The Fisherman and the Goldfish is a well-known story. As we all know, the fisherman is a kind old man,     1     his wife is very greedy.

One day, the old fisherman     2     a magical goldfish. In order to live, the fish promised to help to make his dreams come true. His greedy wife told the fisherman to ask for a new house at first, and then a castle. After that she asked to be     3     queen of the ocean. The goldfish couldn’t stand it. At last, the fisherman and his wife went back to the old house     4    .

We know that the fisherman is a kind but weak-willed person from this story. He listened to his wife all the time and never refused his wife. His wife     5     got enough. It’s not wrong to dream a good life, but you will get nothing if you are too greedy. That’s why most greedy people are always poor.

A seventeen-year-old girl has caught many people’s eyes these days. Her excellent performance at the 19th Asian Games _________ many people. Do you know who the girl is? She is the China’s rising shooting star Huang Yuting.

Born in 2006, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, Huang Yuting began shooting in the summer of 2016 when the district’s Youth Sports School rifle team _________ good players at her school. Lin Kehan, her coach, said, “We chose Huang Yuting because of her great stability. Besides, her _________ performance in the selection (选拔) test for team members made us amazed.” Following her successful selection into the summer training camp, Huang Yuting showed her great _________ in shooting quickly.

Spending 3 years in the Huangyan Youth Sports School rifle team, she went into the Zhejiang Provincial Shooting Team in 2020. After training _________, she became one of the best players in the women’s 10m air rifle event. At 2022 ISSF World Championships, Huang won one silver medal (奖牌) and got a _________ to the 2024 Paris Olympics for the Chinese team. This year, she also won two golds in the women’s 10m air rifle at the Asian Games.

“Winning the competition this time means that the preparation before has _________, which brings me great joy and surprise.” Huang Yuting said. “We take every event _________ and try our best to make every shot perfect.” Although there were lots of _________ before the competition, she faced them bravely and made it finally.

In fact, a calm (冷静的) state of mind, self-confidence and hard work are the ____________. Talent alone doesn’t make sure of success. Whatever we do, we must keep out feet on the ground.

Learning methods (方法) are really important for everyday learning or studying for tests.     28    

Drawing mind maps helps a lot. Mind maps can help you remember what you have learned easily and quickly. How to draw a mind map? For example, find a topic (主题) you learn about firstly.     29     This can be helpful and you can have a try.

Explaining (解释) to others is win-win.     30     Sometimes you may find it easier to learn something when you explain it to others. This is because in order to explain something clearly to someone else, you first need to understand it well and then to use the right words to explain it.

    31     This method means that experiencing things in real life is better than reading things in books. Doing things by yourselves makes your brain more active. So you will remember and learn more easily.

Taking tests is also helpful. Some people enjoy taking tests because they think that can give them a strong will to be successful. If you’re the kind of person, you can try asking your teachers, parents or classmates to set an exam.     32    

Enjoy using the ways above and you are sure to learn faster and do better in your study!

Xiangsheng, or crosstalk, is a special and famous traditional art form and reaches people everywhere. It is popular with the children, the young and the old in China. It first appeared in China during the Ming Dynasty.

As the earliest form of xiangsheng, dankou, is performed by an actor who mainly tells jokes or humorous stories. It’s known as qunkou when it is performed by three or more people. But most of the time, xiangsheng is performed by two actors, which is called duikou. The two actors usually discuss some serious subjects in a relaxing way to make people laugh.

Xiangsheng is not only a kind of comedy, but also an art form that needs skills and creativity. There are four key skills in xiangsheng—shuo, xue, dou, chang.

Shuo means speaking or talking. Actors usually show off their speaking skills by saying out many names in one breath, such as Chinese dishes. Tongue twister is also a favorite way for xiangsheng actors to show their skills.

Xue, or imitating (模仿), is usually a very interesting part of xiangsheng and actors can imitate the sounds of different animals and the dialects in different parts of the country. Xiangsheng actors also often imitate the movement and behaviors of other people.

Dou, teasing, in xiangsheng means telling jokes. Actors usually try their best to prepare a punch line (笑点) and use it at the end, which is called doubaofu.

Chang, or singing, is a way for xiangsheng actors to show their vocal skills to draw (吸引) the attention of people. Usually, they sing famous Chinese operas. They also sing popular songs to make young people enjoy it.

Xiangsheng is a special and interesting art form that has become an important part of Chinese culture. And it can also make people around the world have a deeper understanding of Chinese language and culture.