When I was in primary school, I never did housework. I often threw my things everywhere. So our house was usually in a _______.

One day, when my mother went back home after work and found a lot of _______ in our house, she was so angry. She told me _______ that I must do some housework from then on. At first, I was unhappy to _______ that, because I think housework is what grown-ups（成人）are supposed to do. But I _______ what my mother said.

After a few months, I understood that doing housework is harder than I used to _______. How great my parents were! They had to do a lot of housework after one day’s work. I thought I must _______ them. I began to do some housework, so they could have a rest when they came back. They were also proud of my _______. We children should not always _______ our parents. Instead, learn to do ________ by ourselves. It can promote（促进）the development of many basic skills, which are necessary for success in life.

Have you ever experienced something unforgettable? Last year, I went through a terrible storm and felt the power of nature.

That day, black clouds were making the sky very dark like midnight and I could hear strong winds blowing outside my home in Alabama. Everyone in the neighborhood was busy. My dad was putting pieces of wood over the windows while my mom was making sure the flashlights and radio were working. She also put some candles and matches on the table.

I was helping my mom make dinner when the rain began to beat heavily against the windows. After dinner, we tried to play a card game, but it was hard to have fun with a serious storm happening outside.

I could not sleep at first. I finally fell asleep when the wind was dying down at around 3:00 a.m. When I woke up, the sun was rising. I went outside with my family and found the outside world was quite different. Fallen trees, broken windows and rubbish were everywhere. We joined the neighbors to help clean up the neighborhood together. I have learnt a lesson from this. We should work together to face difficulties.

In the Chinese history, writing tools play an important role. Among them, the writing brush is the first one that should be paid attention to.

The beginning of the writing brush in China can date back to (追溯到) the Neolithic Age (新石器时代), while its popularity was during the Warring States period (战国时期). This tool is widely used in Chinese writing and painting.

Nowadays, calligraphy (书法) classes are taught to students at school. Teachers teach students how to use the writing brush to enjoy and spread traditional Chinese culture. The soft brush can create strong and powerful lines on paper. But that only comes through years of hard work. If you want to be an excellent writing artist and be highly praised by others, you need to keep practicing for a long time every day.

For many Chinese artists, the brush is more than a writing tool. “It seems in my blood, when I pick up the writing brush, suddenly my thoughts, ideas and even stories build a relationship with the brush,” said Liu Qinghe, a famous Chinese artist. With a good writing brush, when we put our ideas into it, we give it life.

Parents always want the best for their kids. But everyone has their own way of parenting（养育）. Here are some popular parenting styles. Which one do you like best?

Tiger parents（虎爸虎妈）.They are strict with their children. They want them to get the best grades in their class. They love their kids in their hearts.

Dolphin parents（海豚式父母）. They just want their kids to be happy and healthy. They make sure their kids get enough sleep and exercise.

Helicopter parents（直升机式父母）. They worry too much about their children and “fly” over them like helicopters. Many people think these parents should give their children more freedom（自由） .

Lawnmower parents（割草机式父母）. Like a lawnmower that cuts glass, they get rid of （去除）all difficulties for their children.Their kids never learn to work out problems on their own.

China throws（扔）away enough food to feed about 5, 000, 000 people every year. President Xi calls on Chinese people to stop wasting their food and try to change the bad habit. It’s called Operation Empty Plate（光盘行动）.

“We’re going to prepare plates of two different sizes for people. That way, they can choose the one they need.” A restaurant owner said.

Some eaters are known as “big eaters”. Today it is not easy for you to find them. When you search for “big eaters” online, you can watch a short video. The video tells people not to waste food.

Now, schools around the country are also teaching children to treasure（珍惜）food from a young age in different ways. Students need to return his empty plate at a school in Shanghai. The school starts the “Clear Your Plate” program to stop food waste.

A teacher tells stories about saving food before having meals at school in Xiangxi. The school hopes that children know it’s important to treasure food.

Many people like flying kites.Long ago, the first kites were made by people in China. Then people around the world began flying kites. 1. 如今，人们在春季放风筝是一件极其普遍的事情。

One tale（传说）is that a man’s hat got lifted off by wind suddenly. 2. He had fun running after it, so he did it again! His hat became the first kite. Other tales say that people liked watching leaves on windy days. They tied leaves to strings（线）and watched them fly.

3. 在中国一般用纸和竹子制风筝。Kites can be painted with colors. A kite might be shaped like a dragon, a fish, or a box. Kites can send messages in the sky. 4. A kite may mean a new baby or a new couple. A kite can be used to wish you luck. The Japanese who make kites with lucky signs fly kites at the New Year.

Many countries set up days to fly kites. In Italy, they make whale kites（鲸鱼形状的风筝） with white eyes on black cloth. 5. China has a Kite Day Festival on September ninth.

随着义务教育阶段“双减”政策的全面实施，合理安排课外生活对我们初中生尤为重要。某报刊青少年专栏以“我们丰富的课外生活”为主题开展征文活动。请根据以下表格内容提示，以 “Our Colorful Life after School”为题，写一篇英语短文介绍丰富多彩的课外生活，并推荐你最喜欢的一项活动且说明原因。

	Our Colorful Life after School
	take part in different volunteering activities
	develop hobbies and interests, like singing, dancing...
	get close to nature, such as climbing mountains, camping...
	learn some useful skills in our daily life, such as...

Our Colorful Life after School

Life after school is an important part in our daily life. How can we make it more colorful? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________