March 16 is National Panda Day in the United States. Last year, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, DC, used the day to celebrate the 50th anniversary (周年) of the first two giant pandas coming into its care. The celebration would last six months.

In 1972, the US president (总统) Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, made a historic visit to China. On her second day in the country, Pat went to the Beijing Zoo to see pandas. At a dinner before they left China, Zhou Enlai told Pat that China would give away two pandas to the US. (A) This surprised her and made her very happy. The pandas, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing arrived at the National Zoo on April 16, 1972. They lived there for more than 20 years, and died in the 1990s.

A new panda couple, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, arrived at the zoo in 2000. They still live at the zoo with their child, Xiao Qiji. The couple’s other three children, Tai Shan, Bao Bao and Bei Bei were returned to China.

Usually, the workers of the zoo visit their Chinese partners several times a year to share information about pandas. Chinese experts also go to the US. During Covid-19, (B)   they communicated with each other through messages and video calls. It has been as good as it always is, as they have had a good relationship for many years. They hope the program will last at least 50 more years.

Pat and her ________, Richard Nixon visited China in1972, and the first pandas Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing ________ the National Zoo on April 16, 1972. Then in 2000, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived at the zoo. The couple have ________ children. The workers of the zoo hope the program will last at least 50 more years, as they have had a good relationship with their Chinese partners ________ many years ago.

2 . Shandong pancakes are well-known as a kind of traditional food. Xu Haixia, a 53-year-old pancake maker in Mengyin County of Linyi City, can turn them into beautiful artwork.

Xu has been making pancakes for 15 years. So far, she has made 50 kinds of pancakes with different colors and tastes using dragon fruit, peaches, pumpkin and other fruits and vegetables. She can even make pancakes into shapes of over 10 kinds of flowers.

Four years ago, Xu got the idea of making pancake flowers. In the beginning, her family were against the idea because it was not easy to fold pancakes.

But Xu didn’t give up. To learn more about the shapes of pancake petals (花瓣), she went to parks to study real flowers. She tried hundreds of times to discover the perfect moment to fold a pancake into a flower petal. “We need to fold the pancakes at a special time when they are not too dry or too wet,” Xu said. After more than three months of work, day and night, the shapes of the pancake flower petals became better.

Xu’s business is going well as she continues to develop and present new pancake products. During festivals and holidays, Xu and some villagers have to work long hours. The pancake business she runs now provides jobs for more than 30 women villagers. “It’s good for those who need to take care of the elderly and children,” she said. “They can stay at home and come to work when they have time.”

3 . The smog weather has been effecting (影响) many people recently. Many people live in the polluted areas. They can’t get out of their houses without wearing masks (口罩). Since the winter last year, the smog has occurred many times. It has done great harm to our daily life. Many traffic accidents happened just because of the heavy smog weather. More and more people have to go to see a doctor because of the illnesses caused by the smog.

People have realized the importance of protecting the environment. People all over the country are taking steps to reduce the smog weather. The government suggests people go to work or school by bike or by bus.

It’s our duty to protect our environment. So we should plant more trees to reduce the pollution. Our government should make a law to stop the factories from polluting the air and the rivers. It is very important to protect the environment. If everyone keeps the environment clean and tidy, the earth will become more and more beautiful.

A farmer had four lambs (羊羔). One was black, and the other three were white. The black lamb was friendly to the others. But the white lambs often laughed at (嘲笑) him. They thought he was ugly (丑陋的). Also, the farmer did not like him. He gave (给) bad food to the black lamb.

One winter morning, the four lambs went out to eat grass. They went far away from home. In the afternoon, it began to snow. It was such a heavy snow that the ground (地面) became white soon. They couldn’t find their way home.

When the farmer found that the lambs were not at home, he went out to look for them. There was snow everywhere (到处). So it was difficult for him to find his lambs. Suddenly, he saw something black. He went to it. Oh, it was his black lamb! And the white lambs were there, too. The farmer was very excited. He said happily, “Thanks to the black lamb, I can find you!”

Anne of Green Gables has been a favorite book of teenagers all over the world since it came out in 1908. It tries to teach us how to grow up to be a happy and useful person.

Anne is an 11-year-old girl who has no parents and arrives in the town of Avonlea, Canada. She helps Mathew and Marilla Cuthbert, a brother and sister, on their farm.

At first, Mathew and Marilla hope to adopt (收养) a boy, not a thin girl. Will she be of any use on the farm?It seems unlikely: Anne is very creative, talkative and easily distracted (分心的). That’s not what is needed on a farm.

However, she tries her best to prove (证明) herself. On the one hand, she works really hard. On the other hand, she doesn’t lose her great sense of fun and this is why readers love the story. She doesn’t become “a good girl”, if “good girl” means knowing only how to work but live unhappily. We see Anne’s love for life everywhere. She knows how to enjoy herself, whether it’s by eating ice cream or trying on a new dress.

Many stories for children are written to tell them how to be good. Usually, it means doing one’s work but not having any fun. That’s not the kind of story Anne of Green Gable wants to tell. The book gives readers a helping hand rather than try to scare them into being “good” girls.

8 . Many children had their birthday parties at home. In the past, the parties were usually just for children. Parents would leave their kids at the party. When the party ended, they took them home.

But now, it is becoming more common (常见的) for all of the parents to stay at the party, too. The kids play games there and parents can talk with others.

Kids and parents like different kinds of food. So when parents come to a child’s birthday party, usually these food is for them, like cheese, crackers (薄脆饼干) and fruit platters (水果拼盘). At the same time the kids often enjoy hot dogs and potato chips.

Party games are not just for kids, either (也). The children play games like Winner, Chicken dinner. The parents may dance or play card games.

Parties are fun. But some parents may drink too much in front of the kids. It’s bad for the kids if they learn from them.