13．Good Neighbors (邻居)
　　Jack was building a snowman in his front yard (院子). He needed to finish it before his father came home. His new neighbor, Tracy, was (1)       Jack play at her window.
　　She ran to Jack's yard and asked if she could help him.
　　"Yes, please," Jack said. "My father will be home very soon."
　　"Okay. What can I do?" Tracy asked.
　　"I've built my snowman's body with two snowballs. I need another one for its head."
　　"But snowmen only need one snowball for the body and one for the head," Tracy explained.
　　"No, snowmen always have three snowballs. I don't need your (2)       now." Jack said.
　　Jack (3)       up some snow and made it into a snowball. He rolled the snowball away from Tracy to make it big enough for the head of his snowman. Tracy went back to her yard and began to build her own snowman.
　　"I don't want to (4)       Jack anyway," she thought to herself. Tracy made the snowman with two big snowballs. She found some sticks and pine cones (松果) for her snowman's eyes and mouth and arms.
　　Jack used buttons for his snowman's eyes and mouth. Then, he used a carrot for the (5)      . At that time, Jack's father was driving up the street. Suddenly, the head fell off and crashed (坠落) to the ground!
　　"No!" Jack said (6)      , "My father is almost home!"
　　Tracy heard Jack's cry and ran over to see what the problem was.
　　"I'll help you," Tracy said.
　　Together, they made a new snowball for the head and put the carrot and buttons on it.
　　"We made it!" Jack said. "Thank you."
　　"You're welcome. I think your snowman is (7)      ," Tracy said. "Mine doesn't have a nose."
　　Jack walked over to see Tracy's snowman. He loved it, but he knew it wasn't finished. Jack ran back to his snowman and (8)       the carrot out. He broke it into two pieces and gave half to Tracy. She put it on her snowman and said, "I think our snowmen make good neighbors."

15．The other side of the wall
　　There was a young woman who was proud of the growth and care of the flowers in her flower garden. She had been raised by her grandmother, who taught her to love and care for flowers as she herself had done. So, like her grandmother, her flower garden was second to none.
　　One day while looking through a flower catalogue (目录) she often ordered from, a picture of a plant immediately caught her eye. She had never seen blooms (花) like that before. "I have to have it," she said to herself, and she immediately ordered it.
　　When it arrived, she already had a place prepared to plant it. She planted it at the foot of a stone wall at the back of her yard. It grew eagerly, with beautiful green leaves all over the vine (藤), but there were no blooms. Day after day she continued to water it, feed it, and she even talked to it. However, it was useless.
　　One morning weeks later, as she stood before the vine, she was disappointed that her plant had not bloomed. She was thinking about cutting it down and planting something else in its place.
　　It was at this point that her neighbor whose yard was right next to hers, called over to her. "Thank you so much! You can't imagine how much I have enjoyed the blooms of that vine you planted." The young woman walked through the gate into her neighbor's yard, and sure enough, she saw that on the other side of the wall the vine was filled with blooms.
　　They were indeed the most beautiful blooms she had ever seen. The vine had grown quietly through the crevices (裂痕) and it had not flowered on her side of the wall. It had flowered thickly on the other side.
　　Just because you cannot see the good result of your work does not mean that it produces no fruit.

16．　　Humor and laughter are good for us. They can heal (治愈) us physically and mentally (心理上). In fact, every system of the body reacts (反应) to laughter in some positive (积极的), healing way. So how can we get more laughter into our lives? Is it possible to develop a sense of humor? Dr. Wilson has some answers.
　　Many people believe a sense of humor is inborn. They think, "Either you've got it, or you don't." However, Dr. Wilson points out that this is wrong. Actually, we are born with the ability to laugh and smile.
　　A part of the brain and central nervous system that control (控制) laughing and smiling are fully developed at birth. However, that does not mean that newborns have a sense of humor. A sense of humor is something that you can develop over a lifetime. Sometimes people think that they don't have a good sense of humor because they are not good joke-tellers. Dr. Wilson reminds us that telling jokes is only one of many ways to express humor. He advises us to drop our shyness and try to laugh at ourselves. Then we will make others laugh, too.
　　A person who has a true sense of humor is willing and able to see the funny side of everyday life. A sense of humor is best defined (下定义) as "the ability to see the non-serious point in a situation". Consider (考虑) this sign from a store window, "Any imperfect product will be cheerfully replaced with product of the same quality (质量)." The store manager probably placed the sign in the window to show the customers the store's excellent service. He had a serious purpose, but if you have a sense of humor, you will probably find the sign funny. As Dr. Wilson says, "A good sense of humor means that you don't have to be funny. You just have to see what's funny."

17．Environmental impact (影响) of online shopping
　　In the past few years, the way we shop has changed greatly. We used to buy things in traditional shops or in department stores. Now, customers are increasingly buying online, where they can order whatever they want directly to their door with the touch of a smartphone or the click of a mouse.
　　But what is the impact of all this online shopping on the environment? You might think that online shopping is greener than in-store shopping. After all, an online store doesn't use the electricity that a traditional store might use. Products are often delivered (递送) to several homes at once, so you would think this way of shopping must cut down on the carbon (碳) footprint.
　　However, the reality is not as simple as imagined. Many home deliveries fail the first time and the driver has to make a second or third attempt to deliver the products. Customers who choose speedy delivery or those who buy single products from different places also help increase the carbon footprint.
　　The carbon footprint also goes up if the customer chooses to return the product. A study in Germany showed that one in three products bought online are returned.
　　Clothing is one product that has high return rates (率). Unlike in a walk-in store, the online shopper can't try things on before buying. So, companies offer free returns to make it easier for shoppers to buy the same clothing in different sizes and colors. Customers try them at home, keep one and return the rest of them. However, when clothes are returned they are not always put back for sale, because many companies have found it cheaper to simply throw away the returned clothes. Then the returned clothes, which might be in perfect condition, end up in landfills.
　　So, online shopping isn't as green as people might think. That last kilometer to your door is costly, for companies and for the environment. There is some positive news. Electric delivery vehicles (车辆) will probably help lower the carbon footprint. However, the question of how to deal with returns nicely and without waste is still a challenge that many companies have not wanted to face. As more and more online shoppers begin to realize what companies are doing, there is increasing pressure (压力) for companies to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their activities.

18．　　Many people are afraid to cook Chinese food. They think it is difficult to prepare Chinese dishes. Ching-He Huang, a young chef (厨师), business owner, and TV star, is changing their ideas. She teaches people quick and easy ways to prepare Chinese food.
　　Thanks to Ching-He, many people around the world now love to cook Chinese food.
　　Ching-He was born in 1978. She first learned about traditional Chinese cooking from her grandparents. When Ching-He was eleven years old, she and her family moved to London. Her mother often traveled for work, and Ching-He cooked meals for her family.
　　Her mother taught her a little bit about Chinese cooking. Soon, Ching-He started to create her own recipes (菜谱). She especially loved to make rice dishes and noodle soups.
　　Ching-He studied economics (经济学) in college, but her big passion (热情) was cooking. After she graduated, she started a food and drink company. She sold healthy Chinese foods and drinks to stores. In 2005, Ching-He had her first TV cooking program.
　　In 2006, she wrote her first cookbook. In 2008, she starred in another TV series, Chinese Food Made Easy. For this TV show, she traveled around the UK and taught people to make simple, delicious Chinese food. She also wrote another cookbook to go with the TV show. Over three million people watched the TV series. Now she is successful.
　　Ching-He is a very busy woman, but she still finds time to relax. What does Ching-He Huang do in her free time? She cooks, of course!

19．题目1
假如你是李华，英国一所学校的足球俱乐部的学生下周将来你们学校访问，学校国际部正在招募志愿者和他们一起共度周末。请你用英语写一封申请信，在信中说明你申请当志愿者的原因，以及你打算给英国学生安排哪些活动。
提示词语：like, be good at, a football match, climb, taste
提示问题：
Why would you like to be a volunteer?
What are you going to do with them?
Dear sir or madam,
　　I'd like to be a volunteer to receive the British students. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
　　I'm looking forward to your early reply.
Regards,
Li Hua

20．题目2
在每个人的成长过程中都会有一些朋友和共同经历的事情让我们难以忘怀。
假如你是李华，你们学校的英语社团正在开展以 "An Unforgettable Friend" 为主题的英语征文活动。请你用英语写一篇短文投稿，谈谈谁是令你难以忘记的朋友，他/她是一个什么样的人，并分享一次你们难以忘记的经历。
提示词语：helpful, fail, encourage, share
提示问题：
Who is your unforgettable friend?
What is he/she like?
What did you do together in the past?
An Unforgettable Friend
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