Look at the Earth from space. Why does our planet look so blue? It’s blue because water covers almost three quarters (四分之三) of the Earth’s surface. Water is not just an important part of our planet. It is an important part of our body, too. More than half of our total (全部的) body weight is water.

Our body loses water whenever we exercise or go to the toilet. That’s why we need to drink plenty of water every day. We drink water. We use it to cook, clean, and carry waste out of our homes. Farmers use it to grow vegetables and crops (庄稼) like rice and wheat; factories use it to make products.

Since the 1950s, the amount (数量) of water people use has increased by three times. But the water supply (供应) hasn’t. Scientists worry that soon there won’t be enough water for us, as well as for the animals and plants that share our world. What can we do to help? Use water wisely.

Having enough water isn’t our only problem. We also need it clean.

Right now, ships and factories are putting wastes into seas, rivers and so on. Even chemicals (化学制品) that farmers use are running into rivers and lakes. All this pollution can make the water dangerous to drink. It can also harm fish and other water-living lives. We must do something to stop pollution. It’s the best way to protect our world’s most valuable natural resource (资源).

Have you ever seen people building houses? To build a house, you need workers. They use their hands, tools (工具) and machines to put things together. In fact, building the ISS (国际太空站) is the same. The difference is that the workers are all astronauts. They walk in space and use robots’ arms and hands to do their work.

In the space station, astronauts always feel easy, because the temperature there is always about 21℃. But outside the station, it can be too hot or cold for people. In the sunlight, it’s about 120℃; in the shadow of the station, its about -85℃. So when astronauts walk in space, they have to wear heavy clothes—spacesuits. These special clothes can make the astronauts feel as comfortable as in the space station.

Spacesuits also keep astronauts safe from flying rubbish (垃圾) in space. Each time people go into space they leave rubbish there. So astronauts should be careful because there’s a lot of rubbish—some rubbish goes many times as fast as a plane!

Space walking is not easy, and it can be dangerous. So getting ready for it takes a lot of time. Astronauts will need to do 160 space walks to finish their work in the ISS. That will take about 1, 900 man-hour of work.

This September, when the new school year started, many students in primary and junior high schools noticed a new subject at school. It is about labor (劳动) education.

The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (中华人民共和国教育部) recently released (发布) a new labor course standard (标准) for students in primary schools and junior high schools in China. The standard calls for students to respect (尊重) work. Students should learn basic life skills and form good working habits, through such education.

The government has been trying to stress (强调) the importance of hardworking spirit education. But this has been overlooked (忽视) in recent years. Many teens do not value the importance of working hard and are uninterested in doing so.

According to a study of nearly 3, 000 students that was done by Ningbo Evening News in March, only 22 percent of primary and middle school students help with everyday chores around the house.

Primary and junior high schools should provide students with hardworking spirit classes every week, according to the standard. Schools can also hold activities to give students real-world work experience. For example, schools can teach children how to plant trees on Tree-planting Day.

A long-expected holiday is coming. Boys and girls, this holiday is the time for you to take your mind off homework and prepare yourself for future life.     16    

Take exercise. You have worked most of the time during the school days.     17     It can help to keep your whole body healthy. You can benefit (受益) from different kinds of exercise, such as swimming, jogging and mountain climbing.

Learn some helpful life skills. One day, you will live alone.     18     So you should learn cooking, washing clothes and other practical skills.

Go for a journey. Travel to places of interest, and you can find that the culture there is different from that of your hometown.     19    

Enjoy family time. Home is the place in which you can rest, and receive love and care. The whole family can spend some time watching a movie on the sofa together.     20     Besides. it’s great fun for family members to gather around the table discussing sports, clothes or other common topics.

If you follow the advice above, health, independence peace of mind and feelings between family members can be achieved.

Yang Beibei is a famous fashion designer (时装设计师). When she was young, her father _______ her and her sister to play the erhu. Her sister dreamed of becoming an erhu player like her father but Yang was more interested in _______. She wanted to be an artist.

Yang _______ traditional Chinese painting and oil painting as a child. In 1990, she _______ to study fashion design at Donghua University in Shanghai. “At that time, being a fashion designer wasn’t very popular. I chose fashion design _______ I love to paint beautiful clothes, ”Yang said.

Yang got a job _______ a fashion designer in Shanghai after graduation. In 1999, she went to Paris to study fashion design further, which helped to develop her own _______ as a designer.

In 2008, Yang moved to Benin in West Africa with her husband. She worked with local fashion designers there. She _______ started painting classes to introduce Chinese painting skills to the local people. “It was a _______ experience to share Chinese culture through fashion design. I enjoyed it,” Yang said.

Yang _______ to China in 2011 and joined China International Exhibition Agency. It holds exhibitions (展览) worldwide. Though Yang’s job is a curator (策展人), she hasn’t _______ designing clothes. Since 2011, she has been designing costumes for CCTV’s programs. She has also worked with top Chinese fashion designers to introduce _______ works through exhibitions.

In 2020, Yang moved the fashion exhibitions online because of COVID-19. “The fashion exhibitions are ______ online. They have received many likes. They help people all over the world _______ Chinese culture through Chinese fashion designers and their works. Though COVID-19 has forced (迫使) us to _______ our plans, we still want to make it happen in a creative way,” Yang said．

As is known to all, friendship is very important. Having a good friend can make your school life much       36     (enjoy). But making new friends at school can be hard, especially if you’re a naturally shy person.

So how can you make new friends? Here are some pieces of advice that might be helpful to you!

The easiest thing to do is make     37     (you) look friendly. If you cross your arms over your chest (胸) and have your headphones (耳机) on, your body language is saying “Stay away     38     me!” Instead, smile naturally if someone approaches (靠近) you.

On the other hand, you can try and approach someone on your own initiative (主动地). Just saying “Hi, do you mind if I sit here?” is a great way     39     (break) the ice. After that, you can continue the conversation (对话) by finding something you have in common. With any     40     (lucky), you’ll make a friend not just for school but for life!