A Musical Astronaut

Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big dream—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to _______a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them were sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really make them _______. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement(地下室), a kitchen, and even in a shower. However, there was always someone it would annoy(打扰). To practice as much as she could, Brenda spent most of her time playing on books and boxes, and looking for new places to practice.

One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she _______ that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.

With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda _______ a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out(吸出)all the air inside. Only a set of drums and a chair would be _______ inside the bubble. Brenda also made herself a space suit. She put on the suit, entered the bubble, turned on the _______, and played those drums like a wild child.

Soon Brenda Bongos became very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Then she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. As her fame(名气)spread_______, the government suggested that she should be part of a special space journey.

Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first dream of playing drums in a band.

Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: "If those old people next-door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a(an)_______, and none of this would have ever happened. "In the face of difficulties, Brenda showed her kindness, she worked hard and never stopped trying.

Interesting Festivals in the World

	Tuna(金枪鱼)Throwing Festival—Australia The Tuna Festival celebrates a good fishing harvest. It is on January 26 in Port Lincoln, Eyre Peninsula. The most exciting part of the festival is a special competition—the tuna throwing. It attracts a lot of local people and tourists to take part in and watch.
	London Pillow Fight—England London Pillow Fight happens on the first Saturday in April. It is a good way to deal with the pressure(压力). So ladies and gentlemen in London are turning to pillow fights to relieve their stress（减压）. Once the fight begins, the pressure is gone
	Ottawa Winterlude(冰雪节)—Canada Winterlude is a festival that celebrates winter. It usually starts in February and lasts for three weekends. Winterlude is a very large festival of outdoor activities including public skating, music concerts, largest ice playground, and so on.
	White Squirrel(松鼠)Festival—America White Squirrel Festival usually comes in May in Brevard. It's a festival for some special wild animals, the white squirrels. This fun street festival is a perfect way to experience two-and-a-half days of live music. Best of all, it's FREE.

I'm a girl, Rosie. Racing on the 1, 500-meter track(跑道), I'm so tired. I want to stop but a voice is repeating in my head, "No one knows what the result will be. Everything is still possible. "Today, I have to fight with myself.

Nine years ago, when I was a 6-year-old girl, my mother took me on a trip. We went to the foot of a high mountain which she told me that we would climb. I had never done this before and the thought of it made me very happy.

At the beginning, I was so excited, and climbed fast. But half an hour later, when I was thirsty and tired, I just stopped and sat on the ground, completely silent. My mom came and sat next to me.

She said, "Get up and go on!"

Crying, I almost shouted, "Never! It's too tiring and I am thirsty. I want to go back home now. "

Patiently she explained, "Listen, my dear. If you try your best, anything is possible. If you don't try, your dream will never come true. You will never know how beautiful the sights(风景) look unless you reach the top of the mountain. "

Hearing her words, I stopped crying and started to climb again. Finally I did reach the top of the mountain and enjoyed the fantastic view.

Today I'm on the racing track. I'm going to keep running because I know it's always valuable. And in the end I made it—I got through the finish line.

Although it was really difficult and I did not win, I did finish it. "Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined(命定的)place."

If you have ever had a cat, or have watched one of the many funny cat videos online, you'll know that cats have a mind of their own. A lot of the things they do are hard to understand—they like to climb up tall furniture, fit themselves in small spaces and attack(攻击) small objects for no reason at all.

Now scientists have managed to work out what exactly is going on in the brains of our little friends. According to Tony Buffington, a professor at Ohio State University in the US, cats' strange behavior(行为)largely comes from their way of life back in the wild. "Cats today still have many of the same natural abilities that allowed them to live in the wild for millions of years." he said in a TED Talk. "To them, our homes are their jungles(丛林)."

Cats' bodies and great balancing(平衡)abilities allow them to climb to high places to better look at the environment. Even though they don't have to hunt(猎食)any more in human houses, they still keep the old habit of observing the living room from, for example, the top of the fridge.

Cats' hunting abilities also make them attack small things like keys and USB drives.

In the wild, they hunt whatever they can get for food, and most of the animals they kill are small. However, a cat can also be prey. This explains why they like to stay in small spaces like drawers or washing machines—they are hiding, or they think they are hiding, from more dangerous animals. This is also why cats prefer a clean box: a dirty one with an unpleasant smell could easily show enemies where they are.

Knowing how cats' minds work is not only useful for better understanding them, it may also help cats' owners to better meet cats' needs. For example, owners could try to make climbing easier for cats by moving their furniture around. They could also use "food puzzles" to make eating feel more like hunting instead of just giving food to the cats.

Two friends ended their friendship because of an argument, even though neither one could remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in schools.

In fact, according to a report, violence(暴力) has become the greatest threat(威胁) to the lives of teenagers. Why not teach students to deal with conflicts(冲突) like the way to teach them to solve math problems?

First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school students shows that most violence between students begin with an insult (侮辱) which is not serious. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to conflicts. The problem isn't in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.

Since conflict is unavoidable, students can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution(解决): stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or she should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the emotional fire before it becomes out of control.

Listening could be the next step. It allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen carefully. After that, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to make the speaker's position easier to understand. Then the two people should change roles.

Finally, students need to consider what they are dealing with. This doesn't mean trying to work out what's wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue(问题)is and what both sides are trying to achieve. For example, the shouting match over a peanut after sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is refusing to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn't, careful thought helps both sides work out a solution.

There will always be conflicts in schools, but that doesn't mean there needs to be violence. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, and parents. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools.

Creating a Study Plan

Studying is important to students. But it is always difficult to find enough time to study every subject you need. So a good plan helps you to make sure of your success in study.

Then, how to make a study plan? Well, you can begin with listing all the subjects you need to study and make sure what you need to do for each subject. Next, you should decide how much time you should spend on different subjects. Now, it is a good idea to study at the same time every day. In this way, you actually have a plan you can remember easily. While arranging(安排)time for each subject, you also need to make sure that you still have time for family, friends and rest. This is because you won't be able to succeed in your studies unless you balance(平衡)your personal life and your study.

Once the plan is made, the next thing you need to do is to follow it. One of the greatest difficulties in following your study plan is that you will be tempted(诱惑) to avoid it and do something relaxing, or fun instead. Luckily, you can fight this temptation by taking breaks.

But be sure not to take extra breaks or too long breaks as it can affect(影响)your plan. So at the start of your break, set an alarm clock to remind you when your break is over. Also, you need to use your break wisely. For example, go for a short walk, eat a small snack, or listen to some music.

To avoid forgetting to follow your plan, try to get into the habit of looking at your calendar every day. Sometimes our plans are hard to follow because some important people in our lives distract(使分心)us from our goals. In order to avoid this, tell people in your life about your plan. Put up a copy of your study guide at home so you and your family can see it, and email a copy to your friends so they know when you have spare time.

39. 假如你是李华, 你们学校正在开展"中国传统文化"宣传月活动, 倡议大家制作关于中国传统节日的主题海报, 你们班交换生Peter给你发邮件询问相关事情。请用英语回复一封邮件, 告诉他海报上交的时间, 并分享你设计海报的一些想法。

I'm glad to receive your email. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If there is anything more that I can help with, please let me know.

Yours,

Li Hua

40. 在人生的道路上, 谁都会遇到困难和挫折, 只要勇敢的面对并且战胜它, 我们就是生活的强者。

某英文网站正在开展以"Dealing with Problems"为主题的征文活动, 假如你是李华, 请用英文写一封短文投稿, 谈谈你曾经遇到过什么问题, 你是怎样解决的, 以及你解决问题后的感受。

Dealing with Problems

People always have some problems in their lives. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________