Several years ago, when I was teaching at a middleschool, a girl sent me a message. She found someone write a very1messageon her locker. She made a picture of it and then sent it to me asking for2.

A few hours later, I noticed that on herInstagram she had posted that picture and asked if anyone3whodid that.

Well, the following day, the girl came to mewith a boy. She showed me a4she had received. It was a heartfeltapology. I asked her if she knew who had done it, and the boy repliedembarrassedly(尴尬地), "It was me. I don't know why I did it,but I know it was5. So I wrote her this note. I6wantedto do something to try to make up for my meanness."

My heart felt so full of7forthis boy. I told him how8he was to come forward and how amazing itwas that he did something9to correct his mistake. I10thegirl and asked her if she could forgive him. Without hesitation, she said, "Yes."

I think middle school students are not littlechildren any more, and not grown-ups yet. It is normal that they make mistakes.Every day I remind myself that although I am an educator, my students trulylove me.

One day when Picasso was walking along a road, a woman passed by and saw him. She ran to Picasso for a painting as a gift. Picasso smiled and said {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(polite), "I'm sorry, Madam. I have nothing to paint. I am {#blank#}2{#/blank#}/ˈempti/ handed here. I may make you a painting some other time."

However, the woman didn't give up. She {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(keep) on, "Please, I am a big fan of you and I want to meet you for years." Hearing this, Picasso was moved and then took out a small {#blank#}4{#/blank#} of paper and a pen, and began to draw something. Within 10 seconds, Picasso finished {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(draw) and handed it to the woman, "Take this! It's a million-dollar painting."

But the woman thought Picasso was just playing a joke on her. How could it be {#blank#}6{#/blank#}/wɜːθ/ a million dollars just in 10 seconds? So she went to the market and was {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(surprise) to learn that it was true.

When meeting Picasso again, she wished she could be his student. She said, "Please teach me so that I can do the same thing {#blank#}8{#/blank#} such a short time."

Picasso smiled and said, "Dear, the drawing I made was not in 10 seconds {#blank#}9{#/blank#} my thirty-year efforts towards the arts!" The woman was speechless.

We fix our eyes on others' {#blank#}10{#/blank#}/səkˈses/ more often than the hard work and patience behind it. If we want to reach it, we need experience and struggle(奋斗).

Last month, I went to Australia and had great fun there. My first stop was Sydney. I visited the Sydney Opera House first, then the Bondi Beach. On the beach, I saw many people lying （躺）in the sun. I never saw this in my country. It was very interesting. 

The next morning, I went to Fraser Island. The island is about 122 km long. It has beautiful lakes and beaches. I joined a Fraser Island camp with some friends. We drove a car around the island. We swam and enjoyed a barbecue （烧烤） on the beach together. We had a wonderful time. 

However, there were also many problems, One was that I couldn't speak English well. I wanted to talk with people there and make friends with them. But I didn't know what they said. Because of this, I often lost my way, too. Luckily, people there were so kind to give help. 

From the trip I feel that the world is small. I come to know that I have to study English very hard. 

Katie was waiting for Gulliver's calls. Instead, she just heard sparrows making noise in the bushes. "Maybe Gulliver missed the harbour." Dad said. After breakfast, Katie took her camera to the harbour. All the colourful boats made pretty pictures, but not the one she wanted most.

Katie waved to Ernest, her uncle's neighbour, on the boathouse. The gull's name, Gulliver, was given by him. The gull's size and his single leg made the bird itself different. But Ernest told Katie what Gulliver did that first summer Katie and her dad came caught everyone's attention. Young Katie lay in her stroller（婴儿车）on the floating dock（码头） when Uncle Ralph and Dad were repairing boats nearby. The waves from the passing boat made Katie's stroller shake strongly. "Kee-aah! Kee-aah!" Gulliver made the loudest cry. Dad and uncle rushed to Katie and stopped the stroller from falling into the water. They kept a close eye at Katie after that. Another summer Katie was three years old, she liked to touch everything. But Dad didn't watch her every minute when she tried to catch small ducks around or fish from water. "Kee-aah! Kee-aah!" The gull's cry brought Dad back in time. He stopped Katie as she tried to follow the small ducks running towards water. Several summers passed, and Gulliver continued to call out as Katie tried new things.

This summer Katie did the usual by-the-sea things she'd learned to do. One day, she rowed a boat out but was trapped on a rock by a storm. As she looked up and tried to catch the last warmth of the sunshine through dark clouds, she saw a single white feather. A gull feather? She searched the sky for an answer. Putting her arms around knees, she closed eyes to hold in the tears. "Kee-aah! Kee-aah!" Katie sat up. "Katie! Katie!" Soon, Dad and Uncle Ralph appeared. "How lucky! We heard Gulliver as we came around the rocks," Uncle Ralph said, "At least …it sounded like him. Strange, he was nowhere in sight." Katie remembered the feather. "I thought I heard him, too."

—Adapted from the story by Gillian Richardson

Mr. Taylor loves fishing. It is his favorite sport. He often fishes for hours without catching anything. But this doesn't get in the way {#blank#}1{#/blank#} his hobby. He still likes sitting by the river {#blank#}2{#/blank#} ( patient) day by day.

Some {#blank#}3{#/blank#} ( fisherman) can't catch fish, either. Sometimes they just catch dirty old shoes and rubbish. Unluckily, Mr. Taylor is even {#blank#}4{#/blank#} ( bad) than them. He never catches anything, not even old shoes. One day, after he spent the whole morning fishing by the river, he went home again with {#blank#}5{#/blank#} empty bag.

" You must stop fishing!" His friends laughed at him and said," It's a waste of time."

{#blank#}6{#/blank#}, Mr. Taylor didn't get mad." But they don't realize one important thing. I am only interested in {#blank#}7{#/blank#}( sit) in a boat or by the river. We are supposed {#blank#}8{#/blank#} ( value) the sunshine and fresh air when we get close to the nature. It can make me {#blank#}9{#/blank#}( forget) the noise of the city for some time." He said to {#blank#}10{#/blank#} ( he).

It's Saturday today. Tomorrow Nina{#blank#}1{#/blank#} a party because it's her 13th birthday. Her friends will come to help her. Linda is a {#blank#}2{#/blank#} girl. She is good at {#blank#}3{#/blank#} games and activities. Gina is ready to buy some food and {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Anna is going to bring some {#blank#}5{#/blank#} and other decorations. It's nice, isn't it?