Dear 17-year-old self,

    When your Laker dream comes true tomorrow, you need to figure out a way to invest in the future of your family. This sounds simple, and you may think it's a no-brainer, but take some time to think on it further.

    I said INVEST. I did not say GIVE. Let me explain.

    Purely giving material things to your siblings (兄弟姐妹) may appear to be the right decision. So you buy them a car, a big house, and pay all of their bills. You want them to live a beautiful, comfortable life, right?

    But the day will come when you realize that as much as you believed you were doing the right thing, you were actually holding them back.

    You will come to understand that you were taking care of them because it made YOU feel good, it made you happy to see them smiling and without a care in the world—and that was extremely selfish of you. While you were feeling satisfied with yourself, you were slowly eating away at their own dreams and ambitions. You were adding material things to their lives, but taking away the most precious gifts of all.

    Invest in their future, don't just give.

    Use your success, wealth and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose. Put them through school, set them up with job interviews and help them become leaders in their own right. Hold them to the same level of hard work and dedication that it took for you to get to where you are now, and where you will eventually go.

    I'm writing you now so that you can begin this process immediately, and so that you don't have to deal with the hurt and struggle of weaning (断绝) them off the addiction that you facilitated. That addiction only leads to anger, hatred and jealousy from everybody involved, including yourself.

    As time goes on, you will see them grow independently and have their own ambitions and their own lives, and your relationship with all of them will be much better as a result.

    Trust me, setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and headache, some of which remains to this day.

Much love,

Kobe

    There are a lot of products out there that make your life easier. Some, however, are a little sillier than others — so much that they seem like joke products. Here are a few products that sound crazy, but actually rule.

    Sleep Phones

    It's hard to imagine something sillier than a music-playing headband you wear while you sleep, but they exist — and are quite popular. Sleep Phones won't give you the highest quality sound in the world, but if you prefer to fall asleep to music, they're far more comfortable than normal headphones. While they're a bit expensive, they might be perfect for you. There's also a wireless version if you prefer.

    Lock Laces(鞋带)

    There're some great ways to tie your shoes better, but if you long for the laceless shoes of your childhood days, Lock Laces are a pretty good choice. They're basically elastic (有弹性的) laces that remove the need to tie your shoes. Sure, people will make fun of you, but you can make fun of them after they trip over their own untied laces. Or you can make your own slip-on shoes with elastic tubing.

    2D-Glasses

    Hate 3D-movies, but have to go to one? The difference between 2D-glasses and 3D-glasses lies in their lenses (镜片). Each lens of 2D-glasses blocks the same picture, so each eye gets the same picture, while each lens of 3D-glasses blocks a different picture, so each eye gets a different picture which the brain interprets as 3D. Now you have a pair of glasses that can save you from the headache caused by wearing 3D-glasses which are popular in our movie theaters. You can buy them or make a pair for yourself.

What will the future school look like is difficult to make clear, but most experts(专家) agree that the school will be electronic in the future.

"Present-day schools will no longer exist in the next century," says a report in The Age. "At that time, future schools will become community-style centers, which run seven days a week, 24 hours a day." At the same time, computers will surely become a central part of the school in the future.

According to The Age, the distant learning will be popular and students will listen to teachers on computers. Going into classrooms on their computers, students will study at any time, which is very easy for them. However, it is necessary for students to go to the actual school in order to develop some social skills.

The Seashore Primary School is an imaginary school in the future created by the Education Department of Australia. At this school, all the teachers and students have laptop computers. Teachers check messages and call students back on a special telephone system and students use telephones to search for information or speak to their experts who teach their lessons. Besides, all the lessons are related to all sorts of subjects and all the students have their own learning plans created by teachers.

As one headmaster says, a laptop computer is students' library, data storage(数据存储)as well as the bridge to a wider world. Technology has changed the emphasis of future learning. Thus, we'll pay more attention to the learning of kids rather than the teaching.

Ways to make a great first impression

You've heard it a million times already, but it really does take but a few seconds to make that all-important first impression (印象). Here are some easy ways for you to impress your classmates or teachers.

●

Before you shake hands with somebody, make sure that your hands are clean. The handshake should not be too strong or weak. Most people use their right hands, unless they have a reason to use the left..

● Be on time

When meeting someone for the first time, arriving on time is as important as breathing. You may have an excuse, but that will leave the person who hardly knows you with a bad impression. As a general rule, plan to arrive about 30 minutes early. .

● Introduce yourself and ask for names

Make sure you properly introduce yourself. Ask for their names in a polite way. . This will increase the chances of their remembering your name in the future. Always remember to stand up when greeting someone and be sure to introduce them to anyone you're with.

● Make a good conversation

To get the most out of your discussion, try to find something common between the two of you. . A person will feel more comfortable with someone who they can relate to(产生共鸣).

A. It's better to be hanging around the place than be stuck in traffic

B. Repeat the name and use it later in conversation

C. Use proper body language

D. Have a proper handshake

E. However, don't have your left hand in your pocket because this appears impolite

F. You'll be in serious trouble if you leave a bad impression on them

G. It could be a similar taste in clothes or a common hobby

    A scientist 1 several monkeys in order to study animal psychology. He took a glass bottle, 2 its cork(瓶塞)and put two peanuts inside it. The peanuts dropped to the bottom and were easily seen from the outside. He then passed the bottle to a monkey, who shook it 3 for a long while and was able to get the peanuts when they 4 fell out. The scientist then put some peanuts into the bottle again 5 he had done before and showed the monkey that it only needed to turn the bottle upside down for the peanuts to drop out. 6 the monkey always ignored his 7. Each time it just shook the bottle frantically, with great 8 but without necessarily achieving 9 result.

Now the 10 is why the monkey was unable to understand the scientist instructs. 11 because all its attentions was focused on the peanuts. Instead, it must take its eyes off the peanuts and quickly 12 its attention to the 13 movement of the scientist and the way the bottle was turned upside down. To achieve this, it had to calm down and not be 14 by the impulse(诱惑) of its appetite. Yet the monkey was not able to understand this. It is the instance like this that reveals the monkey's some psychology is just like 15 of human beings.

    One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about  (be) late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop,  some of them looked very anxious and  (disappoint). When the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next  the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike  (catch) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused  (stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept  (ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up to the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked, "  anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?" A woman on the bus shouted, "Oh, dear! It's  (I)." She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully. Everyone on the bus began talking about what the boy had done, and the crowd of strangers  (sudden) became friendly to one another.

要点如下：

1）介绍自己，写信目的。

2）说明情况，表示不满。

3）希望重视，尽快解决。

注意：

1）词数80左右;

2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

参考词汇：

新冠病毒肺炎COVID-19； 一次性口罩disposable masks；消费者协会 Consumers' Association

Dear Sir/Madam,

    ……

Yours faithfully,

Li Hu

    It happened when Tom was only ten years old. That day he was at home with his elder sister Jane. Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices. At first he didn't think seriously about it at first, since it was always noisy downstairs, but he soon realized this time it was different.

    "Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop." someone yelled.

    Then a thick burning smell filled the air. When Tom opened the front door of their flat to check, a thick cloud of smoke greeted him. The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.

    Jane, who had been playing the violin in her room, hurried to the living room. They rushed out of the door and along the corridor (走廊) through the smoke.

    They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane suddenly stopped. She turned around and headed back the way they came. Tom had no idea what she was doing, but he followed her.

    Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them, who they called Mackie. Jane began banging on Mackie's door, but got no answer. As the smoke thickened around them, Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pyjamas (睡衣) —running for safety. The thought of fear crossed his mind.

    "She would have run for safety like everyone else!" Tom cried. However, Jane refused to give up. "I know Mackie's still inside." She said she was familiar with Mackie's daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping. She pounded against the door. "Go downstairs. Go now! Go!"

注意事项：

1） 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2） 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3） 续写部分分为两段，请在答题时补充每段的开头语；

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Para. 1 Tom noticed the fire was reaching up.

Para. 2 Luckily, some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help. 容山中学