“How does the yard look?” My father asked, with his eyes shining. I could tell he was eagerly waiting for my   (1)  . “Wonderful!” I replied after I gave it a thorough  (2)  . Then I recited all the changes I had  (3)  in his yard and he smiled contently.

       When I was young, my mother  (4)  in a car accident, leaving my father alone to  (5)  their three young daughters. At the beginning, life was not always  (6)  and my younger sisters usually complained. However, Dad always  (7)  us to believe that life was good. Meanwhile, he tried his best to  (8)  that belief.

       In 1972, my dad developed a piece of waste land that had been  (9)  on Okaloosa Island. Every year at the first sign of  (10)  , he would begin spending countless hours working there to make it be bursting with colors. Through his continuous hard work, the land  (11)  turned into a beautiful garden with different types of flowers and other unique plants. While our friends were enjoying their vacation through traveling to different places, we were  (12)  working with my dad in his yard, watering the flowers, weeding or cutting off the branches. Sometimes, our friends were envious of our working vacation, and we would  (13)  them. Dad made his yard very  (14)  so that it became our vacation paradise during our childhood.

       For so many years, when we were  (15)  , we liked to visit Dad’s yard, because it could  (16)  us of Dad’s belief. It was Dad and his yard that gave us  (17)  that enabled us to survive and   (18)  major challenges in life. One day, it shocked us that Dad said he would not  (19)  the yard. Then he explained, “Twenty years ago I decided to start my work in that yard to tell you life is good. Now my work is done.” We were sitting in  (20)  , recalling what we had experienced. Life was good. Dad was right.

1. 参加活动的原因；

2. 描写该活动的过程；

3. 活动之后的感受。

注意：词数120左右。

When Walter Dean Myers was growing up, he was frequentlyin trouble. He   (1)  with the other kids at school. He talked   (2)  tohis teachers and was often made to sit in the back of the classroomby himself. But he   (3)  to read. He would   (4)  himself in books.

Today, Myers is the   (5)  of more than 100 books, most ofthem for children. He   (6)  writing for young people because heremembers how much he needed help and   (7)  at that time in life.He was named the National Ambassador for Young PeopleˈsLiterature in 2012. He travels the country,   (8)  kids of all ages toread.

Even at a young age, Myers had a way with   (9)  . He couldamuse   (10)  for hours by writing in his notebooks.One of his poems  (11)  on the first page of his schoolˈs magazine.

Myers was   (12)  in Harlem, a largely black neighborhood inNew York City. As a boy, he loved   (13)  people in hiscommunity(社区). But he couldnˈt find many   (14)  that told the stories of theordinary people he saw in   (15)  life. So he chose to write the kindsof stories he   (16)  he could have had when he was growing up.These stories honestly   (17)  the lives of kids today.“Some kids feeldeserted or   (18)  ,”Myers says,“but theyˈll   (19)  a book of mine andfind themselves or their families.”

It takes a lot of work to write as many books as Myers does,  (20)  he loves it. He wants to do the best that he can with hiswriting.

The journey my daughter Cathy has had with her swimming is as long as it is beautiful.

    Cathy suffered some terrible   (1)  in her early childhood. After years of regular treatment, she  (2)  became healthy.

    Two years ago, while Cathy was watching the Olympics, a dream came into her sweet little head—to be a swimmer. Last summer, she wanted to   (3)  our local swim team. She practiced hard and finally   (4)  it. The team practice,   (5)  , was a rough start. She coughed and choked and could hardly   (6)  her first few weeks. Hearing her coughing bitterly one night, I decided to  (7)  her from it all. But Cathy woke me up early next morning, wearing her swimsuit   (8)  to go! I told her she shouldn’t swim after a whole night’s coughing, but she refused to   (9)  and insisted she go.

   From that day on, Cathy kept swimming and didn’t   (10)  a single practice. She had a  (11)  intention within herself to be the best she could be. My ten—year—old was growing and changing right before my eyes, into this   (12)  human being with a passion and a mission. There were moments of   (13)  of course: often she would be the last swimmer in the race. It was difficult for Cathy to accept that she wasn’t a  (14)  ---ever. But that didn’t stop her from trying.

   Then came the final awards ceremony at the end of the year. Cathy didn’t expect any award but was still there to  (15)  her friends and praise their accomplishments. As the ceremony was nearing the end, I suddenly heard the head coach  (16)  , “The highest honor goes to Cathy!” Looking around, he continued, “Cathy has inspired us with her    (17)  and enthusiasm.  (18)  skills and talents bring great success, the most valuable asset(财富)one can hold is the heart.”

   It was the greatest   (19)  of my daughter’s life. With all she had been  (20)  in her ten years, this was the hour of true triumph(成功).

A little girl was shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old,this beautiful red-haired image of  (1)  .It was    (2)   Outside. We waited, somepatiently, others annoyed because  (3)   messed up their hurried day. The little voicewas so sweet that it   (4)  the hypnotic trance（催眠性迷睡）we were caught in. "Mom,let's run through the rain," she said.

“  (5)  ?”Mom asked.

“Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

    “No,honey. We'll wait  (6)  it slows down a bit,”Mom replied.

    This young child waited about another minute and repeated:“Mom, let's run throughthe rain,”

    “We'll get wet through if we  (7)  ,”Mom said.

    “No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl saidas she pulled at her Mom's arm.

    “This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get   (8)   ?”

    “Don't you   (9)  ? When you were talking to Dad about his cancer, you said, ‘Wecan   (10)   anything!’”

The entire crowd fell into dead  (11)  . I dare say you couldn't hear anything but therain.   (12)  came or left in the next few minutes.

    Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would  (13)  it off and say she was silly. Some might even   (14)  what was said, But this wasa moment of affirmation（肯定）in a young child's life, a time when innocent trust can be  (15)   so that it will develop into faith.

    “Honey, you are  (16)  right. Let’s run through the rain. If we get wet, maybe wejust need washing.”Mom said.

    Then   (17)  they ran. We all stood inside, watching, smiling and laughing as they  (18)  past the cars and yes, across the puddles（水坑）.They held their shopping bagsover their heads just   (19)  .They did get wet.

    And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed  (20)   .

    Home Alone is a very funny 1990 American film. It tells a story about a boy who is accidentally left alone at home.

    One night ____  (1)  ____ Christmas, the McAlister family meet at their home. They're planning to ____  (2)  ____ to Paris for the coming holiday and are busy getting ready. 8-year-old Kevin is the youngest child and is fighting with his brothers, sisters and his cousins. When he goes to bed, he is so mad that he wishes all his family would ____  (3)  ____. In the morning, everyone wakes up very ____  (4)  ____. They are all in a hurry to get to the airport, so they forget Kevin and he is left alone at home by accident.

    Although Kevin is alone, he is very happy at first. His terrible family has gone—his ____  (5)  ____ has come true. He watches TV, eats lots of fast food and plays games. He has a good time. But later on, he goes out and hears two ____  (6)  ____ men called Harry and Marv planning to steal from his house. He goes home and plans some very funny ways to ____  (7)  ____ them. Many things in the house get broken as Kevin tries to stop them. Finally, the ____  (8)  ____ come and the men are taken away.

    The house is now a mess, ____  (9)  ____ Kevin tidies it up and waits for his parents. They get back from Paris and are very happy to find that Kevin is ____  (10)  ____.

  I've been really tied up recently helping my elderly parents out of a crisis and sorting out their house．But sometimes   (1)   opportunities present themselves to you ，which is what   (2)   today．

    I was heading out of town on my way to a well-earned picnic in the countryside，  (3)   to turn across a stream of traffic into a side road，when I   (4)   out of the corner of my eye a pedestrian(行人)   (5)   crossing the road at an unexpected and rather   (6)   place． The figure of a young woman eventually   (7)   at my passenger window in the middle of a two-lane road，looking   (8)   and asking for a lift to a college in town，where she should have been taking an exam which had   (9)   1O minutes earlier，having been let down by the bus．

    I   (10)   to let her in my car and she eventually arrived 20 minutes late． It would probably have been another 40 minutes on stop of that if she'd had to   (11)   the next bus，so hopefully this will have helped her   (12)   the exam． The even was slightly   (13)   when she later called me and wanted to   (14)   me some money，which of course I firmly   (15)  ．

    This has led me to think about general   (16)   regarding being under obligation(责任)to someone，or owing them something which must be   (17)  ． Maybe another time I may have the presence of mind to   (18)   positively and helpfully to such a   (19)  ． The best thing that even when I was behaving normally and casually in my daily time，the fate arranged that I could still have an/a 60 to trust and do someone a favor．

 We live in a digital world now, and a student’s  technology needs have changed. For the early years, say when you are in primary school, you can get by with no technology at all. Even if you have a computer, it’s a good idea to get familiar with libraries.

As you get closer to middle school, a computer with Internet access becomes more of a necessity. Teachers will often give assignments that require a student to use the Internet for research. After a computer, technology choices for students become more difficult to make － especially when it comes to cellphones. Kids will beg their parents for cellphones, especially in middle school. For many parents, it’s a safety issue: they want to know that their kids can reach them quickly if necessary. For teachers, cellphones can be used to record lessons when students are absent. But many teachers dislike cellphones. Some kids send messages or have talks in the class. Sending messages also raises the problem of cheating on exams. More and more schools are now forbidding the use of cellphones.

Many kids see iPods as necessary things to have. IPods are great for music, but do they do anything good for your children’s education? Maybe they do.That is the opinion of Doug Johnson, an educator for 30 years. Johnson says that educators should accept all new forms of technology in the classroom, including iPods. “Some do more with  their cellphones  than we can do with our laptops，” he jokes. “I don’t think we should be afraid. The truth is that it’s easier to change the way we teach than to change the technology habits of an entire generation.”

Except for the Indians, the earliest backpackers in America were frontiersmen（边民）, who traveled the wilderness looking either for necessities such as food and water or for sources of wealth such as fur and gold. For them backpacking was a way of survival or a means of achieving what one day would be called the “American Dream”.

Today, however, many people enjoy backpacking as an entertaining activity. Shouldering a pack and leaving behind the world of telephone, television and traffic promise an exciting experience. Testing one’s stamina（耐力）and skills is challenging, and regaining a sense of one’s place in the natural world can be rewarding. Moreover, backpacking is an activity that can last any length of time and can be enjoyed alone or with friends. Then too, a backpacking trip may be organized within a day or two.

The backpacker and his friends have only to decide on their destination and then organize the all-important equipment, whose contents they must depend on the trip. A map, a compass, a flashlight, along with food, and extra clothing can be found without much difficulty. Once the backpackers have left word about where they go in a note on the refrigerator door or in a message on an answering machine, they can look forward to an adventure that will lift the spirit and promote the soul. Their outing will enable them to return in a short time to the age of technology with the courage and independence of Natty Bumppo, who did indeed belong to the age of the frontier.

The expression "a thirst for knowledge" may soon have a new meaning for millions of people who have no way to get clean water. Researchers have developed a book with specially treated pages that can turn dirty water into clean and drinkable water. They say their invention could improve the lives of many in the developing world.

    About 700 million people around the world are at risk of disease or even death because their drinking water is not clean. The water is polluted by harmful bacteria.

    The book contains 25 pages. Each page is about one millimeter thick. The pages contain very small particles(微粒)of silver. The pages can be used as filers(过滤器)to remove harmful microorganisms(微生物)that can pollute drinking water. The filter kills the organisms that pass through it.

    Pictures on the pages show the dangers of dirty water and how to use the book for those unable to read. The pages are made of filter paper. They are designed to be torn from the book. Water can be poured through the paper to be cleaned.

    Ms Dankovich, the inventor, sys each page can treat up to 100 liters of water. She recently presented her invention at the meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, Massachusetts. She was asked whether she had considered adding classic literature on the bookˈs pages.

    "The idea pf classic texts—thatˈs of interest maybe later. We have discussed a little bit more exciting text. But we really havenˈt had the time to go through that part," she says.

    Teri Dankovich and another researcher tested the drinkable book in Bangladesh, Ghana and South Africa. The tests proved to be successful.

    Water for Life, a non-governmental organization, has provided financial support for the project.