Girl Power

Boarding (寄宿) school has been great!

Yesterday, we were required to watch a speech to prepare us for our year-end examinations. It was a video recording of a young Pakistani woman speaking in front of a huge crowd of more than 500 United Nations’ student representatives (代表) - including youths from European, African and Asian countries-on her 16th birthday in 2013. The woman’s name is Malala Yousafzai.

The Taliban took control of Malala’s city in 2007. When they banned (禁止) girls from going to school in 2008, Malala fought against it and dared to speak out, even though she could get into trouble. From time to time, she wrote diary entries (条目) for the BBC. The New York Times also did a documentary (纪录片) on her. They were helpful in showing the world how terrible it was living under the Taliban. This made Malala an important public person.

In 2012, the Taliban dealt with her by shooting her in the head. But Malala lived. In her speech, she said, “They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed.” She survived and now fights even harder for education for all children. There was huge applause (掌声) at the end of her speech.

Malala has refused to stay silent. Today, she has been interviewed countless times and even has a day named after her. Malala Day, as declared by the United Nations, falls on the 12th of July. It is a day to remember the most powerless (无力的) girls from all over the world. Malala is a huge influence and is also the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

I used to think speeches were just words! But hearing Malala has encouraged me to become a teacher! I hope you’re proud of me.

Emily

Laughter is the best medicine

Have you ever heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine”? Is it true that the more we laugh the healthier we will be? Lately, many scientists have been doing research on this topic. They have found that laughing is very good for you. To start with, people who smile and laugh a lot make friends easily. Wouldn’t you rather be friends with somebody who makes you laugh than with someone who makes you cry?

Besides, if you laugh often, you decrease (减少) the chances of falling ill or getting heart disease. Laughter sends a happy signal to the brain, and it gives off chemicals that make people less stressed. That’s why watching funny movies make people happy. When you laugh, it takes the weight off your shoulders and gets rid of negative (消极的) thoughts and feelings. Stress creates lots of health problems in the body and can make you fall sick easily. Laughing also helps us breathe better, and it can have the effect of exercise on the body.

Feeling happy and being positive (积极的) are very important for the mind and body to stay healthy. What does it mean to be positive? To have good thoughts and find the best in every situation even if it is bad. For example, if your teammate makes a mistake and lets the team down in an important sports game, rather than telling him that it’s his fault and being hard on him, give your team the courage to pull together. Even if you are disappointed, being able to see mistakes as a learning opportunity and working as a team will make everyone do much better in the future.

So what should we do with this information? We should set a goal to make our family and friends smile and laugh every day. We should also try to be positive in everything we do. The more positive you are, the more positive people around you will be.

Name a Star

Are you tired of shopping for presents? What can you get someone who has everything? How about surprising them with a star: Every star is unique (独一无二的), and so is your loved one.

Name a star for your loved ones! Stars have been around since the universe (宇宙) began. Everyone has written about them, from ancient people to modern scientists. Some kings and queens believed that stars were _________. They made decisions by looking to the skies, Some people believe that stars influent our dreams.

Since 1975, we have named stars _________ presidents, famous actors and singers. For only seventy dollars, you can go online at “Be a Star” and get a beautiful certificate (证书) with _________ of your star. While you can’t visit a star, you can find it using its location, a map and telescope!

With your gift, you will also get information on famous stars like Polaris, the North Star and Sirius, the Dog Star, which is the brightest star in the sky. Some stars are part of groups like Orion and the Big Dipper. Others come in many _________-white, orange, yellow and even red! White stars are usually the hottest and brightest, but some red stars are closer to the Earth, so they _________ bigger and brighter.

If you like, we can send you a photograph of the star for $30.00. If you want it framed (有外框的), that will cost $15.00. If the person receiving the star likes to dress up, we have _________ a star necklace. It costs $50.00 and is made of silver. Also, we have prepared a book about stars. It is $40.00.

We can send your gift anywhere in the world! Even if you move countries, you can always find your star _________! Just visit our website, “Be a Star”!

Life decisions

Peter is twelve years old, and he’s a talented (有天赋的) artist. Ever since he was two, Peter spent hours drawing. As he got older. Peter learned to paint and now he wants to be the next Picasso! Peter’s sister. Molly, loves d    52    . She’s only nine, but Molly has already decided to go to dance school and became a ballet dancer.

Peter and Molly’s parents don’t know what to do. They want the best for Molly and Peter, but they don’t a    53     on how to do it. Mother thinks children should be allowed to make their own decisions. She was a good musician and wanted the chance to go to a music academy, but her parents didn’t support t    54    . She attended a four-year college and gave up music to learn law. So she wants to give her own children a choice.

Father doesn’t think that children should be allowed to attend s    55     arts schools right after high school. He says children should be educated at a four-year college. Many artists have difficult lives, and father didn’t want the children to have any regrets. If the children let their dreams get in the way of a traditional education, they may find it difficult to manage their lives later on.

When father was a teen, he didn’t want to go to college. He wanted to become a professional athlete. He was pretty good, but his parents believed he shouldn’t be allowed to skip college. So he went to college, studied P.E. and joined the track team. One day as a senior, he was running and he fell. He hurt his knee b    56    . His dream of being a professional athlete was o    57    . But he is thankful he had his education to back him up. Today Father is a P E. teacher and track coach.