A long time ago, a father was old and sick. He did not have much time to live, and he wanted     1     (give) his sons a good lesson before he died.

Recently, he noticed that his sons     2     (fight) among themselves and seemed unable to agree on anything. The old man feared what would happen after his     3     (die). He was afraid that his sons would begin to argue. “They will disagree about everything,” He thought. “Soon they     4     (be) enemies, each going his own direction.”

He called his sons together in his room. “Bring     5     (I) a bundle (束) of stick,” he asked his servant (仆人). Soon enough, a thick bundle of sticks arrived, tied     6     (close) together. One by one, he gave the bundle to each son, and asked him to break the bundle. One son after another pulled and twisted (拧) with all of his strength (力量),     7     the sticks would not break. The old man smiled and ordered his servant to untie the bundle of sticks. He handed one stick to each son and said, “Now break the stick.”

The old man smiled and ordered his servant to untie the bundle of sticks. He handed one stick to each son and said, “Now break the stick.” Of course, the single stick     8     (break) in two easily. The old father looked at his sons. “Do you understand this lesson?” he asked.

Each son, being intelligent,     9     (understand) the meaning at once. Alone, it is easy for one of them to be harmed. But together, they are strong and can’t be harmed even     10     great forces (势力). That’s the meaning of the sticking together. In unity, there is great strength.

A Californian woman has become a fitness influencer in her 50s after losing more than 40 pounds and taking up bodybuilding.

Denise Kirtley, 52, was inspired     1     (turn) her life around two months before her 50th birthday after finding that her wedding ring no longer fit on her finger.

“When I     2     (start) my transformation in 2020, I had been sedentary (惯于久坐不动的) for     3     long while,” Kirtley explained. She began lifting light weights in her spare bedroom, saying she was     4     unfit for the first two weeks that she quickly felt     5     (breath) and tired. But Kirtley said the secret to     6     (get) started on a body transformation is     7     (simple) to repeat workouts five times per week because action “often precedes (先于) motivation.”

“Action leads to more action. We can’t wait for motivation to kick in as it usually comes     8     (late),” she said. “If you can start taking action, any action, you will build momentum (推进力). That momentum will push you forward. It DOES get easier.”

The 52-year-old said she’s also transformed her attitude toward growing older. “We really do get to choose     9     we age. It’s all about your mindset,” she said. “Old and aging are very different — there’s nothing wrong     10     aging, and I embrace (欣然接受) my age. I’m aging, but I’m strong and spirited.”

Just after finishing his work, Mr. Philips was going to the grocery shop to buy some bananas, but he saw a poor old lady     1     (sell)fresh bananas on the street, so it seemed     2     (convenient)to buy some from her.

The old lady charged $7     3     one kilo of bananas. “But the shop     4     I usually buy from gives them for $5 per kilo!”, Mr. Philips said. “I’m sorry sir, I cannot afford to match that price”, the old lady responded. Mr. Philips said nothing and went to the grocery shop.

    5     , when he wanted to pay for bananas he picked, the cashier told him that the price per kilo was $10. He tried to bargain again, but the manager said coldly, “We do not bargain.” Mr. Philips felt very     6     (annoy)with his attitude, and decided to put the bananas back and go back to the old lady.

She recognized him     7     (instant)and told him, “Sir, I can’t match that price.” “Don’t worry, I will pay you $10 per kilo!” said Mr. Philips. “Now, give me two     8     (kilo)please!” The old lady happily packed the bananas and said, “I can’t accept $10 per kilo but I will accept $7 per kilo. I appreciate your     9     (kind).”

Mr. Philips left the old lady speechless with gratitude, and also recommended many friends to buy bananas from the old lady, which they did. From that day on, she made     10     much better living than ever before.

Shanghai Sukkah,     1     (write) by Heidi Smith Hyde and illustrated (画插图) by Jing Jing Tsong, is a picture book centering on friendship and respect across cultures.

During World War Ⅱ, 10-year-old Marcus and his family move from Berlin     2     Shanghai, where he doubts whether this unfamiliar city will ever feel like home.     3     (fortunate), he makes a new Chinese friend, Liang, despite their language and cultural differences.

When autumn holidays approach, Marcus explains the tradition of building sukkah — a(n)     4     (tradition) ceremonial building, and happily accepts Liang’s offer of help in     5     (it) construction, though he’s sad that his family is too poor to decorate the building with fruits and vegetables.     6     (see) his friend’s sadness, Liang invites Marcus     7     (experience) the Mid-Autumn Festival, with its colourful red lanterns, mooncakes,     8     games. Finally, these two boys decide to decorate the sukkah in a Chinese style. According to Tsong’s illustration, the bamboo sukkah     9     (decorate) with, instead of fruits and vegetables, warmly glowing red paper lanterns.

All in all, I highly recommend this book,     10     celebrates history, friendship, traditions and cultures.

Getting kids to do their homework can be a challenge, and when they do sit down to study, a lot of other problems can appear. Doing homework may not be as fun as     1     (play) video games or chatting with friends, but it shouldn’t be something     2     kids hate. Your children’s assignments (任务) should help them build a skill     3     learn something new.

You can help by stepping in to answer questions or offer     4     (encourage). This gives you a chance to see     5     they are learning and how well they understand the material.

Many kids refuse     6     (study) by asking why they have to learn things they’ll never use in real life. If your son or daughter shows little interest, you can make them seem more important by pointing out ways you use them in     7     (day) life.

If parents feel that their kids are overloaded (超负荷), they can talk about     8     with the teachers. If you think it takes your child too long     9     (finish) homework, try to make a decision whether the problem lies in too much work or managing time     10     (poor).

Chinese calligraphy is called the art of lines. Practicing calligraphy helps a person to achieve relaxation and inner peace. In the past, children     1     (train) at an early age to practice writing. Great attention is paid     2     calligraphy today with exhibitions and competitions among both the young and the old.     3     (learn) calligraphy, one will need a brush, ink, paper, and ink stone, which     4     (be) commonly recognized as the Four Treasures of Study. As Chinese culture spreads throughout the world nowadays, calligraphy is enjoying     5     (great) popularity than ever before. Many foreigners are practising it now.     6     calligraphy uses Chinese characters (汉字) as a way of expression, one does not have to know Chinese to admire its beauty.

Chinese researchers have recently developed an artificial intelligence (Al) model to predict the development and pattern of EI Nino events in the central Pacific Ocean.

The new model unlocks the potential for AI to improve seasonal forecasting, and     1     (offer) significant advances in climate prediction. According to the researchers, the AI model does     2     better job than traditional methods in accuracy. The researchers say a model     3     combines predictions from both the AI model and traditional methods can achieve even higher accuracy.

El Nino events in the central Pacific Ocean can have a far reaching effect     4     the global climate. The new AI model can precisely predict the sudden changes of sea surface temperatures, which     5     (believe) to be associated with central Pacific El Nino events. It also has a great impact on disaster risk reduction worldwide, as AI-driven predictions can     6     (significant) contribute to improved preparedness and mitigation (缓解) strategies. By     7     (take) advantage of the potential of Al, scientists and policymakers around the globe can work together     8     (rise) to climate-related challenges.

The research team plans to further expand the     9     (apply) of AI models in seasonal climate forecasting, with the goal of providing     10     (early) and more accurate warnings of major weather events.

Air pollution has largely gone under-reported by the media, yet despite     1     (it) silent nature, it’s a killer. According to the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Pediatrics and Child Health, air pollution leads to 40,000 early     2     (death) a year. The trouble is that it’s an indirect killer, which makes the issue hard to examine — meaning the actual figure could be much     3     (high).

Then how can we measure and end such a problem? The answer is     4     (surprising) simple. Diesel (柴油) is the largest contributor of nitrogen oxides (氮氧化合物) and around 40 million people in the UK live in areas     5     (pollute) by diesel. We need to stop the production of diesel vehicles as soon as possible, and replace older diesel models     6     eco-friendly alternatives, such as electric vehicles. Apart from ammonia (氨) farming, pollution is actually decreasing globally — except for cities     7     it’s on the rise. In London, nearly 10,000 people died due to the capital’s harmful air, so     8     (create) clean air zones where high-polluting vehicles     9     (ban) would decrease these harmful gases. By moving towards more greenery on rooftops, parks and city centers, big cities could easily remove     10     problem. The answers are there; we just have to start.

Today, life as a teenager has changed greatly. The growth from childhood to adulthood is effortless for some, but difficult for others. There are many     1     (challenge) to face, decisions to make, and roads to take.

Being a teenager means we’re no longer a child     2     we’re not an adult either. We make great effort     3     (live) up to so many expectations from our friends, family members, and sometimes even our parents’ friends too.     4     (actual), in this stage of life, we’re expected to be responsible     5     something yet we’re not allowed to do just as much as adults can. All adults see us as children     6     are trying to be someone we can’t be just yet.

Many adults expect us to act just as they did, but they don’t understand that we     7     (raise) differently. Times have changed compared to 30 years ago when our parents were teenagers. Back then they     8     (have) more time away from phones, computers and TVs. They communicated face to face more. Nowadays we communicate online.

The best part of being a teenager is being able to find things at the click of a button(按钮). With the     9     (develop) of technology, today’s generation doesn’t struggle (挣扎) as much as they did 30 years ago. The new technology plays an important role in our lives. Teenagers nowadays are     10     (close) than ever. We can easily reach each other with a mobile phone or a computer.

A new book for children     1     (call) Climate Change is co-written by Charles Ⅲ, Tony Juniper and Emily Shuckburgh. Charles Ⅲ, well-known as the king of the United Kingdom,     2     (be) also an environmentalist and has spoken about the environment for many years. In     3     (he) new book, he hopes children will learn more about the problems our planet is facing. Juniper, who is the chairperson of an organization, told reporters that he hoped     4     (write) a book for children aged 7 to 11 and bring the facts to those children who will benefit a lot by finding better     5     (solution) to the environmental problems.

Last Friday, Juniper went to     6     event at Buckingham Palace in London, which     7     (host) by King Charles. Many business leaders were also invited to the event. At the palace get-together, Juniper said he was excited to see so many children willing to help Earth and that he would try his best to put something into their hands     8     is about basic ideas of protecting the environment. King Charles said, “Ever since I was a young teenager, I have been     9     (deep) worried about the way we have shaped our world. I hope that more children across the world can take part     10     the activities of protecting our Earth.”