Yours,

Li Hua

Madeline’s family vacation to the beach was usually the highlight of her summer. This year，however， her parents announced a new rule：no phones allowed for the entire week. “No distractions(使人分心的事) ， ”they said.

“But my friends will be expecting updates,” Madeline said.

“They’ll have to wait,” her mom said and opened a drawer. Madeline saw that her parents’ phones were already in it. Madeline had to drop her phone in, too.

The drive to the beach house took most of the day. That night after dinner, Madeline came into the kitchen, where her father was washing dishes.

“Still hungry?” he asked.

“No,” she answered. “Couldn’t I have my phone back?”

“Can’t,” he said. “It’s not here. Remember? Check out the bookcase in the living room. Might find something you like.”

She walked into the living room and saw a jigsaw puzzle（拼图玩具）on the bookcase. She took it, put the pieces on the table, and began to sort them.

After what seemed like minutes, she looked up. It was past ten o'clock. She had been working for almost two hours! The puzzle was less than half done.

The next morning, a golden sun was rising over the blue ocean. The sky was cloudless. The view was wonderful. Madeline’s hand shot to the beside table, but there was nothing there.

That evening, Madeline lost herself in the jigsaw puzzle again. She felt a little excited every time the shapes met. Soon, the puzzle was complete.

She stepped back to enjoy the finished puzzle. The picture showed an old painting of several farmhands working in a brown field and there was a giant rainbow arching across the sky.

Madeline enjoyed the puzzle for a few minutes, trying to keep the image in her mind. Then, she quietly started taking it apart. That, she thought, was just for me.

7 . If we look around us at the things we have bought at some point in our lives， we would no doubt notice that not everything we own is being put to good use：the thick woolen coat which we thought looked fashionable despite the fact that we live in a tropical(热带的) country， the smartphone that got put away when we bought ourselves the newest model， or even the guest room in our house that somehow got turned into a storeroom.

Those underutilized things may seem useless to some， but could be useful to others. With the coming of the Internet， online communities have figured out a way to generate profit from the sharing of those underused things. Using websites and social media groups that facilitate(促进) the buying and selling of second-hand goods, it is now easier than ever for sharing activities to take place. And this is known as the sharing economy.

These online platforms are providing a chance for people to make a quick buck or two. To give an example, busy parents e previously might not have bothered with setting up a stall(货摊) at the local market or car boot sale to sell their children's old stuff， but with online marketplaces， parents are now able to sell on those hardly worn baby clothes that their children have outgrown and the expensive pushchairs and baby stuff they have bought, so as to put some cash back into their pockets.

Businesses have also caught on to the profitability of the sharing economy and are seeking to gain from making use of those underutilized resources. A business model that has rapidly risen in popularity sees companies providing an online platform that puts customers in contact with those who can provide a particular product or service. Companies like Airbnb act as a middleman for people to cash in on their unused rooms and houses and let them out as profitable accommodation （住所）. Another example is Uber, encourages people to use their own personal cars as taxis to make some extra cash in their free time.

This move towards a sharing economy is not without criticisms. Unlike businesses, unregulated individuals do not to follow certain rules and this can lead to poorer and inconsistent quality od goods and services and a higher risk of cheating. Nevertheless, in the consumerist society we live in today, the increased opportunities to sell on our unwanted and underused goods can lead to a lesser impact on environment.

9 . Just Being There

Mark and Ivan ran from the school bus to Mark's house. They had both tried out for the school soccer team, and the _________ were supposed to be online by now. Dropping their backpacks in the front hall， the boys raced to the _________.Mark logged(登录) into the school website. The list was up! Finding his _________， Mark was overjoyed. “Our suffering is over.”he said.

Ivan didn't_________, though. Mark turned to look at him. Ivan had a(n)_________ expression on his face. Mark turned back to the computer and read every name on the list,_________ for Ivan's name.

Mark felt as if he had been hit in the stomach. “This isn't _________，”he shouted. Ivan just sighed(叹气) .

“Let's talk to the coaches. Maybe they'll give you another _________,”Mark insisted.

Ivan just _________ his head. “If I didn’t make it,I didn’t make it” Then he was silent,staring at the computer screen.

“Oh,no,” Mark thought. “Was Ivan about to__________?”

“At least you can sleep in on Saturdays,” he __________ Ivan. “Right?”

No answer. Mark sighed. He wished he could __________people up the way Ivan could.

Even back in kindergarten（幼儿园）,Ivan had known how to do it. On the first day of kindergarten, Mark had been homesick and began to cry during the break. The other kids __________ around him. “Want to hear a funny joke?” “Try to __________!” After a while, they walked away. Only Ivan __________. He said, “I’ll just keep you company while you’re sad.” Minutes later, the two boys were playing happily.

__________ it now, Mark felt calmer. For a few minutes, he kept quiet. Then he said, “This must be really hard.”

Ivan finally __________his eyes from the screen. He looked at Mark and nodded. “Yeah. It is.” The friends sat in __________ for a while. Then Ivan took a deep breath, wiped his eyes and stood up. “Maybe we could shoot some hoops（投篮）,” he suggested. “I’ll probably feel __________ when I beat you.” He smile a little.

Mark stood up, too. “You mean when I beat you,” he said. Ivan laughed, and they headed outside. “Thanks,” said Ivan, nodding at mark. “__________. Thanks, Mark.”

10 . Learning to say “yes, and”

When I first heard about the improvisation (即兴交流) class, I was hesitating. As a quiet and shy girl, I feared improvising in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect chance to learn how to speak and communicate with others effectively. I signed up, knowing the experience would give me help.

During our first class, we learned an important concept of improvisation: “yes, and.” It means that, as improvisers, we’d better accept what fellow performers say. If someone says that rhinos (犀牛) are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We do not question the logic; we say “yes” and then continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong.

The first few scenes were hard, but as weeks turned into months, I became more comfortable and even started to enjoy our classes. I became better at listening, relating to my conversation partners, and communicating clearly in the moment. Once when I was giving a presentation about my science, an audience member surprised me with a question that didn’t grow out of the information I’d presented. Instead of getting confused and nervous, I took the “yes, and” approach—accepting the question and letting my mind focus on why it was asked. That helped me find an appropriate answer. I got pretty excited about it.

The benefits of improvisation go beyond communication. Before attending the class, I would get stuck when my experiments produced unexpected data, thinking that I had made a mistake. But now, instead of getting discouraged, I will stay open to the possibility that the results are real, keep exploring the data and end up identifying a new type of cell—one that isn’t behaving as expected.

I think all scientists can benefit from this lesson. If the data say rhinos are librarians, then it’s worth finding out whether rhinos are, in fact, librarians. As scientists, our job isn’t to challenge data that support, a preconceived story, but to say “yes, and.”