2. —Where did you go during your winter holiday?

—I went to Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, to ________ the beauty of the ice-and-snow world.

3. —Too much work has made me tired these days, Mrs Li.

—I know. But a small tree won’t grow into a big one ________ it experiences lots of winds and rains.

4. —Congratulations! Your team won the game at last.

—Thank you! We ________ lost it, but we tried our best until the end.

6. —Mum, shall we take a camera for our camping trip?

—No. We only need to bring some ________ things, such as food, water and clothes.

10. —Thanks very much for your help. It’s very kind of you.

—________. I believe everyone will do the same as me.

Once in a physics class, the teacher asked students, “Why do we have brakes (刹车器) in our cars?” Soon, different answers were given by the students. A student ______ and said, “Sir, to stop the car.” Another student replied, “To reduce and control the ______ of the car.”

After a while, the teacher said, “You are right. But in my opinion, the brakes make us be able to run ______.”

Hearing this, there was deep silence in the class ______ no one has imagined this answer. The teacher continued, “If your car has no brakes, how fast are you ready to drive? It’s the brakes in the car that give you the ______ to drive faster and make sure you reach the destination (目的地) safely.”

______, there are many “brakes” in our life. For example, our parents may not allow us to do what we want in life. We think they get in the way of our ______. But what if we see them as our supporters? Sometimes, we have to ______ and think twice, so that we can take a big step.

In fact, we should be ______ for the “brakes” in life. We could lose the right direction or get into dangerous situations ______ them. Therefore, we need to understand that the “brakes” in our life are to make us move forward faster.

It can be hard for many people to stop using Douyin, a video app. They spend much time on short ____ from the app. To help its users better manage their screen time, Douyin is adding new functions(功能) to ______ people to take breaks.

One of those functions is to let users limit(限制) their screen time. Now, this function is further developed. Users can ______ the time they can spend on the app in a single day. Once their screen time adds up to the limited time, they’ll get a ______ —It’s time to take a break!

Cutting down on screen time can help in many ways. Less screen time brings better sleep and more ____. Keeping away from the screen also lets you enjoy the ______ life. People can exercise and spend more time with friends and family.

To ______ your screen time, you need to know how much time you’re spending in front of the screen. Another ______ function of Douyin helps with that. It’s a screen time page, which tells users how much time they spend on Douyin each day and each week.

“Having a good ______ with digital devices(设备) isn’t just about screen time,” said a Douyin leader. “It’s ______ about how we use technology.”

Are you ready to manage your screen time?

根据对话内容，从选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，其中有两个为多余选项。

Lucy: Hi, Brady. What’s that in your hand?

Brady:     31     You know it is the Year of the Dragon this year.

Lucy: Wow, it looks beautiful.     32    

Brady: I learned to make paper-cutting from my grandma.

Lucy:     33    

Brady: People in China often put them up on the doors, windows and walls to make their houses more beautiful.

Lucy:     34     I love these wonderful paper-cuttings. Can you teach me?

Brady: Sure. I often make them in my free time.

Lucy: What do I need to bring?

Brady:     35    

Lucy:That’s cool. I can’t wait to make paper-cutting.

Your life looks bright. . . or does it?

Are you optimistic (乐观的) or negative about your life? What do you do when you have negative feelings? You can share your own story in the comments (评论), and we will give the best gift to the person who gets the most likes.

Ruby: March 13, 15:00 p.m.

In the past, I thought that nothing would go right for me. However, last year I changed this by talking to my teachers and friends. It was really helpful. I also have lots of hobbies like playing the guitar.

Share 115                       Comments 66                    Likes 90

Adam: March 13, 17:26 p.m.

I hold the record for being optimistic in my class. I am cheerful about life. For me, the best way to be optimistic is to stay away from the negative things in my life.

Share 95                       Comments 30                         Likes 110

Alex: March 13, 19:17 p.m.

I used to be negative. But I changed because of keeping a diary. It is a good way to let me calm down. When I read my diaries, I feel proud of my changes and feel better.

Share 265                      Comments 180                       Likes 390

Linda: March 13, 20:45 p.m.

I am an optimistic person. I look forward to each day when I wake up. It’s a relaxing way for me to do sports. And if that doesn’t work, I will enjoy interesting movies. It’s easy to feel happy when you are laughing.

Share 135                       Comments 96                      Likes 173

Few words are spoken more often every day on the streets of Britain than “I’m sorry”. This saying has become such a common response (反应) that it has taken on a lot of meanings.

Saying “sorry” means to apologize (道歉). This is easy to understand. We learn it both as a native (本土的) speaker and as a student of the foreign language.

But in Britain, it takes on another meaning. It is a cultural expression. Imagine this: a man walks down the street, looking down at his phone. A woman is walking in the opposite direction, towards the man. She sees him, but she can’t get out of the way in time. The man knocks into the woman. Who should say sorry? Naturally, the man should say sorry, because it was he who wasn’t looking where he was going. Yet in Britain, it is common for both to apologize.

It is known that British people, like most people, do not enjoy conflict. So to quickly calm the situation, British people will apologize to each other.

Other times it may sound funny to hear “sorry”. Some of my friends say it at restaurants, as they ask the waiter, “Sorry, but can I order another drink?” It is not to apologize, but just to express that they need the waiter. In Britain, “sorry” doesn’t always mean exactly what you think.

In recent years, many schools in China have had high-tech changes. They have turned from using “old-school” multimedia (多媒体的) tools to AI technology to add value to student learning and life at school.

At Tianjin Eco-City School, the Chinese tech company iFlytek’s smart school system (系统) makes learning a full experience. In science classes, students use VR glasses to learn about what’s inside a rocket and how it is sent up in a computer game.

For P.E. classes, Yuwen School in Wuhu, Anhui, has used self-testing tools with AI visual analysis (视觉分析) technology for activities such as standing long jump, sit-ups and so on. With facial recognition (面部识别) technology, students can get voice reports and results on how they did right after each exercise to improve themselves.

As well as learning, students can also enjoy meals made by smart dining halls. In June, 2023, Yingkou No. 1 Middle School introduced a smart dining hall with an “online meal choice and facial recognition meal pickup” system. To meet the different needs of students, the dining hall offers over 400 dishes, with six to seven choices for each meal. Parents and students can choose meals at home from the online system. It helps the school plan and prepare meals, cutting down on food and kitchen waste.

It was a spring afternoon. My classmates and I were playing happily in the playground when I cried, “Ow! Something in my shoe is biting me.” Everyone was shocked. They helped me sit down and were about to take off my shoes. “Which foot is it, Anna?” one asked.

Suddenly, I remembered the holes in my socks. My family was poor then. I wore cheap welfare (福利) socks, and those socks didn’t last long. They soon had holes at the bottom. I refused to take off my shoe. I couldn’t stand others seeing the holes in my sock. I tried to hold back my tears (眼泪).

Soon Miss Diane came, “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Something is biting her foot, but she refused to take off her shoe,” one of my classmates answered.

Miss Diane lived next door to me. She knew everything about my family. She held my hand and looked into my hopeless eyes. “Oh, yes, it must be a sock-eating ant,” she said as if she had already seen the ants. “I got bites from those ants. By the time I got my shoe off, the ants had eaten almost the whole bottom of my sock.”

Miss Diane took off my shoe and sock and shook them. Two red ants fell out. “ ▲ The ants have eaten part of her sock.” When she put an alcohol (酒精) cotton ball on the bites, she added, “You are such a brave girl to take so many bites.”

The alcohol felt cool on the bites and a little girl’s pride was saved by the “sock-eating ant” story.

An elephant was standing near a tree and picking leaves. A small fly came, flying and buzzing (嗡嗡叫) near its ear. The elephant waved it away with the big ears. Then the fly came again and the elephant waved it away once more.

This happened several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, “Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can’t you just stay in one place?”

The fly answered, “I’m interested in whatever I see, hear or sense. My five senses, and everything that happens around me, pull me in all directions and I cannot resist (抵抗) them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?”

The elephant stopped eating and said, “My five senses do not rule me. They do not tell me what to do. Instead, I am in control of myself. So my mind can stay calm and still. Now that I am eating, I am completely enjoying eating. In this way, I can just focus on enjoying my food.”

It is true that the mind is restless and pays attention to whatever is in front of it. But if you can control what you pay attention to, you can control your mind.

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