A wise man was walking from one town to another with a few of his followers, and they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there to ________ for a while, and the wise man said to one of his followers, “I am very ________. Could you please get me some water from the lake?”

As the wise man requested, the follower waked to the lake. Some people were ________ their clothes in the water, and right at that moment, several cows were going through the lake. As a ________, the water became very muddy (泥泞的). The follower went back and told the wise man that the water was very ________ and not fit to drink.

After they had rested for about half an hour, the wise man again asked the ________ follower to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. As requested, the follower went to the lake. This time he found that all the mud had settled (沉淀) to the bottom. The water was very clear and looked fit to drink. So he ________ his water bottle and took it to the wise man.

The wise man took the water bottle and drank before looking up at the follower. “See ________ you did to make the water clean.” he said. “You let it be ________ and the mud settled down on its own, so that you could get some clear drinking water. Your mind can also be like that ________ when it is troubled by something. If you just let it be and give it a little time, it will settle down on its own without you having to put in any effort at all.”

   As you know, Chinese lunar calendar years are grouped into a 12-year cycle, with each year given an animal symbol: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. 2019 is the year of the pig. There are lots of kinds of products for you to choose. Some look like pigs and some have pictures of pigs on them.

High-speed train, Alipay (支付宝), shared bikes and online payment are seen as the new Four Great Achievements of China by young foreigners, according to a video survey by the Silk Road Research Institute of Beijing Foreign Studies University. In the video, young people from 20 countries along Belt and Road Routes (一带一路) were asked to name great inventions that had influenced their lives in China. The following is what they said from 4 young people of them.

Justin: I’m from Romania. China is really a great country and its high-speed railways are very fast, convenient and tidy. It takes me only about 6 hours from Beijing to Shanghai by train. It saves a lot of time and it’s cheaper than airplane. I wish we would have high-speed railways in our country someday.

Yala: I’m from Nepal. I always go out by bike. Bicycle-sharing system allows people to borrow a bike from point “A” and return it at point “B”. It’s not only cheap but also a low-carbon and healthy way of life. I like it very much.

Archana: My life in Beijing is quite different from that in India. Here in China, I seldom take money with me when I go out. I can pay for almost everything by Zhi Fu Bao. Oh, it’s amazing. However, in India, if you don’t take wallet with you, you’ll be in a tough spot.

Bond: You can find many wonderful things that we don’t have in Thailand. We don’t have Alipay or other online payment Apps with which I can go shopping without stepping out of the doors. If only I could bring them back to my country!

When I was about 12 years old, I really wanted a new bike! ________, but I knew there was little hope because my family could hardly afford it.

On my birthday my parents told me they had my gift outside in the back yard. At once I rushed out to the yard. There was my bike, but it wasn’t the bike that I thought it would be. This one was pink, old and worn with age. It was so disappointing! I thought I hurt my parents’ feelings because I was sure they could see the disappointment on my face. ________, riding as fast as I could and didn’t look back.

As time went by, I began to understand that my parents gave me something much more than just a rusty (生锈的) old bike. ________. When you give something out of love, it doesn’t matter what it is. What matters is the love that is in it.

I like to remember this story because giving a gift is not about money. ________. Remember this: a gift that costs $2 isn’t any less valuable than one that costs $100.

April 15th was a sad day for France. A fire
47． out in Notre Dame (巴黎圣母院), a centuries-old cathedral (大教堂) in the heart of Paris. The cathedral’s spire (尖顶) and a large part of
48． roof (屋顶) were broken. French President Macron has 
49． that the French people will rebuild the cathedral together.

Built between 1163 and 1250. Notre Dame is one of the
50． examples of French Gothic architecture (哥特式建筑). The cathedral is home to many valuable works of art and is one of the 75.
51． most famous tourist places. There are
52． of people visiting it every year.

I remember when I was growing up, my mom always said, “Half the fun of doing anything is sharing it with others.” It’s so true. Friends allow us to enjoy the taste of our success and our joys and comfort us in our challenging moments. They provide a mirror for us to learn more about ourselves. I have always looked at friends as the family members. They enrich our lives. As Robert Louis Steven once said, “A ①________ is a present which you give yourself.”

To be a good friend, ②成为一个年的听众是很重要的。Hear what your friend says first rather than making conclusions (结论) quickly. Sometimes it is useful to repeat their words back to them, it can help them to realize whether their words were what they wanted to say.

Patience is also important in being a good friend. You know the old golden rule. “Care for others in the way you would like them to care for you.” The support of a friend during a difficult time could make a difference between success and failure. ③Encouragement is the best gift that can change a person’s life.

We should choose our friends carefully, because they can have a huge influence in our life. As someone told me “Your friends are like the button (按钮) on a lift. ④Sometimes they will take you up, sometimes they will take you down.”

假如你是李平，你的笔友Tom一直想来青海旅游，请你以e-mai的形式为Tom介绍一下青海并邀请他今年夏天来青海旅游。内容包括：

I am very glad to know that you want to travel around Qinghai. _____________________________________

I am looking forward to meeting you soon.