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These days I heard a story about a famous research scientist. A newspaper reporter asked him why he was able to be so much more creative than the other people.

He answered that it all came from an experience with his ________ that happened when he was about four years old. He tried to take out a bottle of milk from the fridge, ________ he couldn’t hold the bottle and it fell, spilling the milk all over the kitchen floor—a sea of ________!

When his mother came into the ________, instead of shouting loudly at him or punishing him, she said, “Robert, what a great and ________ mess you have made! Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes ________ we clean it up?”

Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, ________ mother said. “You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, you have to clean it up. So, ________ would you like to do that? We could use a mop, a towel or a sponge. Which do you prefer? “He chose the sponge and together they ________ the spilled milk.”

His mother then said. “You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with ________ small hands. Let’s go out in the garden and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without ________ it.” The little boy learned that if he held the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a(n) ________ lesson!

The scientist said it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be ________ to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just ________ for leaning something new which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment “doesn’t work”, we usually learn something ________ from it.

Have you ever compared your handwriting with your friends’ to see how different it is? Like fingerprints, no two people share the same handwriting. Your handwriting can actually say a lot about what kind of person you are. Try writing out a sentence: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Then see what your handwriting says about you.

Size of your handwriting

Did you know that the size of your handwriting can represent the level of your self-respect and self-awareness (自我意识)? Large handwriting may show that you’re easy to get along with and you want to be noticed by others. On the other hand, small handwriting may mean that you’re shy and careful, and always pay attention to details. Medium-sized handwriting shows that you can get used to a new environment easily.

Spacing between words

Do you leave a large space between your words when you write? According to a study, the distance between two words can show how close or how far you feel towards others. If you write with wide spacing between your words, it may mean that you enjoy your freedom. On the other hand, people leaving narrow spacing between words may like staying with others.

Slant (倾斜) of the words

Did you know that the slant in your handwriting can tell how you treat people and things around you? Slanting to the right means you welcome or accept new ideas easily. And you consider your friends and family are more important than anything else. While slanting to the left may show that you think deeply about your own thoughts, feelings or behaviors. And you like to work behind the scenes better. If you write without slanting at all, you may be practical.

Although the handwriting analyses (分析) are not always true, we can read them for fun. What matters most is you should write carefully.

My sisters and I recently returned from visiting our beloved parents in Florida. For six days, we spent about six hours on the beach. We took the beach ________ —it’s almost a full-time job! Though, we really ________ ourselves there.

I usually read books on the beach while my mom and sisters enjoyed ________ shells (贝壳). This time they filled their pockets and bags with seashells, and then took them home. They meant to ________ all kinds of things out of the seashells to sell. On the last day of our trip, I joined the family ________ of collecting shells too. I grabbed handfuls of (一把) sand and picked out shell treasures. Having ________ so many shell handicrafts (手工艺品) made by my mom and sisters before, I used to take shells for granted (理所当然). But I couldn’t help but feel ________ at the shells in Florida. Some were big and in different ________ while some were no bigger than a nail, which was unbelievable.

Many people know there’s a beach full of ________ in Western Australia, which is over 74 miles long! It’s called Shell Beach. But nobody exactly knows ________ seashell species (品种) there are on the beach: ________, as many as 200,000 different kinds. However, very few of the shells have pearls (珍珠) in them. ________ The Science Network, “A finished pearl takes 15 to 20 years to make, which ________ why a ton of shells might produce as few as three pearls. The probabilities (概率) of them being ________ pearls are, exactly, one in a million.”

I was lost in thought. The chances of finding a pearl in a shelf are more than one in a million. Compared with shells, ________ isn’t so hard. The shells with pearls are valued by people and so is the person who gets to the top. So try to be a pearl on the beach!

There is a mysterious river which used to be a legend (传说). But it was discovered in the deep jungles of Amazonia. The legend has truly come to life!

1． Andrés Ruzo was just a little boy, his grandfather once told him a story. Some soldiers made their way 2． the Amazon jungle (丛林) for gold. When they came back, they told terrible stories 3． the dangerous water, the spiders that ate birds and a boiling river as if a fire burnt below it.

Ruzo, now an earth scientist, decided to find out whether the boiling river was real. Although the work was not easy, he 4． by all his family. He joined a team to search for the river. To speed up their progress, the team was divided into three groups and Ruzo was one of the 5．. After their days and nights’ hard work, Ruzo 6． to find the amazing river in the end. The magic river, called Boiling River, is about kilometers long, 25 meters wide and 6 meters deep. The water was so hot that local people made tea with it. And small animals 7． fell into the water were cooked at once.

The local people have known the natural wonder for centuries. They call it “Shanay-timpishka”. 8． meaning is “boiled with the heat of the sun”. It then has become one of the 9． resources (资源) in Peru.

However, how 10． the water is heated is still a mystery to scientists. Usually if there are heated rivers, there will be volcanoes (火山) nearby. However, there are no volcanoes in this area. What an amazing river it is!

The world is an interesting place. Different people like different things. Some people like loud music. 1．

Many people like sport, but they do not all like the same sport. In some countries, cricket is a very popular sport, in others it is not popular at all. No one plays it or watches it on TV. However, most people like soccer. The World Cup is very popular. 2．

Different people like different foods. Some people do not like meat. 3． Some people do not like potatoes or bread. They prefer rice.

4． Most people have their favorite colors. Some people like bright colors. Others prefer pale colors. Many people like traveling. Different people like different places. Some people like to go to the country. They like the fresh air. Some people like to go to the cities, because they like shopping. 5．. What do you like? Have you got an idea?

How do you greet your friends? People from different cultures have different answers; shaking hands, nodding, bowing, kissing on the face. But have you ever wondered how animals “say hello” to each other? Here are some examples.

	Everyone knows how similar chimpanzees (黑猩猩) are to humans. So it’s no surprise that their greetings are also close to ours. The most common ways of greeting between chimpanzees are hand touching and hugging. Sometimes they also kiss each other. Some chimpanzees can even learn simple sign language.
	Giraffes seldom make loud sounds. Their necks can reach two meters in length, making them useful in greeting each other. When two giraffes meet, they may “shake” their necks and rub (摩擦) them against each other. This is to feel how strong and tall the other is.
	Dolphins greet one another with whistles (哨声). They can hear other dolphins from many kilometers away. Every dolphin has a different whistle. When two groups of dolphins meet, they each choose a member to “talk” to the other group. The two groups can then travel together. Unlike most of the other animals, dolphins are smart enough to learn a new language by inventing and copying new sounds.

I am still not sure how I made the decision, but last year I agreed to have a New Year’s Eve party. It took me days to prepare(准备). Then there were the lists to be made and shopping to be done in the supermarket. After shopping, I really wanted to have a rest, but I hurried to make food in the kitchen.

The night before the party, my husband helped me set up tables. I felt pleased. On the morning of that day, I woke to the sun shining. Everything was ready.

At 4:00 pm, my husband was working in his company(公司) and would be home in an hour. At 5:00 p.m., I sent a message to him and asked, “Are you on your way? Everyone will be here in an hour.” He said, “I’m really busy now. Sorry.” At 5:45 pm, I sent a message to him again. He answered, “Sorry, I’m still tied up.” I was worried if I’d hold the party alone. I kept sending messages to ask him as guests arrived.

I felt worried and unsure of how to hold the party. By 7:30 pm, we were hungry, so we all sat for dinner, with one empty chair beside me. My husband promised he would be home before dinner was done.

At 9:30 pm, my husband called, “Honey, I never imagined this could have happened. Things are wrong here. Some people made mistakes in the number of our products(产品). Now we have to count them all again.”

I realized(意识到) that the night was hard for my husband. “Will you forgive(原谅) me?” he asked again. “Yes,” I took a breath. “I’m sorry for being impatient(不耐烦的). Take your time. Happy New Year.” My husband said, “Thank you! Happy New Year!”

The first time I saw Suzy Khan, I knew I had to help her. Suzy was an orphan(孤儿) from Africa. She had just been adopted(领养) by a nice family in town. The _______ believed that she should be with American kids. This was the best way for her to learn American ways of life. She was really small for _______ age of 12. The boys in my class often made fun of her. She would _______ a book to read, with tears dropping on to the books. I looked down at this small girl, hoping that I _______ help her.

One day, I saw that Suzy looked at a picture of rain in her geography book, and in her notebook, she soon made a _______ copy.

I was surprised and thought that she could do something in the coming Art Festival. So, I took her to see the _______ teacher, Miss Parker, and showed her what Suzy had drawn. “Wow, it’s wonderful,” said Miss Parker. Then she _______ a poster she had painted for the Art Festival. “I need more of these, _______ I just don’t have enough time. Could you help me, Suzy?” On the day of the Art Festival, Suzy’s posters were _______, all over the hall and all over the school, and each one was different.

At the end of the show, Mr. Brown, the headmaster, said, “_______, we have a special prize. I’m sure you all saw the beautiful posters.” Everyone nodded. “One of our students _______ them.”

I could hear everyone saying, “_______ in our school could draw that well?” Mr. Brown waited a minute _______ saying, “Because this student worked so hard on the posters, she should be given a _______, too. This great artist is our new student—Suzy Khan!” Mr. Brown thanked her for all the wonderful posters and gave her an artist’s set. “Thank you!” Suzy cried. Everyone started to clap their hands. I looked at her _______ face. I knew then she was going to be all right.