Think of life as a game in which you are playing with five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you keep all of them in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber (橡胶) ball. If you drop it, it will bounce(弹跳) back.

    But the other four balls, family, health, friends and spirit, are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be broken. It will never be the same. You must understand that and try to have balance in your life. How?

Don't look down on yourself by comparing with others. It is because we are different and each of us is special.

    Don't let other people set goals for you. Only you know what is best for yourself.

    Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. Don't be afraid of difficulties. Be brave!

    Don't run through life so fast, or you will forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

    Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is a treasure you can always carry easily.

    Don't use time or words carelessly. You can't get them back. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that's why we call it "the present". Life is not a competition but a trip, step by step.

    More than anything else in the world, Lion liked being King of the jungle. He walked around, showing off his power and pride.

Each day Lion took a long lazy sleep under the shade of his favorite tree. He always dreamed of weaker animals bowing(鞠躬) before him.

    One day Mouse ran through the jungle and tripped over（被……绊倒） Lion's huge paws. Lion woke up with a start. ＂How dare you wake me up!＂ he shouted angrily. Lion grabbed(抓住) Mouse with one paw. ＂On the second thought, I'm in the mood for the snack, and you'll make a delicious meal.＂ he said.

    Mouse cried out, ＂King Lion, please spare（饶恕）me! If you let me live, I'll always remember your kindness. And, some day, I might be able to help you.＂

＂How could such a powerless little mouse ever help me?＂ That thought made Lion laugh so much that he decided to let Mouse go. A week later, Lion was walking through the jungle on the way to his favorite tree when he stepped onto a hunter's net. The net scooped him up. No matter how he twisted(扭动) and turned, he couldn't escape.

    When Mouse heard Lion's frightened shouts, he raced to help. Mouse quickly chewed（咬）through the ropes to make a hole in the net. Soon, Lion moved out and was free. Lion looked down at the little mouse. ＂Thank you for saving my life,＂ said Lion, smiling his widest smile. ＂I was mistaken. You are not a powerless little mouse. You are a great friend!＂

    When Grandma welcomed us, she was dressed in bright colors and wore jewelry(珠宝)I never knew she had. She seemed to be in a good mood(心情), but because of her deafness, communication was still difficult.

    It had been half a year since my last visit. She must have thought that as an overseas student, I don't get to eat much good food anymore. So, with her wrinkled(皱纹)hand, she passed me some homemade pastries(糕点).

    Her hands tested the temperature of my cup again and again, and every time it showed a slight sign of cooling down, Grandma poured in more hot water. She also never allowed me to stop eating. As soon as I finished what was on my plate, she gave me something new to try. Finally, when my stomach couldn't take any more, she stopped and held my hands as she sat beside me.

    When it was time to leave, she walked downstairs to see us off. The sun shined on the white pearls(珍珠)round her neck. She was smiling, and her wrinkles sat happily on her soft skin. People usually compare wrinkles to a dry tree trunk(树干). But to me, my grandmother's wrinkles are among the loveliest things I've ever seen.

    There used to be a time when I disliked old age and stayed away from elderly people, but that was because of my ignorance(无知). And now I understand that there's beauty in everything. My grandma's wrinkles are just like a thousand stories being told all at once.

A better town for teenagers

    I believe there are many things that we can do to make life in our town a lot better for teenagers.

    First of all, I think more bike lanes should{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(build). A lot of teenagers in my town ride bikes everywhere, but it's very{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(danger) because there is a lot of traffic. If there are more bike lanes in the future, it will be much {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(safe) for us.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(two), I believe that we need more places for teenagers to go to.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}my opinion, teenagers won't cause problems in the street if there are more places for us to go to. So we need more{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(club) and other places where we can meet.

    Thirdly, teenagers here need more sports facilities. There{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(be) places to play ball games so far like tennis and basketball, but what about other sports,{#blank#}8{#/blank#}skating and rollerblading?

    Finally, I'm sure we'll make the town better{#blank#}9{#/blank#}we don't drop litter. If we all do something{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(help) now, our town will be much better for everyone in the future.

 Zheng Qinwen, 21, won China's first Olympic gold medal in the tennis singles at the Paris Olympics on Aug 3rd. 

"Nothing can describe my feeling right now. It's unreal. I' ve always been hoping to get a medal for China. Finally, I made it. " Zheng said after she won. 

 From 2020 to 2024, Zheng's world ranking(排名) jumped from over 600 to No. 7. Years of competitions taught her to play with patience and control her energy in matches. Her performance has won her the title of"Queen Wen" among fans. 

"I love my fans for giving me this title, honestly, because it fits my character well. You need to show yourself as a queen of the court, because you need this energy, this power to show that you are the best. " Zheng told China Daily. 

Playing for China at the Olympics gave Zheng power. She made her way to success after getting through tiring matches that went on for three hours. 

"What I can be sure is that I'm going to fight until the last moment, because I'm not only playing for myself. I'm playing for my country. " Zheng told China Daily. 

 This great success is just the start of a new journey for Zheng. Just a few days after her Olympic victory, she took part in the Cincinnati Open but lost to a Russian player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ina third-round match. 

"I was proud to win the Olympic gold medal, but it's time to forget it and start over again. If I think too much about my past success, I won't play my next match well. " Zheng told CCTV. 

Hello, I'm John. Last weekend, my parents took me to visit my grandparents in town. Look! This is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} photo of my grandparents' house. In the photo, my parents and I are growing vegetables {#blank#}2{#/blank#} front of it. The house is on a farm. It has two floors. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}are many flowers and trees around the house. Every day, my grandparents water the plants and feed( 喂 ) the animals. There is a lake near their house. Sometimes my grandpa goes {#blank#}4{#/blank#}there. There are about two {#blank#}5{#/blank#} families in the town. Some {#blank#}6{#/blank#} keep cows and pigs, and others grow rice. People there know {#blank#}7{#/blank#} other. They are all friendly. There are buses to the city center every day, so people usually {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the bus to do shopping. When {#blank#}9{#/blank#} stayed there, I heard the birds singing and woke up early. Then I fed the chickens {#blank#}10{#/blank#} milked the cows. We had a good time on the farm.

I think it is a wonderful place to live. I hope you can come and have fun!