My mother was a cleaner in our school canteen(食堂) when I was in the middle school. At that time she was such an embarrassment(难堪) to me not only because of her job but also her look. She had only one eye. Every time I saw her in my school, I pretended(假装) not to see her and ran away.

 After graduating, I got a good job in another city. Then I got married and had two kids. I told my family that my parents had been dead, so they never saw my mother, even her photo. But one year later, I got a letter, it read:

 My dear son Jeff,

    I'm sorry to disturb(打扰) you, but I really miss you all the time. I'm afraid that I will have no chance to see you again.

    I'm sorry that I was always an embarrassment to you when you were growing up. However, I had no choice. When you were very young, you got into an accident and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand that you would have to grow up with one eye. So I ……

    I was proud of my son who was enjoying his beautiful world for me with that eye.

    With all my love to you!

                                                              Mom

 After reading the letter, I couldn't help crying.

    It is said that about half of the people in China smoke．Many young boys and girls have the habit of smoking，though they are middle school students．

    More and more people have come to realize how serious this problem is．But they are never bored with it．Some people think it is a kind of fashion，some think it is of great fun and others think that smoking can refresh(提神)themselves．

    (A)Smoking causes many illnesses ． A lot of people always cough(B)           smoking．The most serious illness caused by smoking is lung cancer(肺癌)．At the same time smoking is a waste of money．Besides，careless smokers may cause dangerous fire．

    (C)我们都知道吸烟对我们的健康有害。In order to keep healthy，we should get rid of the bad habit of smoking．Please stop smoking at once．

    We often see top students around us and everyone knows about them. Let us take Jenny as an example. She is the monitor of our class. She spends a lot of time working for our class. But she always gets good grades in all subjects. How do students like Jenny do that? When I asked her, she said, "Hard work is not the whole story. It's not how long you sit at the desk with your books open. It's what you do as you are sitting." In fact, we can see many top students spend fewer hours on their studies than their classmates. Jenny gave me some valuable suggestions.

    If your math teacher gives you five exercises, you should do six. If your Chinese teacher gives eight pages of reading, you should read nine. The more you practice, the more you learn.

    Studying is a matter of your personal interest, so choose the way you are most comfortable with. Some people like working at night when the house is quiet, while others like doing their work early in the morning. However, others like studying as soon asthey arrive home from school while the work is fresh in their minds. No matter(无论) which way suits you, try to do your best.

    Studying is your business and the business comes before entertainment(娱乐). When you are studying, phone calls should go unanswered, TV shows unwatched, snacks given up. Studying is the only thing in your mind. Nothing can pull your attention away from what you are studying.

    Studying is like eating. You should eat a little at a time. You can plan what to do today, but don't do too much. When you can't finish the work you planned to do, you will feel stressed and may lose confidence. On the other hand, you will not study well without a good plan. It all depends on how you manage your time.

    The students who hand in a clearly written paper are already half way to get an A. Tidy papers are likely to get higher marks than messy(乱糟糟的) ones. When you write clearly and do your work carefully, the thoughts in your mind are clear. You are able to make fewer mistakes.

    Are you the only child in the family? If so, you are the most important in your family.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But a lot of middle school students have a problem. They feel they're not as close to their parents as before.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Some students complain that their parents say a lot to them, but never listen to them. Some of them even say it angrily.

     “My parents don't allow me to play computer games, but other classmates are doing that”.

    Others say, when they're making phone calls to friends, their parents like to ask if they're speaking to a boy or a girl.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Some students even decide to leave home because they're afraid to tell their parents when they have done something wrong, especially when they do badly in exams. Then they usually think running away is the only choice.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}I think they should find a good chance to talk with their parents and they needn't be afraid to tell their feelings to their parents. They can also get help from others like good friends or teachers. Keeping a diary can help them understand more about themselves and their feelings.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} you'll have a happy life and never think of running away.

A. These make them very unhappy.

B. Parents are the closet people to you in the world.

C. But they don't know running away may bring them some more problems.

D. If you follow the advice,

E. They even think their parents are unfair to them.

    Long ago, there lived a water carrier. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Unfortunately, one day, the pot hit a stone and cracked(裂开) a little. Half the water slowly spilled(溢出) outof the narrow opening as the carrier walked. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    After two years, the pot said to the water carrier, "I'm so sorry."

    "Why?" asked the water carrier.

    "{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Lots of water spills through the crack. That means you have to make more trips to the river. I am a terrible pot!"

    The water carrier smiled. "Look at those beautiful flowers along the path. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They grow well there because of the water. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}"

    It is a great thing to help others. First, you can learn new things. Second, it can also make you feel good.

    How can you do it? Helping through charities (慈善团体) is a good idea. Charities are organizations (组织) that help others. September 5 is the International Day of Charity.

    You can help charities by giving your time, giving money or giving things that you own.

    Volunteering

    Volunteering is to give time to help others without pay. Some ways of volunteering are:

☆visiting old people to talk to them or help them

    ☆walking dogs at an animal shelter (收容所)

    ☆cleaning up a park

    ☆helping some children. You can teach the children without life skills how to take care of themselves.

● Fundraising

    Fundraising is to collect or produce money to a charity to help others. Some ways of fundraising are:

    ☆making cakes or biscuits to sell

    ☆ doing sponsored (有赞助的) activities. For example, families and friends give you money if you finish a long walk.

    Donating

    Donating is to give your things to a charity to help others. Some ways of donating are:

    ☆giving your old toys or clothes to a charity that helps sick children or poor people

    ☆giving your old books to a library.

    So, what can you do to help others?