Friends play an important role in our lives. But do you know that not all friendships are the same?

There are different levels (级别) of friendships. Acquaintances (熟人) are people you recognize and     1     hello to, but don’t really know. Casual friends (泛泛之交) are people you see or hang out with sometimes. The next level is close friends. You trust them and share your secrets with them. Finally, there are     2     friends. You get on really well with them and you can always be yourself around them.

People also have different kinds of friendships. Some people have just one or two close friends     3     maybe a few casual friends. Some people have different groups of friends for different activities. They might have sports friends. And they also have friends     4     school. These different groups of friends don’t usually know each other. Others love being part of a large group of friends. In     5     group, everyone knows each other well and has many interests in common.

Lily had a lot of candies. Her Grandma often asked her to share the candies with her _________, but she didn’t want to.

One day, Lily went shopping with Grandma. After shopping, they went to a _________. When they had their meal, Lily saw a man near them leave without _________ his file pocket (文件袋). She called the man and reminded (提醒) him of the file pocket. The man said _________, “You’re very warm-hearted. Thanks a lot!”

The man then walked to the shop owner and said he wanted to _________ for Lily and Grandma’s meal. The shop owner asked Grandma if that was OK. Grandma _________ politely, but the man kept on doing that. Grandma thanked him.

Later, Lily and Grandma finished their meal. Grandma took out their lunch money and said, “Lily, we don’t really need a _________ lunch, do we? So now we should pass our good luck on to someone else.”

Lily took the money and found a _________ woman. She gave her the lunch money. The woman was glad, and she thanked Lily for her help. Lily felt her heart full.

Lily learned an important life _________ from this: When you give, you feel happy. From that day on, Lily __________ to share her candies with her sisters.

The Hangzhou Asian Games (亚运会) ended in October, 2023. It was wonderful. This was the third time that China had hosted the Asian Games. Looking back, we have many excellent memories of the three Asian Games in China.

In 1990, China hosted its first Asian Games in Beijing. The Beijing Asian Games were the first international comprehensive sporting event in China’s history. Chinese people did a lot in preparation for the Asian Games. New stadiums, roads, and hotels were built. What made many Chinese people proud during the Asian Games was that for the first time in history, China ranked first in the number of medals (奖牌).

Fast forward to 2010, and Guangzhou became the second Chinese city to host the Asian Games. There were many new buildings such as the famous Canton Tower. More than 12,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions in Asia took part in 42 events. The Guangzhou Asian Games were a huge success.

In the Guangzhou Asian Games, there were 40 sports events, including some new ones such as the e-sports competitions. Like the improvements seen in Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangzhou also built many new stadiums. And during the Asian Games, advanced technologies such as 5G, the digital torchbearer (数字火炬手), and surprised lots of people.

From 1990 to 2023, the three Asian Games tell a story of our country’s growth. They also show Chinese people’s hard work. How great!

Gui Haichao is a university teacher. He dreamed of flying to space. And that dream has now come true. How did he build his dream? He had a strong belief and worked hard! After all, Rome wasn’t built in one day.

Gui was born in a family in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. He has been a big fan of science since he was young. At the age of 17, he learned about the news of Yang Liwei’s spaceflight. It inspired him. He never stopped dreaming about going to space ever since. In 2005, he went to Beihang University. After nine years of study, he got a doctorate (博士学位). Then he went to Canada for further study. He returned (返回) in 2017 and began to teach at Beihang University.

In 2018, when Gui had the chance to start training (训练) for flying to space, he jumped at it. At first, the training was hard for him. But he did not give up. He did more exercises, asked for help and used different training methods. Gui is also a sports lover who enjoys running and swimming. He keeps up with his exercises all these years. Finally, he improved a lot.

For his students, Gui is a wonderful teacher. He often tries his best to help them. Although he is busy, he still reads their papers carefully. A student said, “During his training, he still read my articles. I knew he was very busy. Sometimes, during dinner time, he called me to give advice.”

As a smart and hard-working person, Gui keeps challenging to improve himself. He is a true model.

Are you shy about singing because you think you’re not good at it? Well, you shouldn’t be. Singing is for everyone no matter the talent, and we can all benefit from (得益于) it.

    28     When you sing, you feel happy and relaxed. They help you be in a better mood. Also, singing is good for your lungs (肺).     29     Because of that, doctors use singing to help people with lung problems.     30     When you sing along to a song, you focus on your breathing (呼吸) and the words. That makes your mind stay active.

The benefits of singing don’t end there.     31     And if you sing in public, people can get to know you and feel what you feel. Singing may even touch others. It may bring them happiness, make them feel comfortable, or help in other ways.     32     What’s more, if you sing with others, you learn to work towards a common goal. That helps you build good friendship and trust.

So sing what you want, where you want, and how you want. Just enjoy singing and enjoy life!