Many people argue that the brain is the most important organ in the body. It ________ what we think, what we feel, and what we do all day. ________, your brain is in charge of keeping your balance, helping you talk, and moving the muscles in your body. When you sleep, however, your brain is ________ from doing most of its daytime tasks. So what exactly does your brain do when you are asleep?

The brain ________ working and thinking all night long. If you have to make an important decision, some people might tell you to “sleep on it.” Your brain never shuts down, so it is always busy helping you process information. Sometimes you go to bed facing a difficult decision, you might wake up and know what you should do. This is ________ you worked some things out while you were asleep.

Your brain does a lot more than help you make decisions while you are asleep. It ________ uses that time to help you learn and remember information better. ________ sleep, the brain goes back over new information that you learned during the day. This information is moved from one area of the brain to another to form a long-lasting ________. So whenever you learn something new, it can be a good idea to get a good night’s rest afterward. It might help you when you need to remember the information later.

When you’re asleep, your brain can also clear out toxins that build up during the day. Toxins are dangerous chemicals that can harm your body. For example, toxins in the brain can ________ memory loss. When you sleep, your brain acts kind of like a dishwasher. At night, it fills with a liquid that cleans away these harmful toxins. That way, your brain can do all of its ________ tasks the next day. With all of the things that the brain does at night, it’s no wonder that humans spend a third of their lives asleep.

In some areas of Yunnan, when winter comes, people sit around a fire and bake tea in pottery pots on the charcoal fire. After the tea leaves are roasted, people add hot water to boil them. While drinking tea, they chat with each other and bake fruits over the fire, which has become a social scene in these areas.

Today, the unique experience of “boiling tea around a stove” has become popular on the Internet unexpectedly. On the social media platform Xiaohongshu, the number of views on the topic has also been over 12 million.

Now netizens are sharing plenty of other choices in the activity, from homemade roasted milk tea to heated wine. In addition to all types of drinks, the choices of snacks are even more diverse. The most popular choices include roasted sweet potatoes, oranges, glutinous rice cakes, as well as marshmallows. Some people also prepare dried fruits, nuts and even red dates for health management.

Stove-boiled tea has attracted young Chinese people through its connection with natural environment. People normally sit outside or in indoor courtyards with potted plants and traditional Chinese decorations. Some also show their love of stove-boiled tea while wearing traditional Hanfu clothing in these graceful settings.

The charm of boiling tea around a stove also comes from companionship. When people are facing the pressure of a fast life and the stress of work and study, making tea around the fire provides a chance to slow down, relax and get back to living a life with your friends. A small stove, a pot of tea, and some friends gathered to chat together easily take up a whole afternoon.

① With her silver hair, 68-year-old Xu Lili stands out in a crowd of young people. Xu goes square dancing every night with her friends in the center of Harbin. Their dancing has strong rhythm and a wide range of movements, making it more like disco than the slow traditional Chinese square dancing. Xu is the organizer and the only senior taking part.

② Apart from Xu, most dancers are in their 20s. “Grandma Xu may be old, but we all learn from her,” says Zhang Dongkai, 23. “She is our leader.”

The contrast between her age and her dancing has not only endeared her to those around her, but also made her famous online, with many netizens praising her dancing and optimistic attitude. Instead of just looking after grandchildren, increasing numbers of elderly Chinese are enjoying their own lives.

Wang Yun, 72, goes to a dance class for seniors every week at Harbin University, which was founded in 1984 and is one of the earliest universities for the elderly in China. Hundreds of thousands have graduated from the institution over the past three decades.

③ The average age of Wang’s dance class is over 60. Teacher Li Yongxia says she has taught dance there for more than 10 years. Many students were not in good shape when they first came, but dancing changed their attitude toward life.

Harbin University for the elderly is very popular. Though there are branch schools in every district of Harbin, many courses are full soon after the online registration (注册) channels are opened.

Qu Wenyong, a sociology professor at Heilongjiang University who has been following the elderly care industry for many years, says the ages from 60 to 70 have become part of the “golden decade” for China’s elderly as the country’s average (平均的) life expectancy increases. “They are healthy, they have time and they require a higher quality of life,” Qu says.

④ Not long ago, a video of 66-year-old Deng Xiaohui walking a catwalk with her partner in Harbin’s Central Street received more than 1 million likes on social media.

“I loved fashion shows when I was young, and I realized my dream after I retired.” Deng has been studying the catwalk for five years at a modeling school in Harbin.

Did you know that almost 8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans every year? There are many factors that contribute to this pollution, including microfibers. They have been found in shorelines, seafloors, and even snow. In addition, microfibers can also be found in human waste. Studies show that we are constantly exposed to microplastic through our food, our water, and even the air we breathe.

Microfibers are tiny synthetic fibers that are created from small bits of plastic. They make up materials such as polyester, rayon, nylon, and acrylic and are the most common type of microplastic found in the environment.

The growing popularity of this material dates back to the early 1990s. Swedish manufacturers produced a variety of these materials, making it one of the most popular in Europe. By the early2000s, items made of microfiber became popular worldwide. The material was-and sill is-cheap, highly durable (耐用的), and water-resistant. Because of these features, it is used for a variety of reasons, such as cleaning, homeware, clothes, and accessories.

Unluckily, when these synthetic items are washed, they release microfibers. Washing one load of synthetic clothes can release millions of fibers. Although wastewater treatment factories catch most of these fibers, some pass through because of their small size, entering our waterways and polluting the environment. They are also difficult to collect and clean, so it is important to prevent them from entering the environment in the first place.

How Can We Help?

Fortunately, prevention starts right at home! Research has concluded that there are many ways to reduce the spread of microfibers. Some include the following:

● Reducing the washing of synthetic material

● Air-drying clothes also saves energy and reduces water consumption

● Avoiding half-loads of laundry

● Using a front-loading washing machine

It’s a common misunderstanding that wearing cotton instead of synthetic material is environmentally friendly. Researchers claim that cotton clothes often release (释放) chemicals, which is another cause of harm to the environment. Ultimately, scientists theorize that developing better materials is the best solution.

Although these solutions prevent the spread of microfibers, they do not completely get rid of the ones already in the environment. Luckily, companies in the apparel industry as well as NGOs and researchers are actively trying to develop technology to clean our oceans and the environment. For now, we all can take small steps to do our part in restoring our beautiful planet.

Just over one hundred years ago, movies     51     what they are today. There was no sound in the first motion pictures in the late 1800s. To make moving pictures better, people designed new cameras to take pictures and record them on film. Their designs and ideas     52     today’s movies, which are the most exciting and amazing movies ever!

Even though there was no sound in early films, movies became more and more     53    . In silent films, an actor’s words were printed and shown on the screen.

The next     54     was to have sound to go with the images on the screen. The invention of a new kind of film in 1919 made sound on film possible. A camera was able to record images and sound on film at the same time. At first, the quality of the sound was     55    . After many experiments, it was improved. The new movies with sound were called talkies. The first full-length talkie was The Jazz Singer in 1927. The movie had both music and speaking. Movies would never be silent again.

The Dyslexia Week

Albert Einstein (1879-1955), Walt Disney (1901-1966), and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) have something in common. They were all extremely clever, brilliant and creative-and they all had dyslexia. Today, around six million people in the UK have some degree of dyslexia. Yet many people don’t understand the condition or even realize they have it.

Dyslexia Awareness Week (DAW) aims to change that. Starting on 3 October, dyslexia charities across the country will be encouraging conversations about it, giving people advice and support.

Dyslexia is not an illness or a disease. It is a condition that affects the way a person learns. It doesn’t mean that person isn’t intelligent, it just means that their brain works a little differently. Just like people have different skin, hair and eye colours, the way our brains see the world and handle information can be different too. This is called neurodiversity.

Dyslexia affects people differently. Each person has a unique experience. Some people may have problems with reading, writing and spelling. For example, a person with dyslexia might write the word “pests” as “pets” because their brain confuses the order of letters. They might find it difficult to match letters to sounds or to remember how to spell words.

Dyslexia isn’t just about reading, spelling and writing. It can affect concentration (专注力), coordination (协调性) and memory, which can make everyday life tricky. Dyslexic people might find it hard to copy down lots of notes from a board or to organize written work. They may find it tough to follow lots of instructions or rules when playing a game. However, dyslexia can be discovered by special tests. This is the important first step for people getting the help and support they might need.

People diagnosed (诊断) with dyslexia might worry how others see them, but thinking differently can be a superpower. Many people with dyslexia often have strong logical skills and great imaginative ideas. They can be good at spotting patterns and solving problems. They can be super creative too-there are many authors, actors and inventors from every corner of the world who thrive with the condition. Dyslexia is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. It’s part of you.

Liam Hannon was 10 when he started giving out free lunches to people who were hungry. He and his family made 20 sandwiches, put them in brown bags he had decorated, a    66     a bottle of water and a granola bar, and gave them away.

Liam is now 14 and his project is s    67     going strong. With help from other supporters, he h    68     out 75 to 100 lunches three times a month. We asked Liam to tell us about it.

Four summers ago, I didn’t want to go to camp. My dad said, “You can’t stay at home doing n    69    .” So I did an online treasure-hunt program where you do academic challenges to move forward. I picked s    70     as a subject.

The first week, the challenge told us to do something to help people who are e    71     homelessness. I said, “Dad, there are people right outside our building w    72     are hungry. Why don’t we make them lunch?” We made peanut butter & jam and went out with our wagon. The lunches went very quickly.

I’d say meeting the people. They’re genuine (真诚的) people who just need a little k    73     in their lives.

Do something you e    74    . Then you’ll be more inspired to help. And get your friends and family involved. I invite friends to help with lunches, and a    75     every time, they’ve come and given out lunches with me and my dad. Their willingness gives me confidence.

In our growth, we may make promises to our friends, to our parents, to our teachers, and even to ourselves. Please write a passage to talk about an unforgettable promise.