There once lived a rich old man. He had a son who never worked and always wasted money. The man was very _________.

One day, the man asked his son to earn (赚钱) fifty dollars. The _________ boy asked his mother for fifty and gave his father the money. The father knew the _________. Therefore, he asked his son to throw the _________ into a well. The son did as he was told. “Earn this amount yourself, or you won’t get a meal this evening,” the man said angrily.

The son left home, crying _________. Just then, a passer-by offered to help. “I will pay you fifty dollars if you help carry my bags,” the passer-by suggested. The son _________ and carried the bags one by one. Finally, the son got enough money by _________ the passer-by.

After reaching home, the son handed those dollars to his father. Again his father asked him to throw away the money. Instead of _________ this, he said to his father, “I have earned the money through hard work. I will never throw it into the well.”

The father was _________ to hear that. He said, “I hope you have understood the __________ of hard work and money.” The son promised never to be lazy and to save money from then on.

Summer vacation became very boring when my best friends left for summer camp. Getting up later each morning, I was spending more and more time with my smart phone and the TV. But when my mom told me that I couldn’t use my smart phone, I felt like I had lost my world. I had nothing to do, circling from room to room all day.

One day, Mom asked me if I would accept a challenge to follow the same ant for ten minutes.

“What’s so difficult about that?” I asked.

“You might be surprised.” Mom smiled.

“Is there a prize for the challenge?” I asked.

“Of course. But if you lose, you’ll have to do some housework.”

To win the challenge, I needed a special ant so that I could follow him easily. My eyes were fixed on a big ant carrying a leaf. “There he goes, Mom.” She set the timer for 10 minutes.

For the first time, the ant ran all the way to the gate. “Perfect!” I thought. Then, he came to a wide crack (裂缝), he tried to cross, but failed. Then he disappeared into the grass. My heart sank as I saw myself cleaning the bathroom. Then surprisingly, he climbed out carrying a piece of leaf and was back on his way.

For the last three minutes, he dropped his leaf as if he would disappear again. To my surprise, he placed the leaf across the crack and walked across it to the other side like a bridge. Wow!

Just then, my mom’s timer rang. I was lucky to win my prize. But I was mostly encouraged by the ant that actually created its own bridge. Now Mom has allowed me to have my phone, but I learned there is still more other fun in life.

The Chinese new year begins on January 22nd, 2023 and lasts until February 9th, 2024. While most of Asia celebrates the year of the rabbit, Vietnam (越南) celebrates the year of the cat. In the Chinese zodiac (生肖), there are 12 animals, and the 4th animal is the rabbit; while in the Vietnamese zodiac, the 4th position is the cat. How the cat substituted for the rabbit in Vietnam’s zodiac is still the subject of debate (争论).

Ancient storytellers said the Jade Emperor organized a race across a river for all the animals in the world. The first 12 to reach the other side would appear in the zodiac. In the Chinese version of the story, the cat and the rat were riding across a river on an ox when the rat pushed the cat into the water. The rat won the race, turning the two animals into enemies. That is why cats have been hunting rats ever since. However, in the Vietnamese version—which did not have a rabbit—the cat could swim and ended up arriving.

One possible explanation for replacing rabbit with cat might have to do with language. In old Chinese, there is a word tied to the sign of the rabbit that is pronounced mao (卯). The pronunciation is similar to mèo, the Vietnamese word for cat.

Quyen Di, a lecturer at UCLA, said the custom has to do with the landscape of Vietnam. “Originally (起初), the Chinese lived in the savanna (稀树草原) area, while the Vietnamese lived in the lowland area. The people of the savanna prefer a nomadic (游牧的) life, close to the wilderness, and they chose the rabbit as an animal that lived in the wild fields. However, the lowland people of Vietnam consider rabbits as animals that are used for food and chose the cat because they believe cats are friends living in their house.

This year, many Vietnamese are buying new cat-themed cases for their mobile phones. And one of the top Google searches in Vietnam is “why there is no cat in the Chinese zodiac”.

There are many TV cook shows where you wish you could reach through your screen and taste the delicious recipes (食谱) yourself.

Now, Japanese scientists have taken a huge step towards making that a reality, with the development of a lickable (可舔的) TV screen.

The device is called Taste the TV (TTTV) and has 10 taste boxes that can put taste samples (样本) onto the surface of the screen. The different tastes in the cans can then mix to create tastes similar to those being shown on screen, for example, coffee or pizza.

It is a technology under test, produced by Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan, with its developers expecting a commercial version to cost about £650.

Japanese professor Miyashita and 30 students have developed all kinds of taste types. In his version the 10 taste cans spray a mixture of samples on to a roll of hygienic (卫生的) film that is placed over a flat TV-screen.

“During the COVID-19, this kind of technology can improve the way people connect and communicate with the outside world,” said Miyashita.

“The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while at home,” he said.

Miyashita has also been in talks with companies about using his spray technology for applications like a device that can apply a pizza or chocolate taste to a piece of toasted bread.

We’ve heard about several “poor students” in the past year. Cui Qingtao, a student from Yunnan, working with his parents on a building site when he got an admission letter(录取通知书) from Peking University.     51     She is a student from Hebei. She was doing her part-time job in a different city when her family got her admission letter from Peking University.

    52    For example, they are all strong and optimistic(乐观的). Li Enhui said in an interview, “As long as we are alive, there are no problems that cannot be solved, and many people don’t have my experiences. And these experiences make me grow and become better.”     53    . He refused to accept money that was given by others and decided to make money by himself. This is also the common thing that “poor students” have.

Such personalities are important for growth.     54     Not everything goes well all the time. A man can one go through difficulties only when he is strong and optimistic. In fact, living in poor families doesn’t promise such good personalities, and living in happiness doesn’t promise optimistic attitudes. We like such “poor students” because they are strong and optimistic. Few of them can choose their lifestyles.     55     That’s why they are highly praised. Every one of us should learn from them.

On Saturday, April 22nd, people all over the world will take time out to appreciate(珍惜) the Earth that we all share. It’s Earth Day, a special day to learn about     61     planet and how to take care of it.

On Earth Day, some listen to     62     about the environment. Others help clean up their communities or conserve(节约) water and electricity at home. Your parents may even decide to take a day off from     63     their cars. Maybe you, your friends and your school have a plan to     64     Earth Day, too.

The idea for Earth Day came from a US Senator(参议员), who was     65     about pollution and the health of plants and animals. In 1969, he decided that a special day to teach everyone about the things that needed     66     in our environment could really help our planet.

The idea     67     caught on(流行起来). In 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. More than 20 million people in cities all over the USA took part in it. Since then, Earth Day has been     68     to educate people about their roles in taking care of our planet.

Now, Earth Day has     69     a global celebration. Every year, millions of people from all over the world take part in marches(游行), clean-ups, tree planting and other environmental     70     on Earth Day.

【1】It is said that the eyes are the windows of our souls (灵魂). Beautiful and bright eyes not only show a good health but ①________ make you look very attractive (迷人的). However, to have healthy eyes you have to look after them properly. Your eyes need everyday attention.

【2】Pay more attention ②________ your diet. First, eat food that is good for your eyes. They are fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, eggs and milk. Besides, a regular (定期的) amount of vitamins A and B2 should also be taken.

【3】It is necessary to have a regular and enough ③________. It relaxes the eye muscles (肌肉) and gives them the rest required. Sleep not only helps the body to repair its tired tissues (组织). Usually, you must sleep for at least seven to eight hours every day. Loss of sleep can give you dark circles under the eyes.

【4】You must exercise your eyes every day. Blink (眨眼) yours eyes at regular periods, which makes the eyeballs watery, and gives them a good wash.

【5】We use our eyes in many unnoticeable and wrong ways. For example, it’s wrong to start rubbing (擦) our eyes at once when small things go into them. Rubbing can cause damage (伤害) to your eyes. Don’t read or write in poor light or bright sunlight. Always use sunglasses as sunlight can cause eye tiredness. Light should not shine directly in your eyes. Never forget to rest your eyes. Too much reading, writing, watching television or working on the computer can cause eye tiredness.

【6】 Remember to always take care of God’s most beautiful gift to you. Your life will be very colorless without your eyes.