1 . Learn to Be Responsible

How does it feel when you admit that you have done something wrong? Taking responsibility for your actions not only feels good, it teaches you to trust yourself and strengthens friendships.

What does being responsible mean?

It can be easy to blame(责怪) others or make excuses for mistakes, but being responsible means accepting that you are wrong.     1     You could say the bus was late, but being responsible means apologizing and accepting that it was your responsibility to get there on time. However, being responsible doesn’t mean taking the blame for things you can’t change. You’re only responsible for things that you can control.

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According to research, understanding you have control over your own actions makes you feel more positive and hopeful about the future.     3     For example, I remember a time I got the sofa dirty. I was going to lie about it because if my mum saw it, she would get angry. But after I told her the truth, I wasn’t in as much trouble as I thought. Instead, mom praised me for my honesty. Being responsible helps you to gain people’s trust.

How can you be responsible?

    4     One way of doing this is by drawing a circle of control: what is in this circle of control and what is out of this circle. As well as being responsible for what you can change, try accepting the things you can’t. We can’t always control what happens to us.     5     We can still choose our attitude. And most of the time, attitude decides if you are truly a responsible person.

2 . Winning the silver medal at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League in the United States, on Sunday, the Chinese women’s volleyball team enjoyed their best result in the tournament (联赛), with the key to the breakthrough being their unity and never-say-die spirit.

“I just feel that our team is more united than ever,” said Yuan Xinyue, Team China captain. “We support and help each other on the court. This is the most important reason behind our success. All of us should shoulder the responsibility of winning.”

She continued to say, “ We have firm determination, and we will keep moving forward. We cherish the road that we have walked. We will summarize events, and we will keep tackling the problems. We will also try hard and hold onto our dreams and the belief that the Chinese women’s volleyball team can be the best.”

Team China was one step away from gold, but the Turkish women’s team showed greater momentum (势头) in the final beating China 3-1. As the Chinese team only finished sixth at last year’s VNL, the second-place finish was a surprise to Chinese fans.

Sunday’s final attracted huge media attention and generated a series of trending topics on social media. While many joined in heated discussion about the final, many more expressed congratulations on the fast rise of the young women’s team.

“Although the Chinese women’s team wasn’t able to stand on the highest podium (领奖台) at the Volleyball Nations League, they still produced the best possible result by fighting together. Hand in hand, Team China players march forward together,” reported by China Sports Daily. “Team China was not among the favorites to reach the final of the VNL, but the team still managed to pocket a silver medal, which is huge progress compared to last year’s result. They proved all the doubters wrong, and they showed the world what a united team they are.”

3 . The first time ever I realized that plastic was a serious matter for our planet was during a road trip in Western Australia, almost 12 years ago.

We________at a supermarket along the Coral Bay coast to buy some groceries and the lady at the counter told us they didn’t sell any shopping bags in order to prevent plastic in the________and to help preserving the endangered turtles living in that area. After a first reaction of surprise, we________all our shopping in our arms and left.

This was just one of the many experiences I’ve lived that made me more________about my impact and pushed me to adopt different habits to live and________more sustainably.

Our trip to Borneo was another life-changing________that has strengthened my resolution to a zero-waste lifestyle. While traveling in some Asian countries, we came to know that________drinkable water was always a challenge. So we had to travel with our water bottle, and we________to avoid using plastic during our trip.

Besides, we were also________impressed by our stay on Libaran Island. A sustainable turtle conservation________and the community had made big efforts to________ the beaches and creatively re-use plastic for ten years. Despite that, the shore is________daily with tons of plastic coming from the tides.

Facing this global issue________, raised in me a feeling of sadness and anger that soon turned into________: to do as much as possible to reduce plastic in our life. Small changes can________a difference!