What does the word “great” mean? Who are great people and how do they become great? Do you know the answer? Let’s listen to Fred’s story.

One day, Fred’s father asked him to bring two plants and then told him to plant one of them ________ the house and the other in front of the house. Fred did as his father said.

Fred’s father asked him, “Which one of the two plants do you think will be bigger and ________?”

Without thinking, Fred replied, “The plant inside the house will be safer, so it will grow bigger, ________ no one look after the plant in front of the house, it may be eaten by animals.”

His father smiled and said, “Don’t rush to answer. Let’s wait ________.”

Then Fred left for study and after four years he came back to his house. He said to his father, “Look, ________ happens to this plant inside the house and it is safe.”

When Fred went outside, he was very ________ to see a big tree. The boy couldn’t believe his eyes.

“The plant in front of the house faced every season and many difficulties!” the father ________ to his son why the plant outside was bigger. “The plant inside was safe, it didn’t face weather changes, and it didn’t get proper sunlight, so it didn’t become big.”

So to become a great person, one must have experienced many ________ and overcome them. Only after that is he able to become great.

I’m Lin Jing. Different people like doing different things in their free time. Some people like playing soccer. Others like playing computer games. As for me, I’m a book lover. I spend most of my free time reading. I think reading can help open up my mind and eyes. For me, reading different books is like going on different journeys. The books seem to lead me to different fantastic worlds to experience something colorful in our life. I can always learn a lot from reading. I have kept writing the book reports for nearly 3 years. Here is a book report.

A Book Report Title: Robinson Crusoe                                                             Writer: Daniel Defoe The key words: arrive on the island, kill animals for food, grow fruit and vegetables, the marks of another man’s feet, name him Friday A brief summary: Robinson Crusoe, the main character, was born in a rich family. However, he was attracted by the outside world and went to the sea several times. Unluckily, one time the shipwreck made Robinson come to a lonely island where he lived for 28 years without food, water or gun, but he didn’t give up. He just used his hands to work hard! In his twenty-fourth year on the island, he saved a wild man, and gave him the name of “Friday”. Finally, they got a boat and escaped from the island together. Thoughts: After reading the book. I was deeply moved by Robinson’s strong will and his positive attitude towards the hardship.

Doing sports is good for our body and mind. Today, exercising through online videos is becoming popular. With the Internet, people can do it anytime, anywhere.

One of my friends, Lin Fei, followed short videos to do daily exercise. “With live programs, I feel like I am working out（锻炼）with my friends, which encourages me to hold on to the last minute,” she said. Another friend of mine, Michael, told me that working out through videos made him feel comfortable. “I have a fear of working out at the gym, because I don’t like being watched by people around me. But working out at home doesn’t make me feel embarrassed,” he said.

Hearing about their experiences, I decided to give it a try. When I told my plan to my elder sister, a P.E. teacher, she said that workout videos could be helpful but might still carry some problems.

“Without being with someone in person, you will be less willing to work out to your best. Working out at the gym allows you to have advice in real time and get pushed harder,” my sister said to me. Well, if you really want to have a try, first, choose proper programs or videos. That’s very important. And then ask your friends for advice. Their experiences can give you a better understanding of what you can expect. Anyway, don’t depend too much on it. You should try some different ways too.”

At her suggestions, I followed an online program for three months, which also offered advice to meet my personal needs. After the first period of training. I felt it very practical and helpful when I put in the right amount of work with a strong will. Compared with going to the gym, using online videos is a much cheaper and time-saving choice. But it can be difficult sometimes when I’m too lazy or too busy to stick with it.

To have a good conversation is a pleasure for most people. But not every conversation is good. Sometimes there are uncomfortable silences while people don’t know what to say.

    24     One person asks all the questions, and the other just gives one-word answers. A good conversation needs two or more people to keep it going. A good conversation should be like a tennis game, in which the ball goes back and forth. To get the ball rolling in a conversation, ask something about the other person.     25     You can also ask the question to make an introduction of himself. Most people love a chance to talk about themselves.

As the other person begins to respond to（回应）your question, look for common things. If you ask someone about his weekend, the person could talk about what he did.     26    

When the other person is talking, listen carefully and do not interrupt（打断）him.     27     When he finishes, ask some more questions. Don’t allow your eyes to wander around（游离）as he talks. That gives the message that you’re not really interested in him.

    28     After talking with each other for a while, you can give some reasons for leaving. You can say, “I really need to get going. My class starts in 20 minutes.”

Since the “double reduction”（双减）policy was carried out, our school and our students’ lives have changed a lot. The goal of the double reduction policy is to let students develop all-round abilities and be independent learners. It’s challenging for students, but it will help them become more creative.

“Do some housework, make an English video to introduce a Chinese custom, read aloud Home Letters by Fu Lei.” These things are part of the winter holiday homework of Ma Miyang, an eighth-grader from Henan. During the first long holiday after the “double reduction” policy, Ma found herself doing more practice-based learning instead of always doing homework silently at home. “Doing homework was enjoyable this holiday, since it was much less.” said Ma.

Like Ma, many junior high school students welcomed the changes brought by the policy. Liu Yifei, 14, said she visited the local museum in Shanxi, as part of her homework. “It’s more fun than memorizing things from books,” Liu said. “My life is clearly changing now—I don’t have tutoring（辅导）classes anymore. This gives me more time to play badminton and gradually get healthier.”

Nowadays, watching livestreaming（直播的）shows has become part of many people’s lives. At the same time, traditional culture has found a bigger stage（舞台）online. Many traditional artists have started to livestream on Douyin and Bilibili. And the following chart shows their forms of livestreaming for traditional culture.

由于直播节目，许多年轻人变得对传统文化感兴趣。Li Jun, one of them, performs Peking Opera at Shanghai Jingjiu Theater Company. Early in 2021, he took up his smartphone and started livestreaming. Unlike performing on a formal stage, Li uses common places as his stages, including his backyard, study room and even a running machine. Besides singing, Li also teaches audiences（观众）about Peking Opera. People can ask him questions and get answers directly. “Livestreaming has brought this elegant（高雅的）art down to earth.” an audience said. “It gives young people an easier chance to know about this traditional art and learn more about it.” Li has got more than 6, 000 fans on Douyin, while one of his videos got 42, 000 likes on Bilibili.

As Guangming Daily noted, livestreaming has come to a new stage through which traditional culture can be kept alive.

I was a member of a group preparing for a week of meetings. Once I     50     into the meeting room where some volunteers were busy placing the tables and chairs. I asked     51     I could help. One of the girls politely said, “Oh, no, thank you” and offered me a chair to sit.

Then, another volunteer came into the room. He saw me     52     there doing nothing and said, “Hey, Larry, come here. There’s work to do, and you can help.” Then he asked me to take the     53     out of the paper boxes and place them on the tables.

“Fine I can do it.” I said     54    . And I was now part of the team.

This member of the group saw that my disability（残疾） didn’t mean an inability（无能） to help. Later, I thanked him for having included me. He said, “I thought we would finish     55     with one more pair of hands. I was just using common sense.”

I’m sure that the girl who refused my offer of help doesn’t mean to offend（冒犯） me. Too often, most people think the disabled should     56     care of and be protected. They don’t notice their abilities. In fact, the disabled can also be     57    .

It’s important for all of us     58     that we are accepted, appreciated and valued as a normal member of the group. Such feeling is of great     59     to people with disabilities. It sends a message that states: “To us, your abilities are more important than your disability.”