Lastnight I was preparing for the coming examination when I heard loud noise frommy neighbor's house. The1wenton and on. It was2loudthat I could hardly pay attention to my study any longer. So I went to myneighbor's house and knocked at the door. The young man looked3when he4 me standing outside his door.

Isaid to him: "5,could you please turn down the TV? I'm preparing6tomorrow's exam."7he heard these words, hisface turned red. And he said politely, "I'm sorry to have made so muchnoise. Just now, the football game was very wonderful.I was too excited to control8. I won't bother（打扰）you again.9 in yourcoming exam." Then, he10 the TV and continued to watchthe game. After that, I got down to my study.

Do you feel guilty(内疚的) for something you did? Maybe you made a mistake that hurt someone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Either way, the simple words "I'm sorry" can help you and others feel better. It's not always easy to admit(承认) what you did is wrong. But you can't learn from your mistakes without admitting them.

Apologizing(道歉) is an important part of personal growth. When you apologize, the other person knows that you understand his feelings. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But in fact, it shows that you are strong enough to put others before yourself. After apologizing, you may become closer to your friend than before.

But even after you decided to apologize, you may not be sure how to do it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

①Show that you feel guilty and understand how the other person feels. For example, you could say, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#} I feel terrible for talking to you like that."

②Don't keep doing what you apologized for.

③Don't put off(推迟) making an apology.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Apologies can be hard, but they are necessary for healthy relationships.

Mary and Lisa are sisters. They like the same colour— blue. They like the same sports— swimming and basketball. They go to the same middle school. But they aren't in the same class. They like music and art. Art is their favourite subject. 

But Mary and Lisa have a big difference (不同之处) . Mary has many friends. They like to play with her. But Lisa doesn't have any friends. Their mum sees the difference. She says to Lisa, "My dear, your smile (微笑) is very beautiful. Why not smile often?" Lisa says OK and she tries smiling often. Children come to Lisa. They like her smile. They want to make friends with her. Now Lisa has many friends. She is very happy.

Nina felt nervous this morning. She couldn't believe that she decided to tryout for a talent show. She loved to sing but she disliked singing in front of other people. 

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door of the theater and went inside. 

The room was filled with laughing children. Nina saw Luz, James and others from her class. The bright, sunny room left her no place to hide. A few teachers sat on chairs. They waited for the children to become quiet. 

"Hi, Nina!" Luz called out. "I didn't think you would tryout. You are so timid(胆怯的) in front of people. "

"That's not true, " Nina said. "I'm not shy at all. "

"Yeah, right, " Luz chuckled(轻声地笑) and ran off to find a seat. 

One by one the students got up on the stage(舞台) and did their acts. 

"Nina Martinez!" a voice called out. It was Mrs. Brent, the music teacher. Nina rose from her chair. She felt small as she walked to the huge, empty stage. Her face was hot and her shaking hands were as cold as ice. 

"I-I-" Nina began, and then stopped. "I can't, " she said softly. 

"Close your eyes, " said Mrs. Brent gently. "Forget about everyone else. Just sing. "

Nina felt silly, but she gave it a try. She closed her eyes and raised her voice and sang out. Her hands stopped shaking. 

The song was so nice that everybody enjoyed it. 

Nina heard Mrs. Brent clap (鼓掌) loudly at the end of her song. "That's the first time I have really heard your voice, " she said. "You are in the show!"

Nina let out a big sigh(叹息) and smiled happily. 

I am Alice. My sister and I spent our last summer holidays with our uncle who is a   geologist(地质学家) and loves to collect stones.

 One day he bought us two backpacks and asked us to go to the mountain with him. We walked the whole day. Every now and then he put stones in our backpacks. To our surprise, he also took some stones out from them. But we thought he had just found better stones.

 When we returned to the house, we were very tired. The backpacks were so heavy that we felt relief(轻松) when we took them off. Yet our uncle's backpack was half empty.

" Why did you give us so many stones?" we asked.

"I didn't. You did." he said." You didn't know it, but I gave you a little attitude(态度) test today.I listened to every word you said. Whenever you were complaining(抱怨),I added a stone to your backpacks. Every time you talked about something with positive(积极的) thinking, I took out a stone. And now look at your backpacks."

 Our backpacks were full of stones.

" Your negative(消极的) thoughts are just like stones. You carry them____in your mind just like those stones in your backpacks. The more negative thoughts you have, the heavier your mind will be." said our uncle.

 With great love, our uncle taught us one of the most important lessons in life— the power(力量) of the attitude.

 At school, students learn some different subjects in the classroom. These days, a new subject becomes popular. That is school gardening. Students learn it outside the classroom.

    ▲     . Some teachers, however, are finding good ways to make it work. The school garden may be very small. However, students can have a lot of fun in it. At first, teachers decide (决定) what vegetables to grow. Then they grow them with students. It is nice for the students to get a tomato, wash it and eat it right in the garden, so tomatoes are their favorites.

 Gardening is not only an interesting subject but also a practical subject. It teaches students a lot. Some vegetables are easy to grow, but others need a long time. This can teach students patience(耐心). With gardens, kids get to see a beginning, a middle and an end to their work. When working with others, they can also learn some teamwork (团队合作) skills.

 Gardening is not just a hobby, it's a life skill.