Poetry (诗歌) is the forgotten child of literature (文学). Few people read it for ___________. In Western high schools, poetry is ___________ taught because it is considered to be out of date and have little to do with the life of today’s students.

In China, however, poetry is still an important part of the curriculum (课程). Recently, the Ministry of Education (教育部) has increased the ___________ of ancient Chinese poems, from 14 to 72, for students to memorize. ___________ is it important to learn poems?

First of all, poetry is a ___________ part of learning traditional Chinese culture. It is a path to understanding our history and society. It is also the key to understanding the thoughts and feelings that common people have, which may be hard to express. Everyone has feelings of joy, love, loneliness, sadness and even anger. A good poem can put these feelings ___________ words and bring us self-understanding.

Poems can also ___________ beauty. In a few short lines, even something common can ___________ beautiful. Of course, to really enjoy poetry, it has to be read ___________. After all, a poem is a song without music.

Chinese students are so lucky to have ____________ poems to learn!

What do you usually do in your free time? Last month we asked 100 students about their free time activities. Here are the results.

★①How often do you watch TV?	★②How often do you surf the Internet?
★③How many times a week do you exercise?	★④How often do you help to do housework?

   Many people in Asia eat rice every day. It is a big part of the Asian diet. People also use rice to make rice noodles, rice milk, rice cakes, rice paper and so on. Rice grows in rice paddies. You can find rice paddies in many places. There can be thousands of rice plants in one paddy. Each plant is called a stalk(秆). Each stalk of rice has several hundred grains of rice on it. That’s a lot of rice.

When farmers grow rice, they must take good care of it. So the plants can grow well. Rice needs good soil, a lot of water and a lot of sun. Rice also needs space to grow. That is why farmers usually plant rice stalks in rows. Then each plant has enough space around. Temperature is also very important. Rice grows best in warm places.

The first step to grow rice is preparing the land. It must be level(平坦的). When the land is ready, farmers plant the rice seedlings(秧苗) and cover them with water. After the rice seedlings start to grow, farmers move the little stalks to bigger fields. Then they watch and wait. It takes about three to six months for a rice plant to become ready. Then the rice is harvested(收割) by the farmers, so people can eat the rice.

   We usually go to see a doctor when we are ill. Doctors may give us some medicine, and the medicine often makes us feel better.

But sometimes the doctor’s medicine doesn’t work. This happened to one man, Thomas Smith. He was ill in hospital, but he wasn’t getting well. Then he found a new “doctor” inside himself. He saw funny films. He read funny books. And something wonderful happened. Laughing took away his pain after half a year. He could have a good night’s rest. His own happy feeling helped him get well. He wrote his story in his book. He said laughing was very useful and it was the best “medicine”.

Another man, Simon Beck, was also ill, and he had a serious pain in his back. The doctor couldn’t stop it, so the man began to “picture” his pain. In his head, he drew a picture of a dog. He imagined it to be a real dog. And it was hurting him. Then the man talked softly to the dog. He put his hand on the dog’s head and made friends with it. One year later, his pain went away!

These stories may surprise you, but more and more people are getting well in this way. So call on the “doctor” inside your mind, and keep happy and well!

Bullying(霸凌)

Bullying is a serious problem at school. It makes students feel lonely, unhappy and afraid. It makes them feel like there must be something wrong with them. It even makes some kids not want to go to school or play outside. In other words, it’s very important not to let bullying ruin(毁坏) your life!

Okay, so there you are, and someone is bullying you. What do you do “in the moment”?

●Ignore(忽略) the bully(霸凌者). Don’t even look him. Walk right past him if you can.

●Don’t cry or get angry. Even if you are feeling really hurt, don’t let it show. That’s the bully’s goal. You can talk about or write down what happens later.

●Turn and walk away, or run if you have to. Go to a place where an adult is.

●Remember that you are not the one with the problem. It’s the bully who has the problem.

●If you’re being called names(咒骂) or teased(戏弄), imagine that you’re inside a huge fish tank(鱼缸) filled with white fog. Nothing touches you. Think of the worst things that a bully can say to you, and then let the fog eat them up.

●If you are being bulled again and again, there’s one “Most Important Thing” you should do: Talk to an adult. Start with your parents. If the bullying happens at school, make sure your parents discuss it with school leaders, not with the parents of the bully. Make it clear to the adult that you are really upset by what’s going on. This is really true if the bullying is verbal(言语的) bullying.

Teahouse (茶馆)

The play takes place in a typical old Beijing teahouse. The main characters are the teahouse’s owner, Wang Lifa and his customers, who all live in the same neighborhood.
51．

The play reflects (反映) changes in the lives of almost 70 characters. It includes three parts.
52． The second part jumps forward 20 years and the final part takes place in 1948.

In Teahouse, the writer Lao She says goodbye to the old Chinse society and hello to the new one. It’s about the changes Chat have taken place in Chinese society in almost 50 years.
53． Some come to do business, and others come just to sit and pass the time. There are some good people and there are also bad characters. They meet, they talk, they argue, and then go on with their lives.

54． It is still one of the most popular plays in China. It is a favorite work by Lao She, one of China’s most well-known writers. Anyone who is interested in Chinese life and history should the play.
55．

   Hello, everyone. It’s time to say goodbye to my junior high school life. First of all, I want to say thank you to my math teacher, Miss Wu for
56． (be) so patient. She always helped me
57． my math. She also often reminded us to be
58． honest person.

Then I want to thank my basketball coach, Mr. Long. I joined the basketball team
59． I was in Grade 7. I was always late for practice. He taught me to be on time. He also taught me
60． (difference) basketball skills. Now, I have become a very strong basketball
61． (play).

Certainly, I am also
62． (thank) that I have made so many good friends at school. My good friend Han Meimei is a very hard-working girl. I have
63． (learn) from her that we must study hard in order to go to a good senior high school.

Lastly, I want to thank my beloved (爱戴的)
64． (parent). They have always been there. Without
65． support, I wouldn’t be able to make it here today.

Thank you, my junior high school life!

   高中生涯即将开始。假设你叫李明，你对于高中的英语学习有什么规划呢？毕业之际，校团委将举办一场高中英语学习规划分享会。请根据以下要点提示，以My Plan for Senior English Learning为题，准备一份发言稿，和同学们分享一下你的学习规划。

My Plan for Senior English Learning

I’m Li Ming. I love English, but it’s a little difficult for me. I decide to try my best to learn it well. Here’s my plan for Senior English learning. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Only in this way can I learn English well in senior high school. I hope it’s helpful for you. Thank you.