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The peaceful little town Cherrywood Dale was made up of colorful houses, each one home to a warm-hearted family. The neighbors were the salt of the earth, always ready to lend a helping hand to one another. However, among them was an exception, an old man named Mr. Johnson, who lived alone in a small cottage. 

Mr. Johnson was known for his excellent gardening skills. His gift for gardening had turned his backyard into a beautiful rose garden. However, his passionate devotion to gardening had left him with little time for personal life. His only company was his beloved roses. 

Not far from Mr. Johnson's cottage lived a young couple, Tom and Emily. They were the complete opposite of Mr. Johnson—lively and sociable, always up to something new and exciting. Their home was always filled with the sound of laughter and good cheer. They had a young son named Charlie, who was Mr. Johnson's favorite neighbor. Charlie's infectious laughter and boundless energy brought some life to Mr. Johnson's quiet existence.

One day, Charlie decided to surprise Mr. Johnson by decorating his front yard for the upcoming Harvest Festival. He knew how much Mr. Johnson loved autumn and the changing of the leaves. Charlie enlisted the help of his parents and set to work, painting pumpkins(南瓜)and hanging decorations. They were so caught up in their creation that they ended up accidentally stepping on Mr. Johnson's prize-winning roses.

The next morning, Mr. Johnson came out of his cottage and saw the beautiful display, his face shining with delight. But his smile quickly turned into a frown(皱眉)when he saw the destroyed roses. He called over Tom and Emily, who were equally displeased by what had happened. They apologized sincerely, promising to replace the roses, but Mr. Johnson was unmoved. The once friendly neighbors became locked in an uneasy standoff. Charlie was heartbroken, not understanding why Mr. Johnson wouldn't accept their apology.

注意：

1. 续写词数应为150个左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Then one afternoon, Emily decided to make the first move.

Mr. Johnson was moved by the three's sincere understanding.

注意：

1. 写作词数应为80个左右； 

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Hello, everyone, 

The Paleozoological Museum of China, one of the largest natural museums in Asia, was opened in Baoding, North China's Hebei Province, in January, (serve) as a crucial component in the broader effort to relocate non-capital functions outside Beijing.

This newly  (establish) museum, covering around 80, 000 square meters with a total construction area of around 73, 000 square meters, is thought of  a national-level theme museum in the field of natural sciences.

The museum, themed around nature, life and humanity, provides a series of systematic (presentation) on paleontology and evolutionary biology. It tells the stories of natural history, and (set) to promote the natural concept that "humans and nature are a community of life".

The exhibits, numbering around 6,000 items, (primary) come from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. Among the displayed items (be) rare treasures, including one of the world's few well-preserved pterosaur (翼龙) eggs, the world's (early) known jawed fish species, as well as the longest and largest individual horse skull.

"The Paleozoological Museum of China will become one of landmark buildings in Baoding, is just in need of a cultural salon like this to showcase its cultural feature," noted Gao Tianwei, project manager of the museum.

On a freezing winter morning, 13-year-old Ethan Miller was preparing to go skiing with his father by car. As they were about to 1 the driveway, an urgent cry from his mother interrupted them-she had spotted a tiny cat that had sought 2 beneath their car for warmth. However, as the car began to move, it 3 ran over the cat's leg.

Ethan, filled with 4 and sympathy, immediately responded. He gently 5 the injured cat, offering first aid and 6 right there to provide it with a loving home. Ethan named it "Whiskers" and 7 it until it fully recovered.

This incident made Ethan 8 of the risk faced by countless other homeless cats in the biting cold. Fueled by a(n) 9 to create an impact, Ethan went on a mission. Using the 10 of social media, he shared his heartrending story, successfully 11 many like-minded individuals to work together. They launched a project called "Warm the Furry", which not only aimed at 12 donations but also constructing community cat shelters throughout their town.

Ethan's story demonstrated how even seemingly insignificant 13 can snowball into powerful movements, creating a more 14 society where all creatures, large or small, are enveloped with warmth and understanding. This story is a proof of the idea that one person's determination and kindness can indeed 15 significant change.

Even the most positive people have negative thoughts. It's part of being human. But when negative thoughts become the norm, it isn't healthy. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to change your negative thoughts into realistic thinking—seeing yourself, your relationships and world events as they really are.

Monitor your self-talk. We all have an ongoing dialogue running in our head, which affects how we view our life. So, to promote realistic thinking, first you need to find out and listen to that inner voice. Being aware of those inner comments starts to help you take control of them. 

Not every negative thought is "bad". For example, "I feel stressed and upset about my job because there are so many new things I am learning, but overtime I'll learn and it'll get easier." has a negative aspect, but it promotes a positive action. Therefore, it's important to make the distinction between helpful thoughts and negative ones.

Challenge your unhelpful thoughts.Continuing with the work example, do you really hate your job or are you just anxious about the new project that you've been assigned?

Now that you're clear which thought is not helpful, you can replace it with one that is. Using the example from above, a more positive thought might be, "Once I get started on the new project I'm sure I'll do fine. It's just the anticipation that I don't like."

Repeat. Realistic thinking doesn't come easy, especially when you are also working on managing anxiety, depression, and other problems.

A. Identify thoughts that aren't helpful.

B. Plant positive thoughts in your mind.

C. Analyse what self-talk is the most beneficial.

D. But because it's constantly running, we often forget it's there.

E. These thoughts can consume your energy or cause physical problems.

F. To be more realistic, you need to question whether your thoughts are factual.

G. You need to continually return to it even when it feels natural to become negative.

Improved mental health is on the agenda for many people in 2024 and being organized is the preferred method of realizing it. 

Disorganization is often considered to have a negative impact on the way we see ourselves and the lives we lead. The studied downsides of living in a disorganized environment include memory problems, poor eating habits, and decreased self-control. "There's an obvious link between increased stress and anxiety disorders and living in a messy space," says Daniel Levitin, a behavioral neuroscientist (行为神经科学家) at McGill University.

"Disorganization brings a loss of productivity that is difficult to quantify," says Levitin. He points to the amount of time people lose looking for lost items, missing appointments, or falling behind at work or school because of disordered living. "The average person likely loses 5 percent of their time due to disorganization," he says. "Take your annual salary, multiply that by 5 percent, and you can measure what disorganization may be costing you."

Joseph Ferrari, one of the most recognized scholars on disorganization research, says that nearly every mental health downside that comes from disorganization can be improved by getting organized. "You'll feel more energetic, enhance your productivity in the office, and greatly improve the quality of your life," he says.

Tidy homes have been found to be a predictor of physical health. "Those whose houses are cleaner are more active and physically healthy," says Libby Sander, an assistant professor of organizational behavior. Part of this is due to organized people being better at managing their time, but it's also because research demonstrates that less clutter (杂乱) can help improve one's diet. "Studies show an association between clutter and overweight," says Libby.

Getting organized has also been shown to decrease one's stress levels, increase personal efficiency, and even improve sleep. Another studied advantage of getting organized may be improving the quality of one's relationships. Libby explains that relationships can be negatively impacted when too much clutter affects communication or distracts one's brain from noticing important message from their partner. Research shows this can cause others to feel ignored, misunderstood, or unimportant.

Hikes in grocery prices often arise from factors outside of governments' control, whether it's bird flu driving up egg costs or heavy rain in California drowning crops. But farmers can gain more control over the availability of certain foods by using satellite data, finds a new study led by researchers from University of Maryland. 

Remote sensing has long been used to track and make predictions about crop harvests. But governments have been hesitant to heavily invest in the technology for crop monitoring and planting because they lacked evidence of the ability to produce quantifiable economic benefits-until now. 

"The models we created show that remote sensing forecasting can reduce food prices in import-dependent countries by 1.1%~12.5%," said Laixiang Sun, a professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences. "By using remote sensing to predict a poor harvest in the Northern Hemisphere(半球), the Southern Hemisphere can plant more to avoid a shortage. If the Northern Hemisphere has a good harvest, the Southern Hemisphere can plant less to avoid an oversupply. This will keep prices stable."

The researchers first created models to predict how much warning farmers in the opposite hemisphere could have of potential shortages or surpluses. To do so, the researchers used remote-sensing data before a 2008 poor wheat harvest in, Russia, a 2012 good wheat harvest in Ukraine, and 2012's poor soybean harvest in Brazil. The wheat-forecasting models accurately predicted production in 2008 and 2012 two months before the harvests.

The researchers also developed economic models to show how predictions of upcoming shortages and surpluses could prevent food price changes. With data from 2007 and 2011, the years immediately before the wheat and soybean harvests, the models showed that consumers in import-dependent countries could save some money if farmers could see and respond to the predicted harvests in the opposite hemisphere. 

Sun said the findings justify continued monitoring of crop growth from space—and not a moment too soon, either. "This is important, as global food security is increasingly threatened by regional human conflicts and extreme weather events from climate change," he said.

"Moja, mbili, tatu…"One, two, three. Juliana Rubashai is counting aloud to show what she has learned in school. Delighted and proud, she counts to 20, but her mother, Zefrina Nandia, adds that Juliana can keep counting, and that she also can do some reading. 

Nine-year-old Juliana is one of the children who have received aid through a project run by International Aid Services(IAS)in southwestern Tanzania, where many children stay at home all day, cut off from social contact and schooling. The project improves school facilities and raises local community's awareness about education. They train teachers and lobby(游说)the local authorities. In these ways, IAS is struggling to ensure basic education for everyone. 

Zefrina was contacted last year by project coordinator Fortunatus Rafael, who gets in touch with families to get an overview of children's needs and school options. Zefrina had previously asked the local school to enroll Juliana, but was turned down due to lack of resources. Thanks to the project, the school can offer chances to more children. 

Part of the project is training teachers in special needs education. Many teachers have received additional training in estimating the degree of a child's disability. During the first year of the project, 270 children with special needs have been evaluated, and of these, 200 got the chance to go to school. The teachers Scolastica Nyoni and Bwigane Mwasipu both appreciate how it has strengthened their skills. "When teaching children with special needs, we know whom to pay extra attention to. This means a closer relation between teachers and students," says Scolastica. 

It's a year since Juliana got into the classroom, and her mother notices definite improvement. "She used to be lonely and unhappy. Now, she's much happier and always wants to go to school," says Zefrina. The teachers also notice big changes have taken place in the local community. "Parents are now coming to us to find teachers to teach their children with special needs. Previously, they didn't think that schooling would be possible for these children," says Bwigane.

Exhibition: Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs(法老)

Transport yourself back 3, 300 years, across the sands of the Sahara Desert where you reach the heartbeat of Ancient Egypt ruled by the most celebrated pharaoh in the country's storied history. Experience one of the greatest collections of its kind in this Australian-first exhibition, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs. 

This all-new multisensory museum experience provides visitors with a window into the life and achievements of Ramses II, more commonly known as Ramses the Great, who ruled Egypt for 67 years. The exhibition features 182 priceless artifacts including the sarcophagus of Ramses II-one of the most impressive royal coffins(棺椁)from Ancient Egypt ever to be discovered—and other treasures, some of which have never left Egypt before. 

This journey will enable visitors to discover a surprisingly preserved collection of artifacts, including fine jewellery, delicate royal masks(面具), and golden treasures of the tomb, showcasing the superb workmanship of Egyptian artists. 

The exhibition also features a virtual reality experience that takes you on a tour of two of Ramses' most impressive remains: the Temples of Abu Simbel and the Tomb of Queen Nefertari. In cinematic motion chairs, viewers will fly through temples, sandstorms, and even come face-to-face with Ramses in this virtual journey. Purchase the VR experience during your Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs ticket purchase checkout as an add-on. 

I'd like to share with you a funny incident that occurred almost 4 years ago

I was an 8th grader at high school. One day, the teacher gave us a group assignment and we went to some libraries after class to collect data. In the evening, I found that my group members were complaining that they were hungry and needed to have some food. 

Together we entered a restaurant nearby. When the waiter approached our table, one of my classmates made an order directly without even looking at the menu. And after we were done with our food, a classmate asked the group leader to pay the bill. The group leader was surprised as he had not offered the meal and said that he did not have the money to pay the bill. I asked the waiter to bring the bill and we were shocked to see the amount. It was much more than we had expected. Though we were a bit worried, we started laughing and enjoying the whole thing. At this moment, a group member suggested we collect all of our money to pay the bill. We searched our wallets, pockets and bags for money. There were so many coins there that we had to count 2-3 times. But unfortunately, the total amount was still not enough to pay the bill. 

As the scene unfolded, the atmosphere shifted from casual laughter to a shared sense of responsibility. Realizing the gravity of the situation, I stepped up and decided to explain our situation to the manager, hoping for some understanding or perhaps a way to work out a payment plan. To our relief, the manager kindly listened to our story. Seeing our genuine efforts to resolve the issue, he agreed to let us pay what we had collected and arrange for the rest to be settled later. 

注意：

1. 续写词数应为150个左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

We left the restaurant with empty wallets but light hearts.

This incident served as a reminder for better teamwork in the future.

1. 旅行前准备；

2. 活动开展情况。

注意：

1. 写作词数应为80个左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Darren,

Last Sunday I went trekking on the nearby hills with my classmates.

Yours truly,

Li Hua

China produces and uses so much bamboo that the country is sometimes referred to the Bamboo Kingdom. 40% of all known bamboo species in the world are grown in China, so it's not (astonish) that China grows more bamboo than any other country in the world. Today, roughly one fifth of the global supply of bamboo is grown in China, with Sichuan and Fujian (be) the provinces with the largest total area of bamboo cultivation.

Bamboo is one of  fastest-growing plants on earth. Although some types of bamboo can grow to be almost 35 meters in height, you may be surprised to learn that bamboo is (actual) a type of grass rather than a tree. 

In traditional Chinese culture, bamboo, plum blossoms, orchids (兰), and chrysanthemums (菊) form a group  is called the Four Gentlemen. Each member of the group is used  (represent) some aspect of the character of an ideal person. In the case of the bamboo, it serves as an emblem (象征) of modesty and mental (strong). 

Along with the pine and plum blossom, bamboo also sometimes (appear) as part of the Three Friends of Winter. Each of these three plants (admire) for its ability to remain firm and fresh when the weather turns cold.

I was struggling earlier in the year, even though I'm a(n) 1 person by nature. The entire world seemed to have come to a stop all of a sudden. I was 2 with worry about my family and paying the bills, and whether life would ever be the same again.

Then, one evening I went outside and 3 . The sky was dark and the stars were shining so brightly that I almost held my breath. As I stood under that splendid ceiling, I was filled with 4 .

I really wanted to find out more about them. Suddenly, I remembered I'd 5 an app on my phone a couple of months earlier, which 6 all the stars and planets. Together with my daughters, I raced to the upstairs, where we had a perfect 7 of the night sky. Using the app, we were excited to 8 that bright white star hanging over the horizon was Venus. Then we looked past Betelguese, a dying red supergiant star 700 times the size of Earth, and many more. 9 , the world no longer seemed like an unfamiliar place. It 10 me that the Earth had been around for

4. 5 billion years and had experienced things much more 11 . That realization 12  brought my worries into a much broader perspective (眼界). 

Plus, that twinkling night sky was just so beautiful — I felt happier and calmer just looking at it. It became our 13  to sit at the window every evening, gazing at the stars. Not only did it help us 14  the reality, but for half an hour each day we got to 15  outside our four walls.

Camping isn't the same without a fire and in fact, many campsites even allow the use of one as long as you remain responsible and eco-friendly. As daylight disappears, there's nothing quite like a campfire to see you through the evening and into the night.

Remember, campfires can be fun as long as you put some common sense into your practice. If you're a first-timer to the whole campfire scene, or simply want to know how to get your fire blazing in no time at all, we've got some great tips to help you.

• Choose the right location. With any campfire it's important to select a location that's safe. Preferably you'd keep away from areas with overhanging branches and dry undergrowth.

• Use dry wood. If your wood logs are wet or damp, you'll really struggle to get any fire going. Therefore, store the wood in a dry place and keep your matches tucked away in a Ziploc bag.

• Build up from small beginnings. You'll need to start small and get the blaze going with firelighters, kindling or newspapers. Only then can you start to apply larger wood logs.

• Don't add the larger logs on too quickly, as this can stifle (抑制) the fire and see your efforts wasted at the first hurdle.

• Remember to put the fire out. After you sat around the campfire, enjoying great conversation and some light-hearted games, you'll need to put the fire out. Instead, let the fire die down and pour water or shovel earth on as required.

A. Avoid rushing the process.

B. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

C. A great campfire takes time and patience.

D. Never go to bed believing a smoking fire safe.

E. You might come across a variety of problems.

F. Also make sure not to build your fire too near any tents.

G. Camping is a fantastic experience for people of all ages.

"Individuals of all ages who have empathy (共情) understand that sometimes telling little white lies can protect other people from getting hurt," says Barbara Greenberg, a clinical psychologist in Connecticut. "Most people that I have come across tell these little white lies because they understand that 100 percent honesty all the time is not beneficial." A white lie, she explains, spares people from unnecessary hurt.

At the same time Dr. Julia Breur, a marriage and family therapist in Florida, emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the way we respond to someone. The fact is that not telling the truth can result in something unpleasant on you; it's not just about the person the white lie is being told to. For example, she says someone who always tells others that "all is good" when it comes to a sick parent in an effort to avoid discussions about how serious their health issue really is, can eventually face stressful experiences. When that parent eventually passes away, the person who always gave an "all is good" response ends up emotionally broken.

Sometimes, telling white lies often depends on the situation, Dr. Breur says. For example, consider a woman who has not seen her mother for several months. The daughter has gained noticeable weight, yet the mother responds by excitedly declaring that she looks great. "I emphasize during psychotherapy sessions with my patients that context helps define meaning," Dr. Breur says. "So when we look at the context of a mother saying you look great when she clearly sees that her daughter has gained weight, it can be acceptable. It reflects the intention of the white lie which is kindness, protection and unconditional love. Otherwise, white lies — especially when told to avoid personal accountability — can start a cycle of mistrust between people, ultimately compromising integrity," she adds.

Therefore, it's important to ask ourselves when it is and isn't appropriate to deliver the honest truth, and when it's best to step back and offer a more delicate response. More often than not, it's about finding a balance between the two.

Why do children learn so quickly? Is it simply a necessity, or is a child's brain more capable of taking in new information than an adult's brain?

"It is a common way of thinking that ‘children are like sponges' and have the magical ability to learn new skills faster than an adult, but there are some misconceptions here, " said Debbie Raven, a researcher at the University of Chester. "A child's cognitive (认知的) development is age-related and, naturally, children perform worse than their older peers in most areas. However, there are times when being young brings an advantage, and this is especially true around their earliest years.

This advantage is largely due to neuroplasticity, meaning the brain's ability to form and change its connections, pathways and wiring based on experiences. Neuroplasticity is what gives children the capacity to learn-and, if necessary, unlearn-habits, routines, approaches and actions very quickly. This ability is most constant and rapid before a child's fifth birthday, when much of what they encounter or experience is novel. "This ability to learn quickly is connected to several areas, including plasticity, their experiences with adults, their environment, and their biological drive to explore, " Raven said. "Childhood is a place where children spend their time catching up with adults' more sophisticated abilities. "

Language learning, in particular, is an area where children often have a huge advantage over adults. This is largely because "babies are able to tune in to the rhythm and sounds used in their native language, and can therefore become fluent speakers by the age of four. "This ability can help young children learn a second or third language with apparent ease, Raven said.

In a research paper, the authors suggest that "human babies are born seeing and hearing linguistic information that older children and adults miss, although they lose this ability with more experience in their environments. Moreover, babies can "discriminate speech sounds and tones used in al of the world's languages, making them open to al input, regardless of the linguistic environment they are born into.

A few years ago, I asked a neighborhood handyman to build a tree-house in my backyard. In part, this was to solve a problem: my children were good friends with the children who lived beside us and they liked to climb over the fence that separated the two yards. We could have just put a gate into the fence, but I decided that building some kind of climbable structure around the large fir tree in the yard, which also included a staircase into the neighbor's yard, was a more creative solution to the problem, and I liked the idea that the tree-house would also serve to join the two play spaces together.

The handyman took the task much more seriously than I had expected. He made drawings, built small wooden models, and even held a kind of "visioning" exercise with the children and their parents to make sure that he hadn't missed any important details. At the end of our lengthy discussions, he asked, "Where would you like me to put the beer rail?"

The question took me aback as I hadn't really considered the possibility that a nice play structure in my yard might also facilitate beer consumption among the neighborhood children, but I quickly tuned in to the fact that our designer had intuited what should have been obvious to me- the children wouldn't be the only ones to take advantage of this platform up among the branches of the beautiful old tree. And, indeed, over the years that I lived in that house I discovered that the platform made a pretty good perch (栖息处), not only for the occasional cold beer, but also for sitting and dreaming, reading a book, enjoying a picnic or even getting some writing done. My children enjoyed climbing around in the tree-house, playing tag, setting up imaginary pirate ships and fortresses (城堡), and they also used it for some quiet thinking and even the occasional math homework. The tree seemed to be a particularly good algebra tutor.

If you're looking for some festive atmosphere, here's part of the Florida festival calendar.

Kumquat Festival, Dade City, Jan. 27

The downtown in Dade City fills with as many as 35, 000 people for this free event celebrating the tangy little fruit grown locally. Along with dozens of booths and live entertainment, a highlight is enjoying kumquat treats, from kumquat pie, kumquat cookies to kumquat salad. 

Sunnyland Boat Festival, Tavares, Mar. 22-24

This antique and classic boat festival is one of the largest classic wood boat shows in the country with as many as 250 to 300 restored ancient boats on display in the water and along one third of a mile of Lake Dora shoreline at Wooton Park in Tavares, which is really a feast to the eye for free. 

Siesta Key Sunsculpting Festival, Sarasota, Nov. 10-13

Two dozen professional artists compete in creating sculptures on the gorgeous Siesta Key beach. Those who buy tickets can watch the sculptures take shape, view them under colored lights at night, see demonstrations and take lessons. The party atmosphere includes a tent with ful bar (no ticket required) and a vendor(小贩) village. 

Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami Beach, Dec. 8-10

Art Basel, an international art fair, draws top galleries from around the world plus the rich and celebrities to South Florida. A far cry from the street art festivals all over Florida, this is an event that is not cheap-Tickets start at $65. Over the years, however, a variety of satellite events have developed, creating art-related events for regular folks, including Miami Art Week.

Like many kids, last summer I learned to ride a bike. Only I am in my 30s. When I was a child, I had no one to teach me. My mum never learned. My parents divorced (离婚) when I was 4, and in an attempt to perform parental responsibility, my father bought a bicycle for my brother and me to share.

My mum later remarried. When my brother and I were laughed at because we were the only kids past 6 years old who still relied on training wheels, my stepdad removed them, but in doing that, I lost interest and trust in the activity. I was so scared—I was quite tall for my age at 7 and I was worried I'd fall off. I thought I was too old to learn too.

Not knowing how to ride didn't bother me initially, until we moved to the suburbs, where bicycles were popular. On trips to the convenience store to buy candy with my friends, I was always the last to arrive, on foot. By then, I was 12 years old.

In my early 30s, I remember feeling envious as I watched children as young as 3 learn to balance on bikes. Among them were my neighbours, whom I would occasionally babysit. Then something changed. The fear within was still there, but something much stronger was taking over.

I decided to join a women's bike-riding workshop. There, I stood in an urban park, determined to overcome my fear. Meeting women from diverse backgrounds, all seeking cycling skills for various reasons, strengthened my determination. The first thing I noticed was how different each person's learning curve (曲线) was. Some were balancing in no time, while others, like me, needed a bit more time. The workshop was a safe space, full of encouragement and support. Each time I fell, there were hands to help me up, and every time I made progress, there were cheers to celebrate it. Several weeks later, I learned to ride.

注意：

1.续写词数应为150左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

To enjoy the joy of riding, I bought my own bike.

Learning to ride a bike in my 30s taught me that it's never too late to learn something new.

1.写信目的；

2.你的感想。

注意：

1.写作词数应为80左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Mary,

Yours,

Li Hua