s the training like?

People have to train for a year to learn how to stay healthy and safe. They practice space walking and living in zero gravity. They train in difficult conditions to learn how to solve problems and to work in a team. Everyday tasks like eating, washing and sleeping can be difficult on a spaceship. There is no running water so you have to wash with wet tissues; it’s hard to enjoy the dry food that astronauts have to eat. And to sleep you must cover your eyes because the sun rises every 90 minutes on the International Space Station. You also have to tie yourself to something so you don’t fly away!

What health problems do astronauts have?

Life in zero gravity causes changes to our bodies. Bones and muscles（肌肉） become thin and weak so you must do a lot of exercise in space to stay fit and to help the heart move blood around your body. Astronauts often get backaches because you grow in space—up to 8 centimeters! It’s also common to have headaches and to feel sick, especially at the beginning. You must have vitamins to take the place of fresh fruit and vegetables. But you don’t have to put on sun cream because space suits protect your skin.

Are you still interested?

So now you know. If you want to go to space, study hard, learn to fly and take care of your body and mind.

Shu embroidery（蜀绣） is one of the most famous embroidery styles in China. It’s well-known for its strong expression and smooth needlework.

The characteristics are greatly influenced by geographical environment, customs and cultures. As we all know, people in Sichuan Province enjoy a slow lifestyle, so when embroidering, they are usually patient and willing to spend time on pursuing the form’s intricacy（复杂精致） and elegance （优雅）. This could be the reason why Shu embroidery was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage（非物质文化遗产） in 2006.

Making beautiful Shu embroidery products is never easy. It needs super workmanship（卓越工艺）.

Meng Dezhi, 59, was born to a family of embroiderers. She was one of the most talented employees at the Chengdu Shu embroidery factory. The long and repetitive nature of the process often challenges her. Even for an experienced master like Meng, finishing a piece needs several days or even a few months. And in winter, when her hands and feet are freezing, things become even more difficult, but her love for the work has encouraged Meng to continue.

“These experiences may sometimes discourage me, but the love for Shu embroidery always gives me courage to continue,” said Meng. Meng has also popularized the culture of Shu embroidery when the tradition was at the risk of fading（衰落）. Many cheap products are made by modern machines. In 2005, the factory where Meng worked was forced to close. To make a living and pass along the traditional technique, Meng rented a small space of 10 square meters to teach Shu embroidery skills.

“In the early days, I set up the company just for living, but now I really feel that I have the responsibility to pass on Shu embroidery skills to young people, to let it run from generation to generation,” she told China Daily.

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On June 29th, 2021, Zhang Guimei was awarded the highest honor of CPC—the July 1 Medal in the Great Hall of the People. She is the first person in China to set up a free senior high school for poor girls.

Zhang Guimei was born in 1957 in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province. In 1974, she reached Yunnan Province and began to work there the next year. In 1983, she became a school teacher. She loved her job and worked very hard.She was strict but kind to all her students.

While Zhang Guimei was working in Huaping County, she noticed that many girls from poor families couldn’t afford to go to school. So she came up with the idea of starting a free school for them. However, many people thought she was crazy at first, because they believed that starting a school was not easy and needed lots of money.In order to raise money, she had to ask for help everywhere and save every coin at the same time. With the help of the local government, she started Huaping Senior High School for Girls in 2008. The school provides not only free education but also necessary daily items（用品） for its students.

Zhang Guimei has been so busy that she can hardly have any time for a good rest since her school was started. She loves her students and there is a special teacher﹣student relationship between them. Her students all call her”mother”.

After years of hard work, the school has made great achievements. In the past fifteen years, as many as 2, 000 poor girls from the school have entered universities or colleges. As a result, their life has been changed.

62. 你校英语报正在征集题为”Colorful After-school Activities”为主题的投稿活动。假如你是李华，请写一篇短文投稿，分享学校的课外活动情况及体会。

Colorful After-school Activities

Hello, boys and girls! I’m Li Hua. In our school, there are many kinds of after-school activities for us to choose.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________