2 . Our ancient nomadic(游牧的)ancestor would often sing or dance to show others where to find food. In my family, we’ve always had music around us too and this influence is starting to _______. Our seven-year-old son has _______ to perform his own raps which are quite excellent even without considering how _______ he is. Our four-year-old daughter is showing her musical _______ too — she started to make up little ditties(小调).

What is most joyous about our shared _______ of music are those moments when we all come together as a _______. My favorite time happened in April when I was feeling quite _______. I was cooking breakfast when the kids _______ that I was playing dance music. My seven-year-old son then started to join in dancing. This _______ his four-year-old sister, soon the three of us were jumping up and down. It was a moment of real ________ and it turned around how I was feeling.

At that point, I felt like music would be the way to ________ to the kids. I’ve sat down with my son and together we’ve remixed his voice and I’ve sat with my daughter and we’ve played the guitar. We might not be ________ anything about the whereabouts of food as our ancestor did. But we are giving them an ________ through song. We’ re teaching them “Flower of Scotland” so that they might know something about their heritage.

Through ________, we have all become a ________ family.

In an old building in Peking University, a yellow light shone into the old and dark hours of the night. The famous translator Xu Yuanchong     1     (sit) behind the window and staring at the computer screen. He enjoyed working by     2     (he) from 10:00 p. m. to 4:00 a. m. For him, the quiet night was a     3     (value) time to focus on translation. He was exploring how     4     (spread) Chinese culture abroad by translating Chinese beauty into Western beauty.

Xu was born into a literary family in Nanchang     5     April 18th, 1921. When he was little, he     6     (influence) by his mother who was interested in literature. Xu began to translate Chinese poetry into both English and     7     (France) when he was still a teenager. He soon learned that Chinese and European languages were very different. Only about half of the words in these languages could be translated word for word. This is why translators should have     8     creative mind. They are always trying to improve their translations to make sure they are correct and beautiful.

Xu’s motto is: Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.     9     Xu was widely considered to be the best, he never stopped trying to become better. The more you learn and the     10     (hard) you study, the better you will become. There is always room for improvement.

5 . If you have to describe yourself to someone else, what will you say? It can be difficult to see yourself from the outside, but knowing who you are, namely self-awareness, can help you understand feelings and make friendships closer.

Self-awareness means having a good understanding of our own character, that is, having the ability to see ourselves clearly. If you’re self-aware, you may know that you love playing an instrument because you do well in it, and music makes you happy, or that you prefer watching TV on your own because it helps you relax.

Knowing what you like and dislike, what you do well in and what you find difficult allows you to make better decisions about friendships, schoolwork and so on. You learn to trust your own feelings more, which builds confidence (信心). The World Health Organization says self-awareness is one of ten important life skills that help young people live happier, healthier lives. Being self-aware doesn’t mean only thinking of yourself. By understanding your own feelings, you will better understand other people too.

How do you learn to be self-aware? It’s a good way to ask questions. But ask yourself questions that start with “What” instead of “Why”. So if you don’t understand why you keep arguing with a friend, ask yourself what you disagree on instead of why you’re arguing.

Learning to be more self-aware is a skill, which means you learn it as you grow. So be bold and try out new things, like playing a new sport or listening to different kinds of music. Don’t be afraid to dislike something - discovering what you find difficult is a key part of learning more about yourself.

7 . Do you ever give up easily in difficult situations? If so, imagine yourself as someone with great abilities, like Batman(蝙蝠侠). It will help you feel strong. You will not give up easily and will probably do better. This is called the Batman Effect(效应).

In a study, researchers gave three groups of six-year-old children a difficult task to complete on a computer. In Group One, the children were told-to repeat asking themselves, “Am I working hard?” In Group Two, the children were told to ask themselves the same question in the third person - as in “Is Sam working hard?” And in Group Three, the children were told to imagine themselves as Batman and ask themselves, “Is Batman working hard?” Researchers found that the children in Group Three did the best.

How can you make use of the Batman Effect? Imagine yourself as someone who is the best for the task you are doing. If you’re facing a personal difficulty, imagine yourself as a wise family member. If you’re running a race at school, imagine yourself as a top runner. In this way, you can become a little more like the person you wish to be.

8 . If you find yourself crossing one of London’s busy bridges and look down, you may notice that the height of the Thames changes over the course of the day. When the tide (潮水) is out, you may see people move down hidden stairs to walk slowly along the foreshore (前滩). These are “mudlarks” — and they play a key role in preserving the history of the Thames by picking up objects and artefacts (手工艺品) hidden in the river’s mud (泥).

Walking along the foreshore of the Thames is not everyone’s idea of a hobby — it can be cold and dirty. When the tide turns, it turns fast. You must always be aware of your way off of the foreshore. The mud is another hazard. A more experienced mudlark said he had once fallen into the mud. He was lucky to have a bucket to move out the mud.

Historically, being a mudlark was a low station in life. The term came about in the 18th and 19th centuries when the Thames was one of the major ways to transport goods into the city. At this time, the banks of the river would be full of mudlarks, mostly poor women and children. As the tide dropped, they would walk into the mud to pick up lumps of coal, pieces of rope or anything else careless boatmen had dropped overboard that they could sell.

Mudlarking is experiencing a renaissance (复兴). It has never been easier for people to explore the Thames: anyone looking for inspiration just has to follow the mudlarking posts on the Internet. The Thames Discovery Programme, a group of historians and volunteers, run guided tours of the foreshore where experts guide you and ensure that you stay safe and stick to Port of London Authority rules.