2 . My favourite book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, talks about a formula called “SFF” which stands for “stopping finding fault”. I used to be a critical person and tried to find fault. I guess I somehow inherited this character from my father. Actually, many good qualities of my father are worth admiring except this.

My father is a person who constantly looks for mistakes in other people and he thinks no one is perfect in the world. His character created a negative atmosphere in my family. I was the same as my father, so I often felt angry, disappointed, depressed, and lonely in school.

After I had read my favourite book I began to seek “good things” in other people. It has completely changed my life. Now I feel happier, I have more friends, I have more trust in people, and I realize everyone has his own strength! Another important lesson I got from this book is that I should always behave myself in a positive manner. Let's admit that we sometimes complain about our situation. That's not good. Believe it or not, people don't like to listen to negative opinions.

One more valuable lesson I got from the book is that I should be a good listener. When I was younger, I only wanted people to pay whole attention to my words so that I could show them how important I was. I was very proud and would show off my achievements in school without considering others' feelings. I had very few friends and most people considered me as an arrogant person. Now, I find it much easier to make friends after making some changes!

3 . A Teacher’s Lifesaving Call

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Julia Koch began what was only her second year as a first grade teacher in a virtual classroom.

One September afternoon a few weeks into the school year, she received a call from Cynthia Phillips, who was having technical difficulties with her granddaughter’s tools for online learning.

Koch immediately knew something was wrong with Phillips. The two women had spoken numerous times before, but Koch had never heard the grandmother sound quite like this. Her words were so jumbled that Koch could barely understand her, though she was able to make out that Phillips had fallen four times that day.

Koch called her principal, Charlie Lovelady, who assured her that he would call and check on Phillips himself.

Just like Koch, Lovelady could barely understand Phillips. He suspected she might be having a stroke—he recognized the signs from when his own father had suffered one. Lovelady was able to make out the word “kids” and immediately became concerned that Phillips’s two grandchildren, aged six and eight, were probably home alone with her—she   is   their primary guardian—and scared. Lovelady asked his office manager to send an ambulance to the grandmother’s home. Then Lovelady called two deans in the school district, to tell them what was going on, both of whom dropped everything and drove to the family’s home.

When they pulled up less than ten minutes later, the EMTs(急救人员)were treating Phillips while the two girls, looking visibly shaken, were outside with a neighbor.

The quick response from Koch and Lovelady saved Phillips’s life. She arrived at the hospital in time to get treatment and before chronic damage occurred.

“If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here,” said Phillips from her hospital bed about a month after her stroke.

Thanks to an extended stay in the hospital, she has regained most of the movement throughout her body except for one hand and a portion of her mouth, which affects her speech.

4 . Germany is a highly developed country.Many people think its people lead a luxurious(奢侈的) life.

One day，my friend and I _________ a restaurant.We noticed that a young couple were having their meal.There were _________ two dishes and two cans of beer on their table.I wondered if such a(n) _________ meal could be fine and whether the girl would leave that _________ man.

As we were _________，my friend ordered more food for us.When we left，there was still about one third of the food we had ordered on the table.

When we were leaving，the young man spoke to us in English.We _________ that he was unhappy about us _________ so much food.“We paid for our food.It is none of your _________，” my friend told him.The young man was so angry that he _________ took his phone out and made a call to someone.

After a while，an officer from the Social Security Organization(社会保障组织) arrived.Upon knowing what had happened，he gave us a €50 fine(罚款)，which __________ us.

The officer told us in a __________ voice.“__________ is yours but resources(资源) belong to society.There are many __________ people in the world who are __________ hunger(饥饿)．We have no __________ to waste resources.”

Their attitudes to eating put both of us to __________.We need to correct our wrong __________.We are from a country which is not very rich.To save face，we often think we should order more than we can eat，which __________ our friends our generosity(慷慨)．We should realize that resources don’t belong to a(n) __________ person but they belong to everyone.We can’t __________ to waste them.

5 . It has been argued by some that gifted children should be grouped in special classes. The ________ is based on the belief that in regular classes these children are held back in their intellectual (智力的)growth by   ________ situations that are designed for the   ________ children.There can be little doubt that ________ classes can help the gifted children to graduate earlier and take their place in life sooner. However, to take these   ________ out of the regular classes may create serious problems.

I observed a number of ________ children who were taken out of a special class and placed in a   ________ class. In the special class, they showed little ability to use their own judgment, relying   ________ on their teachers’ directions. In the regular class, having no worry about keeping up, they began to reflect   ________ on many problems, some of which were not on the school program.

Many are concerned that gifted children become   ________ and lose interest in learning. However, this   ________ is more often from parents and teachers than from students, and some of these   ________ simply conclude that special classes should be set up for those who are   ________. Some top students do feel bored in class, but why they   ________ so goes far beyond the work they have in school. Studies have shown that to be bored is to be anxious. The gifted child who is bored is an   ________ child.

6 . Robert Moody, 52, is an experienced police officer. Much of his work involves dealing with   _________ an gang (团伙) problems in the schools of his community. Knowing that many kids often _________ trouble, he decided to do something about it. So in 1991 he began to invite small groups of kids to go fishing with him on his day _________.

Those fun trips had a(n) _________ impact. A chance encounter in 2000 proved that. One day,_________ working security at a school basketball game, Moody noticed two young guys _________. He sensed trouble between them. _________one of them headed toward Moody and gave him a hug.” I_________ you. You took me _________ when I was in fifth grade. That was one of the ____________ days of my life.”

Deeply touched by the boy’s word, Moody decided to create a foundation (基金会) that ____________teenagers to the basics of fishing in camping programs. “As a policeman, I saw____________there was violence, drugs were always behind it. They have a damaging ____________on the kids,” says Moody.

By turning kids on to fishing, he____________to present an alternative way of life, “When you’re sitting there waiting for a ____________ ,”he says, “you can’t help but talk to each other, and such ____________can be pretty deep.” “Talking about drugs helped prepare me for the peer (同龄人) pressures in high school,” says Michelle, 17, who____________ the first program. “And I was able to help my little brother____________drugs.”

Moody faces____________in three years, when he hopes to run the foundation full-time.” I’m living a happy life and I have a responsibility to my ____________to give back,” Moody says.” If I teach a kid to fish today, he can teach his brother to fish tomorrow.”

7 . When children head to the Fuller Cut barbershop reading a book out loud to their hairdresser，their parents can get a discount.

Ryan Griffin, who works at the barber's in Ypsilanti，Michigan,，gives kids the options to pick the book they want to read.

“Any help these kids can get with reading and comprehension is a big thing, ”Griffin told NPR.

“You know, maybe someday some kids will grow up and be a journalist，be a writer，and he’ll say，‘You know what , when I was young，my barber used to make me read.’”

Fuller Cut offers parents a $2 discount per haircut if the child reads a book out loud.

Griffin said that although it might be a small amount, it helps parents’ pockets, helps kids’ education and can even make it a more enjoyable experience.

The barber said he had seen a similar porgramme that encouraged children to read in New York, so he asked his boss if he could replicate it.

When the programme was announced, Griffin said people in the area started to donate books to the barbershop for kids to choose from. He even said local teachers had given him credit for starting such a worthy project. During the haircut, he won't just listen to the story—he’ll ask the kids questions too to make sure they understand it.

The barbershop updates customers on the books it has in store and reminds them of the offer frequently on Facebook.

“More books are beginning to arrive at the Fuller Cut,” recent status reads.

“I want to thank the barbers in Tampa Bay, Iowa & Harlem for inspiring me to join the initiative of promoting literacy by having our young brothers read to us.”

8 . The Gatais used to frown when they received power bills that routinely topped $200. Last September the couple moved into a 1,500-square-foot home in Premier Gardens, a subdivision of 95 “zero-energy homes” (ZEH) just outside town. Now they’re actually eager to see their electricity bills. The grand total over the 10 months they’ve lived in the three-bedroom house: $75. For the past two months they haven’t paid a cent.

ZEH communities are the leading edge of technologies that might someday create houses that produce as much energy as they consume. Premier Gardens is one of a half-dozen subdivisions in California where every home cuts power consumption by 50%, mostly by using low-power appliances and solar panels.

Aside from the panels on the roof, Premier Gardens looks like a community of conventional homes. But inside, special windows cut power bills by blocking solar heat in summer and retaining indoor warmth in winter.

The rest of the energy savings comes from the solar units. They don’t just feed the home they serve. If they generate more power than the home is using, the excess flows into the utility’s power grid (电网). The residents are billed by “net metering”: they pay for the amount of power they tap off the grid, less the kilowatts (千瓦) they feed into it. If a home generates more power than it uses, the bill is zero.

That sounds like a bad deal for the power company, but it’s not. Solar homes produce the most power on the hot sunny afternoons when everyone rushes home to turn up the air conditioner. “It helps us lower usage at peak power times,” says solar expert Mike Keesee. “That lets us avoid building costly plants or buying expensive power at peak usage time.”

What’s not to like? Mostly the costs. The special features can add $25000 or more to the purchase price of a house. Tax breaks bring the cost down, especially in California, but in many states ZEHs can be prohibitively expensive. For the consumer, it’s a matter of paying now for the hardware to save later on the utilities.

9 . Motion picture, also called film or movie, series of sill photographs on film, projected in rapid succession onto a screen by means of light. This new art form became one of the most popular and influential media of the 20th century and beyond. In early twentieth-century France, a new form of entertainment was becoming a hit—motion pictures. People crowded into theatres for short, silent, black-and-white films that showed everyday happenings, such as a train pulling into a station. These images were dimly projected onto white sheets. Usually, there was no sound. Occasionally, men at pianos played music to match the scenes.

Later, with the introduction of colour and sound, the silent film soon disappeared. Colour and sound introduced a new world into the cinema and steadily grew more effective. It can be used to produce a powerful dramatic impression. Moving images at theatres are now no longer novel, but back at the beginning of the art form, surprises lurked around every corner. During the initial showings of basic silent movies, some people in the audience screamed in fear, reacting to what they saw as if it were happening in real life. Moviegoers were known to even leap out of their seats due to the trains on the screen. At that time, few people understood what motion pictures were, so audience members could easily be fooled.

Today, people crowd into theatres for the latest 3D movies. Even older movies, such as the popular Star Wars series, are being re-released in 3D. Moviemakers are excited about the ability to involve the audience more directly in the story or film. In addition, theatres invest tens of thousands of dollars on high-quality audio systems so that everything from the safest whispers to the largest explosions sounds clear and realistic. Sound, dialogue, and music are used in combination not only with one another but also with the visual image. They can overlap and vary in intensity in a flexible and complex pattern with those high-quality audio systems.

What will movies be like 100 years from now? Will audience be able to smell scents in the films, taste the food that characters are eating, or even become part of the stories themselves? Only time will tell.

10 . When you’re choosing a college a lot of factors probably may be considered: the school's reputation the classes offered, and the professors in your major, to name a few. However. considering the increasing competitiveness of universities to attract more and more applicants, many schools now offer extra benefits to be enjoyed by all of their students. Here are some of the coolest:

University of Missouri

When you think of a campus gym, you probably picture a room equipped with out-of-date machines. However, at the University of Missouri, you can enjoy one of the best campus fitness centers in the country. It features an “indoor beach” with a waterfall and a lazy river, as well as a full-service spa. Even if you don't normally enjoy working out, Missouri's fitness center will give you a reason to go to the gym.

High Point University

If you see yourself quickly tired of dining hall food — something that happens to almost all of us — High Point University in North Carolina has a great choice for you: a private steakhouse for students. It's a first-class restaurant, and, best of all, you don't have to pay for the meal out of your own pocket. You can use your dining dollars instead.

Seton Hall University

If you're worrying about the extra cost of technology when you start college, Seton Hall has great news for you: all freshmen are given free laptops through the university's Mobile Computing Program. As a freshman, you'll receive a laptop already set up with all of the software that you'll need as a student. Then after two years, you’ll receive anew and updated laptop designed to ear you through until after you graduate.

New York University

“If you're a fan of museums, New York University is the perfect university for you: not only are you located in the heart of a city featuring some of the best museums in the world, but the university will even provide you with free admission to many of them. You can take advantage of visiting free museums at any time you want — and you’ll never be bored on the weekends.