Before I had my son, I spent two years working with children with disabilities. I learned that shouting and threats of punishment would result in a disaster. Coming up against their behavior could only make the job harder and their behavior more extreme. I found something that worked, though.

    There was a very naughty boy in the nursery and a teacher who was generally very confident with the children was asked to take charge of him. One day the boy joined a session in the room next to mine. His appearance created an atmosphere of tension. He spent the entire session running around, hitting and kicking, and destroying property.

I was in the craft room working with some other children when my co-worker told me that this boy’s teacher was in tears, and could not get control of the situation. As we were talking, the boy ran in. I told my co-worker that I would take care of him.

I closed the door. He was full of energy, throwing things around and making a huge mess. But I could see that he was doing all these to annoy me. He needed connection, and this was the only way he knew how to ask for it. So I sat back down and kept quiet. Then he slowed and began making a rocket. I talked to him about it. We continued like this for a few minutes before I slipped into the conversation: “So what happened today?”

It was purely a question, no blame or anger in my tone. I believed that if I had criticized him, the gate that was slowly opening would have shut firmly closed. He told me that the teacher did what he disliked. He also admitted that he had enjoyed making her run around and saw it as a game. I explained that his teacher had not seen it as a game and was very upset. This again was stated simply as a fact. I suggested that next time he had a session, he talk about what he hoped to do at the start, which might be easier for everyone. He agreed and was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes before quietly asking if he could go to find his teacher to apologize.

Teens and younger children are reading a lot less for fun, according to a Common Sense Media report published Monday.

    While the decline over the past decade is steep for teen readers, some data in the report shows that reading remains a big part of many children’s lives, and indicates how parents might help encourage more reading.

    According to the report’s key findings, “the proportion (比例) who say they ‘hardly ever’ read for fun has gone from 8 percent of 13-year-olds and 9 percent of 17-year-olds in 1984 to 22 percent and 27 percent respectively today.”

       The report data shows that pleasure reading levels for younger children, ages 2—8, remain largely the same. But the amount of time spent in reading each session has declined, from closer to an hour or more to closer to a half hour per session.

    When it comes to technology and reading, the report does little to counsel(建议) parents looking for data about the effect of e-readers and tablets on reading. It does point out that many parents still limit electronic reading, mainly due to concerns about increased screen time.

     The most hopeful data shared in the report shows clear evidence of parents serving as examples and important guides for their kids when it comes to reading. Data shows that kids and teens who do read frequently, compared to infrequent readers, have more books in the home, more books purchased for them, parents who read more often, and parents who set aside time for them to read.

    As the end of school approaches, and school vacation reading lists loom(逼近) ahead, parents might take this chance to step in and make their own summer reading list and plan a family trip to the library or bookstore.

Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment－to draw a picture of something for which they were   (1)  .

Most of the class might be considered economically   (2)  ，but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These，the teacher thought，would be the   (3)  of most of her students’art. And they were.

But Douglas made a different kind of   (4)  .Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher’ s true child of misery，weak and   (5)  .As other children played at break，Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the   (6)   Douglas felt behind those sad eyes.

Yes，his picture was   (7)  . When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful，he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an   (8)  hand. His abstract image   (9)   the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer，because farmers   (10)   turkeys. Another suggested a police officer，because the police protect and   (11)  people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God，for God feeds us. And so the   (12)  went－until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.

When the children had gone on to other assignments，she   (13)  at Douglas’desk，bent down，and asked him whose hand it was. The little boy looked away and   (14)  ，“It’s yours，Madam.” She   (15)   the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there，  (16)  she had the other students. How often had she said，“Take my hand，Douglas，we’ll go outside.” Or，“Let me show you how to   (17)  your pencil.” Or，“Let’s do this together.” Douglas was most thankful for his teacher’ s hand.

Brushing aside a tear，she went on with her work.

The story speaks of   (18)  thankfulness. It says something about teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing   (19)  ，and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They might not always say thanks，but they’ll remember the hand that   (20)  .

A

Going green seems to be fad(时尚)for a lot of people these days. Whether that is good or bad, we can’t really say, but for the tow of us, going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
    On April22, 2011, we decided to go green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different green things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to think of 365 different green things to do and this was no easy task.
    With the idea of going green every single day for a year, Our Green Year started. My life and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all the green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
    Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyle. We now shop at organic(有机的)stores. We consume less meat, choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don’t need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of home-made fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
    Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planet.

Recently, I flew to Las Vegas to attend a meeting. As we were about to arrive, the pilot announced with apology that there would be a slight   (1)    before setting down. High desert winds had   (2)  the airport to close all but one runway. He said that we would be  (3)  the city for a few minutes waiting to  (4)  . We were also told to remain in our seats meanwhile with our seat belts fastened  (5)  there might be a few bumps(颠簸).Well, that few minutes turned into about forty-five minutes, including a ride that would make a roller coaster(过山车)  (6)  by comparison. The movement was so fierce that several passengers felt  (7)   and had to use airsickness bags. As you might guess, that’s not good thing to have happen in a(n)  (8)  space because it only  (9)  to increase the discomfort of the situation. About twenty minutes into the adventure, the entire airplane became very  (10)  .There was now a sense of anxiety and fear that could be  (11)   noticed. Every passenger simply held on for dear life …except one. A   (12)   was having a good time! With each bump of the  (13)  ,he would let out a giggle (咯咯的笑)of delight. As I observed this, I  (14)   that he didn’t know he was supposed to be afraid and worried about his  (15)  .He neither thought about the past nor about the future. Those are what we grown—ups have learned from  (16)  .He was  (17)  the ride because he had not yet been taught to fear it. Having understood this, I took a deep breath and  (18)    back into my seat, pretending I was  (19)  on a roller coaster. I smiled for the rest of the flight. I even  (20)  to giggle once or twice ,much to the chagrin(懊恼)of the man sitting next to me holding the airsickness bag.

There were two childhood friends who went through school and college and even joined the army together. War broke out and they were fighting in the same unit. One night, they were ambushed (伏击).

There was firing throughout the night. Bullets (子弹) were flying all over and out of the darkness came a voice, “Harry, please come and help me.”

Harry immediately recognized the voice of his friend, Bill. He asked the captain if he could go. The captain said, “No. I am already short-handed and I cannot afford to lose one more person.”

Again and again, the voice came. Harry could not contain himself any longer and told the captain, “Captain, this is my childhood friend and I have to go and help.” Harry crawled (爬行) through the darkness and found that Bill was dead.

Now the captain got angry and shouted at Harry, “Didn’t I tell you he was not going to survive? You could have been killed!”

Harry replied, “Captain, I did the right thing. When I reached Bill, he was still alive and his last words were, ‘Harry, I knew you would come.’”

Harry did not regret risking his life to see his friend for the last time.

Many years ago, I was working in an office in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We had large _____  (1)  _____ that look out over a busy street. I was standing by one of those windows one day when a woman in a ___  (2)  ____ car looked up and made eye contact. Naturally I ____  (3)  _____. As she turned and tried to identify me, a quiet laugh_____  (4)  ______ my lips. My co-workers began taking an interest, and stood back watching the _____  (5)  ______ I received, and laughing happily. Then the stress of work was ______  (6)  _______ away.

Christmas approached, and job _____  (7)  ____ were announced. Several of my co-workers were losing their jobs, and everyone was _____  (8)  _______. While I was working a night shift, a red jacket , a box of foam (泡沫橡胶）packing and strips of tape in the corner attracted my _____  (9)  ____. They could be Santa’s jacket and beard! Then I folded a red file into a hat and tied the ______  (10)  _____ to it. With the red jaket , a Santa’s Costume appeared.

The next day I walked ____  (11)  ___down into the office in the costume. My co-workers _____  (12)  ____around me and laughed for the first time in weeks. Suddenly, my boss came to me, ____  (13)  ____, shook his head and then left.I feared____  (14)  _____. Then the phone rang.

With a bead of sweat ______  (15)  ___ my forehead, I entered the boss’ office . ____  (16)  ____, he laughed: “Thanks, Mike! It’s been hard to enjoy the Christmas season. Thanks for the laugh. I ____  (17)  ______ it.”

That evening, I stood ___  (18)  ____ by the window and waved at my fans, with my heart ____  (19)  ___ with joy. For a few minutes of that day, we’d been able to forget our _____  (20)  ______.

Deliberately making a road icy sounds like a method for disaster，but in 16th-century China it helped things run smoothly．Repairs to the Forbidden City in Beijing in 1557 called for huge stones from a quarry(采石场)more than 70 km away．The biggest was the 300-ton“Large Stone Carving．”Such stones were too heavy for any cart，and too fragile for rollers．The builders adopted a wise alternative approach to carry the heavy stone．

They dug a series of wells，spaced a few hundred metres apart，along the route to the quarry．Then，in the depth of winter，when temperatures reached around -4℃，buckets of water were poured on to the dirt track，transforming it into an ice road．

The stone blocks were pushed along the road on wooden sledges(雪橇)．Modern engineers have calculated that it would take 1，500 workers to drag a sledge on the dirt road，but only 300 on ice．Ancient texts suggested the ice was made slippery with more water；this reduced the friction further and just 50 men could pull a sledge．This technique only works when the temperature is close to zero，otherwise the film of water freezes too quickly．

The researchers at Princeton University estimated that the blocks could be moved at six metres a minute，and the journey could be completed in 28 days．This would be well before the spring when the ice would melt．

It was once suggested that similar ice-sledges transported Stonehenge stones，but the ground that had a lot of holes and comparatively mild conditions probably rule this out．

  On a bright, warm July afternoon, Mac Hollan, a primary school teacher, was cycling from his home to Alaska with his friends. One of his friends had stopped to make a bicycle repair, but they had encouraged Mac to carry on, and they would catch up with him soon. As Mac pedaled (骑行) along alone, he thought fondly of his wife and two young daughters at home. He hoped to show them this beautiful place someday.

  Then Mac heard quick and loud breathing behind him.“Man, that's a big dog!” he thought. But when he looked to the side, he saw instantly that it wasn’t a dog at all, but a wolf, quickly catching up with him.

  Mac’s heart jumped. He found out his can of hear spray. With one hand on the bars, he fired the spray at the wolf. A bright red cloud enveloped the animal, and to Mac's relief, it fell back, shaking its head. But a minute later, it was by his side again. Then it attacked the back of Mac's bike, tearing open his tent bag. He fired at the wolf a second time, and again, it fell back only to quickly restart the chase（追赶）。

 Mac was pedaling hard now. He waved and yelled at passing cars but was careful not to show down. He saw a steep uphill climb before him. He knew that once he hit the hill, he’d be easy caught up and the wolf’s teeth would be tearing into his flesh.

 At this moment, Paul and Beeky were driving their car on their way to Alaska. They didn’t think much of it when they saw two cyclists repairing their bike on the side of the road. A bit later, they spotted what they, too, assumed was a dog running alongside a man on a bike. As they got closer, they realized that the dog was a wolf. Mac heard a large vehicle behind him. He pulled in front of it as the wolf was catching up fast, just a dozen yards away now.

注意：

1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

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Paragraph 1:

 The car abruptly stopped in front of him. ___________________________________________

_________________________________

Paragraph 2:

 A few minutes later, the other two cyclists arrived. ____________________________________