It’s a problem that many teenagers have to deal with. It is lack of (缺少) confidence. Lacking confidence is a _________ thing. It robs you of changes in life. It wastes your time. It causes feeling that hurt you.

If you are someone who doesn’t have_________ in yourself, take this chance to _________ the way you look at yourself and the world.

You are a human being. You have strengths and you have _________. You have talents and you have faults. In this way, you are just like everyone else. You are just as good as other people.

Maybe you are looking around, thinking,“That can’t be right. He has so _________ natural athletic talent, and she’s so smart.” It may be true. But what you are also thinking is, “And I have none of that.”

But there is only one real difference _________ you and them. They have found and accepted and started showing their talents, _________ you have not. You need to learn to accept. Accept that things go _________. They go wrong for you but they also go wrong for other people too. It happens to _________.

Confident people dig through problems, rebuild and move on. ____________ people just can’t get out of it. So look at your potential(潜力) for success in the future rather your failures. Then you’ll feel confident!

Once upon a time, there was a king who was known for his justice(公平) and kindness. In his kingdom, no one was_________. His people ___________him and were proud of him.

On day, the king decided___________a palace on the riverbank. He asks his minister(大臣) to start the work. After___________months, the palace was ready. But the minister___________a hut(棚屋)just a few steps away from the palace gate. “ What is this hut doing here?”the minister shouted ,and added,“and___________does it belong to?”

“Sir, it belongs to an old woman. She has been living here___________a long time.”, replied a laborer.

The minister walked up to the hut and spoke to the_________ “I want to buy your hut. I will pay any amount,” he said.

“I am sorry, sir. I cannot_________your offer. I lived in it with my late husband and I want to die in it,” the old lady said.

The minister tried to tell her that her hut would spoil(破坏) the beauty of the new palace. But the old lady refused to______________her hut. The matter was then taken to the king.

The king thought for a while, and then said ,“Let the old lady have her hut where it is. It will only add to the beauty of the new palace.”

School backpacks have been a hot topic in China recently. Some Chinese parents buy hardcover school backpacks from Japan, although they can be as expensive as 5,000 yuan, according to Chinese newspaper Urban Express. These backpacks are popular because the hard cover helps hold books in place. This can help kids keep their balance and protect their spines（脊柱）. But it turns out that the bags can barely fit in the students’ desks.

A good backpack is important for children’s health. “It can relieve(减轻) pressure from the shoulders.” says Dr Rob Danoff from the US. He also says students need a backpack that’s made for the child’s size. Cushioned(加垫的)backs and shoulders straps(带子) will help them avoid pain.

However, the biggest problem for school backpacks is that they are too heavy, noted Hou Weiguang, a doctor in Chengdu. In China, students have too many textbooks and exercise books. The weight makes many kids suffer from side-bending(侧弯的) spines, Hou said. He suggests that a backpack should be no more than 15 percent of a child’s body weight to avoid pain or injury. That means if a student weighs 50 kg, the backpack should be less than 7.5kg.

Parents need to make sure their kids only carry what they need. Schools and governments need to help too, added Zheng Yongshun, an education official from Hong Kong. He said schools should offer lockers(储物柜) space and shared books so kids can carry fewer books.

When I was young, after church on Sundays, we would always have a delicious Italian dinner at my grandmother’s house. My grandmother’s slow-cooked sauce(酱) was the key. We would all eat, talk and laugh until our stomachs were full. After mum and grandfather passed away, my dad would still make the sauce from time to time and invite me and my brother over to his little house for a dinner full of fine food and happy memories.

When my dad died, he passed the family recipe(食谱) on to me and my daughter. We often made the sauce for dinner, but for some reason it never tasted quite right. At first, I thought we had gotten the recipe wrong, but one day I realized what was missing. On that day right before dinner, I closed my eyes and imagined my dad, mum and grandmother all sitting at the table around me. Then I placed the pasta on my fork and slowly put it in my mouth. It tasted perfect. From that moment, I realized the secret was, of course, what it had always been: Love!

The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and communication means(工具).   Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.

Man has been polluting the earth. The more people have, the more pollution becomes. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true.

Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.

Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.

Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO₂ is now the most dangerous kind of pollution, it is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.

The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must pay attention to the rise in pollution at the same time.

Not every parent looks for the day when their child goes off to school. In fact, some parents are not sending their children to school at all. This is called homeschooling. In the United States, only about 3 percent of children homeschooled.

There are some reasons why some parents choose to homeschool. Some parents do not feel their children are safe in school because of bullying(霸凌). Other parents feel that public schools are not good enough. Homeschooling is also seen as a choice for families that live in rural areas, or families that move often.

Being homeschooled doesn’t mean a student cannot go to college. Most colleges accept homeschooled students. It is important and necessary, however, for students to create a portfolio(作品集) to show what they have learned.

61. 假如你是李华，给留在安徽过寒假的英国朋友Jack写一封电子邮件，告知其目前新型冠状病毒肺炎的形势，请他注意防护。要点如下：

I’ve learnt that you are spending your holiday in Anhui.     

Hope you are always in good condition.

Yours,

Li Hua