Knowing that you are interested in Chinese art and culture,

Yours,

Li Hua

2 . Miss Taylor was the best teacher in the world. She was able to “read” the children, _________ the class, and teach effectively; most _________, she cared about us. Because of a car accident, I had a scar below my nose, which greatly weakened my _________. People around me always said I was pretty, _________ I did not see myself that way. _________ my scar, I always felt myself not so good as other kids.

However, a _________ number of words made things different. One day, Miss Taylor was just going home with a teacher, and I heard their _________ “Who is she? She’s really cute,” the teacher asked. Miss Taylor answered, “I _________; Bernice is adorable (可爱的).” The words made me excited. It was just the words that I had never _________ but longed to hear. I was over the moon, filled with a sense of great __________. Teachers wouldn’t lie. Maybe it was __________. From that moment on, I __________ to be the best child in my class. About three weeks later, Miss Taylor __________ to the class that I took first place in the exam, saying she was proud of me. __________, I felt truly good about myself. What a __________ one special teacher made!

3 . Our modern brains seem to struggle to focus on just one task, often jumping from one activity to the next.

Nearly a quarter of people who participated in a British survey said they had been involved in distracted-walking accidents. For example, some of them stared at their smartphones and knocked into lamp posts. We seem to be facing a distraction crisis, but is there a ‘cure’ for not paying attention? And who is stealing our focus?

Social media, targeted advertising, and video sites have learned how to steal our attention systematically and in an industrialized size.

“There is an entire industry aiming at stealing our attention, and most of us don’t even realize it’s happening,” says Belinda Parmar, a former tech supporter who’s now so concerned about the influence of tech on our mental health. “The tech industry keeps promising to bring the world closer, but their target is to take time away from us,” she says, noting some companies, such as Netflix, an entertainment platform. “When Reed Hastings, Netflix’s CEO, tells you that their biggest competitor is sleep, you’ve got to think twice,” says Parmar. “Think about how you can focus in your life if you don’t get enough sleep?”

Tim Wu, a professor from Columbia University says the need to check our phones constantly is due to the lure (诱惑) of what is called a “variable reward schedule”. Professor B.F. Skinner came up with the idea after conducting a series of experiments. It showed that pigeons become more addicted to pecking (啄) at a button that delivers seeds if they don’t know when the seeds will be given.

The irregular stimuli (刺激) of rewards are considered to be the most addictive, says Wu. Thus, like pigeons pecking at that button, we check our phones and often get disappointed. But when there is something that we find exciting, like a good video or article, it will keep us coming back. “In this way you will lose hours of your day on things that you don’t even really care about,” he says.

4 . If you can’t get your hands off your cellphone, you have unknowingly become a slave to this device. Being addicted to a cellphone can be potentially harmful. Here are some reasons why you should use your cellphone less.

    1     Very often you forget the world outside your cellphone. Just leave the phone at home, take a walk, and get to know what you really want in life. Discover what sparks your interest and pursue it with all your heart.

You should focus more on personal interactions in real life. Can you hug your dad and feel his strength through the phone? Can you kiss your mom goodnight over the phone?     2     Cellphones just snatch these precious things away from you.

Your grades will go up. Leave your phone behind when going to school. Once you get home, don’t lie on the bed and text your friends.     3     Your grades will improve.

You need to give your mind a break. Constantly chatting on the phone puts too much pressure on your brain, which does great harm to both your physical and mental health.     4    

You need to keep away from anxiety. Research has shown that people who use cellphones all day long are more anxious and restless.     5     When they don’t get what they want, they will become depressed. Therefore, keep the phone away to keep anxiety at bay.

5 . He’s as big as a small golden dog and covered with scales (鳞片). He is the pangolin (穿山甲), an endangered animal.

According to the wildlife trade monitoring organization Traffic, about one million pangolins were killed from 2000 through 2013, mainly for their scales, which are used in medicine. Pangolins are sensitive creatures and picky eaters that only eat certain species of ants, a diet that’s very difficult to copy in the food chain.

“In the last decade, there’s been a huge growth trade in pangolins between continents, especially their scales,” says Dan Challender, chair of the pangolin specialist group. Previously, most pangolin killing happened within Asia, he says. This shift means that Asian pangolins are becoming difficult to find but that the value of the scales makes it worth the extra cost to take pangolins from Africa to Asia secretly.

All eight species of pangolins, four in Africa and four in Asia, are in danger of extinction due to the illegal trade. International trade in the four species of Asian pangolins has been banned since 2000. In the past few years, a ban on international commercial trade in all eight species has gone into effect. It was voted by 183 governments that are parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which is in charge of cross-border trade in wild animals and their parts.

Pangolins are eaten as bushmeat in western and central Africa and by some local groups in South and Southeast Asia. Their parts also are used in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa as traditional medicine. Typically dried, ground into powder, and put into pills, pangolin scales are used in a range of traditional medicines to help mothers who have given birth to babies to recover. But they are now endangered. Perhaps no pangolins can be seen when our next generation grow up.

6 . A five-year-old girl from Toronto has raised＄25, 000 in the hope that a cure can be found for her brother’s disability. Na’ama Uzan has demonstrated her love for her older brother in a truly impressive way.

Na’ama’s brother, Nadav, a seven-year-old-boy, was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome (快乐天使综合症) when he was two years old. The disability is characterized with development delays and speech impairment (损伤) amongst other problems and can occur in one in every 15,000 live births. In a determined attempt to find a cure for her brother, Na’ama set up a lemonade stand to raise money for the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST). The stand sits in the family’s drive way in a neighborhood in the north of Toronto and its menu changes with the seasons: lemonade for the warmer months and hot chocolate during winter.

Since starting up about a year ago, Na’ama has got some help from other children and members of the community who man the other three lemonade stands that the family has set up. Her father said, “It’s quite amazing. Even at their young ages, they realize that they can do something to help him. It’s quite incredible how they’ve all really stepped up.” So far, Na’ama has raised an incredible $25,000 from refreshment stands (小吃摊).

Na’ama’s efforts caught the attention of David Lowe in California. He recently had to face the news that his son, Joshua, had Angelman Syndrome. Seeing Na’ama in action inspired David to raise an additional $22,000 to be donated to FAST. David said, “The technology and therapies (治疗) will be there to help these individuals and the only way that hope is going to be fulfilled is through the efforts of people like Na’ama and her family who inspire others to give.”

Nadav is said to have a great sense of humor, according to his father. He certainly seems to bring joy into Na’ama’s life, who describes how she loves her brother more than a ton. “I can’t say how much. It never ends.” she said.

9 . I have been volunteering for Tri-County Wildlife Care (TCWC) for 7 years. The job is emotionally demanding, and even more _________ for a migraines(偏头痛)sufferer．So why do l throw myself into it? Because at the most difficult time in my _________,saving wildlife saved me too.

I have had migraines for as long as I can remember. Sometimes it was a(n) _________to attend school. I would have to put my head _________ my desk to reduce the pain. So I chose to study at home. But being disconnected from the rest of the world made me feel _________.

“I can’t_________this anymore!” When Mum came to get me from the clinic, I nearly _________.

Then on our way back home, I _________a fallen nest. Two baby birds lay on the ground. Were they still alive? I _________closer. Thankfully they were__________! “You’re going to be okay,” I said to the birds. “I promise.”

The next day Mum and I __________took them to a wildlife care center. For the first time in a long time, I felt helpful instead of helpless. It was as if the baby birds' __________for me was stronger than my pain. I did find something__________ to do.

Then I began volunteering for TCWC. Every time I hold a bird in my hands, I feel a sense of __________, because it brings me so much __________to help these homeless animals.

10 . Most high schools and colleges have debate teams. Debate teams from different schools often compete against each other. The purpose of the debate is not to choose the right side of the topic, but to successfully argue the points of the side you choose.    1     Those with experience know that there are skills that can improve your chances of winning the match.

Research the subject thoroughly.    2     Map out what key points are favorable to your side of the debate, and plan how you will express those points. Also research and consider what points support the other side of the debate, so you can plan how to rebut (反驳) those points.

Attract your audience. Whether your audience is a table full of judges or the public, it is important for the one debating to speak directly to the audience. Explain your points in a way that the audience can relate to. Don’t be afraid to express your love for the topic.    3    

Speak as an authority.     4     Using published studies is very helpful, since it gives the impression of having an independent third party back up your argument.

    5     Keep your hands to your side. Make eye contact with your opponent (对手) when possible. Stand straight. Opponents, judges and listeners can usually tell by your body language if you are defensive, angry or nervous. Signs of insecurity might include running your hands through your hair, touching your face, or staring at your notes without looking up.