One day, Miriam got a letter along with a watermelon seed from Uncle Esai. The letter said:

This is a magic seed for you. Plant it, and it will grant _______ three wishes. Remember to be patient: the world has its own rhythm.

Uncle Esai

Miriam thought, “A magic seed? Maybe it’s Uncle Esai’s _______, but why not have a try?” She planted the seed in the yard, and made her _______ wish, “I want the watermelon to grow as big as a mountain!”

The next morning, Miriam was very _______ to see a huge watermelon in the yard. She couldn’t believe it. “I must _______ it at once!” She hurried to cut the watermelon, but it was too hard. She became angry. “This is a silly watermelon! I don’t want it!”

Immediately the fruit became a seed again. Miriam _______ her second wish had been granted. “Humph! This is not fun!” she cried.

A few days later, Miriam found Uncle Esai’s _______ and read it again. She stopped when she saw the words “be patient”. How could she forget it? She rushed out of the door and _______ ran to the yard to find the seed. This time, she promised she would make the best use of the third wish.

She thought for a while. “I hope my _______ could spend more time together.” But her parents needed to work. How could the seed help? Although it seemed impossible, she still decided to ________ the seed with patience.

Miriam got some information about ________ to plant a watermelon, and then followed the steps carefully. When the seed turned into a normal-sized watermelon, she ________ it with her friends and neighbours. Everybody liked its taste.

Miriam’s family got the seeds ________ the watermelon and planted more afterwards. They were so delicious that the neighbours offered to buy some. The watermelons brought extra money ________ Miriam’s parents didn’t have to be away for work as much. They had more family time.

Miriam finally knew what Uncle Esai meant—be patient, and life will be as ________ as a watermelon!

Tina is a thirteen-year-old middle school student. Last year, she went to     1     summer school in France and stayed with a local family, the Truffauts.

At first, things didn’t go well     2     she couldn’t speak French. Simple things like finding the right bus stop became big problems. The Truffauts helped her a lot and treated her like part of the family. They played     3     (game) and shared traditional food with her. Tina was helpful as well. She did some housework with the family every day. On the weekend, she     4     (join) a community club and did volunteer work. For most of the time, she used body language to communicate. People showed     5     (they) thanks with smiles and she would always smile back. Language was not a problem     6     her any more. As a new member of the club, Tina     7     (invite) to have parties with the other members. Day by day, she made more friends. Tina began     8     (love) her new life. “A smile is a second language we were born to speak. It is also the best gift I have got,” she often said     9     (proud).

Smiles and a helping hand can always make people     10     (close) than a language can.

9 . WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL? WHY?

Matt loved science, and he wanted to be the Science Star of the week. Now he was presenting his experiment in Mrs. Perry’s class.

“Let me show you ________ to keep an egg in the middle of the glass.” Matt dropped an egg into salt water. But it fell to the bottom.

“Look, Matt’s blushing!” Coco shouted. Matt, covered ________ red face with hands.

That evening he ________ The Book of Wonderful Science Experiments. When it came to the last page, he smiled. “This is the right experiment ________ me! It’s impossible to fail this time.”

The next day in front of his class, Matt spread small pieces of paper onto the desk and rubbed a spoon with cloth. “The spoon will lift up the paper.” He raised the spoon, but ________ happened. The paper lay still.

“Matt’s blushing again!” Emily pointed out. Matt was ________ and ran back to his seat with his red face.

“Becoming the Science Star seems so ________,” Matt thought. That night he couldn’t sleep, “I have to make it, but the only thing I could do right was blushing.” … Suddenly, a ________ came to his mind.

The following morning, Matt appeared before the class again, ________ his Mickey Mouse ears.

“Mouse ears on the head are your ________?” Someone laughed and Matt’s face burned.

“No, watch my ________! Blushing is my experiment,” Matt answered. Everyone quieted down.

Matt continued, “When you feel stressed, your blood vessels in the face open wide and fill the skin with blood, ________ you blush.” He showed a picture of blood vessels. “I’ve ________ many times to control blushing, but now I know it’s a normal part of being human. So the best thing to do is to ________ it.” The class cheered and Matt’s red face lit up the whole classroom.

“Matt is the Science Star of the week,” Mrs. Perry announced. Matt walked ________ back to his seat. What a perfect day!