1 . We’re living in stressful times. Stress, anxiety, and depression are on the rise. Even worse, resilience (适应力) is on a downturn. The dip is especially noted in teens and young adults. Some students are often overwhelmed by fear of failure.

Kids need resilience if they are to live mentally healthy lives. Resilience helps us deal with stress and adversity. It helps us recover from difficulties. Resilience makes us more willing to try new and challenging things. It’s a helpful trait (特性) to have as an adult or a child, with so much stress in the world. Resilient kids recover more easily from setbacks, bouncing back (重整旗鼓) if they fail.

As parents, we want to raise “resilient kids” but how exactly do we do that? Are they just born with it or not? The good news is that resilience is not a “trait” that children do or do not possess. It is shaped by our experiences. But it doesn’t come easy. Kids have to earn it. Nature offers many chances for them to do so.

The effect of nature on the mental well-being of children has been well-documented. In one study, two groups of children were observed: one group attending a nature preschool; the other group attending play-based, non-nature preschools. The study showed that the nature preschool group made significantly greater growth in factors relating to resilience than children in the non-nature preschool group.

As parents, we see nature teaching our kids to be more resilient every day. When you take your children on a long hike, a child may be hungry, tired, and thirsty at times. But a hike is a commitment. Yet there’s a reward waiting at the end, perhaps a view or maybe a chance to cool off in a refreshing waterhole. Even when they are tired, kids have to keep going, putting their needs aside until the hike is over and they can earn the reward. And the reward feels so much more earned. That’s resilience.

I was only in China for about 4 months last year. I stayed in Shanghai and visited some other cities    1     (include) Beijing. While the price feels a bit too much for a high speed train, the Chinese infrastructure (基础建设) is     2     (true) far ahead of any other developing country and even some developed ones in Europe. The train stations are as big     3     airports: almost everything in     4     is like airports. They have all the high standards of airports but without the waiting time. The trains are just like those from Germany or France,     5    are clean, modern and highly developed and run at very high speeds. It is about 1,200 kms from Shanghai to Beijing, and each high speed train     6     (take) around 4 and a half hours to reach its destination and     7     are more than 2 trains every hour, each day.

I also had the experience of     8     (sit) in Maglev (磁力悬浮列车) in Shanghai. There is a public maglev train that runs from Shanghai city to its international airport. The    9     (distant) from the city to the airport is 40 kms and the speed of the train is 430 kms/hr. It took us just around 6 mins     10     (cover) 40 kms and it felt rather smooth.

Thomas and John have a lot in common. They are both talented high school seniors. They both love basketball. They are both captains of their respective high school basketball teams. But on one Saturday night in February, they were forever linked in the minds of all who were present for a mutual act of courage, sportsmanship(体育精神)and respect.

The remarkable moment came during a game between Thomas's small town Illinois team and John's big city team in Wisconsin—a game that almost wasn't played. Just days before the game, John's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer. Her death was sudden and painful for all who knew her.

John's coach wanted to cancel the game, but John insisted that the game should be played. So with heavy hearts, his teammates prepared to honor their captain's wishes and play without him.

What they weren't prepared for was John's appearance in the gym mid-way through the first half. As soon as the coach saw John, he called a time out, and players and fans surrounded the young man to offer love and support.

The coach asked him if he wanted to sit on the bench with the team. “No,” John said. “I want to play.” Of course his team was excited to have him. But because John wasn't on the pre-game roster(候选名单), putting him in the game at that point would result in a technical foul(犯规)and two free throws for the opposing team.

However, John's coach agreed with that. He could see that this was the teenager's way of coping with his loss. He thought the points didn't matter. The opposing team understood the situation and told the referees to let John play and forget the technical foul. The referees argued that a rule is a rule, and the free throws would have to be taken before the game could proceed. For possibly the first time in basketball history, referees had to force a team to accept and take the technical free throws.

8 . If you are looking for something to kill time, these events may be your choices.

Susan learned keyboard, guitar and dance from an early age and never stopped practicing singing. Since graduating with a degree in journalism, her work experience in the documentary industry has given her a unique perspective on the art of music. She sings English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and other multilingual songs, the pursuit of authentic music expression. She won’t let you down.

It will be held at the Raffles City Beijing for two months. This exhibition will feature Italy. There are 80 prints by the famous artist Morandi. This exhibition presents the excellent works of international art masters in a fashionable and trendy way of exhibiting, bringing fashionable visual impact and a comfortable and relaxing viewing experience to the visitors.

All books at Roundabout Book Fairs are donated. Thanks to all the volunteers for sorting and pricing the books. Bring your unwanted books with you on the day to donate if you would like to help. You may see them in the next book fair. And the proceeds will help the children with blood diseases.

EGG Gallery is proud to announce that during this year’s Beijing Gallery Week, it will present artist Zhu Lan’s solo exhibition “Walking Line”. This exhibition will introduce her new works in recent years. When looking at Zhu Lan’s works, aside from the fascination of the paintings themselves, the viewers are able to feel the process of creation. These are pictures that run through the artist’s life: every hour, every minute, slowly moving as the ink and lines stretch out.

China is a big country with many dialects. However, in recent years, the preservation of Chinese dialects    1     (become) a subject of concern due to various factors.

Chinese dialects represent a    2    (value) aspect of the world’s linguistic (语言的) diversity. Protecting these dialects    3    (be) crucial not only for preserving China’s diverse cultural heritage (遗产) but also for maintaining global linguistic richness. Just    4    biodiversity is essential for the ecosystem, linguistic diversity is essential for the cultural fabric of our society.

Chinese dialects carry    5    them the wisdom, traditions and unique expressions of local communities. By safeguarding these dialects, we preserve a window into Chinese history, custom and local knowledge,    6    (contribute) to a more comprehensive understanding of China.

In the digital age, using technology can aid in the preservation of dialects. Efforts should    7    (make) to digitally record dialect-specific vocabulary, phrases and stories. The development of dialect-focused applications and online platforms can facilitate the learning and communication among dialect    8    (lover) across China.

Preserving Chinese dialects is not    9    (mere) about protecting a linguistic system; it is about safeguarding cultural heritage and showcasing China’s linguistic and cultural diversity. By recognizing    10    importance of Chinese dialects and adopting the right strategies, we can ensure that China's rich linguistic system continues to thrive (繁荣).

10 . One day before the last Christmas, my wife, Charlotte, was busy decorating our Christmas tree. I reached for my _______to capture the tree. After only a couple of minutes, Started complaining, “I can’t make the_______ right. I wish Sophie were here telling me what to do. I miss her.”

Several months before, my daughter, Sophie, bad gone to New York. She was not there to give me_______. Charlotte was working in silence while I clicked and_________. The photos didn’t have___________, so I’d had enough, dropping my camera onto the sofa. Each Christmas light seemed to refuse to_________. Somehow, I found the tree didn’t look_________without much colour.

“I think I did things differently this year.” Charlotte looked at me and added, “I think the tree looks great.” But I didn’t. I wanted a_________tree. More importantly, I wanted Sophie to be_________with us.

The morning after that day, I got up a little earlier. I plugged in the________, and turned towards the tree and stood in silence. In the semidarkness, the Christmas tree was ________like a diamond.

At that time, I realized I was________. My wife had decorated the tree________. It was magical and came__________in the morning light. The tree drew my eyes, reminding me to be grateful to those around me and look for the beauty ________in life.