13．　　When I was small, my mum used to give the family something special for meals — she would make breakfast food for dinner.
　　I still remember one night my mum (1)       some bread in front of my dad, something very burnt (烤糊的). I waited to see if anybody noticed. To my surprise, my dad just took his bread, smiled at my mum and then turned to ask me how my day at school had been. I (2)       what I told him that night. But I do remember watching him put some butter on that bread. He (3)       as usual, every single bite.
　　After dinner, my mum said sorry to my dad for burning the bread. And I never forget what he said, " I love burnt bread, dear. It doesn't (4)       at all. " Later that night, I went to kiss Dad good night. I asked him if he really liked his bread burnt. He held me in arms and (5)      "Your mum worked very hard all day. She's really tired. And you see a bit of burnt food never hurt anyone!
　　Now I know life is not perfect. Nobody is perfect, either. As for me, I often forget birthdays or some other special days. But I've learned something (6)      over these years. What we really need is the understanding of each other, whether between a husband and wife, a parent and (7)      or just between two friends. This is the key to a happy life. So, don't get angry if the bread gets burnt. Remember, burnt bread never hurt anyone. Be kind to those around you and a happier life will surely come (8)       to you."

15．A Mystery Artist
　　The first time I saw Suzy Khan, I knew I had to help her. All I knew was that she was an orphan, who had no parents, from Africa. She had just been adopted by a family, and they thought that the best way for her to learn American ways of life is to be with American kids.
　　Suzy was really small for her age of 12. The boys in my class often laughed at her. She would open a book, pretending to read, with tears dropping on the open page. I looked down at this small girl and promised myself that I must help her.
　　But how could I help her fit in with us?There had to be a way.
　　One day, when I went into the classroom, I saw that Suzy had opened her geography book to a picture of a train, and in her notebook, she had made a perfect copy.
　　I was surprised and thought that she could do something in the coming talent show. So, I took her to see the art teacher, Miss Parker, and showed her what Suzy had drawn. "Why, it's wonderful, "said Miss Parker, and then showed us a poster she had painted for the talent show. "I need more of these, but I just don't have enough time. Could you help me, Suzy?"
　　On the day of the talent show, Suzy's posters were everywhere — all over the hall and all over the school, each one different.
　　"And finally," said Mr. Brown, the schoolmaster, at the end of the show, "We have a special award. I'm sure you've all noticed the wonderful posters. " Everyone nodded. "One of our own students painted them."
　　I could hear everyone whispering. "Who in our school could draw that well?"
　　Mr. Brown waited for a while before saying, "Since this student worked so hard on the posters, she deserves a prize, too. Our mystery artist is our new student — Suzy Khan!"
　　Mr. Brown thanked her for all the wonderful posters and gave her a professional artist's set. "Thank you," she cried. I realized, at that time when I was looking at her excited face, she had probably never owned anything in her whole life.
　　Everyone started to clap their hands. Suzy Khan gave them a shy smile. I knew then Suzy was going to be all right.

16．　　It happens every night — bedtime. But what if you're not sleepy?Should you still go to bed if you are just going to lie there with your eyes wide open?It's a problem that has been around as long as there are people trying to sleep.
　　You might be excited by something you did in the day. You might be nervous about what you're going to do the next day. Maybe you don't like sleeping alone in your room. Maybe you have frightening(吓人的)dreams. All of these are possible reasons for your sleeping problem. However, there are some steps you can take to help you solve it.
　　One thing that can help is talking to a parent or another trusted adult about what you're worrying about at bedtime. For example, if you're nervous about taking a test, or upset about being teased(被嘲弄)at school, it can really help to tell somebody. Knowing that somebody has heard you can help ease your mind so that you can have a good rest.
Sleeping in a comfortable bed in a quiet and cool room is a good choice. If there's anything in your room that makes you feel uneasy or anxious at night, like a picture that looks strange in the dark, or a noisy faucet(水龙头)in the bathroom, be sure to ask your parents to move or fix it. Make sure electronics, such as mobile phones or iPads, are kept away from your bed. They can keep you excited, making it harder for you to fall asleep.
　　If you are usually restless around bedtime, doing certain things to relax beforehand may help you fall asleep. Try to take more time to wind down by taking a warm bath, or listening to a bedtime story at least 30 minutes before you go to sleep. It also helps to follow a bedtime routine and go to sleep at the same time every night. As a result, your body will get the message that it's almost time to sleep. Your body will know to start feeling tired.
　　In order to find the right solution for you, it's important that you understand what exactly is keeping you up at night. Getting a good night's sleep is worth the time and effort of finding the right solution to your sleeping problem.

17．　　Everyone wants to be well-liked. As humans, we are born with the need to be valued and liked by others. Being part of a group has been necessary in a lot of ways. Connection is a basic human need.
　　Many people feel as though they have to be a certain way to be well﹣liked. They think others will like them more if they put their best selves forward, don't make mistakes, and always know the right thing to say. However, some surprising science may be putting all this in question.
　　The Pratfall Effect
　　It turns out that people who never make mistakes are actually less likeable. According to an experiment by Elliot Aronson in the 1960s, people who made a small blunder, such as dropping coffee over their shirt, were considered more likeable than those who didn't. This was only true for people who were considered competent (有能力的) in the first place, though. This phenomenon (现象) was termed the Pratfall Effect.
　　The Pratfall Effect shows that it's not only okay to make mistakes, but it can actually be helpful to us. Vulnerability (weakness) is endearing (讨人喜欢的). It helps us form connections with others. When we understand where someone is coming from and connect with them, we develop a deep emotional bond and like them more.
　　Apply this to your own life
　　You can use this information to your advantage. Firstly, it's important to know likeability depends on context. What someone finds endearing in one situation may not work in another, and different people might find different qualities more likeable. Sometimes the things we dislike the most about ourselves are the most endearing to others. The same can be true for the opposite. Just be your true self and people will find what they love most about you.
　　Secondly, vulnerability (弱点) is a good thing. Sharing the most inner, real parts of yourselves can create meaningful connections. Pretending to be perfect is not something that people find endearing. But opening up is something that people can easily connect with.
　　Likeability is not as straightforward as you might think. What you think makes you more likeable might actually make you less likeable. Stop pretending you never make mistakes. It's the best path to true and meaningful human connection.

18．A History of English... in Five Words
　　In 1582, Richard Mulcaster, the headmaster of a British school, wrote that English would not go beyond their island. However, it didn't stay that way. Today, English is spoken all over the world. It is a colorful and diverse (多样的) language that long has picked up words from many other languages. Here are five words that show the English language's interesting history.
　　English
　　 English began in the language spoken by the early Germanic people in the 5th century AD. It is from them that the word "English" comes.
　　Beef
　　Although roast beef is seen as a traditional English dish, the word "beef" was introduced from the French word boeuf during the Middle Ages. It was one of a group of words, including pork and mutton, that were taken from the speech of the French who moved to Britain following the Norman Conquest (诺曼底登陆) of 1066. However, the farmers who kept these animals continued to call them by their old English names:cow, pig and sheep. This difference passed on till this day.
　　Dictionary
　　Dictionary is a borrowing from Latin dictornarius liber, "book of words". It first appeared in English in the 6th century, along with a huge number of other words from Latin and Greek. The first English dictionary was written by Robert Cawdrey in 1604. Cawdrey focused only on the difficult words whose meanings would have caused problems for those not educated in Latin and Greek.
　　Tea
　　The word tea comes from the Chinese word cha. A love of tea is so ingrained (根深蒂固的) in British life that the expression "cup of tea" has come to stand for anything viewed positively. The saying "It's not my cup of tea. " means "I don't like it. "
　　Emoji
　　Emoji originated (起源于) in Japan in the 1990s. The word "emoji" is formed by combining the Japanese "e"—picture and"moji"—letter. Emojis are just another example of the development and diversity of English.

19．五一劳动节就要到了, 学校志愿服务部正在招募志愿者, 拟在五一期间进行志愿活动服务的地点有:an old people's home, a city park, the Children's Hospital, an after﹣school care center, an animal hospital．假如你是 Mary, 请你写一封自荐信．内容包括你希望参加的一项活动, 自己具备的条件(如爱好, 特长, 性格特点, 可能参加的时间等)以及对参
加此次活动的看法．
提示问题:
1. Which activity do you like to take part in?
2. What can you do and Why?
3. What do you think of the activities?
提示词语:tell jokes, sing, dance, kind, be interested in, meaningful
Dear Sir,
　　I'm Mary. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Mary

20．假如你是李华, 你的英国朋友Mike来信向你诉说他的烦恼, 他和妈妈因为做家务的事情吵架了, 他觉得跟妈妈很难沟通, 不知道该怎么办．请你写一封回信安慰Mike, 表达你对于Mike面临问题的看法, 并提出合理性建议．
提示词语:common, share chores, develop, be independent, write a letter, say sorry
提示问题:What do you think of the problem and why?
What is your advice to Mike?

Dear Mike,
　　Thanks for trusting me. From your letter, I know you got a fight with your mom because of chores. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua