Once there were two neighbors living next to each other. One of them was a retired (退休的) teacher and the other was an engineer. ________ of them planted the same plants in their gardens.

The retired teacher was giving a small amount (数量) of water ________ his plants and he didn’t always give a full attention to them. ________ the other neighbor was interested in technology (科技): gave a lot of water to his plants. He ________ them too well.

One day, a storm (暴风雨) started suddenly ________ the night. The next morning, the engineer was ________ to see that his plants came off from the roots (根). But the retired teacher’s plants were very well. The engineer went to the retired teacher and asked, “We both grew the ________ plants together. I looked after my plants ________ than you did for yours, and even gave them more water. Still, my plants came off from the roots, while yours didn’t. How is that   ________?”

The retired teacher smiled and said, “You gave your plants more attention and water, but because of that they didn’t need to work ________ for water. You made it easy for them. While I gave them just proper (恰当的) water and ________ their roots search (寻找) for more. And their roots went deeper and deeper, which made them ________.”

This story is about parenting where children are like plants ________ everything is given to them, they will not understand the hard work it takes to have those things. Teach them ________ to walk, but let them go their own way. Sometimes it’s best to guide them instead of (而不是) ________ them.

I did not pass the boys’ basketball tryouts (预选赛) in seventh grade. Making the team was very important to me, but my name was not on the list.

On the way home, I was both angry and upset. “I can’t believe I didn’t make the team,” I said loudly. “How did Alex make the team? He can’t keep up with a tortoise (乌龟)! Why is Jimmy a better choice than me? He just stands around moving his arms!”

“Adam!” my mom said, cutting me off. “Why don’t you just stop and think? Maybe you need a little more practice.”

Suddenly, I knew she was right. It was nobody’s fault (错误) but my own. I decided to work hard for the team over the next year. I practiced hard every day and had lessons every week.

When summer came, I took part in lots of basketball camps. Through camp after camp, my abilities grew, and I knew I was ready for tryouts in the fall.

The day finally came. As everyone crowded around the lists, I played it cool and waited for my chance to read the names. I slowly looked down the list. Not only did I make it on the list, but my name was the very first!

According to the latest rules, when you go to a supermarket or visit another city, you don’t need to show the results of nucleic acid tests (核酸检测). But, if you go to places such as old people’s homes and hospitals, the nucleic acid tests are still needed. This makes it easier for people to travel. But this can also make people catch the virus (病毒) easily. What should we do if we have COVID-19?

Don’t worry too much

The virus isn’t as strong as before. You might have a fever or a cough. It can feel like a cold or the flu.

If you are not badly ill, you can stay at home.

● Open the windows for over 30 minutes every day.

● Disinfect (消毒) things you touch in time.

● Check your temperature twice a day in the morning and evening.

● Take some medicine if you have a fever or a cough.

● Take two virus tests in more than 24 hours. If the results are negative (阴性的), you can leave your room.

Go to a hospital if you ...

● Have a fever of more than 38.5 ℃ for over two or three days.

● Feel sick and don’t want to eat anything.

● Find it hard to breathe(呼吸).

Drink more water and increase fruits and vegetables in your diet. Keep a regular (规律的) bedtime and get enough rest and sleep. In this way, you can defeat (打败) the virus quickly.

Are you picky (挑剔的) about food?     51    

A new study has shown that the color of a bowl can affect (影响) the taste of the food inside. Scientists from the UK gave people potato chips in red, blue and white bowls. The chips in red and blue bowls were believed to be saltier than those in white bowls.

    52     People felt the cakes on white plates tasted sweeter than those on black plates.

Why is that?     53     Over 50 percent of the area of the brain (大脑) is related (相关的) to seeing, while only 1 to 2 percent is related to taste. Our brains depend heavily on what color we see to organize our experiences of food.

    54     For example, if you have eaten a very sweet, white-colored ice cream, you may relate white to sweetness. In the study above, scientists said that in the UK, salty snacks often come with blue packaging (包装).     55    

Is yellow “sour”? Is black “bitter”? What are the “tastes” of different colors in your mind?

Emma is a young mom and she is good at making bread. With enough eggs and flour (面粉), she can make all kinds of bread. In some of her bread, you can see pictures of famous paintings and many cartoon characters. For example, when you cut the Sponge Bob bread, you can see the face of Sponge Bob and some small pieces of bread. The small pieces of bread are all in the shape of the characters from the cartoon. There is a lot of fun in making bread. Emma’s son gives her lots of great ideas. Once he drew a picture of happy bees (蜜蜂), and it wasn’t long before they appeared in Emma’s bread. Her son got a big surprise. From then on, Emma started to make such cute bread. “My little boy loves the bread, and he usually has two pieces for breakfast,” she said. From famous paintings to her son’s favorite cartoon characters, Emma shows that there is no end to her imagination (想象力) when it comes to wonderful bread. What do you think of Emma’s bread? Would you like to enjoy one piece of it?