Great changes have taken place in Chinese education. The Chinese government started to carry out the policy (政策) of “double reduction” (双减) in 202l. Some students think they can have ________ homework to do and have more time to play. But some are ________ about how to study under the new policy.

How can you study in this special ________? Please read the following advice.

You need to work hard and be self-disciplined (自律的). Listen to your teacher and take notes ________ in class. Good learning habits always help a lot. If you have problems, try to ________ them by yourself at first. If you still can’t solve them, you should ask your teachers for help. After all, they are experienced and ________ ready to help you except your parents. You can also collect mistakes in time and review them for several times ________ you can solve the similar problems next time.

Today’s exams are set to test students’ understanding and practical application (实际应用) of ________, so remember to learn skills through practicing. Don’t forget to ________ the key points with your pen and try to write down your understanding about this kind of problems. Students need to be more careful and hard-working in ________. Chances are only for the prepared mind.

Tony loved basketball. One afternoon on his way to a basketball game, he was walking and dreaming about playing college basketball the next year. Suddenly a car hit him and he was thrown three meters into the air.

Tony woke up in a hospital room. When the doctor told him that both his legs were broken, he knew his college basketball dreams were over. Tony did what the doctors told him, but it didn’t work. After he left the hospital, Tony was sent to a rehab (康复) center.

A week after he arrived there, he met Sunny Chen. Sunny was a coach before. His legs were hurt badly in a skating accident. Though he couldn’t move his legs, Sunny became a coach of a basketball team called the Suns. It was an on-wheelchair (轮椅) basketball team, because everybody on the team played from a wheelchair. Sunny invited Tony to join the team. Tony played badly, but for the first time since the accident, he stopped feeling sorry for himself.

After becoming a part of the Suns, Tony improved quickly. Basketball was like medicine for him. Tony was much better than before. When Tony became sad or angry, Sunny was there to help him. The day before Tony left the center, he had dinner with Sunny. He asked Sunny why he could be so happy, even with his broken legs.

Sunny smiled and said, “When you keep your face to the sun, the shadows (影子) fall behind.”

How much paper do you use every year? Probably you can’t answer this question quickly. In 2022, the world’s use of paper was about fifty-eight kilograms for each person in a year. “The amount (数量) of paper a country uses shows how far advanced the country is,” some people say. Countries like the United States, England and Sweden certainly use more paper than other countries.

The Chinese first made paper about 2,000 years ago. At that time Chinese paper was not made from the wood of trees. It was made from the hair-like parts of certain plants. Today in Finland, which makes the best paper in the world, the paper industry (制造业) is the biggest in the land. The biggest machine can make a piece of paper 8,300 meters long and 6 meters wide in one minute.

Each year, more and more things are made of paper. But only half of the paper that is made is used for books and newspapers. There are many other uses. We have had paper cups, plates, and dishes for a long time. But now we hear that chairs, tables, and even beds can be made of paper. With paper boots and shoes, you can wear paper hats, paper dresses, and paper raincoats. When you have used them once, you throw them away and buy new ones. Paper is also good for keeping you warm. The latest use in paper seems to be paper houses. There are not small houses for children to play in, but real, big houses for people to live in. You can buy a house with three main rooms for about ¥500. You can put it up yourself in a few hours, and you can use it for about five years.

People have made paper boats, but they have not yet made paper airplanes or cars. Just wait—they probably will.

Being a teenager can be difficult, especially when it comes to rules at home. As a teenager, you are trying to find yourself, and develop your independence. At the same time, however, you are still living under the same roof (屋顶) as your parents and following their rules.

It can feel like your parents are always on your back about something, whether it’s cleaning your room or checking your homework.     36     And maybe you feel like your parents don’t trust or understand you.

    37     They help you make good choices and learn responsibility. While it may not seem like it now, your parents are trying to help you become a responsible and independent adult.

Sure, it can be frustrating (令人沮丧的) when you are not allowed to go out at night or have to check with your parents before you hang out with your friends, but these rules are in place for your safety.     38     So they need to be sure you are safe and protected.

    39     When you follow them, you can learn how to manage your time and put first things first.

So, the next time you feel unhappy with your parent’s rules, think about why those rules are in place.     40     And most importantly, remember that rules are a necessary part of growing up and becoming a responsible adult.

Life is full of the unexpected. Last Saturday after my French course     51    , I decided to drive to the market to buy a meat pie for dinner. As I was     52     west, I saw a huge truck in the middle of the road. There had been an accident and there     53     many police officers around. I turned around and decided to go to a nearby     54     mall. However I missed the road that led to it. Then I saw a restaurant that sold chicken noodles. I went inside and the lady, who was the     55    , served me the most delicious bowl of chicken noodles ever. I had made an unexpected     56    ! I’m so glad that I cancelled my plan to go to the market.

There is another event that I will never forget. I     57     at 10:00 on February 21, 2011 and realized that it was too late. I jumped out of bed and went     58     to the airport. But by the time I got to the airport, my plane to New Zealand had already taken off. “I’ve missed my plane. What bad luck!” I thought to     59    . The other planes were full so I had to wait till the next day. The next morning, I heard about the earthquake in New Zealand the day before.     60    , I missed the plane, so that my bad luck had unexpectedly turned into a good thing.

It’s said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong first discovered tea as a drink 5,000 years ago. One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire. Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time. A nice smell was produced so he tasted the brown water. It was quite delicious, and so, one of the world’s favorite drinks was invented.

It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn’t appear until around 1660. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.

The Chongyang Festival is a traditional Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar (阴历) month. It’s also called the Double Ninth Festival.

The festival started as early as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). It has a history of more than 1,700 years. Among the numbers from zero to nine, nine is the highest odd number (奇数). People believe that two “ninths” meeting together stand for a long life. So it is a special holiday for Chinese people to show love and respect (尊敬) for their elders. They hold many kinds of activities in honor of old people to wish them good health and a long life.

The festival comes during the golden time of the fall. On the day, people traditionally drink chrysanthemum (菊花) wine, eat Double-Ninth Cakes and climb mountains. They also carry a kind of plant, and its name is dogwood (茱萸). People in ancient times believed that the plant could drive away evil (邪恶的) spirits and prevent them from catching an illness in winter.

Each country has different rules about social situations. One of the best ways to be     70     (accept) in a foreign country is to try to understand how people think. Learning what you are supposed to do and aren’t supposed to do in social situations may be difficult,     71     it is worth the trouble if you want to understand another culture. In Switzerland, it’s very important to be     72     time. We’re the capital of clocks and     73     (watch), after all! If someone invites you to meet     74     (he) or her at noon, then you’re expected to be there at noon. If you’re even 15 minutes late, your friend may     75     (real) get mad. So I make     76     effort to be punctual (守时的) when I meet my friends. I always leave the house early to avoid heavy traffic because I think it’s impolite to keep others     77     (wait). Also, we never visit a     78     (friend) house without calling first. We almost always make plans to see friends. We usually plan     79     (do) something interesting, or go somewhere together.

80. 假如你是李华，你的英国笔友Mike来信说对你们班上周五的主题班会很感兴趣，他想了解这次班会的具体内容。请根据以下信息给他写一封回信，向他介绍班会的情况并告诉他中学生应该如何感恩父母。

I’m glad to hear from you. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes!

Yours,

Li Hua