It was Mother's Day. When I woke up that morning, I knew something was1 in the house. Usually, I am the first to get up. But this morning, I could hear someone else up and searching around in the2 . I heard the sound of glasses and dishes ringing, the fridge door opening and closing, and water running. Things sounded quite3 .
I called to see what was going on. My little boy Bill quickly answered. "Don't4 , Mum! " he shouted as he came running to my bedroom door. "I'm making something5 for you this Mother's Day. I'm making a nice breakfast, and I want to6 you in bed."
I was surprised because Bill had7 made breakfast before. I considered if I should get up and8 him. However, I decided to lie back and wait to see what he would9 for me. I smelled eggs burning, and I heard sausages frying too quickly. He sure was making a10 in the kitchen!
After a few minutes, I heard my little boy knock at the bedroom door.11 came into the room with some sausages and eggs, a hamburger and a glass of milk. The sausages were12 and the eggs were burnt. This was his first time to cook. I could feel the tears of great13 coming to my eyes as he put the dish of food on my bed and gave me a kiss. "Happy Mother's Day!" he said.
I ate the meal proudly14 it was difficult to make the hard, burnt sausages go down my throat（喉咙）.
Yes, that was many years ago.
Now, when Bill calls to wish me well on Mother's Day, the15 of that morning comes back. We always laugh about it. It has become a special story that we share.
Opinions on Life Skills Education
Although students are busy studying, it is important to remember another area of study life skills, such as washing clothes and growing vegetables. They are useful in our daily life. Here are some opinions about life skills education.
Mrs. Blair
Children need to learn most of the life skills at school. As parents, we can help them take part in activities around the house and in the neighbourhood.
Li Ping
We have life skills classes at school. They're quite useful. They help prepare for everyday real-life situations, from washing dishes to preparing a meal. These classes give us knowledge we need to live on our own.
Kevin
I'm not sure whether it is necessary because I haven't tried life skills classes yet. In my school, many students pay no attention to learning life skills. They don't think it will improve their chances of getting into college.
Mary
Having life skills classes at school is important. Besides, there are other ways for us to learn life skills. We can watch videos on the Internet. We can also learn from our parents and take part in the activities with them.
Alice was very excited. One of her favourite writers had just published a new book. She had saved up her money, and she was ready to buy the book this weekend. She talked about the book with her online chat（聊天）group. A lot of the other kids in the group were going to buy the book, too. In fact, that was the main thing everyone in the chat room was talking about one afternoon.
All of a sudden, Alice got a chat message from Ella, one of the kids in the chat room. The message said that Ella wanted to meet Alice at the bookstore. Then they could buy the new book together. Alice told her mum about the message, and her mum asked, "Do you know Ella from school?"
"No," Alice answered. "We've only chatted online. I don't think she goes to my school."
"Listen," Alice's mum was anxious and said, "I want you to have friends, but sometimes, people online aren't who they say they are. And when you're online, you can't always tell. So I don't think it's a good idea for you to meet this person."
"But, Mum," Alice said, "what if it is just a kid named Ella who wants to buy a book with me?"
Alice's mum considered that for a moment. Then she said, "Let's do this. Dad and I will go with you to the bookstore to buy the book with Ella. If Ella really is just a kid who wants to meet you in person, that's great. If not,____."
Alice didn't like that idea. It made her feel like a baby. But she knew her mum was right about safety, so she finally nodded. Then she answered Ella's message. She told Ella that she and her parents would be at the bookstore the next afternoon.
The next day, Alice went to the bookstore with her mum and dad. When Ella never showed up and then disappeared from the chat room, Alice knew her parents were right. She was glad they were there to be with her.
Imagine mountains held in silver water, shining in the spring sun. Summer sees the mountains turn green with growing rice. During autumn, these same mountains are gold, and in winter they are covered with white frost. These are the colours of the Longji Rice Terraces.
These terraces were built by the local Zhuang and Yao people in Guangxi. Work on the terraces took them hundreds of years from Yuan Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty. Reaching as far as the eye can see, these terraces cover tall mountains, often from the bottom to the very top.
So why did these people go to so much trouble to turn the mountains into terraces? Firstly, there are few large, flat（平坦的）areas of land here. Building the terraces meant that they could increase more fields to grow rice. Secondly, the flat terraces catch the rainwater and stop the soil from being washed away.
But perhaps what is most meaningful is the way people have worked in harmony（和谐）with nature to make these terraces. The terraces are cleverly shaped, with hundreds of waterways that connect with each other. During the rainy season, it is along these waterways that rainwater moves down the mountains and into the terraces. The sun heats the water and turns it into vapour. This forms clouds and then rain falls down onto the mountain terraces once again.
Although modern technology could help produce more crops, these terraces still mean a lot to the local people. For them, traditions hold much value. This knowledge is passed down through families, which means that people continue to use ancient methods of farming to keep the terraces. Today, the Longji Rice Terraces receive high praise（赞扬）, and thousands of visitors come to enjoy this great wonder created by people and nature working together.
Have you ever thought about why you are the way you are? And what does your personality（性格）connect with? Recent research has showed that the position in which we are born in our family plays a very important role in forming personality.
The eldest child
Being the only child, the eldest enjoys all their parents' attention. However, new parents usually expect to see their child do well. And the eldest child generally tries to meet these expectations. As a result, the eldest children are usually polite and traditional. The problems come with the birth of another child. Suddenly the attention they're used to receiving becomes weaker. Then, they don't feel safe and will try to do all they can to make their parents happy.
The second child
The second child has no experience of life without a brother or sister, so they never know how their brothers or sisters feel when they suddenly have to share the attention. The second children are often more outgoing（外向的）and always looking for ways to get attention. One of the most common ways to achieve this is by making people laugh and the second children are often the jokers of the family. Again, problems can appear when another baby arrives. Suddenly, the second child becomes the middle child and may lose a clear sense of where they are.
The third child
With the birth of their third baby, parents will often feel this is their last chance to bring up a child. This means the youngest child, more often than not, is spoilt（溺爱）with attention and love. This can lead them to be very self-centered, believing that the world moves around them. They are always treated as the "baby" of the family so they don't do as well as they could do. They like doing things in unexpected ways, so they are also likely to be creative.
任务A: 补全表格中的信息。每空限填一词。
任务B: 完成空格所在的句子。不超过15个词。
The South China tiger is also known as the Chinese tiger. This tiger is one of the smallest among the tiger subspecies. It is about 1. 6m to 2.5m long from head to tail and it weighs about 110kg to 225kg. The South China tigers mainly live in the mountain forests of central and southern China. They live alone, not in groups. They only eat animals caught by themselves. They can eat from 18kg to 40kg in a single meal. The South China tigers have a well-developed sense of smell. They move around during the night and they act quickly. They are good swimmers but they are not good at climbing trees.
The South China tiger is in great danger. There are only about 100 South China tigers left in the world. They are under the first-class protection. The Chinese government has developed lots of projects for them. Several international organizations, including World Wildlife Fund, are also working hard to protect them. So far such efforts have been successful with many baby tigers born. However, this animal is still on the top 10 list of endangered animals. So there's still much work to do. For example, .
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Name: the South China tiger Size: about 1.6m to 2.5m Weight: about 110kg to 225kg Home: in the mountain of central and southern China Diet: meat Habit: live ; have a well-developed sense of smell; around at night; act quickly; be good at Protection Level: first-class protection |
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静夜思 Thoughts on a Tranquil Night 李白 ByLi Bai 床前明月光，Before my bed a pool of （光）: 疑是地上霜。O can it be hoarfrost on the ground? 举头望明月，Looking up, I find the moon （明亮）； 低头思故乡。Bowing, in homesickness I'm drowned. —Translated by Xu Yuanchong |
Xu Yuanchong is a famous translator in China. He built a cultural （桥梁）among Chinese, English and French speakers. He showed the special beauty of ancient Chinese （诗歌）when translating them into another language. Through Xu's translations, English and French speaking readers are able to （理解）Chinese works better. Meanwhile, Chinese readers can enjoy foreign works more.
Xu Yuanchong started to translate during his college years. In 1939, he published his earliest English translation. In the late 1940s, he （花费）a few years studying in France. After he graduated, he （返回）to China and put all his efforts to translation. He said, "The greatest joy on the earth is to introduce the beauty created by people to the （整个）world." Xu Yuanchong believed that translation was a kind of art and it was endless.
On June 17, 2021, after giving his life to translation for more than （六十）years, Xu passed away in Beijing at the age of 100. Today, more than 100 kinds of Xu's books have been popular at home and （在国外）.
As Xu said, "Life is not how long you live, but how long you can remember." He enjoyed a life worth remembering.
My name is Rebeca and I'm 11. I'm from beautiful Brazil! But my family live in a poor area, and life isn't easy. My father （work）hard so my brother and I can go to school. And we always come straight home after school （help）with the housework. But I have a dream…football! And I want to tell you how football has changed my life.
My dad wanted my big brother to be football player, but he didn't like training. I loved football and when I played I felt happy and forgot about everything around （I）. My mum said, "Football isn't for girls." The boys at school didn't want to play a girl either, but when they saw I was good, I got the chance to join them.
One day I （tell）by my teacher that there was a football team just for girls and they were preparing for a competition in March. I （real）wanted to be part of the team and I decided to try my hardest.
When my dad and brother knew that, they were very happy. My mum still didn't like the idea. "It isn't going to be easy for you football is a boy's sport," she said. But she said nothing after that, and my dad and brother trained with me every day for seven （month）. Finally, in February the coach showed us which players were in the team. When I heard my name, I jumped in the air.
Our team traveled to Rio de Janeiro in March and we won the competition—it was amazing! Since then we've won a lot of matches. But more importantly, I`ve become much （confident）about myself. When I get older, I want to be a great football player. That's my biggest dream in life.
The South China Tiger