Once there was a teenage boy who was known as a fast runner in his village. He only ______ about winning every race and becoming more successful.

One day, the boy took part in a running race in his village. He won the 200, 100 and 50-meter races without any problem. He was ______ of himself and received great applause (掌声).

But his grandfather came and asked him to have a race with two unexpected competitors (参赛者), an old man and a blind girl. The boy thought it was unbelievable but ______.

In the race, the boy finished first, ______ the old man and the blind girl were still far behind. With joy, he waved (挥) his hands at the ______. But they kept silent.

“Why aren’t people cheering for me like before?” he asked his grandfather.

“Start the race again with them. But this time, all of you should cross the finish line at the same time,” the grandfather replied.

The boy was surprised but ______ to take part in the race.

During the ______ race, the boy took the hands of the old man and the blind girl. And he walked ______ with them to the finish line. The crowd stood up and gave them applause.

The boy asked his grandfather, “For whom are the people cheering? Is it ______ me or them?”

The grandfather smiled and said, “The crowd did not cheer for any one of you. They cheered for how ______ of you ran the race together.”

Facing the race of life, what matters is not just winning, but how you run the race.

Judie’s class were studying Chinese culture. One day, her teacher went into the classroom with some kites. He told them that kites were invented in China more than two thousand years ago. At the end of the class, he said, “The Chinese make kites that mean something important to them. I expect each of you to make a kite that means something important to you. In that case, you will have a better understanding of kites than before.”

Judie decided to ask her dad for help as it was her first time to make a kite. “What can you think of when you see a kite?” her dad asked. Judie thought for a moment and answered, “Butterflies.”

Judie’s dad agreed that it would be a good idea to make a butterfly kite. They made a cross with some wood sticks, then Judie painted a butterfly on a piece of white paper. Next, they stuck the paper on the cross. Finally, they tied a long tail to the bottom.

The next morning, they took the kite to the park and tested it. “Wow!” she cried proudly, “How high it flies!”

“Judie, can you tell me why you like butterflies?” asked her dad.

Judie replied, “To me, butterflies mean beauty and freedom!”

Have you ever forgotten where your socks are when you wake up in the morning? Can you remember what you ate for lunch a week ago?     41     But now you should be thankful.

Scientists from the University of Toronto found that forgetting is actually a key part of learning. Clearing out unnecessary information can help our brains work better.     42     Scientists say that this may have something to do with the environment we live in.     43     For example, a supermarket cashier (收银员) meets many people every day and will probably only remember them for a short time. But a designer who often meets his or her customers will remember longer.

That’s because our brains keep making new neurons (神经元) from stem cells (干细胞), said Paul Frankland, a professor at the University of Toronto. There is a special area in our brains called the hippocampus (海马体).     44     When new neurons go into the hippocampus, they renew our old memories.

However, sleep has a great influence on our memories.     45     Sleep helps the brain store and keep new facts and information, said Matthew Walker from the University of California.

What is the best virtue (美德)? What can we learn from water? Laozi, a famous Chinese thinker     46     lived around 2,500 years ago, might have an answer.

Laozi tells us that the top character is just like water. All life in the world cannot live without water, but water never asks for anything in return. It benefits (使受益) all, competing with     47    . It simply keeps giving quietly. Also, water often stays where people don’t like. This kind of low profile (低姿态) makes water the closest     48     the law of the universe (万物之规).

In dealing with people, we can act as water. Do our best to help     49     without trying to get anything back. At the same time, stay humble (谦虚的). Don’t always talk about the     50     you gave to other people. Even if you are in a     51     situation, you need to stay calm. After all, water will not choose where to be, and it     52     goes to where it is needed.

The Chinese nation has always held dear Laozi’s ideas about water. In 2014, President Xi Jinping     53     it at the welcome dinner of the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing. He said APEC members are     54     together by the water of the Pacific Ocean and have a shared responsibility to make the Pacific an ocean of     55    , friendship and cooperation (合作). This is the wisdom (智慧) water brings us.