When we were having an English test this morning, I felt ________ was watching me a little too closely. I turned my ________ quickly and saw Jack, who sat right behind me. My eyes caught his and he said quietly. “I hope you studied for this ________!”

“What am I going to do?” I thought to myself. I ________ cheating (作弊) in exam. Besides, I’d studied ________ for the test. Clearly Jack hadn’t.

________ the exam, I tried several ways to guard my answers ________ Jack wouldn’t be able to see them. When the exam ________, I felt I should let him know cheating was wrong. And I didn’t want to destroy (破坏) our friendship. My mind ________ the right words.

“Sorry, Jack, but you know how I feel about cheating.” I said slowly and gently. “Maybe I could help you ________ before the next test.”

“OK, Bob,” he smiled weakly, “it might not be easy, but I’ll have a try.”

Nostalgia (乡愁)

By Yu Guangzhong

Booking a Nongjiale Holiday

When you have looked through the room list of our hotel and have made your decision, please phone our Holiday Booking Office. The phone number is 031-3156.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Thursday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

We will ask you to complete the holiday booking form and return it, with a ¥150 deposit (押金) for each room. You can pay by WeChat at the time of booking or send money to: 62267855****88033.

A single room: ¥120 a night

A double room: ¥160 a night

On the morning of departure, please leave your room by 2:00 p.m. to give our workers enough time to prepare the room for the next visitor. We hope that you can leave the room as you found it.

There are ups and downs in life. Whatever the situation is, you shouldn’t lose your joy of life. Life is for a limited (有限的) period only and no one knows how long he/she will live, so why do you waste your precious (宝贵的) time in worrying about the things that are beyond (超出) your control? Be happy, and enjoy your life unconditionally (无条件地).

You enjoy good days but you also need to learn how to enjoy bad days, even enjoy your pain. In 2018 when I was in Geneva, Switzerland, I suffered (遭受) a sudden heart attack. My friends called an ambulance (救护车) and I was taken to hospital with much pain in my chest. Before reaching the hospital, I was exhausted (筋疲力尽的) with pain and was going to lose control of my emotions. Then the doctor in the ambulance said, “Don’t worry, you are in safe hands.” His words took away all my pain because I started realizing that it was no time to worry about pain and it’s time to be happy that my life was safe. At that time, I knew that in pain there is a hidden joy and whoever sees the bright side can enjoy pain. My pain turned into a joy which greatly helped me recover (恢复) more quickly than expected.

You not only enjoy success but you also need to learn to enjoy failure (失败). Failure provides you with a chance to benefit (受益) from so many choices you’ve made. Celebrating failure will raise your morale (精神面貌) and make you more powerful and determined (决定) to achieve success. We all make mistakes in life but only the brave people not only laugh at their own mistakes but also let other people laugh at them and then they reach success without any spiritual burden (精神负担). A person who learns from mistakes and knows how to turn the bad situation into his/her favor is the most wisest person and really enjoys his/her life.

My friend, Robert, has a twin sister named Amanda. Though they get along well, there are some things about Amanda and her friends that puzzle Robert. He can’t understand how girls can talk for so long. For example, sometimes when he leaves home to play football, Amanda and her friend, Sharon, are sitting on the sofa, talking. When he comes back three and a half hours later, they’re still sitting on the sofa, continuing the same conversation on the same topic. One day Robert was so curious that he asked Amanda what they talked about, but she replied, “We’re best friends. We talk about almost everything—film stars, pop songs, recipes, everything!”

Boys and girls have different attitudes towards friendship. Friendships between girls are usually based on shared feelings and support, but friendships between boys are based on shared activities or interests. A boy is likely to be careful about sharing his feelings with his close friends. A girl’s closest friend, however, might be eager to tell her about something that has happened in her life.

Many studies worldwide show that girls have more friendships than boys. In fact, many teenage boys cannot name a single best friend. When asked, they hesitate before answering, “My best friend? I can’t think about that. I am busy with my homework, and I have so many different friends that it is hard to choose just one best friend.”

Girls who have been asked can usually answer the question without pausing, “A best friend? Of course. We have a lot to share with each other. We do a lot of things together such as talking and shopping.”

We have to realize: boys share activities, while girls share feelings. The qualities that boys and girls consider important in a friend seem to be the same, regardless of (无论) the basis of these friendships. The important thing to remember is that both of them are friendships. We all need friends in our lives.