1 . When my son was eleven years old, he came home from school in tears one day. A couple of the older kids bullied (欺负) him at the bus stop. Rob wanted to stay home from school, so he wouldn’t have to meet the boys.

We called the school. “We’ll be happy to call the boys’ parents,” We were told, “And you should call the police.” “We don’t know what we will do yet.” I said. I felt that calling the police was a choice to be used when everything else failed, and I wanted first to consider other ways of dealing with the situation, I asked him to hold off calling the boys’ parents.

The next day was Saturday. Rob happened to look our of the window and said in fer, “There are the boys who beat me up!” Two older boys were standing in front of our house, as if they were waiting for Rob to step outside.

My wife Bev opened the door and said with a smile, “Hi guys. Would you like some ice cream?” They looked at each other in puzzlement. But they were teenagers, after all, so one of them said, “Sure. Why not?”

Bev quickly introduced herself, Rob’s younger brothers and me. She even introduced Rusty, the dog. “And I think you already know Rob,” She said. Her idea was to help them to see that Rob was a person, not a target. He had a family and even owned a family pet.

Bev drew the boys into chat while we ate ice cream. After a few minutes, she said, “I know there’s been some trouble at the bus stop. I think there may be a misunderstanding.” They nodded that there had indeed been trouble at the bus stop. She continued, “Maybe we can talk about the misunderstanding, so you can be friends.” We talked until the ice cream was finished. Finally the boys apologized.

Understanding is a difficult task. It may be easier to control conflict by force than to find a way to cooperate. Force can calm a situation. But understanding leads to peace.

Whether middle school students should make friends on line

4 . My son turned 14 and didn’t have a smartphone. He was the only kid in his class without one. When he asked for a phone, I _________.

“You can choose to do things _________ when you’re a parent.” I replied. But sometimes, I wondered if I was being too stubborn (固执的) or unfair.

The more I research, the more confident I feel in my _________. Many studies _________ the current mental health crisis among teenagers to changes in how they socialize, namely, the change from in-person to online _________.

But other parents _________ my view, saying “He must feel so left out!” Then there are the parents who tell me with sadness that they regretted not delaying their teenager’s phone _________ longer than they did. They _________ me to hold out.

If teenagers are truly spending about 5 hours on average per day on their devices, as a recent research states, then what are they not doing? Kids _________ in their devices are missing out on real life, which strikes me a lot.

I want my son to have a __________ childhood, one full of adventures, imaginative play and physical challenges. The simplest way to achieve these ________ is to delay giving him a smartphone.

Some think my son is missing out or falling behind, but he is not. He does well in school, __________ with friends, and moves independently around our town. He claimed he would give his own 14-year-old boy a phone someday, and I told him that’s __________. But recently, he admitted he __________ the beautiful scenery on a drive to a mountain because he had been so absorbed in his iPad.

If that is his ________ of admitting I’m right, I’ll take it.

5 . Earlier this year Rodney Smith Jr. made headlines (头条) when he drove eight hours from his home in Huntsville, Alabama, to cut the lawn for an elderly soldier in North Carolina who couldn’t find anyone to help him with his yard work.

That wasn’t the first time the twenty-nine-year-old Bermuda native had gained such attention. To do his good deeds (好事), Rodney often finds leads for those in need through social media.

Back to one August afternoon in 2015, Rodney Smith Jr. was driving home. That’s when Rodney saw an elderly man struggling to mow (修剪) his lawn (草坪). He would take a couple of shaky steps, using the handle to secure himself, stop, then slowly push the mower (割草机)again. Rodney decided to help. Mr. Brown thanked him greatly, and Rodney went home feeling satisfied.

Sitting at his computer to do his homework, Rodney couldn’t get Mr. Brown out of his mind. There must be many Mr. Browns out there. He went online and posted that he would mow lawns for free for senior citizens. Messages flooded in.

One day a cancer-battling woman said she wasn’t having a good day. Rodney decided to do more than mowing lawns. After he finished mowing, he knocked on her door. “You’re going to win this fight, Madam”, he said. Then he asked folks to pray for her on social media.

Word of Rodney’s mission spread. A grandmother in Ohio said he’d encouraged her 12-year-old grandson to mow lawns. He got a letter from a seven-year-old boy in Kansas. “Mr. Rodney, I would like to be a part of your program, and I’ll make you proud,” he wrote.

That gave Rodney an idea. In 2017, he decided to establish a programme Raising Men Lawn Care Service to make a national movement for young people. The kids learn the joy of giving back.

Yard work seems like a small, simple thing, but taking care of the lawn means a lot to the people they do it for. “When we mow their yards for free, they can use the money for healthcare and food etc. It means more than you would think,” Rodney said.

9 . A group of middle-aged dads formed a dance team to perform at their kids’ school but unexpectedly gained popularity on social media, having over 300,000 followers—one of them is famous actor Hugh Jackman. The “Outta” Puff Daddys first came together in 2012 in Brighton for a surprise performance at their children’s annual dance show.

Having never danced professionally before and ranging in age from 42 to 60, the dads were taught by their kids’ street dance teacher for the surprise performance. They received a good reception, so they decided to carry on permanently.

Paul Jukes, 48, said dancing together has enabled the members to get through unemployment and anxiety. “Even though I’m the leader and artistic director of the team, I’m not normally the most confident guy.” said Jukes, whose team name is Jukebox. “If we’re in a party situation, we’re off at the side, but when we’re together those inhibitions (拘束感) are lost, and we just accept life to the fullest.”

The dance team members remember the moment when they surprised their kids at the dance show. “We performed at the Brighton Dome which seats 2,000 people, so for our first live dance performance, it was quite something. We took the roof off,” Jukes said. “The noise was crazy and of course, the kids in the audience were blown away. They were shouting, ”Hang on a second; that’s your dad.“ Most people might think our kids would be embarrassed by us but none of them had that feeling. All our families and kids were really supportive and really loved it. And it has been considered cool by them to have such a large following on Instagram.”

The team has to adapt to its members’ changing bodies as they get older, but that has not stopped them from continuing to dream big. “We take care of and support each other to make sure what we do is achievable,” said Jukes. “One of our members is 60 years old now and he’s just excellent.”

Festivals around the world have a wide range of     1    (origin), including seasons, religions, famous figures and significant events. The harvest festival     2     usually takes place after all the crops have been gathered is the most common one in different cultures. People celebrate it     3    (show) that they are grateful for the harvest.

In some regions, it’s a day for people to show     4    (they) respect for nature.     5    (decorate) with flowers and fruits, many churches become a joyful place for people to get together to celebrate festival.

Customs have a great impact     6     festivals, but they can change over time. For example, some Chinese cities give up the typical custom of lighting firecrackers, for it     7    (make) the air pollution more serious. In recent years, festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with businesses     8    (take) advantage of the celebrations.

Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much     9    (convenient) for the public to spend more on gifts than before. In spite of that, festivals are an important part of society, because they reflect people’s wishes, beliefs, faiths and attitudes towards life. They are     10    (absolute) significant occasions that we should take advantage of to stay with our family and to relax and enjoy life.