【推荐1】Once upon a time, there lived a teacher in a small town. He often taught his students in special ways. Once he sent four of his students to go to a small farm to see apple trees in different seasons. The first student went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer and the last in autumn.

After the four students came back, the teacher called them together. They pictured their feelings to the teacher. The first student said there were no leaves on the trees. It made him very disappointed. The second student said his eyes were full of light green. It made him feel hopeful. The third one disagreed, “What are you talking about? How pretty the trees were! The sweet smell of the beautiful flowers spread here and there.” The last one shook his head. He only saw a lot of apples on the beautiful trees.

The teacher smiled and told his students none of them were wrong. They each just saw one season. He continued, “The trees are not the same in different seasons. You can’t judge a tree but only one season. Don’t let the regret of one season destroy the beauty of the rest.”

Everything has different sides in our life. Don't hurry to make a conclusion（结论）before seeing the whole of it.

【推荐2】A general was going to fight a strong enemy. He had only one-tenth the number of men the enemy had. Therefore, the soldiers were worried. They didn’t think they could possibly win. The general thought for a while and then had an idea. He told his soldiers that they could win the fight only if they followed his new plan. However, his soldiers doubted whether he could come up with a plan that would be successful.

On the way to the battlefield, the general stopped at a temple and told his men, “After my visit to the temple, I will toss (投掷) a coin. If it comes up heads, we will win. If it comes up backs, we will lose. Destiny (命运) holds us in her hand.”

The general went into the temple and wished for victory. Then he came out and toss a coin in front of his men. The coin came up heads. The soldiers were amazed and thought they would win the coming fight. They fought hard and won in the end.

“No one can change the hand of destiny,” one of his men told the general after they won the fight. They believed that the gods themselves had planned for them to win the fight all along.

“In fact, it was not like that,” the general said, taking out the coin. The soldiers walked up to see what it was, but only saw a coin with heads on both sides. The coin toss might have been “fake” (假的), but their confidence and bravery were still real. “_________________________”, they learned an important lesson.

When Jason’s parents saw him for the first time, they were shocked(震惊). This lovely little baby was born disabled(残疾的). But soon the young couple accepted this fact. Jason’s arms are just half without hands and his legs aren’t fully grown either.

At the age of six, he told his mother he wanted to get down from the prosthetics(假肢)and play with other kids. This was the last time Jason had worn them. He now has an electric wheelchair(轮椅), but he never uses it at home or when it is easy for him to move using only his body.

Jason learned handwriting and coloring at school, holding the pen between the ends of his arms. He also learned to eat with forks at home. When he was ten, he fell in love with football. He never had a pair of shoes in his life because of the shape of his feet. He only wore socks on the football field. He never won a match, but he refused to give up. His strong arms and body, as well as some fantastic ways made him a respected(受尊重的)player on the school team. He went to a famous university after high school.

Now Jason still faces many hardships in life, but he will make you believe that you can do what he has done. “Never be afraid of any difficulty”, Jason often encourages others in his speeches.

Do you know about Huaguxi? It is a kind of music form that started in Hunan. Some other provinces (省份), like Hubei, Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi, also have Huaguxi.

People could watch Huaguxi as early as the Qing Dynasty. At that time, most of the Huaguxi players were farmers. They dressed up in colorful clothes and painted their faces. They always sang songs and danced along the street to celebrate some special festivals, like the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival. They were popular with the people in the countryside.

During the early 19th century, there were only two roles in Huaguxi: chou and dan. Chou is a male clown (男丑角) and dan is a young girl. Both roles were played by men. In the 1860s, Huaguxi added a new role: sheng (a handsome young man). In the early 20th century, women began to play in Huaguxi.

The early Huaguxi lasted only 45 minutes to an hour. And most of it was about the life of the farmers. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, some Huaguxi groups moved to Changsha. There Huaguxi developed quickly. Now Huaguxi has more roles and can last two to three hours. 人们可以享受不同种类的故事。

For fans of traditional culture, the film I Am What I Am（雄狮少年）, which was first shown in the cinema on December 17, 2021, can be a good choice. The 104-minute film has connected the lion dance culture with a teenager’s pursuit（追求）of his dream.

Set in Guangdong Province, the film is about the growth of a left-behind teenager named A Juan. He met a girl who had the exact same name. Encouraged by her, A Juan made up his mind to form a lion dance team with his two close friends A Mao and A Gou. After being trained by a master, the three took part in a lion dance competition in Guangzhou. Although later A Juan had to work to support his family, he still bravely followed his dream—becoming the best lion dancer.

“It opens a new world for China’s animated film,” said an animator. Unlike most Chinese animated films today, which have to do with myths（神话）or fairy tales, I Am What I Am sets eyes on reality. This is not very common in the animation field in China. “I’ve always wanted to make an animated film about our real life. And I remembered the lion dance performances at festivals. They were so beautiful, colourful and folk. That inspired me to make a film about lion dance,” said the director.

The film has got high marks on different websites. Although (B) its story is not perfect, many people are deeply moved. It shows not only the beauty of Chinese culture but also the spirit of the nation, according to CCTV news.

A

There are four key skills to study English: listening, speaking, reading and writing. First, we should be ready to face some　　1　　to talk with others in English. By doing this, we can improve our speaking and listening skills. Second, we should try to listen to all kinds of English　　2　　as much as we can. In this way, we can quickly make our　　3　　better. Third, we should often read English books. When we come across a new word, we should guess　　4　　meaning through the context first, then look it up in the dictionary　　5　　. Fourth, we should get the pen and write it down at once. As long as we listen, speak, read and write more, we are sure to make great progress.

（B）

American country music begins in the south of America. American country music is mainly about things that are common for everyone: feeling alone in the modern world, the value of having good friends and so on. During the 1950s, American country music has been enjoyed by more and more people. The in the 1960s many young students were angry with society, so songs

were often full of anger. Political leaders were not well thought of and those songs often made fun of them. Country music today keeps much the same as before. One subject to which country music often returns is “the good old days”. In “the good old days”, people thought well of each other. People loved life in the open air. They believed that the best things in life were free: sunshine, laughing, walks in the beauty of the country, friends and music.

( C )

Steve Jobs was the father of the personal computing time and the founder of Apple. In1997, AppleⅡ was invented. This production was the first personal computer that was popular around the world. In 1998, Apple introduced the all-in-one iMac computer. The iMac became the first machine, which had only a CD-ROM slot(CD光驱接口). By 2010, Steve Jobs was confident. The world was ready to have a tablet (平板) computer that would be great for watchingmovies and playing movies and playing games. The touch-sensitive(触摸感应) iPad is a wonderful success. IPhone 4s appeared on the market on October 4, 2011, in the USA. It looks like iPhone4. But it has a larger and wider screen and a better camera and faster speeds. His Apple products were like songs that touched people’s hearts and changed our lives. They are the symbol of a new age of mobile phone.President Obama said that Steve Jobs made computers personal, and that he put the Internet in our pockets. Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56, after a very long fight against cancer. Millions of people worldwide felt sad. Once he said, to live is to change the world. Now though he passed away, he is still changing the world. Steve Jobs is not only a full of wisdom but also dares to create new things.

【推荐2】Living in another country

My name is Brad Li. I’m here today to tell you about my experience as an exchange student in the United States last year!

I stayed with a host family in a small town. My host parents, Mr and Mrs Hurst, were very (A) kind. They organized a lot of activities for me in my spare time so that I wouldn’t miss home (B) ________feel lonely.

However, to a certain degree, life in the US was hard to get used to. My main problem was with the language. I failed to understand much in the first few weeks because (C) 每个人都说得太快了. Though I soon managed to get used to it, I still had problems because they used a lot of idioms. For example, they often say they are “under the weather” when they are ill. (D) Their everyday English is not the same as what we learn in China.

Another difference was the food. My host family always had bread, potatoes and salad for meals. I really missed the dumplings, rice and delicious dishes from home. School was a big shock too. They do not require students to wear uniforms, so students can wear almost whatever they like. Some students have strange hairstyles (E) as well. Some students even have pink or purple hair!

Anyway, I have many great memories of that year, especially playing in the snow in winter, and playing baseball. At Halloween, I went to a party dressed (F) ________ Harry Potter. At Thanksgiving, we had a big dinner with a huge turkey.

It was an exciting year, and it was a valuable education for me. Now I understand more about American culture.

“It is never too late and you are never too old to start something new!” says English town student Ellen Rema. Ellen began to learn English at the age of fifty, and in just a few years, she has made great progress!

Ellen chose to study on English town because no evening classes were offered in the German countryside where she lives. At English town, she has conversation classes online and speaks with native（本地的）English-speaking teachers.

“English town is a wonderful place for study,” she says. Ellen began with the first level of English town and quickly progressed. “I ①________ hours and hours studying,” she says. “Maybe I wanted too much in a short time. I finished all my courses after two years.”

Instead of ②________ up, she chose to continue. After another two years on English town, she’s still studying in the online classroom. “Studying online is never boring, but you need practice, practice!”

Ellen says studying English isn’t all about hard work. It should also be fun. “I really like the online conversation classrooms,” she says. “I have learned so much ③________ other cultures and traditions.”

Ellen has been able to put her English to use by visiting England five times! “I’m very thankful to English town because my life has improved because of it,” Ellen says.

【推荐1】It is never too late to change. If you want to improve your study, these good habits will help you.

Communicate with your teacher

Every successful relationship is built on clear communication. The student-teacher relationship is no different. Miscommunication is one of those things that can cause bad grades, although you have made good efforts （努力）. At the end of each day, make sure that you understand your homework.

Set up a study area at home

Spend time knowing your real needs and planning for the perfect study place. Make sure your study area is comfortable. It is very important to set up your table and chair in a comfortable way. Next, stock （储备） your study space with all the tools you’ll need, like pens, pencils, paper, dictionaries and math tools.

Prepare yourself for examination days

It is certainly important to study for exams ahead of time. But there are also a few things you can do to improve your performance on the day of the exam. Prepare physically and mentally （精神上) for the testing environment to perform well. Eat and drink wisely on the day of the test. Make sure you don’t go into the test hungrily. Don’t forget to wear a watch. You’ll need to keep an eye on the time while you’re taking tests.

Take care of yourself

Some of your personal habits might influence your grades. Are you feeling tired or bored during homework time? You can change your grades by practicing a few good homework habits. You can also change the way you feel by taking care of your mind and body.

Hope the above will help you a lot.

【推荐2】Many students are looking for ways to improve their understanding of something that they’ve learned. Some get used to discussing it with classmates while some try to do plenty of exercises by themselves. Only when meeting difficulties will they turn to teachers for help.

So, are there better ways? Sure. One way is to try teaching not as a job, but as a way to improve your own learning.

In the 1980s, Jean­Pol Martin, a French teacher, developed the “Learning by Teaching (LBT)” method. It’s a way of teaching that asks students to teach each other. The study shows that when students actually teach the content (内容) of a lesson, they will develop a deeper understanding of the material. Because they have to remember the knowledge they’ve learned before teaching. This way may improve your learning by teaching.

The other way might be to teach your family or friends around you. Try to make your lessons simple and clear. After teaching, record what they don’t understand. The process helps you realize what you need to improve and what is the best you’ve done. Then, you’ll have a direction in learning.

Another idea is to join in the group. When a teacher arranges(安排) a task to every group, like making sentences with new words. When you finish, you can teach your partners how to use these words. It’s believed that your ability will get improved a lot in this way.

Also, creating a simple scene, just like a show, is also a good way. Because you completely know every step, when you tell others how to do it, your ability get improved again.

Thus, teaching means learning. So, why not give teaching a try?

Every English learner needs to know how to ask for something in English. There are a number of ways to do this. If you know someone has something, you can ask for it with a polite question. If you don’t know, it’s possible to ask for something with a yes or no question. Be careful not to use the direct expressions. In other words, don’t say “Give me that”, but ask kindly as the following examples, “Do you have a pen I could borrow?” “Is there any wine?” “Did you buy any bread?”

If you know or see someone has something, ask a polite question with “could”, “may” or “might”. It’s also possible to use “can” in some special situations. In the past, “can” was not used when people asked for something, but meant ability. In the UK, people mainly use “Can you lend me…?” or “Can I have…?”

It’s common to use “Could you lend/hand/give…?” You can also use: “May/Can I borrow…?” “Could/Can you lend me…?” “May I have…?” “Could you hand/give me…?” Do not begin a sentence with “please”, but you can add “please” at the end of the sentence to be polite.