I was very shy at school in the past. I hated being called in class because I didn’t let others ________ me. And if I ________ to sit down by the teacher, I always chose to sit at the back of the classroom.

All this changed after I joined a sports team. It began ________ a teacher suggested I join the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy idea because I didn’t have ________ good sense of balance. I didn’t think I have the ability to keep up with ________ in the team and they would laugh at me, ________ because the teacher kept insisting on(坚持) my “going for it”, I decided to give a try.

Getting the courage to try was only half of it! When I first started ________ the practice courses, I didn’t even know the rules of the game. Sometimes I’d get confused (迷惑的) and take a shot at the wrong direction — which really made me feel ________. ________, I wasn’t the only one “new” at the game, so I decided to learn the game, do ________ best at each practice course, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn’t know.

I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the rules and the “moves”. Being part of a team was not so difficult. Very soon the ________ part for me was WINNING though I didn’t have confidence enough. With time, I learned how I ________ play and made friends with others. I never had so much fun!

With more self-confidence coming from more praise(赞扬) of teachers and classmates, ever since then, I ________ from “hiding” at the back of the classroom and not wanting any attention to myself, to ________ my hand-even when I sometimes wasn’t sure I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in ________.

Have you ever watched Frozen? The Disney cartoon has made a great success. Frozen 2, a follow-up to Frozen, hit theaters of China again. It has the same film makers as Frozen and is even more worth watching. You can’t miss it.

The fantasy film Frozen 2 continues the story of Elsa and her warm-hearted sister Anna. In the new film, Anna and Elsa travel to an ancient mysterious forest to find where Elsa’s icy powers come from in order to save their kingdom.

What will happen on their dangerous but exciting journey? Come and enjoy this wonderful movie!

Time: Weekdays: 10: 30 a.m.—12: 13 p.m.; 7: 30 p.m.—9: 13 p.m. Weekends: 9: 40 a.m.—11: 23 a.m.; 2: 10 p.m.—3: 53 p.m.; 6: 40 p.m.—8: 23 p.m. Place: Wanda Movie Theatre Ticket price: Matinee(日场): 50 yuan Evening: 70 yuan Children under 6 years old: free Tips: *50% OFF on Tuesday for all. *Please prepare your own 3D glasses. *A free bottle of soft drink for students with their student ID cards. If you want to know more information, please call us at 757-810342.

Have you ever done voluntary work? Today I want to share Sun Ke’s story with you. Sun Ke and other 16 students from Beijing University spent one year as teaching volunteers in the country’s underdeveloped(欠发达) western areas. That was the 13th such team that the university had sent student volunteers to teach for one year in Tibet(西藏) , Qinghai, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Ningxia and Shanxi since 1999.

Sun Ke volunteered as a geography teacher at a middle school in Tibet. One day, he asked each of the students to buy a map for geography studies, but only three students bought the map because they were poor.

“I have heard stories about poverty(贫穷) of kids in these areas on TV before, but I was really sad when facing such a fact myself.” he said.

Sun decided to buy the maps for the students with his own money. “When I walked into the classroom with the maps, they broke into tears, and so did I.” Sun said.

The volunteers learnt a lot through working in the western areas. “We realize the value of our work and feel the responsibility.” they said, “We believe no matter how hard it will be, we will surely do it better. ”

China now has 43 elements on the intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) list, including tea. Let’s share something about Chinese tea.

A leaf fell into the water and changed the taste of it. And tea was born.

China is known as the home of tea. Since ancient times, tea has become part of Chinese culture, leaving its smell in poems and customs (习俗). Many tea lovers enjoy tea not just for its taste, but also for the beauty of tea ceremonies (仪式).

Picking tea leaves is an important spring activity along the Yangtze River in South China. The earliest batch (批) of tea is often ready to be picked before Qingming, in early April, when the temperature begins to rise and rainfall increases. This kind of tea, highly valued for its outstanding character, is called Mingqian tea.

East China’s Zhejiang Province is regarded as a major producer of tea. White Tea in Huzhou city’s Anji county (县) and West Lake Longjing Tea in Hangzhou are two famous teas both at home and abroad. In spring, the hillsides in those places are filled with tea workers working on their land. In the high seasons, many tourists travel to see the beautiful sight of tea farms, while enjoying a freshly prepared cup of tea.

Thousands of years ago, by the hands of the Chinese people, a leaf was made into a delicious drink. It has traveled a long way and continues to play a role in our life, even today.

ChatGPT, a smart AI chatbot (聊天机器人) tool, has swept the education world in the past months. According to a US survey of more than 1, 000 students, over 89 percent of them have used ChatGPT to help with their homework.

Some schools in the US, Australia and France have banned (禁止) the use of ChatGPT. In the US, for example, New York City public schools banned students and teachers from using ChatGPT on the district’s networks (区域网络) .

The move comes out of worries that the tool could make it easier for students to cheat on homework. Some also worry that ChatGPT could be used to spread incorrect information.

Besides bans, teachers are making changes to their classes to avoid the use of ChatGPT. Some college teachers in the US try to include more speaking exams and handwritten papers instead of typed ones.

However, not all educators say “no” to ChatGPT. Some Canadian universities are making laws on its use, for both students and teachers. They have no plans to completely ban the tool so far.

Bhaskar Vira from the University of Cambridge, said that bans on AI software like ChatGPT are not sensible (明智的) . “We have to know that AI is a tool people will use. What we need to do is ‘adapt(调整) our learning, teaching and examinations’. That way, we can be honest while using of the tool”.

It is believed that people who learn to be grateful (感激的) are happier and healthier than those who don’t. Grateful people feel pleased with what they have instead of complaining about what they lack (缺少). They see each day as a new opportunity for happiness, rather than another challenge to take on.     42    

Take a minute to be thankful for your life.

    43     At school, step outside for a short walk to breathe the fresh air and think about how thankful you are for the chance to take a break and feel the sun. At home, the things you’re thankful for can be your morning cup of milk or the soft pillow you sleep on at night.

    44    

Life gets so busy that you often forget to tell people how much they matter (要紧) to you. Expressing your thanks to others will create an atmosphere (氛围) of thankfulness that can spread out gradually. For example, if your mother packs your lunch for you, say something like “Mum, thank you for your effort to make my day less busy.”

Talk about gratitude with family.

Find the time to talk about the things you are grateful for every day.     45     For example, instead of saying “I’m thankful for all of you being there for me,” you could say “I’m thankful that you all help me care for the garden every weekend.”

Learning to be thankful doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen, or that you won’t be affected by the things that do happens. It can simply help to make those things easier to deal with and make you feel better.

The     50     (tradition) Chinese solar calendar (日历) divides the year into 24 solar terms (节气). Grain Buds (小满), the     51     (eight) solar term of a year, begins on May 21 this year, and ends on June 5. It means that the seeds from the grain are     52     (become) full but are not ripe (成熟).

In China, the 24 solar terms     53     (create) thousands of years ago to guide agricultural production (农业生产). But the solar term culture is still useful today to guide people’s lives. Let’s see what we can do during the “Grain Buds” period.

A good season for eating fish

During the Grain Buds period, summer harvest is about to begin. A saying about rain during this time mentions, “A heavy rainfall makes the river full.” Because of the great     54     (increase) in rainfall, rivers are full of water, which gives rise to great tasting fish and shrimps. This is a good time to enjoy     55     (they). It is also harvest season for     56     (fisherman).

Tom and Jerry

Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse are two of the most popular cartoon characters in the world. In the short cartoons, Tom is always trying to catch Jerry, (A)______ he never has any success. (B)Almost every cartoon ends with Tom in trouble and Jerry laughing at him. The stories are full of fun and have a long history.

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera both worked for MGM in the late 1930s. Their boss told them to make funny cartoons. (C) Together they came up with the idea of a cat and a mouse. They thought it would be funny if the mouse was clever and (D)总是使猫陷入麻烦中.

The first Tom and Jerry cartoon was shown in cinemas in 1940. It was a great success. (E)Over the next 17 years, they made many Tom and Jerry cartoons. Most of them are around seven minutes long.

In total, Hanna and Barbera made 114 Tom and Jerry cartoons. The cartoons were (F)______ good that they won a number of awards. The famous cat and mouse remain popular today, as the cartoons are still shown on television around the world.