Did you watch the opening ceremony (开幕式) of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 at the National Stadium in Beijing? It is totally different from that of the 2008 Summer Games. Because there were no stars, no famous people or professional (专业的) performers. Just common people showed the world who they are.

“It is time to show a modern China and common Chinese people, especially the younger people, to the world instead of always paying attention to the country’s 5,000-year history,” said Zhang Yimou, director of the opening ceremony. He also directed the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games ceremony. It offered people a look of China’s ancient and wonderful history.

At the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, there were about 3,000 people from all walks of life. More than 90 percent of them are students between the ages of 5 and 25. Did you remember the children singing the Olympic Anthem? They were primary school students who came from Fuping, a small county in Hebei. Many live in villages and their parents are either farmers or migrant workers. It was the first time the 44 little singers had left home to perform in Beijing. Although most didn’t have any singing experience, their songs touched people’s hearts. It will be a meaningful experience for their whole lives.

Besides, square dancing is a popular national activity in China, where it’s seen as a form of daily exercise. So the square dancers from the ages of 5 to over 70 performed in the 30-minute warm-up show before the ceremony.

From the opening ceremony, the world got to know a modern China and the lives of common people. There were no famous performers, but everyone was sincere and wore a big smile. That warms people’s hearts.

You sometimes feel so close to your friends that they are like family to you. Why? A study by professor Diego has found you and your friends have more genes (基因) in common than strangers do. Maybe this gives you the answer.

Researchers looked at the genes of 1932 people and compared them in pairs of friends and strangers. They found that friends have one percent of genes that match.

“One percent may not sound like much to laypersons (外行), but to geneticists (遗传学家) it is a huge number,” Professor Nicholas said. “In fact, this is the same amount (量) of genes you share with your fourth cousins, those who have the same great-great-great grandparents as you.”

So is it a coincidence (巧合) that you become friends with people who share your genes? Not at all. “People who share certain genes also share skills and have similar likes and dislikes,” researchers said. In ancient times, it was important that people who were similar stayed together. For example, people who had a similar sensitivity (敏感性) to the cold were more likely to help each other. They would make a fire to give themselves a better chance to live. Researchers also found that among all the genes studied, those influencing the sense of smell were the most similar in friends. This is probably because people who smell things in the same way are more easily drawn to similar environments.

Based on the findings, the team has developed an interesting test called the “friendship score”. It can calculate how big the chances are that two people will be friends by studying their genes.

So, here is a question for you: Would you like to take this test to know who your friends are going to be?

A large number of young people are influenced by all kinds of choices today. This can be a good thing, but it can also lead some young people to experience “mental internal friction (精神内耗)”.

Experts regard “mental internal friction” as the confusion (混乱) that happens when people have to change their thoughts in order to move “old ideas” to “new ideas”. They have to ask themselves such questions as “Are the new ideas good?” or “Do they fit me?” It is certainly not easy to discover the answers to these questions, especially when you’re still too young to have enough life experience to make proper decisions.

But don’t be disappointed—there are some suggestions that can help you reduce your “mental internal friction”. First, be consistent (始终如一的) with yourself. To this end, you will always need to check yourself. As the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle put it, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”. You have to honestly think about your own personal habits, and even fears and worries. Second, develop new interests. A friend of mine decided to learn about Beijing Opera. He said that learning about “old things” made it easier for him to deal with the “new things” in modern life. And the third thing you can do is to spend time with nature. Being with nature helps you to know yourself and forget the stress of your “mental internal friction”.

What is happiness? Everyone usually     41     (have) his own idea. I’d like to share some of my     42     (story) with you. I feel happy when I am with my family. My parents give me a lot of support. They never compare me     43     other kids. For me, happiness is having a loving and caring family. I also feel happy while trying to help others. Last week I visited a special school for students with weak sight or hearing loss. It is difficult for     44     (they) to write and read pinyin, so I taught these students     45     to pronounce and write. First, I     46     (write) down “a, o, e…” on the blackboard. Then I taught them to read.     47     (three), I corrected their mistakes when they practiced. For over three hours, I repeated the same work, but I didn’t feel tired. My efforts     48     (final) paid off. As     49     old saying goes, “The rose is in her hand, the flavor in mine.” For me, happiness means being     50     (help) to others who are in need.

56. 俗话说：“没有规矩不成方圆。”请你根据下面的提示内容，围绕“Family Rules”这一主题写一篇英语短文。

(2)How do you feel about the rules?

Family Rules

As a country has its laws, a family also needs rules.