The sweetest memory of my childhood is about a round table. When I was still little, my whole family always got together on different traditional festivals ______ dinner. We kids were sitting around or playing hide-and-seek (捉迷藏) under the table ______ the grown-ups were having a talk.

When I got a bit older, my aunt brought back her boyfriend and my grandma happily added ______ seat to the round table. It seemed a little more ______, but we all felt much closer to each other. When I was twelve, my grandpa ______. That made us feel sad. However, when the whole family ______ once again, we all agreed that his chair, his bowl and his chopsticks should remain the same. ______ his seat was empty, we felt like that he had never left us.

We all have a table like this in our families. It is a sign of reunion (团聚) of our family and it ______ our feelings. Although the reasons why we come together may be different, the feelings behind it are the same. The round table has been a ______ of the Chinese feelings. It was, it is and will ______ be.

As French author Andre Maurois ______ said, “Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles (颤抖) with the cold.” Indeed, loving families are ______ in life.

In my family, we all love each other, but even so, misunderstandings happen. One day, I was doing my homework in my room when my sister came in. ______ with homework, I didn’t talk to her and just ______ working. But when I took a rest, I turned my head to see my notebook had messy drawings on it.

I was ______ anger and shouted at my sister. “You are really a troublemaker, and I hate you.” Hearing the words, my sister began crying and tried to explain herself. But I didn’t want to hear it. The “silence” afterward ______ for a long time between us.

To solve the problem, my father asked, “Have you seen what the drawing is on your notebook?” I shook my head. Then, I looked at it ______. It said, “Happy birthday”.

At that moment, I realized how inconsiderate (考虑不周的) I was being. Though drawing on my notebook wasn’t ______, my sister’s love was sincere (真诚的). Feeling guilty (内疚的), I said sorry to my sister, and she ______ back at me.

After this, I knew that sometimes families have a few conflicts (冲突). But you shouldn’t take them to heart because they are between you and the people who love you ______.

【推荐1】As we know, COVID-19 has made our lives turn upside down. The situation is serious. We have to stay ________ every single day. Starting online classes is a big ________ because I can talk to my teachers and other students when we aren’t in the same room. But ________, I’m starting to get used to it.

Schoolwork is taking up most of my time here at home. But when I ________ breaks. I love to play board games with my family. Our favorite is scrabble（拼字游戏）.We ________ points by forming words from a set of tiles with letters of the alphabet（字母表）on them. It helps build up my ________.

We also like to play Battleship（《超级战舰》）.On ruled paper or a game board, we take turns calling “shots” at the other player’s ships. We must do it ourselves. No one can check their phones or ________ the TV during game time. My brother becomes more patient with me, as I like to take my time before each turn. Sometime, my mom has to ________ my dad to be a good loser, even though he is a grown-up.

Baking and ________ are always my favorite hobbies. I am trying out many new recipes. My family love the fun desserts and delicious snacks I cook, just as I love the ________ smell that fills the house!

【推荐2】You do not always need to have new things. Suppose there are_______in your socks, Mend (修补)them and wear them longer. You don’t have to have a new telephone___________the old one doesn’t work anymore. Think twice before_______something new.

When something you want is not_______look for something else that you have to_______the place of. Suppose you are preparing your lunch for tomorrow and want a butter sandwich._______, there is not any butter in your home. Have a cheese sandwich instead so that you can use all of the cheese. With a little thought only, you can make_______done instead of buying something new.

_______those things that you would like to have. Do you_______need them? How long will you play with the new toy? Make a list of things that you want. Delete(删除) the things that you don’t really need, so you can__________a lot money.

【推荐3】The worker who I asked to repair my house just finished a difficult day on the job. A ______ wheel made him an hour late. And now his old truck wouldn’t start. With each problem he ______ angrily, more at himself than at his things. As I drove him home, the man didn’t say a word.

I tried talking to the man to kill time. I ______ to find out he came here to find a job. He ______ here six months ago with his family. This was his first job since reaching here. He really needed the ______. His clothes told me a lot.

On arriving, to my surprise, he ______ me in to meet his family. As we walked through his front garden, he suddenly stopped at a small ______ and placed his hands on it. Then, when he opened the door, he completely changed. Instead of his troubled face, there was now a ______ smile, hugs（拥抱）for his two children and a kiss for his wife.

The following day, I asked him about the tree.

“That’s my trouble tree,” he answered. “Work troubles aren’t ______ at home with my wife and the children. So I hang them on that tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I ______ them up again.”

“And you know what else?” he said smiling, “The next morning I find that there aren’t as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”

Mark Lesine has been living in Beijing for the past 18 years. He is a song singer and song _______. He has written over 80 songs. The most recent one is called My China Surprise. In the song, he sings his true _______ in China.

Mark also teaches at the Minzu University of China. About 50% of the students _______ Chinese minorities(少数民族). Most of the time, through his students, he learns about their _______ traditions. “I am here as a teacher, but I think my students have taught me as ________ as I have taught them,” Mark said.

Mark has also seen some _______ in China over these years. When he first came to China 18 years ago, he _______ a lot of students unsure about their future. But now to his _______, they become confident. For example, years ago, a student went abroad for one year of study. After she came back, Mark had a _______ with her. She said, “Before, I learned to love China _______ it is my home, my mother country. But when I was abroad, the love ________. Now I love China more because of what China has _______ me with.” And Mark can see this confidence today in many Chinese students. They can see a much more _______ future.

“You can always find things that you’re not _______ and discover new things you’re able to learn. That’s perhaps the most _______ thing about being in China,” added Mark.

【推荐3】As a child, I was truly afraid of the dark and of getting lost; these fears were very real and___________ me some uncomfortable moments.

Maybe it was strange that things in my room often frightened me at night. There was never total darkness, but a streetlight or passing car lights___________clothes hung over a chair take on the___________ of a wild animal. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the curtains seem to move when there was no ___________. A tiny sound in the floor would seem a hundred times ___________than in the daylight. My imagination would ___________ wild, and my heart would beat fast. I would lie very still so that the "enemy" would not discover me.

Another of my childhood fears was that I would get lost,___________ on the way home from school. Every morning I got on the school bus right near my home. That was no ___________. But after school, when all the buses were ___________up along the street, I was afraid that I’d get on the wrong one and be taken to some____________ neighborhood. On school or family trips to a park or a museum, I wouldn’t let the leaders out of my ____________.

Perhaps one of the worst fears of all I had as a child was that of not being liked or____________ by others. Being popular was so important to me____________, and the fear of not being liked was a powerful one.

One of the processes of growing up is being able to recognize and____________ our fears. Understanding the things that frightened us as children helps us ____________greater success later in life.

Students like vacations. But last week, I asked some students what they did last summer vacation. Their answers ________ me a lot. Some said they just stayed at home and played computer games all day. Some said they had many classes in the summer school. And many students ________ thought their vacation was really boring. The summer vacation this year is coming soon. Do you want to have a better one? Here is some ________ for you.

First, find out what you are ________ in and join some clubs. Next, it’s just right for you to ________ some time and money on some trips. Learn to be ________ when you meet new friends. If your parents take you to another country, ________ to learn a second language. Take some photos of the beautiful places along the way. Finally, ________ to finish your homework on time and try to learn your new ________ in Grade Nine by yourself.

I am sure if you can make use of your time well and have a good ________, you will have a wonderful summer vacation.

【推荐2】The Spring Festival is the most important festival in China. It’s New Year’s Eve（除夕）. _______ people are staying at home. They are being with their _______. But Ms Wang is still _______. She is a policewoman and she works on the _______. It is a very busy job. During the Spring Festival, she is much busier（更忙的）. There are so many people _______ the train to go home. Ms Wang often _______ her New Year’s Eve on the train. At eight, Ms Wang calls her family. They are _______ Spring Festival Gala（春晚）. “Happy New Year!” her _______ says on the phone. “Mum, Granny’s dumplings are delicious. When you _______ tomorrow, you can enjoy them.” Ms Wang feels sorry for her family, __________ she can’t enjoy this important day with them. But she is also proud（自豪的）—she is a great policewoman.

【推荐3】Holidays in China

There are many holidays in China. Holidays are very fun. I can play with my friend _________________ holidays. January 1 is New Year's Day. I like _________________ shopping on that day. March 3 is Kites Day, I can _________________ with my parents. _________________ is International Workers' Day. We have Children's Day _________________. We _________________ in the school every year. We sing and dance. We are very _________________. Teachers 'Day comes _________________ September 10. We always give _________________ or cards to our teachers. October 1 is China's __________________. We often have a seven-day holiday.