Charlie was a poor college student. He lived in a tiny, ________ apartment above a restaurant which is well-known for its noodles. One evening, his friends came to ________ him. A delicious smell came in through the window. This made them feel ________. “What’s that delicious smell?” a friend asked. “It’s ________ the restaurant below. It’s very expensive to eat there, but we can do the next best thing,” answered Charlie. Then he boiled some noodles and offered them to his friends “Let’s sit next to the ________. Can’t you taste the famous cook Mario’s noodle sauce(酱汁) as you eat? And it’s free!” said Charlie.

Mario overheard that Charlie was “________” his smells. When the restaurant closed that night, he knocked on Charlie’s door and asked him to pay. But Charlie ________ to pay for it. Mario decided to sue(起诉) Charlie.

On the day of the case, Mario brought a ________ of delicious sauce to the judge(法官). “I spend ten hours a ________ cooking my noodles and my sauce! Charlie never eats at my restaurant. He never pays me, but he enjoys his meals because of the delicious cooking in my kitchen!” he said ________.

The judge took a deep breath, and then he said to Mario, “If you ask Charlie to pay, I have to pay you as well, ________ I am sitting here right now smelling your wonderful sauce. How much should I pay you?” Just then Mario remembered his mother’s ________: “You are talented in cooking. Use your talent to ________ everyone.” He suddenly realized he’d been selfish, and hung his head with ________.

“I don’t want you or Charlie to pay. I want everyone to be able to enjoy my food. From now on, I’ll sell my food at ________ prices,” said Mario.

Nezumi was a mouse. He was thinking about finding a husband for her daughter Suki. But Suki said, “Father, I wish to marry Taro.”

Taro was smart and strong, but Taro’s parents were not rich or powerful. “My Suki can’t marry a common mouse!” Nezumi said. “I’ll find someone powerful for my daughter.” Nesumi traveled far and wide, but nobody met his high standards.

One day, he climbed to the top of a mountain. “Hi, Sun!” Nezumi called. “Nobody is more powerful than you. I’d like you to marry my daughter.” Sun smiled and said, “Yes, I’m powerful. Without me, nothing grows. But when Cloud covers my face, the world grows cold.” As Cloud came, Sun disappeared.

Nezumi bowed to Cloud and told him his wish. “Surely I’m powerful,” he said. “But here comes someone stronger.” And Wind blew Cloud away.

Then Nezumi shouted his wish to Wind. “Of course I’m powerful. But I can’t pass through Wall,” said Wind.

When Nezumi told Wall his wish, Wall said quietly, “Yes, I’m powerful. I keep enemies away. But I’m afraid of mice like you, who dig under me and make me fall down.”

Nezumi let out a big laugh. He ran back home and said to Suki, “My dear! You are right. Taro will be a powerful husband.”

Online study can be hard. Zech Hipp was doing it with great difficulty. Zech is 15 years old. He lives in Seattle, Washington, with his four brothers and his mother.

“It’s hard to stay focused,” he said. “I can’t stay focused on one thing at a time.” Zech has gotten some helpful advice from his “Big Brother” Owen Kim. Kim is 33 years old. He is Zech’s mentor through a program. The program is called Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound.

A mentor is someone who gives help and advice. Kim and Zech often text, talk over the phone and even video call. Kim gave Zech some advice about how to stay focused while doing school at home. Kim suggests picking one space and always doing your work there. “Make that space as comfortable as possible,” he said.

In his room, Zech set up a cubby（小房间）.He has a place where he can make tea. This was Kim’s idea. Here, Zech said he is more separated from everybody else in the house. That’s where he does schoolwork.

Kim and Zech have been Big Brother and Little Brother for four years. They used to meet once a week. They would walk through the city or play video games. In spring 2020, COVID-19 started spreading. Kim and Zech had to stop meeting up in person. The illness spreads easily between people. Now, they only communicate over the phone or video call.

Kim is older than Zech. He has had different life experiences. When they talk, Kim can give Zech a different point of view about life. Zech said this is helpful. Kim said its been a great thing for him, too. He said Zech has been a wonderful addition to his life.

“Owen’s always there,” Zech’s mother said. All of her boys have had Big Brothers or Big Sisters. “It has done such wonders for our family,” she said. “Just having them in our lives has been such a blessing.”

Scientists have long predicted that warmer temperatures caused by climate（气候）change will have the biggest influence on the world’s poorest people. New research now suggests that has already happened over the past years.

A study coming out in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that in most poor countries, higher temperatures are more than 90% likely to have resulted in a fall in economic output（经济产量）, compared to a world without global（全球的）warming. The influence has been less big in richer countries—with some even benefiting（获益） from higher temperatures.

“We’re not saying that global warming created inequality（不公平）,” says Noah S. Diffenbaugh, the writer of the study and a professor at Stanford University who studies climate change. But “global warming has slowed down the improvement”. The poorest countries are facing the worst influence of rising temperatures—for which they are least responsible, he adds.

The new study builds on past research. A 2015 study in the journal Nature predicted that the average income（平均收入）） in the poorest countries will be 25% lower by 2100 compared to a world without warming, while some of the richest countries—like the USA—could experience an increase in income. And a report from IPCC, the UN’s climate science body, showed that if global temperatures rise more than 1.5℃ by the end of the century, poor countries will likely face very serious challenges, including the disappearance of whole communities and millions of early deaths. “They will suffer the most, as they are already,” said Mary Robinson, who used to be a UN Special Envoy on Climate Change and a president of Ireland.

The influence is greater elsewhere, especially in Sub-Saharan, African countries including Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger, where climate change has driven the average income more than 20% lower. “There are a number of ways by which temperature influences economic activities,” says Diffenbaugh What’s clear is that, for poor countries, the news is all bad.

Grace is a little girl. Last night, she had a strange dream. She dreamed that she was having dinner
56． an alien in her dining room. She had to tell the alien what
57． the things on the table were for. “This is a
58．,” she said. “We use it to cut up our food. And this is a plate. We put our food on it.” “What are
59．?” asked the alien, pointing to a pair of chopsticks. Grace told him, and tried to show him how to use them. But he had only three fingers on each
60．, so it was very difficult for him.

I lost my job again and felt my whole world was dark. I
61． under an old tree in the park when a boy came up to me from nowhere. He stood right before me with his head down and said, “Look, what I
62．!” In his hand was a flower, a dry and dead one. I gave him a small smile and turned my eyes away so that he could go off
63．.

To my surprise, he just sat down next to me. He placed the flower to his nose and said excitedly, “It
64． sweet and it is beautiful, too. That’s why I picked it. Here, it is for you.” I
65． the flower impatiently and just then I noticed that the boy was blind. I held him tight in my arms. Through the eyes of a blind child I saw the beauty in life. And then I held the dry flower up to my nose and breathed in the smell of a beautiful rose.

Listen. What’s that in the background? Is it rock, country or classical music?
66．

“Music makes both the left and right brain more active, and this can maximize(使最大化)learning and improve our memory,” says Dr. Masha Godkin, a professor at Northcentral University.

According to Godkin, it’s good to listen to classical music while you are studying.
67． You can also listen to meditation(冥想)music, which can relieve stress and relax your mind.

It is helpful to create a playlist of the best study music. Everyone’s taste in music is different, but when it comes to creating the best study music playlist, here are some tips to consider:

● Go Classical

You may not want to go to a concert of classical music, but the sounds of the classical music seem to increase mood and productivity(效率).
68．

● Consider Tempo

It seems that music with 60-70 beats a minute like Beethoven’s Fur Elise can help students study longer and memorize more information.

● Nature Sounds

69． They make great background noise. You can even create your own mix with websites like Noisli.

● Electronic Music

Electronic music is a great choice for those who don’t like classical. Any music with little to no lyrics is best.

● Sound Control

The volume of your study music is important. Don’t drown out(淹没)your own thoughts. Remember, it’s supposed to be in the background.

70． Please write to us and let us know what music helps you get through school!

在每个人的成长过程中，都难免经历失败（failure）。只有在失败中不断反思和成长，才能取得成功。某英语报社正在举办以 “Learn from Failure” 为题的征文活动。请你用英语写一篇短文投稿，内容包括：