4 . Last year, there were 38 student members and a full-time teacher in the school band. But over the summer, the director took another job and the school board had no applicants for the vacant position.

“It was such a downer,” remembers Jadyn Lane. “But we were given a choice — we could sign up for other electives (选修课), or find a way to make the band work.” Most students signed up for other electives, but 10 students decided to stay.

“It wasn’t an option to quit,” says Hailey Fitzgerald. “I’ve been in the band for seven years. I love it! It’s too important for too many reasons.” The students elected Hailey as director, a position she accepted on the condition they would all work together and share responsibilities. They recruited Casey Griffith and Jennifer Nail-Cook to be their official faculty advisors. Casey did the paperwork, and Jennifer helped with the music.

They directed themselves. Front and center on the band room whiteboard are a set of rules which they created themselves. In addition, they made a calendar (日历) of their upcoming events, like football games. It included a daily countdown to each event so they’d be prepared.

Perhaps most importantly, they decided which instruments were necessary to make a band of this size work. Most of them were drummers. How could they play those instruments with the people they had? “Several members switched instruments and some even learnt brand new ones,” Hailey says.

The time came last month for their first public performance. It was a home football game against Richwood. They had no idea what to expect. Would it work? Would the crowd cheer them on? Would they cheer up the football team? To their surprise, a group of students made posters for the band and hung them at the entrance to the football field. “We thought some people didn’t even know we still had a band,” says Jadyn. But their classmates had been paying attention and wanted to make their first game special. And their school won.

5 . A new study reveals that trees can communicate and warn each other of danger. “For the first time, researchers have been able to visualize plant-to-plant communication,” said Masatsugu, senior author of the study.

The idea of talking trees started to take root in the 1980s. Two scientists found that damaged trees began producing chemicals that made their leaves unappetizing and indigestible to discourage insects. The trees then sent chemical signals to one another through the air. Over the past four decades, scientists have observed this cell-to-cell communication in more than 30 plant species.

Past research shows plants communicate with their surroundings by releasing chemicals known as volatile (易挥发的) organic compounds. One class of these compounds are released when a plant is injured: green leafy volatiles. These are released by, as the name suggests, pretty much every green plant with leaves, and are produced when a plant experiences physical damage. An example of these compounds is the smell released from fresh-cut grass.

In the new study, Masatsugu and his colleagues manually damaged leaves and placed insects on tomato plants to trigger the release of various green leafy volatiles. After testing many of them, the team found it seemed to increase calcium ions (钙离子) inside cells. The calcium signaling is like a switch to turn on the defense responses from the plants.

With this new understanding, researchers say plants could be immunized against threats and stressors before they even happen. For instance, exposing healthy plants to insect-ridden plants or the associated green leafy volatiles could boost their genetic defenses, so farmers use less pesticides. The revelation could also help make plants more resilient (有复原力的) during a drought, signaling the plants to conserve more water.

6 . To bring a child to life, the mother goes through sleepless nights, uncomfortable mornings and excruciating (极痛苦的) birth pains. And the father supports the mother and takes care of the child like a superhero.     1     There are many ways in which you can convey your love to your friends and spouse. But how do you express your love and gratitude to your parents? Here are some tips.

    2     Parents never plan to have a bad relationship with their children. However, things can go wrong, especially since parenting is one of the toughest things to do. When you create positive thoughts about your parents, you will be more likely to respect and love them.

Make them your priority. You were your parents’ priority once and still are. Maybe your mother left her job to look after you or your father worked extra hours to ensure that you have better chances in life than he had. Since the day you were born, most of their decisions were based on you.     3    

Calm them down when they are angry.     4     Even if you feel tense, try to restrain yourself and avoid saying bad words. With age, your parents may become capricious (反复无常的). Don’t pay attention to what they are saying if they are only speaking out of anger.

If you disagree with them, don’t be rude to them. You might not agree with many of your parents’ opinions, and you might be right.     5     You can still hear them out and then make your own decisions. Good communication can bridge the generation gap between you and your parents.

Foster homes play     1     crucial role in providing a safe and nurturing environment for     2    (pet) awaiting adoption. According to a report, many pet shelters and rescue organizations require foster homes to accommodate homeless pets. Unfortunately, due     3     a decline in volunteers, several pet shelters have had to shut down,     4    (lead) to an increase in homeless pets. Meanwhile, more pets are being surrendered by owners     5    are either too ill to care for them or unable to afford their upkeep.

    6    (address) this issue, the Arizona Humane Society in Phoenix     7    (introduce) a convenient drive-up service up to now. Volunteers interested in fostering pets can simply send a text upon arrival, and shelter staff will promptly bring the necessary paperwork to their car, promoting the foster process.     8    (current), there are 345 pets from the shelter benefiting from foster care. However, the need for pet fosters persists nationwide. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to contact a pet shelter     9    rescue organization near you. Welcoming a furry companion into your home is a     10    (reward) experience, as pets bring immense joy and fulfillment to people’s lives.

10 . In 1997, Ben Lyons, a 5th grader of Oak Ridge School in Sandwich, Massachusetts, sent a message in a bottle out at sea. He did so as part of a _______ project about ocean currents. In his letter, Ben _______ some questions for whoever might _______ his bottle. Questions from Ben _______: Where did you find the bottle? What are the conditions of the bottle? “If you could, please _______ the questions and return to Ben,” the 5th grader _______ on a piece of paper. “Thank you. Ben Lyons from Oak Ridge School in Sandwich, Massachusetts.”

Over the course of decades, Ben’s _______traveled 3,300 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Now in his 30s, Ben _______ has a response to his message from a (n) _______ fisherman. Rather than replying with another ________, the fisherman chose the safer and faster ________ a letter in the mail. He ________ it to Ben according to the message, leaving the school secretaries puzzled as they searched for this ________ 5th grader. Finally, they had to open it to ________ why they weren’t going to find Ben at school anymore.

In the response, the retired fisherman ________ that he found the bottle on a beach in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France. He was walking around cleaning the ________ when he found the bottle and it was sealed so tight with wax (蜡) that he had a really ________ time opening it.

“It’s ________ that the kids can study the oceans and currents from this,” Ben said after being given the letter through the ________ of the school secretaries. “What a ________ way to connect with someone from the other side of the world!”！