Maha was in the ninth grade and a leader of her class. She was not only good in her studies, but also good at sports. Maha was smart and kind-hearted. Her parents were proud of her and she was well liked by everyone in her family and friends’ circle. A new family moved to their neighbourhood and they had a daughter named Esha, who was the same age as Maha. Soon Maha and Esha became friends because they also studied in the same class and had common interests.

Esha was a clever student and was generally a nice person, but often she would become a little arrogant (傲慢的). Esha’s family was rich and she was rather proud of being rich. It was no wonder that Esha had a huge ego (自负) and it often showed itself in her behaviour.

When Maha and Esha started to hang out together, Maha noticed that Esha always liked to show off her wealth and lifestyle.

Maha also noticed, in the first week of their friendship, that Esha made fun of her classmates who were not rich and she would show off her expensive pens and other things to everyone. When her parents bought a new car, she sent a picture of the car in the group chat of her class.

Esha also made it a point to bring expensive make-up, bags and even a smartphone, which was not allowed, to the school. This behaviour, annoyed her classmates and they started calling her Miss Ego.

Maha warned Esha many times that she should stop making fun of others, but she never listened.

Maha decided to break her friendship with Esha because she was an arrogant person. When Esha got to know that Maha did not want to be friends with her anymore, she got mad and started making fun of Maha too.

This further frustrated Maha, so she decided to go to Esha’s house and talk to her parents about this. Esha’s parents listened to Maha and they felt ashamed about their daughter’s behaviour. They told Maha that they were sorry for all the stupid things that Esha did. They then called Esha and made her sit with them.

2 . While happiness is what most people pursue for a life-long time, many still find it easier to lose than to gain.     1     ? Here come many practical ways.

    2    

Internally, our character, mindset, and habits play a vital role in maintaining happiness. A positive attitude towards life’s challenges and a mindset to see things as a developing process instead of a fixed result are the key to happiness. Moreover, habits like regular exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient sleep contribute significantly to our overall well-being, including our good mood.

Set clear goals and plan accordingly (相应地)

When having a purpose and a proper plan, we are more likely to achieve success and thus we feel more fulfilled and satisfied.     3     .

Explore new things and embrace fresh experiences

    4    , they can definitely provide us with happiness. These activities can not only satisfy our curiosity but also enrich our lives.

Accept unhappiness as a normal state and practice gratitude

At last, it’s fine to be unhappy from time to time.     5     . Just let it go. Don’t push yourself to be happy all the time. Remember that the journey to happiness is an ongoing process and thanks to the contrast of unhappiness, happiness can be more precious. Besides, appreciate what we have and complain less about what we lack. A grateful heart is a content heart, and contentment is the key to sustained happiness.

5 . I still remember my one-night stay at a small bed-and-breakfast hotel in York, England, a few years ago. It was just a stopover (中途停留) from London, before I _______ to Scotland to meet some friends. When I _______ the hotel that I had booked online, I was unsure of what I was in for. Once I rang the doorbell of the cottage-like place, a(n) _______ woman opened the door and _______ me with the warmest smile I had ever seen. She then welcomed me, and offered to carry my bags. I _______ the offer, however. The next morning, she made some hot coffee and prepared freshly-baked bread and eggs for me and a few other _______ who were staying there. She _______ us the breakfast, with a smile on her face and sweet _______ on her lips. I later learnt in my _______ chat with her that she __________ the place all by herself. She spared no efforts to __________ the guests like they were family.

I was __________ by her tenacity (坚持), that as an old lady, she could __________ change beddings, keep the rooms clean and __________ , prepare meals and attend to room service — all on her own, and that she, with a smiling face and a __________ heart, could talk about service from the heart.

Have you ever seen a honeybee in the winter? Most people in temperate (温和的) climates     1     (probable) have not. When temperatures in the winter drop below 10℃, honeybees, without blankets, fires,     2     adjustable thermostats (恒温器), return to     3     (they) hives, forming a winter cluster for warmth — sort of like a giant three-month slumber party in the winter.

The fate of the hive     4     (depend) on how sufficiently the winter population has prepared for the cold.     5     (keep) warm and survive, the honeybee swarm (蜂群) must have a strong population of winter-ready bees, plentiful stores of honey to eat, and a secure hive. A successful winter cluster is made up of a generation of bees,     6     have a longer lifespan (寿命) to last the whole winter.

The social world of honeybees is normally divided into three     7     (variety): workers, drones, and queens.     8    , the male drones die off in the winter,     9     (leave) only the female workers and the queen. To maintain a survivable heat, the all-female swarm of bees crowds together tightly to form the winter cluster, with the queen at the warmest place, the     10     (centre) section of the group, and the workers shaking around.

7 . Are you looking for movies to entertain yourself during the summer vacation? Here come some excellent ones.

This animated adventure explores deeper into the complexities of growing up and the evolving relationships within one’s inner self. It continues the journey into the emotional world of a young girl named Riley. Each emotional character serves as a metaphor for various aspects of Riley’s life, reflecting her struggles and achievements.

Marley is known as a musician who brought Jamaican reggae (雷鬼乐) to the world. The movie will cover the rise of Marley to fame as well as the attempted assassination (暗杀) made on Marley, Marley’s health struggles with skin cancer and his early death.

Fantastic news for fans of Chinese myths and animations! As a sequel (续集) to the original Ne Zha, Ne Zha 2 picks up the story from the first movie. The souls of Ne Zha and Ao Bing are preserved, but their bodies are destroyed. Taiyi Zhenren rebuilds their bodies, yet the process is full of challenges.

Lisa Frankenstein, a romantic horror-comedy movie, centers on a lonely and gloomy (忧郁的) high school student. Lisa falls in love with a dead handsome boy who lived in the Victorian era. After bringing this ideal lover back to life, the two go on a strange journey to find love and happiness.

8 . Of all the sports, soccer is what I find joy in the most, and the House Cup is one competition that I will never forget.

I was 12 when I first encountered soccer, but I didn’t get much of a chance to play. When I entered high school, I was thrilled to know that there was a soccer team. My fellow teammates were quite skilled and I had a hard time keeping pace, so I tried my best in every class. Day by day, my passion for soccer grew and I began to love the sport. It wasn’t easy for me to improve, but each time I touched the ball, I got a bit better.

The soccer House Cup is a traditional competition in our school. Our team trained hard for these games but for various reasons, we didn’t win any matches. But I can still remember the lunch hours when we practiced, passing the ball to one another, shooting at the goal, and trying repeatedly to master certain moves. I can still recall moments of the matches, defending, taking control of the ball, and passing the ball to other teammates. I can still hear the cheering of the crowd after we made our shot at the goal and succeeded.

The best moment of the matches was when we faced House Gewu, a strong opponent. At half-time, the score stood at 3-0. All my teammates are at low morale (士气), and that’s when our goalkeeper said, “We are not winning, but we will not go down without a fight. Let’s struggle and strive (努力) to the end. ”You can tell that her words cheered us. The final score was 4-0, and we did our best.

It’s usually believed that to win the championship is the most important thing, but for me, it is the process of fighting with teammates shoulder to shoulder and the spirit presented on the field that are the most valuable. I will always treasure these experiences.

9 . In recent years, seasonal allergies, also called ha y fever or allergic rhinitis(过敏性鼻炎),have been hitting people around the world especially hard. Seasonal allergies cause great trouble to people, such as sneezing, tiredness, a runny nose or a congested nose which makes it hard for people to breathe.

In 2021, as many as 81 million Americans experienced seasonal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The main cause for seasonal allergies is the spread of pollen(花粉), and researchers are blaming climate change for it.

As the planet warms, scientists are seeing two main changes to allergy seasons. Allergy season length is longer and pollen levels are increasing. With warmer winter temperatures, the frost-free season starts earlier in the spring and ends later in the fall. In a research done by William Anderegg, an associate professor at the University of Utah, US, he saw pollen seasons starting about 20 days earlier this year than they did in the 1990s.

Pollen levels have also been increasing in the US. Anderegg’s research found about a 21percent increase in the amount of pollen in the air from 1990 to 2018.

This increase is likely fueled by a combination of higher temperatures and higher carbon dioxide levels in the air, according to Anderegg. The burning of fossil fuels — a primary cause of global warming — increases carbon dioxide. As CO₂ levels go up, plants and trees produce more pollen, according to NBC.

Increased rainfall brought on by global warming may be making allergies worse too. “Thunderstorms, pressure changes, and humidity changes that we see through climate change break down pollen spores (孢子) into even smaller pieces, and these pollen spores can then more easily enter the lungs,” Brooke Lappe, a doctoral student at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, said to NBC.