1 . Jack London, one of America’s major writers of adventure tales, was born in California in 1876. During his life, London worked at many jobs. His broad life experiences would become the background for his writing.

London, loved to read. As a teenager, he spent many hours educating himself at the Oakland, California, public library. He attended college at the University of California at Berkeley, but he stayed for only six months. He though Berkeley was “not lively enough” and wanted to do something more exciting.

London wrote stories about working people and the hard times they had making a living. He knew their problems first hand. He worked as a sailor, farmer, factory employee, railroad worker, and gold prospector, to name just a few of his many jobs.

London grew up near the waterfront in Oakland. He loved the water. When he was fifteen years old, he bought a small sailboat called a sloop. Later he sailed to Japan on a schooner, which is much large sailing boat. Like many people of the time, London caught the Klondike Gold Rush Fever. In 1897, he headed for Alaska. He didn’t find gold, but he discovered something even more valuable. He discovered that people enjoyed listening to the stories he made up with his vivid imagination. London entertained the miners with story after story. Later, using his experiences during the Gold Rush, he created many more colorful stories.

London resolved to live a full, exciting life. He once said, “I would rather be a superb meteor (流星), every atom of me in magnificent glow,than a sleepy and permanent planet.” Each day, he pushed himself. Once London determined that he was going to be a writer,nothing could stop him. His goal was to write at least one thousand words everyday. He refused to stop even when he was sick. In eighteen years, the writer published fifty-one books and hundreds of articles. He was the best-selling and highest-paid author of his day. Many people also considered him to be the best writer. White Fang and The Call of the Wild are his most famous stories and are about surviving in the Alaskan wilderness. Readers can enjoy Jack London’s energy and his talent for telling wonderful stories each time they open one of his novels.

The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the whole year into 24 solar terms. “Cold Dew”, also     1     (know) as “Han Lu”in Chinese, falls on October 8 or October 9 each year. Temperatures are much lower and the dew (露水) is     2     (great) at this time.

Here are three things you should know about Cold Dew. Firstly,     3     (eat) pomegranates (石榴) and hawthorns (山楂) that are both ripe during Cold Dew is a tradition. Pomegranates     4     (treasure) for their health benefits while hawthorns are thought to improve blood flow. Besides, Chrysanthemum (菊花) is the symbolic flower of Cold Dew.     5     (prevent) autumn dryness, people in China have the custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine. This is also a tradition of the Double Ninth Festival,     6     often falls around Cold Dew. Finally, it is     7     great time for fishing.     8     the Cold Dew period, temperatures decrease quickly and sunshine doesn’t reach deep water entirely. So fish usually swim to the area where the water is not deep and the temperature is     9     (relative) high. That is why people always say that fishing in shallow water areas in autumn     10     (make) sense.

5 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

6 . What makes a person a giver or taker? The idea of “give vs. take” take shape in all interactions and relationships of our lives. We’re either giving advice, making time for people, or we’re on the receiving end. We keep changing between the two based on different situations on a daily basis, if not a hourly one.

According to Adam Grant, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, most people are matchers. They make careful observations on takers and make it a point for them to pay something back. They hate to see people who act so generously towards others not receive any rewards. Actually, most matchers will try hard to promote and support givers so that they can get the good they should get.

Is there a gender factor (性别因素) that plays a part in this?

A study led by Hannah Riley Bowles, a professor at Harvard University, focused on this question. She asked 200 senior managers to sit down in pairs where one person would act as the boss and the other as a worker to discuss salary promotions. Male “workers” asked for an average salary of $146k while the females asked for only $141k. But why did they not bargain as hard as the men? Simply because they were more likely to be givers.

As a woman, I do enjoy the act of giving up my time, my knowledge, and my care and attention to others. I don’t expect anything in return, but I do tend to pull myself away when I feel like I’m being taken for granted (理所当然). I also tend to get upset when I see a loved one’s continuous actions of kindness go unnoticed. So, it’s safe to say I’m 50% giver, 35% matcher and 15% taker.

I do know someone, however, who is 99% giver. They’re constantly giving their time, sharing valuable ideas and going our of their way for everyone who crosses their path. Although they’re changed the lives of many people , they rarely see any of it returned. But the universe is slowly repaying them; they’re now extremely successful, well known for what they do.

7 . A club called We Dine Together was formed at Boca High School in Florida last autumn. During each lunch period, ________ make their way around the school courtyard looking for students who are eating ________. They then introduce themselves and get to know the students.

Estimon, who came to the US from Haiti in the first grade, is one of four students who ________ We Dine Together. He said having been the ________ kid before, he knew how it felt to be ________. And he didn’t want any other kid to have ________ problems.

“When I first arrived, I had a great feeling of loneliness, which was more ________ during my lunch break,” said Estimon. “If we don’t try to make that ________, who’s going to do it?”

Allie, who also helped organize the club, got emotional while ________ what it was like to sit alone at lunch.

“It’s not a good feeling — you’re ________. And that’s something I don’t want anybody to ________.” said Allie. “Meeting someone who actually ________ and listens to what you have to say really makes a difference.”

Since the club was founded, dozens of ________ and friendship have already been formed between teens who may not have met ________. Estimon and his friends are planning to ________ the success. “We’ll open clubs in schools across the country — no matter where anyone lives, they have the chance to make friends.”

8 . Tiger Tiger Burning Bright!

by Fiona Waters

Including a different poem for each day of the year, this beautiful book brings together different poetry encouraged by the animal kingdom. There are old and new poems from all over the world, by poets including Lewis Carroll and Grace Nichols — as well as lots of wonderful artwork.

Dear Ugly Sisters

by Laura Mucha

The first collection from exciting new poet Laura includes all kinds of topics, such as science, space, and classic stories. Other poems are inspired by events that influence us today, such as Dear Key Workers, which impresses respect for those who have helped us all during the coronavirus pandemic (新冠状病毒流行病).

The Book of Not Entirely Useful Advice

by A. F. Harrold

There’s all kinds of unexpected advice in this poetry book, whether you want to know about breakfast or parrots. Bringing together lots of silly poems by A. F. Harrold, it also includes fun illustrations (插画) by Mini Grey.

On The Move

by Michelle Rosen

illustrated by Quentin Blake

Two former children’s Laureates have joined forces to create this book. Michelle Rosen has taken inspiration from his childhood and family history, as well as stories of Migration from all over the world to create poems that will leave you with lots to think about.

9 . In 1971 a young man who grew up very poor was travelling across the country, trying to make a new start for himself. Along the way he had completely run out of _________ and was forced to spend the night in his car. This _________ until one morning, after a week of sleeping in his car, he walked _________ into a restaurant and ordered a big breakfast.

After eating his first good meal in _________, he found himself _________ to the waiter, telling him he had lost his _________. The waiter, who was also the owner, walked _________ the chair where the young man had been sitting. He bent down, _________ a $20 bill that looked _________ it had fallen on the floor and said, “Son, you must have __________ this,” the owner said. The young man couldn't believe his good __________! He quickly paid for the breakfast, left a __________ , bought gas with the change, and headed West.

On the way out of town, he began to understand __________ the fellow did. Maybe nobody dropped the money __________ . “Maybe that fellow just knew I was __________ and he helped me in a way that didn't embarrass (使困窘) me. So I just made a __________ to help others if I can.”

Later, he worked very hard and became a (an) __________ man. Now, he lives near Kansas City. Each year he __________ thousands of dollars. He is known as the “Secret Santa” because at __________ time each year, he personally hands money out to those on the streets and at __________. Last year, he gave more than $50,000 away in Kansas City.

A Beautiful Place in China