Some people love cartoon animals because they’re like the friends around them. You may also find a friend or a classmate who is like them.

	Hello Kitty: She likes to eat cakes. She loves to make new friends. She invites friends to her parties. She is warm and sunny and always helps you.
	Snoopy: He went to school when he was nine. He learned to use a typewriter (打字机) in two years! He thinks a lot. He is so smart that you all like to be with him.
	Garfield: He sits happily in the seat and says sharp (犀利) words to you. Sometimes he is not nice. He doesn’t really like you? He thinks you’re a fool? No, in his heart, he loves you. He is a friend with sharp words but a warm heart.

When I was a boy, I was a football fan. I played football with some other boys in the backyard all the time. My mom was worried that I would get ill in the hot summer.

One day my brother gave me a new football. I came into the yard and played it excitedly. But suddenly, the ball flew through the window and nearly hit my dad. Dad said nothing. He took my football and cut it in half.

I didn’t cry because I knew how terrible my mistake was. I didn’t expect to get another football. But to my surprise, Dad bought me another one the next month and told me to be more careful. I was really thankful for my father’s forgiveness (宽恕). He showed me that even when I made a mistake, he still loved me and gave me another chance.

Parents always give us their unconditional (无条件的) love and forgiveness. We should always give our love and forgiveness to them, too.

If you were born (出生) in the 2000s, you are the oh-ohs. The 21st century would make you young, creative, connected, world-wide and smart. Maybe good-looking, too. Right? But what do other people think about your generation?

Some adults (成年人) worry that you are more interested in the screen in front of you than the world around you. They think of you as “the face down generation” because you use your phone so much. They want to know how you will deal with (处理) schoolwork, friends and family.

Other adults worry that today’s youth are spoilt (溺爱) and don’t want to face the challenges of adult life. “Helicopter parents” fed children born in the 2000s. They were always there to guide and help their children with a busy program filled with homework and after-school activities such as dancing, drawing or sports. With parents who do everything for them, today’s youth seem to like to live like teenagers even when they are getting old.

Does “the face down generation” need a heads-up? Well, probably not. The fact is that many of today’s teenagers are better-educated and more creative than past generations. They seem to be willing to be leaders (领袖). More young people than ever volunteer to help their communities (社区). There are also brave young people such as Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who won the Nobel Peace Prize for girls’ rights to go to school.

So if you are one of the oh-ohs, there are reasons to be hopeful about the future. Things are looking up for “the face down generation”. Chances (机会) are that you do great and laugh out loud.

Do you know anyone born in the Year of the Tiger? What are they like? Are they brave, strong and kind? If so, then they are what we usually call “tigers”.

In Chinese culture, people see tigers as the king of all the animals. When they think of tigers, they will think of power and protection(保护). In most people’s eyes, tigers are animals afraid of nothing so that’s why you can see pictures of tigers on the walls of temples(庙) and houses.

Over thousands of years, tigers are always symbols that can protect us from disasters(灾难) and danger. In old days, some great generals(将军) were called the “tiger generals”. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms(《三国演义》), there are “Five Tiger Generals”. And it’s also said that people who were born in the Year of the Tiger are brave, strong and entertained.

In the west, however, people often see lions as the king of all the animals. Brave warriors(战士) were called “the lion”. In Europe, the animal is a national symbol for England also for Norway, Spain, Belgium and 13 other countries.

But in the West, tigers are also seen as very powerful animals. In English, if you want someone to cool down you can say to them “easy tiger”. Another famous phrase is “eye of the tiger”, which means to have fierceness(凶猛) and power.

I have a photo album (相册). It’s a present from my classmate—David.

I got to know David on the     33     (two) day of middle school. We both liked playing basketball and collecting stamps,   s    34     we always had a lot of things to talk about. Once I traveled with him to his hometown in the countryside. He showed me   a    35     and I saw many interesting things. We had a     36     (wonder) time. It is really nice to have such     37     good classmate.

However, last summer, David     38     (go) to another city because of his father’s job. Before leaving, he gave     39     (I) a photo album. “It has the memorable events we have experienced together. I have also written some     40     (note) under each of these photos,” he said. I was     41     (deep) moved.

I always look at the album when I think     42     David. I really miss him.