“Wanted: Violin. Can’t pay much. Call...”

That advertisement in the newspaper made me remember my childhood. I, too, had wanted a violin, ________ we didn’t have the money. Even though times were hard, I couldn’t wait any longer to ask. “Daddy, ________ I have a violin of mine?” Daddy’s face looked ________. But a few weeks later, Daddy went home, with a case in his hand, ________, “Mary, I found this second-hand violin for seven dollars.”

The day when I carried my violin to school for my first lesson, no one could know how________ I was. I practised, joined the school orchestra (管弦乐队), gave performances... Several years seemed to run even quickly and I found ________ in the first violin chair. More years ________, and my violin made every move with me, until one day, I carefully ________ it away.

Now here for this wanted advertisement, I discovered the________ deep in my closet (储藏室). I put it on the table. Then I picked up the violin, walked to the telephone and called by the ________.

Later in the day, a man of about 30 knocked ________ the door. “I’ve been expecting someone would ________ my advertisement. My daughter wants a violin so ________,” he said, examining my violin. “How much are you asking?”

I said, “Seven dollars.” “Are you sure?” he asked, as if he did not believe his ________. “Seven dollars,” I said again and then added, “I hope your little girl will enjoy it ________ I did.”

I smiled, but I found my tears rolling down my face.

A loud noise wakes Jan up suddenly. She looks at the alarm clock beside the bed.

It’s five o’clock. Then she hears the noise again. It’s thunder. Then she hears a different noise. It’s the sound of something hitting the window. She gets up and goes to the window. She can see Tom standing outside in the rain. He’s shouting at Jan to tell her to come outside.

Jan gets dressed, puts on her jacket and goes downstairs quietly, trying not to wake Tom’s parents.

“What are you doing, Tom?”

“The storm!” he says, “It’s the same storm as Thursday night’s. Let’s go to the tree. Maybe you can go home!”

Jan follows Tom down the road and then she remember s something.

“The time capsule (胶囊)!”

Tom shows her the biscuit tin under his jacket. “I’ve got it.” And now maybe there’s the possibility that she can return to the future. Soon they come to the river and then the old building. They run up the path through the trees and arrive at the piece of land with the apple tree.

“Now what do we do?” asks Jan.

“I put the time capsule back where I found it and…”

“And I go home.”

“Yes.”

Tom uses his hands to dig a hole by the tree. He buries the time capsule and then stands up.

Jan suddenly thinks of something. “Tom! I want to give you something from the time capsule.”

“No, I don’t want anything. It’s more important for you to go home.”

Jan feels sad that Tom doesn’t want anything to remember her. But he’s right. The important thing is to get home.

“I'm never going to forget you, Tom. Thanks. You’re a real friend.”

“I promise.” Then he turns and runs back to the trees. Jan watches his shadow disappear into the trees.

——The Time Capsule

①Walking slowly out of the classroom by himself to the dining room; taking his lunch; sitting and eating alone at a table of four seats, such moments are pretty normal to be seen on the 14-year-old schoolboy, Peter. He spends most of his school time on his own, which makes his parents worry about him so much.

②His parents’ worries are easy to understand. It is widely accepted that being alone is a symbol of being left out and can bring a lot of trouble. Most people believe teenagers who are usually alone do have few friends and are unable to fit in with other people. At the same time, they are at greater risk (风险) of having mental problems.

③However, a new study by some researchers at Wilmington College, shows that this may not always be true. Whether it is bad for teenagers or not depends on the reasons why teenagers are alone. If it is their choice, it may play an active role in their personal growth.

④According to their study, when teenagers choose to think alone, they put 100% of their attention into what is in their mind and are more likely to experience deeper thoughts and feelings than working with others. They may have a greater chance to create something new. In this way they can better develop their creativity (创造力).

⑤On the other hand, the ongoing noise children’s brains receive every day can put great stress on them and make it hard for them to focus. Being alone lets them shut themselves off from the noisy outside world and think about what’s best for them. Slowly they improve their ability to focus.

⑥As a matter of fact, our culture is always biased (有偏见的) against being alone. Maybe it is the right time for us to rethink about Peter’s situation before we say what’s happening to him.

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Villages in China have enjoyed their development in a digital (数字的) way in recent years. With the help of digital technology, villagers are living an easier and happier life.

   Farming in the past was not an easy job. Farmers worked hard all year round. At the same time, they usually found it difficult to solve problems like plant diseases and pests (害虫). Now, there have been big changes in farming. For example, in Dayi County, Sichuan Province, there are 13 digital farms with AI machines. These machines help local farmers know when and how to fertilize (施肥) and kill pests. In this way, they make farmers work more easily with less time and energy.

   Thanks to the Internet, a new business called rural e-commerce (乡村电子商务) grows. Selling fresh fruit and vegetables to cities is faster. In the past, it was hard for people in cities to know what villagers planted. Now, they can buy easily over the phones. The business also helps villagers live a digital life. They can get many things done on different kinds of apps. They can also use drones (无人机) to help with their farm work.

   More visitors travel in beautiful villages because of digital technology. A good example is Huacheng Town, Guangdong Province. To let more people know its culture and attract more visitors, it turns into a “digital town”. Visitors can know where to park their cars for free, when to book a ticket easily and what to buy online. They can also enjoy the view of nearly every part of the town by using VR.

Chinese people started to use hand fans over 2,000 years ago. Then, they were almost     56     only way to drive the heat away. The Chinese character for the word “fan” has the same sound as the character for     57     (kind). Thus, fans are believed as good luck.

The fans     58     (come) in different shapes and were made from all kinds of materials. Palm (棕桐) leaf fans were cheap and easy     59     (make). Feather fans showed the     60     (own) high position (职位). Sandalwood (檀香) fans could send out a sweet smell.

Later, hand fans became far     61     (much) than just something that could cool people down. They developed into works of art, in which tuanshan-round fans and zheshan-folded fans were the best-known.

    62     the shape of a full moon, the round fans mean union and happiness. They had beautiful embroidery (刺绣) featuring birds and flowers on them which are symbols of wealth and longevity (长寿). Women,     63     (especial) those in the imperial palace (皇宫), liked to use them. Such fans were very popular in the Han Dynasty (202 BC—AD 204). Folding fans were     64     (one) appeared in the Song Dynasty (960—1279) and became popular in the Ming Dynasty (1368—1644). It was a way for them to show off their skills in literature, painting and calligraphy (书法).

Today, though not many people write     65     paint on fans any more, Chinese people still use them.

76. 假如你是李华，你的英国朋友Alice想在五一节期间到你的家乡来游览。请根据所给的思维导图，给Alice写一封信介绍你的家乡并帮助Alice做好旅游攻略。

Welcome to my hometown on May Day.

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I’m looking forward to your coming.

Yours,

Li Hua