Last Saturday on the way to the mall, two children, a boy and a girl, came running towards me with bottles on their hands, asking if I wanted bottled water. It was a surprising gesture. I was wondering if they were doing fund-raising. I knelt and asked them where their parents were and how much a bottle of water cost. Then two adult women came up to me explaining what the children were doing. “We are teaching the children to give without anything in return. We are teaching people to accept without giving in return.”

Two mothers had bought bottled water and placed a sticker(小贴纸)on all bottles with five different quotes(引述):

1, Smile at everyone. You’ll never know when someone may need it.

2, If Plan A does not work, there are 25 more letters in the alphabets.

3, Have a thirst for life. Every day is filled with possibilities.

4, In your thirst for knowledge, be sure you don’t drown in all the information.

5, Dig your well before you’re thirsty.

The bottle I have has quoted No. 5. A sudden change of attitude opened up among me, the mothers and the children. We are no longer strangers to each other. We were having such a great time chatting and I ended up helping them give away the rest of the bottled water.

One young lady was so thankful that she happily accepted the water and said it was the best thing that happened to her all day since she had a bad day at work. A man refused and walked away saying “No, thanks”. A couple kept on bowing to us in gratitude. When it was all done, the children and I were giving each other high-five. It was so much fun. I think I had more fun doing this than the mothers and the children.

假定你是高中生李华，你曾在美国做交换生的学校校报给你写信约稿。“Foreign Culture” 栏目拟刊登介绍中国高中生学习生活及梦想的短文。请根据下列要点完成你的短文。

1. 介绍中国高中生的学习生活如：学年，学科情况。

2. 介绍中国高中生的假期，课外活动情况。

3. 介绍你周围同学业余爱好和梦想。

注意：1. 词数120字左右。

2. 增加细节，以使行文连贯。

3. 高考：CEE (College Entrance Examination)

                                                                 Surviving Hurricane Sandy(飓风桑迪)

   Susan,16, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Susan can see the ocean and hear the waves from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so special,” she says.

   On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Susan’s family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city’s bridges closed.

   When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Susan’s friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Susan’s school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.

   In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway rebuild inspired Susan. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors spent their spare time helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to take water and food to elderly people trapped(困住) in powerless high-rise buildings.

   “My mom tells me that I can’t control what happens to me,” Susan says, “but I can always choose how I deal with it.”

   Susan’s choice was to help. She created a website page，matching survivors in need with donors(捐赠者)who wanted to help. Susan posted information about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collection when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick’s collection was replaced.

   In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Susan also worked with other organizations to bring much needed supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.

   Today, the scars(创痕) of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. “I can’t imagine living anywhere but Rockaway,” Susan says. “My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before.”

 Study-abroad programs are a great way to learn about different cultures. Sometimes students don't have the money to join in these programs. That is why scholarships for study-abroad programs are starting to become popular.

   Study-abroad programs can often be quite expensive. Finding scholarships is not that difficult. Usually, you can just visit the study-abroad office at your educational institution or even the financial services office. They will have a large directory(目录) of available scholarships. If your school does not have these offices, you can just quickly have a look on the Internet and find a wide variety of scholarships you might qualify for.

   The credentials(资历) you need to be considered for a scholarship vary greatly. But, to be a candidate for any scholarship, you generally need to have good grades, be an outstanding person, and be able to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to you. You will be able to show why you are a good candidate through the application process.

   The application process for each scholarship varies, which usually includes submitting(提交) an academic record, an essay, and sometimes an interview.

   Usually, you will have to submit your academic records. The administrators of the scholarship will know that you take your academic studies seriously. Next you usually need to write an essay. This could be on a wide variety of subjects, but they usually focus on something related to 'why you should get this scholarship' to determine how much you want the scholarship and how good of a candidate you would be. After this, the final few applicants may be asked in for an interview to learn about you and why you would be a good recipient(接受者) of the scholarship.

    If you satisfy all these requirements, there is a good chance you will get a scholarship. If you don't have enough money, don't give up but use plenty of scholarship opportunities for you!

Mary is ten years old. She is disabled because she has some brain damage. She could not do even the simplest thing until a year ago. She could not comb her hair or   (1)   herself. Her parents loved her, but they treated her like a baby.

Mrs. Williams has a daughter and a son. They are both   (2)  . They lived far from their mother. Mrs. Williams felt   (3)  . She decided to do something about it. She decided to become a grandmother to a disabled child. And that was how she met Mary. Foster (养育) grandparents are grandparents who are not related by  (4)  , but foster grandparents love the children they  (5)  for. They love them just as natural grandparents love their grandchildren.

The foster grandparents also help the disabled children in special ways. They help to dress and feed the children. They read to them and tell them stories. They also help with the disabled children’s treatment.

Mrs. Williams became a foster grandparent to Mary when she was nine years old. At first Mary was   (6)  . She was afraid because Mrs. Williams was a stranger. But she came to see Mary every day. Gradually, she began to   (7)  Mrs. William.

At last Mary let Mrs. Williams do things for her. She came at lunchtime and fed her. One day she  (8)  the spoon and guided it to her   (9)  . She told her she must learn to feed herself.

      “Most of the lunch ended up on us   (10)  in Mary’s mouth.” Mrs. Williams remembers. “But it was a   (11)   for Mary. Mary learned to feed herself in a few months.”

      Then Mary was ready for more treatment. Thanks to Mrs. Williams, she had learned to do one simple thing, she could learn to do other simple things. Mrs. Williams was   (12)  to help with Mary’s   (13)  .

      To become foster grandparents, people must be at least sixty-five years old and in good   (14)  .They must be willing to give their   (15)   to disabled children. They are volunteers, so they are not paid.

      Mrs. Williams   (16)   for most foster grandparents when she says, “We all benefit. The disabled children benefit   (17)  we help them live more useful lives. And we benefit because we know the children   (18)   us and love us. For any  (19)  , there is no greater happiness   (20)  that !”

Every year, our school has a dance for all the students. It’s a little funny seeing friends in clean shoes and trousers or colorful   (1)  , instead of the usual school uniform.

Most of us think the dance is great   (2)   --- even the teachers enjoy being there.   (3)  , two weeks ago someone said that there would be no   (4)   band this year ——only CDs.

“I don’t   (5)   it!” Amy cried out during the lunch break.

“Someone said the school couldn’t   (6)   a band, and they think it’s too noisy anyway.” added Daniel.

“Well, I don’t think it’s   (7)   enough without a band!” declared Angela,  “and I’m going to see what can be done.”

Angela was as good as her   (8)  . In the afternoon she went to see the school headmaster who agreed to give the   (9)   some more thought. And he suggested that one   (10)   for having a band was to increase the price of each ticket from $5 to $10. Angela had to    (11)   out whether the students would like to do that.

“I need all of you to help me,” she   (12)   to our group before school the next day, “Mr. Berry gave me a list of all the names and suggested we ask each one for their   (13)   about the band and the extra cost.”

  (14)   the day we asked around as Angela suggested, and wrote down people’s feelings about the band and the cost. We were amazed how much   (15)   there was for the band and everyone agreed to pay the extra $5.

“I’m surprised,” smiled Mr. Berry, when we gave him the   (16)  . “I really thought that only a few people   (17)  their band and that the cost would be too high. OK. Angela, your next   (18)  is to find a good band and line them up for the dance. ”

Angela was all smiles and   (19)  the news to Amy and Daniel. “You’re   (20)  ,”smiled Daniel to Angela as he thought how close they came to having a less than perfect dance.

Learn the power of words

One day, one of my children told me, “I hate you.” I have to   (1)  that I often say things that are unpopular. They may hate me, but as a responsible father, I’m certain I’m doing a  (2)   job.

There are three other  (3)  that I won’t allow in my house, however. Last week,  I was  watching my older son  play with  a paper airplane. After he  (4)  threw it into a wall and it came apart, his eyes were soon  (5)  with tears. “I hate myself,” he said. I was  (6)  that he’d started to actually believe it.

I knelt down (跪下) next to him and made him look into my eyes. I told him that  I  never  wanted  to  (7)  those  words  again,  and  that  he  needed  to  (8)   himself.

The   (9)   between your kid telling you they hate you and them saying they hate  (10)   is that, five minutes later, they’ve already forgotten they “hate you.” But self-hate is much more  (11)   and for young people, it can influence the rest of their lives.

Kids who start to believe they hate themselves  (12)  the chance to make a possible friend, because they assume they’ll be  (13)  . And as  (14)   they might choose not to apply for that dream job because they assume it won’t  (15)  .

I know this  (16)  I didn’t have a high opinion of myself as a child. I found myself  (17)  in many aspects, and I’d hate to see my children   (18)   the same.Sometimes, words are just words. But some words can have the kind of  (19)   I’d very much like to avoid on my children. I don’t fear strong language; I fear language that makes us   (20)  

Great importance should be attached to speaking inspiring words.