We start to grow from the moment we were born. We keep growing and growing _______ we become adults. We become bigger, taller and _______.

As the age, important parts of _______ bodies change. Our bones (骨头) grow bigger and longer to make us taller and stronger. Our muscles (肌肉) are bigger in order _______ support our bigger bodies. Our skin (皮肤) also grows as our bodies get bigger.

While the parts of our bodies grow, they do it at different speed. For example, one’s nose might have finished growing, _______ the other parts of the face are still changing. Similarly, each child grows at his or her own _______. So we see children in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Not one of them is the _______ as another except for some twins. Some grow faster than _______, so they look bigger and taller. Some grow at a slower speed, and may be smaller and shorter.

Our genes (基因) also _______ how much we grow. It is hardly possible to have short parents for tall children. Parents who are tall are just unlikely to have very short children.

No matter how ________ and how much we grow, each person is different. That is the beauty of human growth.

As a saying goes, "Your tongue has the power of life and death." This means that your words have power to finally cause things to happen, even life or death.

We may all experience the power of words in our life, even when we were very young. A child is blamed (责备) by teachers or parents, and after that, he might probably think of himself as a bad child. Most kids have that experience. They say it is important to praise children four times for each bad word. Blaming will make things worse, while good words are helpful especially when being in trouble or in need. When we fail the exam, encouraging words from our teachers, parents or even from ourselves make us work harder at our lessons.

Encouraging words can go quite a long way. They lift people up. For example, encouraging words to someone who is sad can help them make it through the day. Words can have a powerful effect on your brain. And it will in turn (相应地) have a great influence on your action.

Everything you do depends on what you choose to do. It's not your parents, your past relationships or your job, but you and only you that are responsible (负责认的) for your dreams. If you have dreams in life, write them down and speak them out. Your words are likely to bring out something amazing.

It was a cold December evening in New York City, and my daughter and I were walking up Broadway. Nora noticed a man sitting inside a cardboard box in the roadside. She turned to me and said, "That man's cold, Daddy. Can we take him home?"

I don't remember my reply, but I do remember a sudden heavy feeling inside me. I had always been delighted(欣喜) at how much my daughter noticed in her world, whether it was birds flying or children playing. But now she was noticing suffering and poverty. She wasn't even four.

A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who offered meals to elderly people. The volunteers went to a nearby school on a Sunday morning, picked up a food package(包裹), and offered it to an elderly person. And we joined it. Nora was excited about it.

She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how valuable our job was.

When Sunday came, we picked up the package and phoned the elderly person we needed to help.

She invited us at once.

The building was dark. When the door opened, facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked if we would like to come in. Nora ran inside. I followed. The woman showed us some photos of her family. Nora played and laughed. I accepted a second cup of tea. When it came time to say good-bye, we three stood in the doorway and hugged. I walked home in tears.

Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something enjoyable that's good for yourself as well as for others? Indeed, the poverty my daughter and I helped lessen(减少) that Sunday afternoon was not the woman's alone—it was in our lives, too.

Today, with the development of society, people all over the world almost have the same hobbies and watch the same movies. In the East and in the West, social rules are not the same.

When people from the East meet you, it's common to ask about you age, your salary (薪水), and whether you are married or not. To people from the West, these are not polite questions. They think such kind of questions violates their privacy (侵犯隐私) .

Family is important for everyone. However, kids in the East live with their parents for a long time. They still listen to them after they grow up. In the West, independence (独立) is very important. After growing up, kids have to leave home. They don't have to listen to heir parents and can make their own decision.

In the East and West, people think differently, too. People in the West think about small details. They also think less and act more. However, the people in the East notice relationships between things, and they often keep their opinions quiet.

Do you know Dr. Zhong Nanshan?

He was born in October 1936 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. He is one of the famous medical     56     in the 21st century. He studied at a high school in Guangdong in 1953 and graduated from Beijing Medical College in 1960. In the     57     Chinese National Games, he won the gold medal of the men’s 400m Hurdles and set up a new record at that time. In the spring of 2003, SARS broke out in China. He not only led but also     58     an active part in the fight against it. Seventeen years later, Dr. Zhong Nanshan, at the age of 84, is still encouraging all Chinese people. When COVID-19 appeared, he still fought against it and tried     59     best to find the medicine. No one really knows much about COVID-19, but Zhong Nanshan worked hard day and night, treating the patients with other doctors and nurses.     60    , he and his workmates have brought it under control. Through their hard work, we strongly believe we can get the victory in this fight.

In Hainan, people from all walks of life are trying hard to help build the Pilot Free Trade Zone. As teenagers, __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I believe we teenagers can also make a difference in building the Pilot Free Trade Zone.