13．　　I hurried across the grass to the forest and sat down on a large rock. I thought that no one would know where to look for me. At last I had peace and quiet. I felt (1)       as I lifted my guitar onto my knee.
　　I started to play and sing, "Lean on me, when you're not strong." It sounded terrible, and I tried to play again.
　　"How's it going, Tina?"
　　I was surprised to see my brother James standing behind me.
　　"Don't you have a basketball game to watch?" I (2)       so much for my perfect hideaway.
　　"The game was almost over when I noticed you leave. I thought you might like some (3)      ."
　　"That's the last thing I want. I feel I don't have any privacy at home. Yesterday I found Eliza looking through my diary, and Sara was listening to the radio in my room after lunch today. I just want to be alone for a change."
　　James studied me for a moment. "It's (4)       living in such a big family, isn't it? I felt the same way when I was your age, but now..."
　　"Now you have your own room because Daniel went to college," I said.
　　James laughed. "It is great to have my own room, but sometimes I really (5)       Daniel. It was actually wonderful to have someone else there. We share memories and jokes no one else understands, and when things get difficult, we can always (6)       one another. Didn't Sara help you with your homework until midnight last week?"
　　I admitted (承认) (7)      , "Yeah, sometimes she can be all right."
　　"So this place can be your 'room'. Anytime you really need a little quiet, just come out here. I won't tell anyone about it," James said. "Now, how about the song you were trying to play? Here, let me try."
　　"Maybe (8)       isn't so bad after all," I thought when I handed my brother the guitar.

14．　　Do you get pocket money from your parents or do you work to make money? Do you spend it or save it? Let's check out how four teenagers in Britain get money and do with it.

15．　　Fourteen-year-old Akram used to spend a boring hour waiting at a bus stop after school each day. Teachers were preparing for the next day in the classrooms, but students weren't allowed in. Akram thought it was such a waste of time although he could play on his phone, so he decided to change things. He wanted to stay at school and do his favorite hobby — art.
　　One day, he asked the head teacher if students could do something in the school after classes. "If you find out what is needed, I will help you," the head teacher set him a challenge.
　　Over the next week, Akram talked to all the students who waited after school and other students, too. He asked them what they would like to do in that hour. Many students said they wanted after-school clubs for things like chess, basketball, art and reading.
　　When Akram arrived at the head teacher's office, there was another student, Holly, waiting there. The head teacher told them that they both had the same idea, so she wanted them to work together. She gave them some problems to solve.
　　"You need to find the people who will be responsible for the clubs and who will pay for any equipment (设备)," said the head teacher. "Also, you need to talk to the cleaning team to make sure that they can clean up after you leave."
　　Akram and Holly talked about their idea and problems at the next Parents' Association meeting. They also did the same thing to their teachers and the cleaning team.
　　Several days later, a teacher told them that he could organize trainee (实习生) teachers to be responsible for the clubs. The Parents' Association decided to raise money to pay for equipment like chess boards and baskets. The cleaners agreed that they could clean the classrooms after the hour was finished.
　　Now the school has some exciting after-school clubs. Akram and Holly enjoyed the experience very much.

16．　　Background knowledge is the knowledge a person has about the world when he or she starts to read a text. It is agreed that background knowledge plays an important role in reading. Put simply, the more you know about a topic, the easier it is for you to read a text, understand it, and remember the information.
　　To understand this, here are two points. First, background knowledge enables readers to choose between different meanings of words. For example, if you read the word "operation" in a sports article, you might think about a sportsperson with a serious injury (伤). But if you read the word in a math text, you'd think about a mathematical process. Second, understanding a text requires readers to fill missing information and make inferences. To do this, readers need to have some basic knowledge about the topic.
　　Students get background knowledge both through personal experiences and by learning in the classroom. Then how can teachers help students build background knowledge? Here are some suggestions.
　　Begin by teaching words in categories (类别). For example, teachers can try something as simple as this: "Apples, bananas, strawberries, mangoes. They are a type of ... (fruit)." Categories of objects and the use of generic nouns (统称) can help students increase vocabulary and develop concepts (概念).
　　________. Reading builds knowledge but wide reading has usually been taken as reading about a lot of different topics. Teachers can try a different way — encourage children to find an interest and read as many books as they can on one topic. This will help them develop a deeper knowledge on a topic.
　　Use multimedia (多媒体). Direct experiences are the most effective ways to build knowledge. There is nothing more exciting for students than learning through direct experiences, such as field trips and other activities. Although multimedia cannot replace real-life experiences, it can often provide a lot of information that we could only wish to experience firsthand. It can also introduce children to important words and concepts.
　　Background knowledge is important in a student's ability to fully understand a text. Teachers' efforts can help students become stronger thinkers and life-long readers and learners.

17．　　In America, an increasing number of middle and high schools now require students to serve a certain number of community service hours before they can graduate. And some parents ask their children to do volunteer work year round even if it's not mandatory (强制性的) at school. Volunteering has important benefits, such as learning new skills and developing responsibility. However, some people question whether community service is worthwhile if students are forced to take part.
　　Some people say that many teenagers' schedules (日程安排) are filled with homework and after-school programs, and forcing them to do other activities will make them stressed out. "Adding community service to teenagers' already crowded schedules makes it feel like an unpleasant and boring task," says Ellison O'Grady, 15, a student from Bay Head, New Jersey. Other people say that mandatory service will lead students to believe that they should only help others when they receive an immediate benefit in return, and finally discourage them from volunteering later in life.
　　Teenagers who volunteer are more likely to do better in school and are less likely to get involved in risky behaviors, studies show. They also get social skills and work experience that can pay off later in life. However, if many busy teenagers are given a choice, they would simply skip voluntary service. That's why requiring community service is important, supporters say. In addition, there is little proof to support that mandatory community service weakens young people's motivation (动机) to join in future service. In fact, studies show that mandatory service is connected with strong wish to take part in future volunteering.
　　As a high school student in New York, Bellamy Richardson, now 18, had to do 75 hours of community service before graduation. At first, she was worried how she could find that much time. But to her surprise, she not only met the service requirement sooner than she'd expected, but also learned a lot, and found that she loved volunteering. Bellamy is now glad that her service wasn't by choice. "Requiring community service would give other people the chance I had," she said.
　　So ask yourself: Would you volunteer if it weren't mandatory? Could the benefits of volunteering make it worthwhile no matter how teenagers get involved? I suppose community service is something that should be encouraged even if it is just a duty at the beginning.

18．Spreading Happiness
　　Jessica Martin and Asherah Weiss are art teachers in a primary school. They thought their students might have the magic words that could bring calm to people in difficult times, so they created a project called "PepToc" with their students. The project had two parts — one was setting up a hotline, and the other was making encouraging posters. The two teachers had the same basic question for all the students: "What could you say to help or encourage someone else?"
　　Students working on the hotline thought of what they would like to say. Then Ms. Martin recorded each one, and sorted out (分类) the recordings into different parts of the telephone hotline. When people call the hotline, they can hear happy voices of children of different ages sharing positive (积极的) messages. For example, pressing 1 brings ideas for people who are "feeling mad or nervous". Helpful suggestions include "listen to music" or "go get a cookie". Pressing 2 results in "words of encouragement and life advice". This includes messages like "The world is a better place with you in it." and "You are okay!" By pressing 3, you can hear a group of children saying together: "You can do it! Keep trying, don't give up!"
　　Other students made encouraging posters and hung them up around the town. Many posters had strips of paper. When people passed by, they could tear off (撕掉) the strips and take with them. For example, one poster said, "If you are mad, think of positive thoughts," and had strips reminding people to "be happy".
　　Ms. Martin thought the project would only attract interest from people near the school. But in its first six weeks, the hotline got 5 million calls from around the world. It has become very popular with stressed adults, patients in hospitals, and others who just want to hear the happy voices of children. For Martin and Weiss, the project shows students that small acts can have a big influence. "If you have an idea, just try to do it and see what happens," Weiss says. Students now know that they have amazing power. They're already thinking about new messages to record for the PepToc Hotline.

19．假如你是李华，你校的英语广播站计划做一期“毕业生感言”的专题节目，想邀请你参加。请你用英语写一篇发言稿，谈谈你毕业之际的感受，初中三年的进步，以及对学弟学妹们的建议。
提示词语：sad, active, plan, try out, ask for
提示问题：
• How do you feel as a school-leaver?
• What progress have you made?
• What advice would you like to give to the students in Grade 7 and 8?

20．勇于尝试是一种乐于探索，敢于面对失败的表现。只有勇于尝试，才能不断突破自我，取得进步。
某英文网站正在开展以“勇于尝试”为主题的征文活动。假如你是李华，请用英文写一篇短文投稿，谈谈你曾经勇于尝试做过的一件事，以及你的收获。
提示词语：afraid, encouragement, prepare, practice, confident
提示问题：
• What did you do?
• What have you learned from the experience?