2 . One of the greatest sources of unhappiness, in my experience, is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are.

When we see something we don’t like, we wish it could be different. We cry out for something better. That may be human nature, or perhaps it’s something ingrained (根深蒂固的) in our culture. The root of the unhappiness isn’t necessarily that we want things to be different. However, it’s that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place. We’ve judged it as bad, rather than saying, “It’s not bad or good, and it just is it.”

In one of my books, I said, “You should expect people to mess up and expect things to go differently than you planned”. Some readers said it’s too sorrowful to expect things to go wrong. However, it’s only negative if you see it as negative and judge it as bad. Instead, you could accept it as the way the world works and try to understand why that is.

This can be applied to whatever you do: how other people act at work, how politics works and how depressing the news media can be. Accept these things as they are, and try to understand why they’re that way. It will save you a lot of sadness, because you’ll no longer say, “Oh. I wish bad things didn’t happen!”

Does it mean you can never change things? Not at all. But change things not because you can’t accept things as they are, but because you enjoy the process of changing, learning and growing.

Can we make this world a better place? You can say that you’ll continue to try to do things to help others, to grow as a person, to make a difference in this world. That’s the correct path you choose to take, because you enjoy that path. Therefore, when you find yourself judging and wishing for difference, try a different approach: accept, and understand. It might lead to some interesting results.

I had a interesting dream last night. I dreamed that I took part in a race. At first, I could not run very fast and fall behind. So I didn’t lose heart and kept running. All the students on the playground cheer me on, “Come on!” I was so encouraged that I ran faster and fast till I caught up all the other runners. I felt as if flying like a superman. In the end, I got to the finishing line at first. I won the race. I felt very proudly of myself. Many of my classmate threw me up into the air. Just at that time I woke up and found me still in bed!

Alice was a stubborn girl     1     always wanted to be a singer. Music was the     2     important thing in her life. She took lessons for years and     3     (practice) hard, but in spite of all the efforts she made, her voice didn’t improve. In fact, it didn’t get better, it just got     4     (loud).

Her teacher     5     (final) gave up and stopped the lessons,     6     Alice refused to give in, and one day she decided to give a concert and invited her teacher     7     (attend). The teacher was very worried about     8     to say after the concert. She knew it would be terrible and it was. She didn’t want to tell a lie, but she didn’t want to hurt Alice’s feelings, either. Then she got an idea and went backstage (后台) to greet her pupil.

“Well,” said Alice, “What do you think of     9     (I) singing?”

“My dear,” said the teacher, “you’ll never be better     10     you were tonight.”

5 . Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass. While he was alive, he _______ me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important _______: “Believe in yourself.” If there was one phrase my dad _______ liked to hear, it was “I can’t!” He never got to finish high school and _______ two jobs to support his large family, _______ he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.

When I was in high school, I had a _______ time with maths. He tried to help me, but I _______ struggled. So my maths teacher suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for _______ help. I told Dad, “That’s _______! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” He replied, “You’re doing it. I’ll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we’d leave the ________. Despite working 12 hours every day, Dad never once ________ driving me to school.

After months of ________ I was facing the final exam. I was so ________. On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke, ________ yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my ________ and in the hours of work I’d ________. When I got my ________ proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserve it!” Even now, whenever I ________ that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how ________ something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever ________ to Dad for that lesson.

9 . If you’d like to go sightseeing, the following World Heritage sites (世界遗产保护地) may be your best choices.

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Jiuzhaigou Valley, which lies in the northern part of Sichuan Province, China, reaches a height of more than 4,800m, with a series of different forest ecosystems (生态系统). It’s particularly famous for its narrow landforms and excellent waterfalls. Some 140 kinds of birds also live in the valley, as well as a number of endangered plants and animals, including the giant panda. Jiuzhaigou Valley was recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1992.

Khami Ruins National Monument

The city of Khami, which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been given up in the mid-16th century, is of great archaeological (考古的) interest. The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time. It joined the World Heritage List in 1986.

Henderson Island

Henderson Island, which lies in the eastern South Pacific, is one of the few atolls (环礁) in the world whose ecology (生态) has been untouched by humans. It is particularly famous for the 10 plants and 4 birds that can only be seen on the island. It was recorded in the World Heritage List in 1988.

Old City of Jerusalem

As a holy (神圣的) city for three different religions in the Middle East, Jerusalem has always been of great religious importance. It was given a World Heritage Status in 1981 and placed on the “World Heritage in Danger List” the following year.

With my high school life     1     (begin), I feel a little anxious right now. I hope to make a good first     2     (impression). But I wonder whether I will make friends or what if no one     3     (talk) to me.

To tell the truth, the maths class was difficult for me,     4     the teacher was kind and friendly. He told     5     (we) a funny story and every student laughed so much! In the afternoon, we had our chemistry class in the science lab. The lab is new and the lesson was     6     (interest), but the guy next to me tried to talk to me the whole time. Therefore, I couldn’t concentrate     7     the experiment. I     8     (real) wanted to tell him to be quiet and leave me alone!

All in all, the first day is     9     wonderful day. Though I was worried in the morning, I didn’t feel awkward or frightened at all. I believe I will make new friends in the new school and there’s a lot     10     (explore) at senior high. I think that tomorrow will be a great day!