1 . The days of just teaching kids their ABCs are long gone. Modern educators are tasked with the seemingly impossible responsibility of ensuring that today’s youth are academically prepared for life outside the classroom: being self-aware, self-managing, socially aware, relationship-building and responsible decision-makers who positively contribute to society. That is quite an ask!

Social-emotional learning (SEL) answers this call and delivers upon this tall order. It is a method to improve students’ intrapersonal (内心的), interpersonal, and cognitive competence. This process improves individual students’ skills and makes for a community of successful learners willing and able to positively contribute to society. This theory truly allows individuals to develop well.

SEL has effectively predicted positive school adjustment in the school setting, promoted learning engagement, minimized discipline problems, increased high school graduation rates, and promoted future employment and adult health. A core component of SEL is helping children understand their emotions. Further, not only is it vital that youngsters can identify various emotions, but they must also be able to manage the emotions they experience.

Developing an identity is necessary for maturing adults, and SEL satisfies this requirement, In assisting students in developing their identity, SEL helps to increase self-confidence, self-compassion, identification of strengths and needs, and recognition of needs, values, and judgments.

In the classroom. SEL has been shown to positively impact students’ attitudes, behaviors, and academic performance. Further, it decreases negative behaviors, such as being off-task or aggressive, and substance abuse. SEL enhances the learning environment and makes it a safe place for learning.

Not only is SEL critical for students’ mental health, but it is also important for teachers’ mental health. SEL increases teacher-reported effectiveness for behavior management and decreases reports of teacher burnout. Ultimately, SEL creates a calmer classroom environment, which makes educating students much easier.

3 . When the host announced that my choir (合唱队) won the second place of the World Choir Game, I couldn’t believe what I heard. All the_________that we made was worthwhile. Through this unforgotten experience, I _________much.

In the semi-finals (半决赛), we were supposed to sing four songs. When we played the third song, I suddenly heard an unexpected _________— a girl in the alto (女低音) got quick. The other students in the alto were _________ by the girl and were getting quicker and quicker. Our choir’s leader, Mrs Li noticed it and_________used her hand to keep time, but she _________. After the song, the smile on Mrs Li’s face froze and some of our members turned and tried to find the person who first got_________. My mind was blank, but quickly I realized the only thing we could do was to _________the performance. Then with a smile, Mrs Li became a _________again, who seemed to have totally forgot what we had done. We sang the____________song as usual.

After the competition, I was disappointed. Just because of one person’s fault, the whole choir must afford the fact that we might lose the game. I cried, but then I found nothing would change no matter how hard we____________ the girl who played poorly.____________, I came to her, encouraged her, and practiced the whole melody with her. In the finals, we got the medal because of our____________performance.

Never blame a person when she makes a mistake, but help her to solve the problem when you are struggling____________the same goal. No matter what you will experience with others in the future, successes or failures,____________or tears, these will surely become your precious treasure and memory.

4 . Deveza’s mother was on the waiting list for a kidney transplant (肾移植). Deveza wanted to donate one of her own kidneys, but she was turned down because she might develop the same health problems as her mother in later life.

Deveza came up with a different plan. In 2017, she started the world’s first paired exchange of different organs between living donors, exchanging half her liver (肝) for someone else’s kidney. A case study of the organ exchange has now been published. And the surgeons who were involved are calling for more exchanges like this. “You can imagine the enormous impact for mixed organ extended chains,” says John Roberts, a surgeon at University of California, San Francisco.

Most organ transplants come from people who have died, but there are never enough organs. As most people can manage with just one of their kidneys, people with kidney failure are increasingly receiving donated organs from relatives or friends. If someone wants to donate but their immune (免疫的) system is unsuited, doctors may be able to find pairs of would-be donors who can each give a kidney to the other’s relative.

When Deveza was looking into such chains, she came across research describing the idea of trading a kidney with the only other organ generally taken from a living donor—the liver. She suggested the idea to many hospitals before she finally contacted Roberts, who saw the idea’s potential.

Deveza was assessed to be in good enough health to donate part of her liver. It then took 18 months to find Annie Simmons, in Idaho, whose liver was unsuitable to use as a transplant for her sister with severe liver disease. They drew up a plan: Simmons would donate a kidney to Deveza’s mother, and in return, Deveza would give half her liver to Simmons’ sister. The hospital gave the go-ahead and the four operations took place on the same day successfully.

The team hopes that the ground-breaking case will inspire more people to consider doing the same. Roberts says that direct exchanges involving two donors could enable up to thirty extra living donor liver transplants a year—a ten per cent increase.

8 . Albert was mad about computer games. He could spend hours in front of the computer. When people encouraged him to leave the screen to have a normal life, he would respond u this is my window to the world. There is much more here than you realize.

Among all his games, he especially liked a rabbit-catching game. He was a real expert at it. He once even won the champion of an online rabbit-catching competition.

One day, as usual, as soon as he got home, he ran to his room to play computer games. But this time he found the computer was not there. Yet in its place there was a box, on which a card said, “Gift for Game Winner.” When he opened the box, he found a real rabbit in it. His parents then came in to tell him that they bought him the rabbit in place of the rabbit game because his computer was sent for repair.

Albert loved the little rabbit immediately. He liked playing with it and even gave it a name. He studied its diet and habits. Days later, he actually began to enjoy the company of the rabbit. And he also enjoyed sharing his stories and his growing knowledge about rabbits with his parents, friends and teachers.

Now, Albert is no longer mad about computer games. He prefers learning and discovering new things about animals. He also uses the computer to do that. When someone asks him why he stops playing computer games,he points to his pet and says, “This is my window to the world. There is more than you realize.”

10 . When I was little, I often helped my mother plant our family’s garden. In April, I would kneel by Mum’s side for hours, carefully digging holes and ______ seeds into the earth.

When I grew up, I was unwilling to do any planting. ______, my mother never said much about my decision until two years ago. I was leaving home when Mum ______ me.

“Would you please help me with the planting today?” she asked, I mumbled (咕哝) something along the ______ of, “Uh, maybe … I’ll see. By the time I left the house, Mum was already in the garden. She ______ for a moment as I walked past, and from the corner of my eye I saw a certain ______ in her stare. A few hours later, I decided to head back home to help her and felt very _____   for my selfless decision. But I was too late.

I ______ little about that day until nearly a year later, Mum unexpectedly ______ her friend Sara to cancer. She went to see how the two children were ______ the sudden loss. There Mum learned the answer. “Mummy made me my own garden,” Rachel said ______, leading her outdoors to see the masterpiece. Sara had decided to plant her children something that would ______ long after she was gone.

As I listened to my mother tearfully tell Sara’s story, I realized the true ______ of a garden. Our annual planting was about kneeling together, planting potential life and creating the best ______ together.

I won’t ever ______ the planting day again.