1 . Matthew is a middle school student. He is interested in literature (文学) and hopes to be a writer. He spends much of his time ________. But he has a problem. He has few friends.

One day, when Matthew walked out of the library, he saw two ________ sitting under a tree outside. One boy said to Mathew, “Take your coat.” The other boy asked.“Do you want to go to Nate’s Restaurant with us?”

“Sure!” Matthew said. He ________ to be friends with them.

Mathew and the two boys walked to the ________. They had pizza. The food was delicious. They ate, talked and laughed. Mathew had a ________ time.

One of the boys said, “Let’s leave without paying.” Matthew didn’t want to. ________ he thought his new friends wouldn’t like him if he didn’t.

As they were leaving the restaurant, the waiter shouted, “Stop!” The two boys ran, leaving Matthew there ________.

Soon, the police arrived. “Leaving without ________ your meal is the same as stealing (偷).” said the policeman.

Matthew said, “I am ________ for what I’ve done. Now I know that real friends won’t ask you to do anything wrong.”

The policeman made Matthew pick up rubbish as a punishment (惩罚). Much to Matthew’s surprise, ________ he met some new friends.

Tony kept his eyes on the grounds. It was the ________ day of his life. He kept thinking that he missed the ball. He had let his whole team lose. His stupid ________ made himself angry. He was really ________ that his coach might ask him to leave the team.

When he got home, his feeling was written all over his face. “What’s wrong, son?” his father asked. “I lost the game.” Tony answered. Then he went into his room. Ten minutes later, ________ he was sitting in the chair and thinking, his father came in.

“Tony, don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“I lost the game, Dad. I couldn’t help my team in the game. ________ will probably never let me play again.”

“Football is about ________ work. You’re not the only reason your team lost. Besides, winning or losing is only half the game. Another half is to know how to talk with your teammates and ________ your mistakes.”

Tony thought about his dad’s words ________. The next day, Tony went to football practice. “Hey, guys,” he said to his teammates. “I’m really sorry about yesterday. But I think if we keep practising together, we’re going to ________ the next game.”

To his surprise, his teammates all ________ with him.

“Yeah,” they said, “Don’t worry. It’s never just one person’s problem. We should think about how we can do better next time.”

3 . The most positive (积极的) person I have ever seen is my dad! He is so positive that I do not _________ hearing a single word from him which is related (相关的) to hopelessness!

Unlike most mums and dads, my dad never says things that make me feel _________. He is always there to give me encouragement and help. _________ I do wrong things, he always tells me what’s right in a positive way. For example, if I am in _________, he often tells me to open the books he bought me. Then he asks me to read the _________ that can help me with the problems I’m facing. After that, we have a _________ together.

Even though I’m not always a good kid, my dad _________ shouts or gets angry with me. I know that he’s _________ a day—a day when I grow up and understand things in my life.

I can see the reason that he is so positive because he believes in _________. And he believes that whatever _________, it is under control. So we have nothing to worry about. Be positive!

4 . A long time ago, there was a seed (种子). Because he was only a seed, _________ noticed him. So the seed thought he was not important at all in the world.

One day, a wind _________ the seed and threw (扔) him on an open field. Later, he was given the water on rainy days and the _________ on clear days. They helped him grow. Years later, he saw a tourist sitting by him.

“Wow, how lucky I am! I can have a break _________ a tree on such a hot day!” the tourist said.

“What are you talking about?” the seed quickly asked. He thought what the man said was not true, _________ no one ever spoke to him like that.

“_________ is speaking?” the man asked.

“It’s me. A seed.”

“A seed?” The man looked at the big tree. “You are a big tree!”

“Really?”

“Yes! People often sit here to make themselves _________ when they are hot. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that.”

The tourist’s words made him happy. The seed thought and _________ for the first time in his life. The years of torture (折磨) by the sun and the rain helped him _________ become a big and strong tree. “Oh! That means I’m not a little seed any more! I didn’t know that I was born to make people feel __________. Wow! That’s great to be helpful.”

5 . Carlo had a dog called Jock. Jock was clever. _____ could do something Carlo taught it to do, such as carrying a lantern for Carlo or his family at night. The roads in the town were not very ______ for anybody to go out without a light at night. So Jock always _____ a lantern for Carlo at night. Jock always stayed close to Carlo so the _____ of the lantern could help Carlo go home safely.

Carlo worked in the town, _____ he lived about two kilometers from the town. When Carlo couldn’t get home before dark, his wife would _____ Jock to him with a lantern.

“Come on, Jock, go for Carlo!” When Jock heard this, it _____ listened and left quickly with a lantern. Jock knew _____ to go because it knew the road Carlo would take. But Jock did not always find Carlo at once. When it went to the town, it would run off to a _____ Carlo was often in. It held the lantern and knocked on the door with its paws (爪). Then it would shout as if (似乎) to say, “Here I am, Carlo! Are you ready to go home?” Sometimes someone would come to the door and say, “Carlo is not _____, Jock.” Then Jock would run to one house after another, till it found Carlo. Then the two went home together.

Traveling can be a great way to enjoy life during Spring Break. There is a one-week ______ in the US. Do you have enough money for a trip as a student? If not, don’t worry. Here is some advice:

Save: Save money for traveling. Spend your money ______ and you will have more choices about where to go and how to get there.

Plan first: Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip ______ the price of the tickets may be higher that time. It’s better to book the tickets ______ for yourself.

Do some research: After you decide where to go, ______ some information about the places you will visit. Besides, travel books will ______ you useful information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.

Travel in groups: If ______ is interested in visiting the same places as you, ask him or her to go with you. By traveling with others, you can share not only costs but also experiences.

Go somewhere else: It’s ______ to go to famous tourist cities. You may think about your trip again and go to a less famous place. It will cost ______ less in smaller towns.

Use the ______ : The Internet can help to save money. There are some useful websites such as www. travelcity. com and so on.

Bill was a popular student at school. He played basketball well. He liked singing. His favourite subject was history, and he was ______ very good at maths and science.

One day, a new boy named Harry came to the school. He was a little ______. He didn’t like school and he didn’t do his homework. He barely (勉强) passed his tests, ______ he was good at playing the drums. So he joined the ______ club. Bill was there too. Soon Harry and Bill became very close friends and they were together all the time. The teachers worried that Bill would behave like Harry.

Then one day, in a history class, the teacher asked a question, but all the students just sat in silence. The teacher ______ for a while and was ready to give the answer. Suddenly, Harry put up his hand. He knew the answer! Everyone got ______.

In the following months, Harry’s marks became quite good, and everyone found that he ______ a smart student. Harry said that his friendship with Bill ______ so much to him. He told Bill, “I need to change, and being ______ friend gives me a reason (原因) to do it.”

We can learn a lesson from this: The power of ______ is great. It can make a difference to people.

Emily has always loved reading. She used to be very shy. She ________ talking to others. So she turned to ________. In 2019, her dad got sick. It was very serious. Books became an even bigger comfort for ________.

Emily’s dad got better. And she came up with a plan to ________ others.

Emily started a book drive in her hometown. She ________ books. She took them to ________ being cared for in hospitals. ________, she has collected more than 10,000 books.

Emily and her father are very close. When her father learned of her plans for the book drive, he wasn’t surprised. “She was always interested in books,” he says. “________ she always wanted to do things for the neighborhood.” Emily runs the book drive herself, but she gets some help from her ________. “We do the driving,” her dad says.

Emily still runs the book drive. The memory of meeting the children she helps sticks with her. “It was the ________ day of my life,” she says. “I realized I wanted to do this type of work forever.”