In the course of this journey they are     1     with an experience in Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade,     2     enables them to     3     academically, physically,emotionally and socially. As they walk down the halls during their years together at Shady Side, our boys and girls --- so soon to become men and women --- are learning to think, to work, to question, to be independent and responsible, to relate with others, to laugh at their     4     and to act graciously when success     5     their way.

Hobbies can help a person’s mental and physical health. Doctors have found that hobbies are     6     in helping patients     7     from physical or mental illness. Hobbies give bedridden or wheelchair-bound patients something to do, and provide interests that     8     them from thinking about themselves. Many hospitals use occupational therapy by having patients     9     up interesting hobbies or     10    .

The appeal of magic

Have you ever interacted with a magician or entertainer in the flesh who       1     (使惊讶) you with a show of magic? I once had such an unforgettable experience on a cruise.

It was ten years ago, after I renewed my       2     (签证) as a visiting scholar in a high school in West Virginia, the US. For the summer vacation, I w    3     from my little town in the eastern US accompanied by two colleagues and boarded a huge ship that reminded me of the Titanic, going from Miami across the sea b    4     to the Bahamas, an island country famous for its white sandy beaches and sky-blue water     5     (难得) seen in daily life.

While we were having dinner in the dining hall, an entertainer came over to our table and asked “Excuse me, would you like to see a little magic?” “Yes, of course,” we replied. How could we possibly r    6     the temptation of getting involved in a magic show? And so, the entertainer fished out       7     (迅速地) one rubber band from his pocket and asked me to hold out my hand. He put the band around my fingers, turning it in different ways to make a complex web. Then came something that seemed u    8    : slowly but surely, he     9         10         11     (去掉) the band from my fingers in one turn, as if the band had never been wound! A language teacher by p    12    , I failed to make any verbal       13     (反应), until the entertainer wished us to enjoy our dinner and went away.

Having seen many splendid magic shows on TV, I am still impressed with the one performed around my fingers. Magic can     14     ( 逗 乐 ) and amaze people whether they are       15     ( 成 熟 的 ) adults or children, easterners or westerners. The appeal of magic is u    16    .

Books and movies are two different forms of media and therefore have different rules. With this in mind, perhaps we should j    1     a movie in its own right, and not against its     2     (原作的) source.

Nowadays, more and more countries around the world are holding celebrations for Chinese Spring Festival. What’s more, not only are these     1     (出席) and enjoyed by Chinese citizens living abroad, but by many other     2     (国籍), too. It seems that Chinese Spring Festival is becoming a global celebration of joy and love. What do you think of this p    3    ? Write to us to share your opinion.

At first, I only regarded it as a hobby, but companies started paying me to take photos and publish them. In 2013, I was d    1     to make my dream come true: I would become Australia’s first     2     (专业的) photo blogger.

If you think i    1     is only for adults, well, you’re wrong — because kids can be just as innovative as adults are, even more sometimes.

Here are four ways to teach your kids to be more creative:

Function follows form.

This is the idea of working backward where you start with a solution first and then work back to the problem. An example of this is the Ruined Product Exercise where you have your kids take any product around the house. Then ask them to make one change to the product where they’re going to make it worse. So they’ve got to take this seemingly ruined product and figure out some way to make it     2     (benefit) to people.

Constraints (限制) are important.

Teach your kids to realize that constraints are a necessary condition for creativity to occur. For instance, ask them to come up with an idea for the car. Then p    3     to take them into the car and tell them that they have to come up with an invention that only applies to people sitting in the backseat. This way, the kids are forced into a smaller, more constrained environment where they’re more likely to come up with a more creative idea than their first one.

Division technique creates opportunities.

The division technique basically involves taking a component, cutting it, then rearranging it somehow. One very good example is time which can be divided and rearranged, not physically but mentally. At first, just divide a(n)     4     (随机的) thing out of their day, move it to a different part of the day, and see if there’s a benefit to it. The lesson here is to get them to realize that moving the schedule around creates opportunities they may not have thought of otherwise.

Getting patents (专利) is possible.

The idea of patents has always a    5     to kids. A patent is a l    6     protection in business or engineering. But kids think they’re difficult to get. So you should get your kids to see that it’s very possible to create something and have it patented. Search the Internet for inventions by kids and you’ll find lots of examples. And this could be something they will get very excited about.

Disney’s theme parks might be the best known, but they     1    (不是最有趣的).    2     (参观迪士尼公园)is really fascinating. Personally,    3     (看到孩子们玩得开心), dressing up as their favorite characters and being so happy can make you recall the once carefree kid that you were too! Before you plan your next trip to Disney parks or Universal Studios,    4       (考虑一下去参观某个生态友好的主题公园)may be a good idea, too.

Any time you bring people together, you will have more than one opinion instantly on anything. Living in a community, I’ve heard arguments among groups of people over some of the silliest things. It’s human nature that we want others to agree with our point of view. How we     1     (解决) conflicts within a community is important to the long-term success of the community. I’d like to share three tips.

First, respect others. Be careful to debate the issue itself and not the person. You can make     2     (投诉) about what is wrong but you have to be polite to the person. And remember, as a community we have a single common identity.

Second, have     3     (自制力). Don’t let your emotions control your discussion. Avoid being overly dramatic to “win     4     (票数)”. It’s hard to keep this in mind when discussing something you’re deeply keen on, but you have to.

Lastly, work together to     5     (协商) a solution. Compromise is often the result of debates. Don’t expect to always win everyone over to your point of view.

How are you going these days? I’m writing to tell you about a Sports Club    1    (俱乐部经常为我们学生组织各种各样的活动).

The Sports Club     2     (在体育俱乐部学生可以锻炼) or practise their skills is located in our school’s gym. At weekends, it is available for all students    3    (对体育赛事感兴趣的学生). The reason    4    (我们喜欢体育俱乐部) is that it enriches our campus life.

All in all, all of us can work out for half an hour every day, through which we can strengthen our body.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

    1    (我们学校的科学俱乐部) was established in 2020. It now has 55 members, including me. Our instructor is     2    (知识渊博，并且很负责). We often carry out     3    (各种各样的实验), which are     4    (很有趣、很有意义). We all want to be a scientist to help our country     5    (更快地发展).