“We always expect our children to be perfect.” Most parents have thought so.
I was one of them. I expected our son, Joe, would be perfect to sail _______ school. He was always a _______ kid, kind and gentle. But he wasn’t perfect. From the first day Joe started school, he always had difficulty with _______. He passed each grade with great _______, but never at the top of his class.
How I _______ friends who had children with the “maths talent”. I would look at Joe and _______: If he does not get better at maths, how is he ever going to _______ college? I was worried about it all the time.
Joe, _______, had other ideas. During high school, Joe slowly _______ his maths. He got through all the required courses. I felt greatly __________ with his little achievement. Then he announced that he’d take pre-calculus（微积分）in his last year of high school, which __________ me a lot.
“Why?” I questioned.
“Because I need to keep my skills up,” he explained. “I __________ maths, but I need to take it seriously, so I won’t forget how to do it.”
“For college,” he added. “I want to do really well in college, Mom. I know it will be __________, but I think it’s important that I try to do my best.”
My son wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t a maths talent, either. But he knew what was important: he was caring about his __________ while I was worrying over his past. And that, to me, is even better than being __________ .
Imagine your home is in the center of a big circle. Everything you need is a 10-minute walk away. How convenient!
Recently, a group of architects(建筑师) from South Korea decided to make this a reality. They are planning a city with everything people need—including living areas, offices and entertainment areas—within a 10-minute walk from home.
When explaining why they wanted to build such a city, Ben van Berkel, a leader of company UN Studio, said people’s daily life experience is the most important. The “10-minute city” is so convenient that it won’t take people much time to travel elsewhere. “With time that is saved, more time is created,” Berkel told CNN.
The idea of such a city is not new. In 2016, French-Colombian researcher Carlos Moreno put forward the 15-minute city idea. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more popular. During the pandemic, many people have been forced to spend most of their time at home, with less chance to go out of their communities.
Paloma Ezzet, 16, is an example. She said that before the pandemic, she liked to play soccer or go dancing. But during the pandemic, she had to give them up as no such entertainment areas or facilities(设备) were in her community. “It is gloomy, lonely and inconvenient,” Ezzet complained.
But not everyone likes the idea. Some people say it would further concentrate(集中) wealth in the most convenient areas, resulting in high house prices. So, should people stop considering this idea?
Maybe not. As Bobulescu, a French professor, said. “The seeds are there, and they’ll grow little by little.”
St. Clare loved Eva so much that he designed and decorated her bedroom with all the pretty things that suited her character most. Childhood, beauty, and peace could be seen everywhere in this lovely rose-colored room.
One night, Eva was sleeping weakly. St. Clare looked at his dear daughter and said in a sad tone, “O, if she could only wake, and speak once more!” “Dear papa,” said the child, with a last effort throwing her arms about his neck. But in a moment, they dropped again.
St. Clare turned away in great pain. “O, Tom, my boy, it is killing me.” He held Tom’s hand and said. Tom had his master’s hands between his own with tears running down his dark cheeks.
After the death of poor Eva, her room was no longer rose-colored and it was covered with white cloth. At the funeral St. Clare lived, walked, and moved as someone who had no more tears. Until the end he saw only one thing—his dead child.
He thought, “My Eva did so many good things in her short life. What can I give for my long years?”
Time passed. St. Clare’s life was empty without Eva, but he started to think of Eva’s words about his slaves. She said that she felt sad for their slaves. She said that they were all good and kind to her. She said that she wished them to be free.
One morning he went into town and started the legal（法律的）steps necessary for Tom’s freedom. The next day he called Tom.
“Well, Tom,” he said, “I’m going to make you free, so pack your things, and get ready to leave for Kentucky soon.” There is a sudden light in Tom’s face.
If you look around, you may see girls wearing hanfu or people wearing T-shirts with Chinese characters（汉字）on the stets. A new trend（趋势）is coming in China—“Guochao”, or “China-chic”.
According to a recent report, searches connected with “Guochao” on Baidu have risen quite a lot since last year, and reviews have risen, too. China-chic is happening, but what is it?
The word “Guochao” has appeared along with the development of the idea of “Made in China”. “China has recently seen a surge（激增）in young people’s interest in Chinese brands（品牌）and products that include Chinese traditional style and culture, a trend known as Guochao,” China Daily explained the word “Guochao”.
China-chic got people’s attention in 2018. Before that, famous foreign companies ruled the world market. Many Chinese brands followed in the footsteps of these Western brands. But that year, Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning changed things up. During the 2018 New York Fashion Week, Li-Ning introduced its Taoism-inspired Wu Dao collection（以道教为灵感的悟道系列服饰）. The collection not only had a popular look, but also included traditional Chinese culture such as Chinese characters. It caught many people’s eyes at home and abroad at once. After that, Baidu Index showed that Li Ning’s popularity rose sharply. Since then, Li Ning has begun to meet the taste of young people.
Since then, ▲ , from clothing to food and drinks, mobile phones and electric cars. For example, White Rabbit, whose sweet candy brings back childhood memories for many, introduced its perfume（香水）and lip balm（唇膏）.
Now, the “Guochao” trend is moving to the next stage. No matter how it changes, there’s one thing that won’t change. Behind this is people’s pride（自豪）the country’s development and their growing confidence in national culture.
Book crossing, a new way of reading, is 51 （develop）with book lovers leaving 52 （they）books in public places to be picked up and “borrowed” by others.
The Belarusian National Technical University was the first 53 （support）the idea in the country. Several 54 （year）ago, the director of its library, Alexey Kalaban, 55 （see）a large glass box of books which were free for anyone to read at a Swedish（瑞典的）airport. He was very 56 （excite）about how great the idea was. So he wanted to bring it to his country. The question was only where such books might 57 （keep）in public.
“We created a bookcase in the main building. It is available to everyone. People can be 58 （easy）encouraged to read,” Kalaban explained. “Inside the case, there is a special list 59 （show）who gave the book and when they gave it”. With the help of so many people, every year, more such “safe” places are found.
Nowadays, book crossing is being 60 （well）known to the world than before. No doubt, it’s a great way to push more people to read and make the whole world a library.
Have you ever d 61 of time travelling? What would you do if you could jump back thousands of years into the past? If you could travel back, it would be best to avoid changing even the s 62 thing. That’s because a small change could cause an unexpected result. This idea is based on the butterfly effect.
The butterfly effect is q 63 common in science fiction. In 1972, a world-famous weather scientist named Lorenz spoke at a meeting. He asked an important question: Does the flap(拍打) of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil l 64 to a tornado (龙卷风) in Texas? Did Lorenz really think the flap of a butterfly’s wings could start a tornado? No, of course not! His question is a metaphor(暗喻). It explained how a small change makes a big d 65 .
Do you know what a resolution(决心) is? It’s a kind of promise. Most of the time, we make promises to other people. For example, “Mum, I promise I’m going to tidy my room when I get back from school. ” However, promises you make to yourself are resolutions, and the most common kind is New Year’s resolutions. The start of the year is often a time for making resolutions. When we make resolutions at the beginning of the year, we hope that we are going to improve our lives. Some people write down their resolutions and plans for the coming year. This helps to remember their resolutions. Others tell their family and friends about their wishes and plans.
There are different kinds of resolutions. Some are about physical health. For example, some people promise themselves they are going to start an exercise program or eat less fast food. Many resolutions have to do with self-improvement. These are about making yourself a better person. Some people might say they are going to take up a hobby like painting or taking photos, or learn to play the guitar. Some resolutions have to do with better planning, like making a weekly plan for schoolwork. For example, a student may have to find more time to study.
Although there are differences, most resolutions have one thing in common. People hardly ever keep them! There are good reasons for this. Sometimes the resolutions may be too difficult to keep. Sometimes people just forget about them. For this reason, some people say the best resolution is to have no resolutions! How about you? Will you make any resolutions next year?
I would like to recommend my family for “Model Family” in our neighborhood this year.
I hope we can get the award. I am looking forward to your answer.
Yours faithfully,
Li Hua
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