2 . Whenever our teachers or parents asked about our hobbies at childhood, my friends and I would always express our love for reading. However, with the development of high technology, our lives are gradually ________ by electronic screens of all sizes. They attract our attention like magnets (磁铁) and gradually ________ us from the world of books.

There was a time when I felt like my life went downhill, and with increased ________ from school, physical tiredness and emotional burdens (负担), I had to watch short ________ to distract (分散) myself from those troubles.

This situation changed when one day I ________ a book called The Grapes of Wrath by a US writer. When I opened the cover and started reading, I felt like being hit ________ on my head. The wonderful story and beautiful writing attracted me. Although the characters in the book face ________ survival challenges, they still try to live in hard times and struggle for their dreams. This ________ spirit deeply inspired me, allowing me to gradually ________ my confidence in the future.

Now I carry this book either at the dining table or during school breaks. As a student who has a (n) ________ of making films, this book also gave me creative ________. The historical scenes described in the book and the deep human nature ________ within opened a door to the hall of art for me, allowing me to understand that reading can not only ________ the spirit, but also cause creativity.

Why should we choose to ignore (忽视) such ________ like this book? Finally, I would like to appeal to my peers to protect our eyes and minds, and make ________ choices between books and screens.

5 . Science is increasingly central to our lives — from its role in creating day-to-day objects such as the smartphones in our pockets, to the big challenges of tackling disease, addressing climate change and focusing on biodiversity loss.

Many of the changes that the discipline brings are hugely beneficial, but they often come with potential downsides that demand public debate. Will artificial intelligence take people’s jobs or destroy elections with false news? How fast can we practically achieve a net zero economy?

For the crucial public debate that is needed on all this to take place, we must have a scientifically literate population. But there is a divide between the scientifically minded and those who choose not to engage with science.

It saddens me that our culture now views science as difficult, which discourages many from taking an interest in it. A British Science Association (BSA) survey recently suggested that only around a third of 14- to 18-year-olds find scientists inspirational or consider the subject to be relevant to their lives.

In fact, science is interlinked with every aspect of our existence and people from all walks of life and of all ages should be able to access it easily. The invention of the printing press was crucial to the Enlightenment because it democratised (普及) knowledge. So, in this increasingly science-centred world, the same attention should be given to popular science writing as is given to other forms of literature.

The Royal Society Science Book Prize is the only one in the world to promote popular science writing. Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, which was shortlisted (把……列入入围名单) for the prize in 1989, was written for readers who had no prior knowledge of physics and has since become a universally recognised text on the universe.

Democratising science has never been more important. There are so many scientific stories to be told that can help us better understand ourselves. A society equipped with a solid understanding of the issues of the day is a society more able to respond to them in a better way.

As science fiction offers surprise and exciting, I had a strong urge to read The Three- Body Problem written by Liu Cixin. The book, first releasing as a series in Science Fiction World magazine in 2006 in China, turned out to be a hit.

The book described the story of Ye Wenjie and Wang Miao, two scientists on the not distant future. Ye joins a secret project to contact aliens. Meanwhile, Wang registers or logs on to an online video game called “Three Body”. It has influenced minds deeply that people are worried about the possibility of the earth being invaded by an advanced civilization.

Curiously, I was referred to an online forum and concluded that the concern is necessary, at least for now. Which is declared by scientists, the chance of life beyond the earth develops into superior intelligence is quite slim.

10 . Fluency is the rate at which the child reads. Fluent readers take note of things like question marks and adjust their voice. Their expression sounds natural, and their voice is not as flat as they read. Children who are fluent readers make their reading sound like talking.     1     Here are some ways to improve your children’s fluency.

First, it’s important to choose “just right” books. They will struggle to read books that are too difficult, spending their time trying to figure out unfamiliar words.     2     If a child is struggling with fluency, consider having him read books that are easy.

    3     It’s important to discuss what fluent reading sounds like but even better actually to set an example for your children. This can help your children understand what you mean when you ask them to use the expression more smoothly. Another choice is to have children listen to audiobooks to hear what fluent reading sounds like.

Children can improve their fluency through whispering phones. They are like pretend telephones that children read into. When children read into such phones, they can hear themselves well and use that feedback to think about their expression and reading rate.     4    

Use choral reading (合唱式阅读). This occurs when a group of children reads something together, saying the words at the same time. You might read the text out loud by yourself first.     5     Then you can read it together, with them matching your pace and expression.