“Hi, Mom! I am busy with my work these days. So I’m not going back home on May Day.”

“Not coming back again?” Mom was really sad.

“Well, I have to spend much time ________ the way and I can only stay at home for one day at most. Then I have to hurry back… ” I was trying to explain. “Then stay there. Absolutely (当然), it ________ all the way,” my mother was comforting (安慰) me.

“Okay, Mom! Take good care of ________.”

After I hung up the phone, I felt uneasy. Since last May Day, I hadn’t seen my mother for a whole year. Last time, my mother early prepared ________ while I was leaving home. The bus slowly ________, and my mother got farther and farther from me. I looked out of the window and saw my mother running after the bus for a long distance ________ my bus completely disappeared out of her sight. When I was thinking of this, my tears (眼泪) fell down. At once, a decision ________—Go Home!   

My sudden arrival surprised and pleased Mom. She gave me ________ big hug, and tears of joy came to her eyes. “Son, ________ now? Sit here for a rest. Dinner will be ready soon. Have you got used to life there?” Mom said as she was walking towards the kitchen. From then on, no matter how busy I was, I made time ________ home to have a look.

Yu Yi is an amazing teacher in elementary education. When she was just 15 years old, her father passed away. But her mother still ________ her to go to school and become a teacher.

After graduating from Fudan University’s Department of Education in 1951, Yu Yi started her teaching career. She gave her whole ________ to her students.

One of Yu’s teaching moments became very ________ all over China. In 1977, she taught a poem called The Song of the Suormy Petrel on live television. People were so excited to see her teaching on TV because it was ________ and interesting. It was like nothing they had ever seen before!

For Yu Yi, teaching the Chinese language wasn’t just about learning grammar and vocabulary. She wanted her students to become real people and to ________ critically (批判性地). Her ideas were ________ good that they were included in the curriculum standards (课程标准) for all students.

Yu respected every student and tried her best to connect with them through her teaching. She was always ________ ways to improve herself. Even after teaching for over 60 years, she still felt there was room to grow and learn. Yu ________ taught the same thing to different classes with the same teaching plan. Every time, she added ________ new and exciting. In 2019, Yu was honoured (授予) “People’s Educator” in China. It showed what a deep ________ she had on her students and the education system (系统).

The two sessions (两会) opened in Beijing on March 4th. What are the most important things when it comes to managing a country? Students at home and abroad spoke up and shared their thoughts. It was a lively and interesting discussion. Here are three of the students’ opinions.

Rule of law (By John Brown, 16, New Zealand) The rule of law means everyone follows the law, making society fair. What’s more, it can protect the freedom of all people. With the rule of law, the government helps people trust each other, businesses can run safely, and the rule of law is important for economic (经济的) growth and social order. It helps countries grow and develop.

Education (By Zhu Yuhan, 17, Washington) Education is key to a country’s strength. It allows people to find solutions to big problems. By working together and thinking openly, educated people can create a better future. The best way for a government to keep doing well is to find and make use of smart people.

Putting people first (By Cai Luoyao, 14, Beijing) There is an old saying in China: People are the base of a country. A well-developed government needs to take action to provide people with a better future. Since the reform and opening-up (改革开放) in the late 1970s, around 800 million people haven’t been poor anymore. This shows the country’s tradition of serving the people.

It was a sunny Sunday noon. Pinky and Chotu were getting bored. Just then Chotu remembered his remote control car (遥控汽车). Looking for the car, Pinky found an old thing which was like the remote of Chotu’s car.

Chotu touched the button. They both felt dizzy (头晕目眩的)! When they woke up, they were astonished at things around them. Everything is strange!

The two of them stood in front of the huge doors—green, blue and red in color. They didn’t know which door to enter. At last, they chose the blue door.

The door opened. The place was so empty. No sign of people, and it was all deserted. When Pinky turned her head, she saw a big monster (怪物). They started to run and the monster ran after them.

Soon both of them were so tired that they couldn’t move any more. They looked closely at the monster and saw that it was made of junk, electronic waste and all kinds of garbage....

“Please don’t do anything to us, ” begged Pinky.

The monster said loudly, “I am the GARBAGE monster! And I was created by you—the humans. You threw all your waste on the earth, polluted its beauty, and cut down trees. And here I am, as the result of all your behavior (行为) and carelessness. ”

Both of them lowered their heads in shame. Suddenly a strong wind blew and pulled both of them back to their room. Chotu and Pinky realized that they had actually traveled to the future.

“Wasn’t that very scary, Chotu? ”

“Of course! We should do something to save our earth. ”

The careful use of lecture videos could help people study more efficiently (高效地), said by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

According to a new study,     51     even better. Watching lecture videos at an increased speed more than once may even lead to improved learning and higher test scores compared to watching once at normal (正常的) speed.

The study, done by UCLA’s Department of Psychology, put students into groups and asked them to watch lecture videos at different speeds without taking notes.     52    

The test results showed little difference in scores between students who watched the videos at normal speed and those who watched at up to double speed——    53     It means that students can save half of the time when watching videos.

    54     Because students who watched videos at two-and-a-half times the normal speed had lower test results. It was also found that watching the videos twice at double speed produced higher test scores compared to students who watched the videos just once at normal speed.

Nowadays, many countries use remote learning, including video lessons. And     55     the UCLA study suggests that, if video lectures were used in a right way, they could actually help make studying more efficient.

Lixia is also called the Start of Summer. It is the     61     of the 24 Chinese solar terms (节气). And it falls on May 5 this year. It symbolizes (象征) the passing from spring to summer.

With the heat of summer, plants and crops will begin to grow faster. So     62     are always happy to welcome the arrival of Lixia. This is the     63     time of a year to plant early rice in the southern part of China. Plenty of old Chinese sayings are     64     to warn people not to be lazy during this period of time.

In China, people     65     the day of Lixia in different ways. For example, in some places people cook “Five-Colored Rico”. Usually, it is made from five kinds of beans (豆) —mung bean, red bean, yellow bean, black bean and green bean. It stands for     66     good wishes for a colorful life. People also have the custom of eating some different kinds of     67     fruits and vegetables. On the day of Liria, children will wear a bag with an egg around their necks in some areas. This is believed to help keep them safe and     68    . Other traditions of Lixia include the singing of beautiful folk songs. And people also weigh     69     on Lixia. When the summer passes, they’ll weigh themselves again to see how many pounds they have     70     during the hot season.

Ni Nan is a ninth-grade student in Sunshine Middle School. The following picture is his biology homework this week.

81. “中小学生心理健康日”就要到了, 为此你校英语角开展了主题为“Speak to your heart”的活动, 鼓励同学们敞开心扉, 分享自己的心理成长历程。请你根据以下提示内容, 写一则英语通知, 号召大家积极参加此次活动。

Notice

Hello, everyone. The Mental Health Day is coming. There will be wonderful activities for you to take part in.

Anyway, the activities are helpful and interesting. Come and join us!

The School English Comer

April 29, 2024