2 . The first time my grandma came to visit us in Canada, she was a little upset. She ________ that there was nothing to do.

Before my grandma arrived, I used to tend the flowers in our garden. But while I was at school and my parents were at work, my grandma, feeling ________, came down upon the little piece of land. She pulled out the annuals and ________ those with orderly rows of green onions and other ________. I told her to stop, to keep the flowers. “They’re pretty, but they're ________,” she said matter-of-factly. I was annoyed until I learned something about her past.

Grandma was ________ at the time of a severe famine (饥荒). She lost her parents and did everything on her own. _______, she never cried about it to anyone.

Different times ________ unique characters. My grandma was shaped by the ________ of her family members and the difficulties in China’s recent history. Those who experienced the famine are, ________, unwilling to use valuable land to plant flowers. Her ________, responsibility, diligence and frugality (勤俭), helped her through those difficult years, some of which were laid down by the hands of time, and to change them now would ________ her. She is a (n) ________ link between my family’s past and future—she ________ her times’ challenges to support the next generation. Someday, I will be like my grandma and ________ my small part to human’s moving on.

Yours truly,

Li Hua

It was my birthday and I was looking forward to see my friends. We were meeting at my favorite Italian restaurant. I was exciting and got to a restaurant at exactly 7 o'clock. I looked around for a familiar face but failed. I decided not to wait for him patiently. The restaurant quickly filled up with customer, but none of them were my friends. I called Lily, but she didn’t answer. I felt lonely and sadly. My friends had forgotten my birthday. I went home, opened the door and walk into the dark house. Suddenly the lights went off and my friends jumped up and shouted “Surprise!” They hadn’t forgotten, it was the best birthday ever.

Boys like to be considered to be brave, but what kind of things can be considered to be brave? It is not a question that can be answered by words, but by the actual deed. A boy with the name Henry gave us a good example. Ronny and Henry were two friends in the same class. They and together and went home together. One day as Ronny and Henry were going home after school, they saw some people fighting in the street comer. Ronny said excitedly, “Some people are fighting! Let’s go and have a look!” But Henry refused. “It’s none of our business. We’d better go home and don’t get close to them. Also our parents are expecting to have dinner with us together at home and I don’t want them to worry about me.”

“You are a coward, and afraid to go.” said Ronny, and off he ran to the spot with some other boys. Henry had to go ho alone and didn’t think about it anymore. But Ronny thought Henry was a coward and told all the boys that. They laughed at him a great deal. From then on, they looked down upon Henry and didn’t want to play with him. Henry was sad but he wasn’t angry with Ronny for his rude behavior, because he had learned that true courage was shown most in bearing misunderstanding when it was not deserved, and that he ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong. Thus, he just ignored the other boys’ laughter.

Paragraph 1: A few days later, something terrible happened to Ronny.

Paragraph 2: At that moment, Henry happened to pass by.

6 . As I had grown up in Belgium, going to university in the UK made me feel lost and isolated (孤独的). Although I was ________, I felt unable to share how I was feeling with anyone and didn’t know who I could ________ for support.

Things were getting ________ and, one day, I was on my way back to campus when I had a sudden thought that ________ my life would be a way out. I was in my own world when a lady got ________ to me and said: “Are you waiting for a train? Are you OK?”

Although I didn’t say much back to her, the little conversation was all it took to interrupt my suicidal (自杀的) ________. I got the next train back to university. The small ________ was a wake-up call and made me realize it’s OK to ________ out for help. I spoke to my university and they recommended me an adviser to help. I also shared my feelings with ones who ________ me. By seeking help and being ________ about what I was feeling, I created a strong ________ network that I could lean on (依靠) when I needed to.

When I started ________ at Network Rail after graduation, I heard that Samaritans ________ training for staff in the rail industry on identifying and helping people who may be vulnerable (脆弱的). Instantly, I knew I had to join in. I wanted to turn my ________ into something useful and to ________ myself to help others who might be feeling like I did back then. The session was fantastic (极好的) and could shine a ________ on the fact that everyone has the skills to save a life, even without the ________.

So, if you ever notice someone who you think might be struggling, try ________ to them. You already have everything you need to ________ a life. Take it from me, starting a ________ can be all that it takes.

10 . Researchers from the University of Western Australia recently studied 3,000 middle and high school students. Among them were 618 teenagers with one parent who lived away from home for long periods of time because of work. The researchers wanted to know how the work of these “fly - in, fly - out” parents might influence the health of their children.

A higher percentage of teenagers who experienced the long work absence of a parent had emotional or behavioral problems compared with those whose parents worked more traditional hours. This supports earlier research finding high percentages of emotional problems in teenagers who often returned to an empty house after school or whose parents were seldom at dinner.

Findings also suggest that parents don’t have to be home all the time to be present in their children’s lives, but it helps to be home at certain times. And the best parental presence for a teenager may sometimes be like a potted (盆栽的) plant.

Many parents of teenagers have known this to be true and find ways to be present without trying to start a conversation. One friend of mine quietly does housework each evening in the sitting room where her teenagers watch TV. They enjoy one another’s company without the need to talk. Another friend usually accepts his daughter’s invitation to work or read nearby while she sits and does her homework. Perhaps, that, at least for some families, is the best way for a teenager and their parents to stay close.

In fact, many years of research suggest that children use their parents as a safe base from which to explore the world. Studies tell us that young children quietly follow their parents’ movements from room to room, even while carrying on with their own activities. Perhaps our teens, like babies, feel most at ease when their parents are still around. They don’t want to stay away from parents who allow them freedom.

A new school year is at hand, so as parents we could offer our teenagers a “potted flower” as a gift, whose quiet and steady presence will give them a great day.