1 . Several months ago, a tornado fiercely hit our city without any signs before. We hadn’t ___________for it in advance, so we were just forced to go into our___________actions. I happened not to be in the classroom when it attacked. Hearing the alarm screaming, I rushed___________as fast as I could back to the classroom.

Never did I imagine that we would put our regular_________to use. Never did I imagine that my students had ___________against the wall and crouched(蹲) down on their knees. Their eyes were obviously filled with___________as they asked if their parents, pets, and friends would be okay. I, along with other teachers, tried our best to___________them, though we actually didn’t know what the___________would be.

I couldn’t ___________the tornado anymore. However, I’m very proud of my students who performed so well. In such a(an)____________and dangerous situation, they behaved beyond their ages. Never in my life had I seen them ____________instructions(指示) so quickly, without any hesitation. Though some tears were dropping and some hearts were beating fast, the kids were incredibly____________. I’m extremely proud that they struggled to calm down because of their____________in me.

Because of the tornado, I realized that my job as a teacher meant a lot. Behind every well-behaved students are a long line of teachers who have made it their life’s ____________to educate them with safety, courage, calmness and trust. Though the tornado has presented ____________, I’m sure we can handle them one by one.

Yours,

Li Hua

5 . Sports play a key role in the physical and mental development of children. While it’s great to see a child succeed in one sport, it’s important to keep their activities in balance. Participation in multiple sports enables children to build a solid foundation of movement skills. Aside from this, here are some other good reasons why kids should be encouraged to play multi-sports.

Repetitive (重复乏味的) movements can overstress growing bodies which later on can lead to injuries. With multi-sports, each sport works the body slightly differently. This will lead to fewer overuse injuries. Also, kids who overspecialize in one sport may end up losing interest and eventually quit. Specializing in a sport raises expectations and may put too much pressure on young kids. Having a variety of experiences will keep children interested and motivated, and even make them enjoy sports without any pressure.

Multi-sports also allow kids to experience different roles. Being a goalkeeper in a football team is very different from being a point guard in basketball. Being exposed to baseball develops better hand-eye coordination (手眼协调). Soccer develops better footwork. Volleyball develops jumping and hand-eye coordination. Martial arts develop strength, mobility, and discipline (自制力). Swimming develops full-body coordination and strength. The list goes on and on! Participation in multiple sports broadens a child’s developmental, social, and situational experience. It opens opportunities to become a better competitor and a promising athlete flexible and energetic.

Many sports superstars like Stephen Curry achieved their standing today by playing multiple sports. Curry played basketball, but he also played baseball, football, soccer and everything else in a sports buffet. What worked for Curry, experts say, could work for most of us.

Aside from developing a wide range of sports sill, more important, multi-sports provide opportunities for children to discover their liking. With the help of the right coaches, sports become fun, inspiring kids’ interests. So if you can’t decide whether your child should focus on one sport or try some different sports, I hope you can make a better decision now.

6 . Walking over water might sound like something unbelievable. In fact, people do it all the time. How? Almost all of the world’s liquid fresh water lies underground. This stash beneath our feet is called groundwater.

Earth is a water planet, but most of its H₂O is in the oceans. Only about 2.5 percent of the planet’s water is fresh water. Of that, nearly 69 percent is frozen in glaciers (冰川) and ice caps. And about 30 percent is groundwater — much more than the 1.2 percent that flows through rivers and fills lakes.

Groundwater is found almost everywhere on Earth. It hides under mountains, plains, and even deserts. Tiny gaps between rocks and soil grains take in and hold this water like a sponge, forming buried bodies of water called aquifers (地下蓄水层). Together, they hold about 60 times as much water as the world’s lakes and rivers combined. Groundwater is a key part of the earth’s water cycle. Rain and melted snow go down into the ground. The water can stay there for thousands of years. Some groundwater naturally runs out onto the earth’s surface through springs. It also flows into lakes, rivers, and wetlands. People get groundwater through wells for drinking, watering crops, and other uses. People draw more than 200 times as much groundwater from the earth as oil every year.

As human-caused climate change dries out parts of the planet, demand for groundwater may rise. At the same time, climate change may intensify (加剧) storms. Heavier rain is more likely to rush straight into streams and storm drains, instead of going into the soil. So, there may be less groundwater around.

Many of the world’s aquifers already seem to be drying up. Twenty-one of the earth’s 37 biggest aquifers are becoming smaller, satellite data show. The most dried-out aquifers are near big cities, farms, or dry regions. As groundwater stores dwindle, they hold less water to refill rivers and streams, thus threatening freshwater ecosystems. In California, drying up the ground may even be causing small earthquakes.