Niesha could not forget the way she froze in front of the class today. Mr. Roberts had divided the class into groups to do presentations. Today was Niesha’s turn. However, her hands shook so violently that she couldn’t read her notes. Her voice became softer even to silence. Mr. Roberts kindly ended Niesha’s part of the presentation even though she did clearly not finish. He also asked Niesha to stay after class for a moment.

“Niesha, I know you’re shy, but you worked hard on this project. I’d hate to see you give up on yourself.” Then Mr. Roberts hesitated, “If I give you another chance until tomorrow, do you think you can find your courage?” Niesha nodded, grateful for the chance. She went as quickly as she could to her next class. She kept her head down and hoped the school day would end soon.

When she reached her back steps that afternoon, she could see an inviting light coming from the kitchen windows. Momma was baking. Momma studied Niesha’s face as she came into the kitchen. “What’s wrong, Niesha?”

Tears shone in Niesha’s brown eyes. She told her the whole story. Momma was silent for a moment, her hands still busy with the cake. “Why is it that you can talk to me about anything and everything, but you can’t talk to your class?” Momma asked. She set the timer (计时器) and then said, “Let me show you something.”

Niesha followed Momma to her bedroom. There Momma showed her a book filled with newspaper clippings (剪报) and pictures. In it there was a blue ribbon (丝带) that said “First Place” and a picture of herself when she was very young, standing with her parents.

“I won it for public speaking. I started the school year as the shyest girl on the speech team, but I ended the year as the blue ribbon winner. It wasn’t easy at first-- I was not sure of myself at all. I worked hard, and mostly I faced my fears. You just need to find your courage.”

Hearing Momma’s words, Niesha stared at the precious blue ribbon, lost in thought.

The next day Niesha again walked to the front of the classroom to give her presentation.

2 . How to Make Friends at a New School

Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything seems to be different, and you don’t even know where to go for your own classes.     1     However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.

    2     If some people don’t accept you, they’re not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sports may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot.

Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!

A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don’t keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact with other people.     4     Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you’re from.

You like it when people use your name, and so do other people.     5     Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname. You’d be surprised how often this may come in handy.

Yours,

Li Hua

4 . What a day! I started at my new school this morning and had the best time. I made lots of new friends and really liked my teachers. I was nervous the night before, but I had no reason to be. Everyone was so friendly and polite. They made me feel at ease. It was like I’d been at the school for a hundred years!

The day started very early at 7: 00 am. I had my breakfast downstairs with my mom. She could tell that I was very nervous. Mom kept asking me what was wrong. She told me I had nothing to worry about and that everyone was going to love me. If they didn’t love me, Mom said to send them her way for a good talking to. I couldn’t stop laughing.

My mom dropped me off at the school gates about five minutes before the bell. A little blonde girl got dropped off at the same time and started waving (招手) at me. She ran over and told me her name was Abigail. She was very nice and we became close straight away. We spent all morning together and began to talk to another girl called Stacey. The three of us sat together in class all day and we even made our way home together! It went so quickly. Our teacher told us that tomorrow we would really start learning and developing new skills.

I cannot wait until tomorrow and feel as though I am really going to enjoy my time at my new school. I only hope that my new friends feel the same way too.

5 . Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son. Suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.

Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up (依偎) against me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is understanding which time is which.”

Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their mind. “In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years,” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”

Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental (思想的) break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.

7 . The parents who adopted (收养) Bruce Hollywood encouraged him to find his Japanese birth mother. But he never became_______until he had a heart attack (心脏病发作), when he realized that he regretted never_______with his birth mother.

No sooner had he recovered than he began_______his birth mother. He called the Japanese Embassy (大使馆) , but there was no_______ information, which made him really unhappy. Luckily, he met an army man on the plane _______. They had a casual _______. When Bruce mentioned his _______search, the man _______Bruce to give him all the information he had _______ and told him he would help him.________Bruce had a low expectation, he followed what the man said. Ten days later, he got an unexpected call.

The spokesperson said, “Bruce, we’re happy to tell you that we have found your mother. Because she doesn’t speak English, you’d better find a ________.” Finally, Bruce got to communicate with his birth mother, who was crying with ________. He learned that it was she who had given him the name Bruce. And he later ________ the restaurant his birth mother had owned for decades in Shizuoka, Japan and found out she had named it “Bruce”．

Bruce couldn’t ________ the moving words he heard when seeing his birth mother for the first time in 45 years. He learned that love could always stand the test of ________and distance.

8 . When I lost my daughter on Christmas, I never thought I’d be able to enjoy that day again. However, supporting other families through Cancer Charity Clic Sargent has brought back the true meaning of the festive season.

In January 2002, little Molly came along as a gift for me. But in October 2004, doctors diagnosed(诊断) her with cancer that had spread to her bones. At first, my husband and I couldn’t take the news in.     1     Recovering from shock , we spent the next 14 months by my daughter’s side. But one day, the doctors told us there was no option but to take her home to die.     2    

Although Molly’s condition was getting worse in early December, she could reach Christmas day. As it was her last Christmas, we decided to re-name it Molly Day from then on.     3     Her little friends brought their own decorations to put on it. It was a hard time, but we had support from nurses working with Cancer Charity Clic Sargent.

    4     In March 2007, we began to volunteer with Cancer Charity Clic Sargent. It was hard to be around the children who were going through the hardest times , but we really wanted to give back to the charity.     5     Now, we enjoy being able to bring a little light to a dark time for these anxious families, especially at Christmas. If Molly overlooked us, she’d certainly be proud of the work we’re doing.

Friendship is a kind of treasure in our lives. It is actually like a bottle of wine. The longer it    1     (keep), the sweeter it will be. It is also like a cup of tea. When we are thirsty, it will be our best     2     (choose), but when we have enough time to enjoy ourselves, it is also the most fragrant drink.

However, in this fast-developing modern society, the reality is not that. More and more people forget     3     (enjoy) the beauty of life and the beauty of friendship; they work hard in order to gain a     4     (high) position in society and to earn more money for their work. Of course, we don’t deny that it is important to find a better place in our     5     (life), but we wish more and more people could pay a little more attention     6     themselves and their friends. All of us have to spare some time for personal lives. We have to find the chance to express our emotion and love. When     7     (stay) with our friends, we can release ourselves     8     (complete). We can do whatever we want, we can laugh together, talk together,     9     even cry together. I should say that being together with our best friends is the most wonderful moment of our lives.

As we know, we would feel lonely if we didn’t even have a friend, but it doesn’t mean we could depend on our friends all the time. There is     10    famous motto saying that “A friend is like a quilt with cotton wadding, but the real thing that keeps you warm is your own temperature.”