1 . Snowboarding genius Su Yiming made a name for himself by winning China’s first Olympic gold in the sport on Tuesday. By cleanly stomping back-to-back 1800 tricks, the teenager landed the biggest prize so far in his young career—gold in the men’s Big Air at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The notable achievement realized a childhood dream to reach the peak of the sport, which he began to learn at the age of 4.

Now with two shinning medals hung around his neck, the 17-year-old described his superb Olympic debut ( 首秀) as an unbelievable experience that has made all his sacrifices worthwhile. “This feels so surreal that I’ve finally accomplished what I’ve dreamed of since I was little,” said an emotional Su.

Over the past four years, Su has combined his talent with hard work to produce one of the swiftest rises to prominence the sport has ever seen. When the Shougang Big Air venue hosted its first international event, Su was an unknown qualifier, who didn’t even make the final runs. Just over two years later, Su is the name on everyone’s lips at the venue’s Olympic debut—drawing the whole nation’s attention to the sport he loves.

“The biggest motivation (动力) for me is my love for snowboarding,” Su said, when asked about the secret to his success. “In snowboarding, I feel like I can show my own style and creativity. Every time I ride my board, it’s always a joyful moment. I hope through my experience, I can inspire more young people to get interested in the sport.”

Su, a former child actor who featured in action movies, said the Olympic gold will encourage him to seek for more breakthroughs—even beyond his athletic career. “I enjoy snowboarding just as much as I enjoy acting,” said Su, who turns 18 on Friday. “I think I still have a lot of possibilities to explore in my future career either in snowboarding or in acting. But now I just want to enjoy the moment and celebrate it as the best possible birthday gift.”

2 . How to Make Friends at a New School

Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything seems to be different, and you don’t even know where to go for your own classes.     1     However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.

    2     If some people don’t accept you, they’re not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sports may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot.

Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!

A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don’t keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact with other people.     4     Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you’re from.

You like it when people use your name, and so do other people.     5     Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname. You’d be surprised how often this may come in handy.

3 . A music festival is a community event focusing on live performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme. On the list are the music festivals for fans around the world. Find your favorite now!

Field Day

January 1, 2023, Sydney

Field Day means New Year’s Day for young people in Sydney. Seen as the city’s original multi-stage party, it’s a gathering of friends coming together for a great fun-filled first day of the year. There’s an air of hope and positive energy on a perfect summer’s day.

The Envision Festival

February 27—March 6, 2023, Uvita

The Envision Festival is an annual gathering in Costa Rica that aims to provide an opportunity for different cultures to work with one another to create a better community. The festival encourages people to practice art, music, dance performances, and education. Meanwhile, our connection with nature is expected to be strengthened.

The McDowell Mountain Music Festival

March 2—4, 2023, Phoenix

The McDowell Mountain Music Festival is Phoenix’s musical celebration of community culture. Since its foundation in 2004, it has been the only 100% non-profit music festival designed to support, entertain and educate the community. The festival attracts thousands of visitors each year from around the country, and it is an opportunity to experience true culture.

The Old Settler’s Music Festival

April 20—23, 2023, Dale

The Old Settler’s Music Festival is a nationally known music festival for American music. The festival is held in the country of Texas at the height of the wild flower season. The Old Settler’s Music Festival offers great music and activities for the whole family.

I am really sorry to hear that

Yours,

Li Hua

China is a big old country,     1     has a history of more than five thousand years. We are proud of     2    culture and part of the culture even influences the world     3    , for example, the thought of Confucius. As Chinese economy develops very fast and plays     4    important role in the world, more and more     5    learn Mandarin (普通话) in Confucius institutions. The Chinese traditional culture can be tested by the time. It unites the whole nation and no matter     6    kind of disaster comes, we will fight together for the country’s future. Today, many young people lose faith in traditional culture and they are crazy     7    the western culture. They follow the western fashion,     8    we are the old style. But some day, they     9    it is wrong     10    traditional culture.

Here are two athletes     1    are masters in their sports and also set good examples to others.

As a volleyball player, Lang Ping     2     (bring) honour and glory to her country. As a coach, she led the China women’s volleyball team to medals world championships and the Olympics. While preparing for the 2015 World Cup, one of her best     3     (player) had been injured, and the team captain had to leave. The team she had built was falling apart.     4     (face) such a big challenge, Lang Ping didn’t lose heart. She believed that they could win if they worked together as a team. Two weeks later, they were world champions! Then in 2016, Lang Ping led her volleyball team to Olympic gold in Brazil.

Michael Jordan, known     5     “Air Jordan”, changed basketball with his     6     (grace) moves and jumps. His skills were impressive, but the mental     7     (strong) that he showed made him unique. Jordan says that     8     secret to his success is learning from his failures. If he lost a game, he would practice much     9     (hard) and never give up. Jordan also learnt     10     (share) his success with others.

8 . Do you know Australia? Australia is the largest island in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is not large. The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai.

The government has made enough laws to fight pollution. The cities in Australia have got little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well.

Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers’ exhibition. There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. In spring every year Perth has the wild flowers’ exhibition.

After visiting Perth, we spent the day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves. Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.

Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos (袋鼠). After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.

There are various kinds of theme parks around the world.Whichever and whatever you like, there is an incredible theme park appealing    1    you. The theme park you’re     2    most familiar with is Disneyland,     3    will bring you into a magical world and make your childhood dreams come true.

Dollywood,    4    in the southeastern USA, is unique because it shows and     5       America’s traditional southeastern culture. People come from all over America to see skilled workers make wood, glass, and iron objects in the old-fashioned way.     6    on the only steam engine still working in the southeastern United States is     7     special treat.

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, China, is one of the leading ocean-themed       8     in the world, where watching the dolphin and sea lion shows is both     9     and fun. If it is ocean entertainment     10     you are looking for, come to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom!

I wake up to the sound of the wind. Even though the sun is     1     (bright) shining,     2     (tell) whether it’s morning or night is impossible. I’m above the Arctic Circle,       3     in summer the sun never sets. I leave my tent and walk over to the mountain edge. Sarek’s mountains used to     4     (cover) by vast sheets of ice. Around 9,000 years ago, this ice       5    (melt), leaving behind about 100    6     (glacier). In 1909, Sarek was made a national park to keep the land in     7       (it) natural state. All new development is banned within park boundaries. After breakfast, I pack my bag and set out again. If today is anything like yesterday, it will be full     8     sweat and hard work to reach my destination. However, I can’t complain. Being in such     9     beautiful and wild place makes me feel     10     (bless). What could be better?