1．　　Guan Moye, better known by the pen name Mo Yan, is a Chinese novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the (1)      writers in China.
　　Mo Yan was born in (2)       farmer's family in Shandong Province (3)      1955. At the age of 11, he left school (4)      as a farmer. He began to work at as mall factory (5)      he was 18. During this period, he read many novels(6)       stories. In 1976, he joined the army and became a soldier. At the same time he began (7)      . In 1984, he first (8)      the pen name of Mo Yan. (9)      novel Red Sorghum Clan came out in 1987, which was later made into the film Red Sorghum. According to himself, he's deeply influenced (影响) by (10)      writers such as Lu Xun and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and some Chinese ancient novels (11)      Water Margin, Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber. His books are (12)       praised by the public.
　　As for his pen name, Mo Yan (13)       "don't speak" in Chinese. It came from his parents' warning that he (14)      not tell his mind to the outside world. In 2012, he (15)      the Nobel Prize in Literature for his great work as a writer. He was the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

2．　　There was a farmer named Hafiz in Africa, who lived a happy life. He had a farm and was (1)       with his perfect life.
　　One day, a wise man came to him and told him about the (2)       of diamonds and the power that came with them.
　　The wise man said, "If you had a diamond with the size of your finger, you could have your own city. If you had a diamond with the size of your fist (拳头), you could probably own your own (3)      ." And then he went away.
　　That night, the farmer kept thinking about what the wise man had said and couldn't (4)      . The next morning, he made plans to sell his farm and went in search of diamonds. He searched all over Africa and Europe but couldn't find anything. When he got to Spain, he was emotionally, physically and financially broken. He got so (5)      that he threw himself into the Barcelona River and died.
　　On the other side, one day, the person who had (6)       Hafiz's farm was watering the sheep at a stream. Across the stream, the (7)       light of the morning sun shone at a stone and made it sparkle (闪烁) like a rainbow. He(8)       the stone and put it in the living room.
　　That afternoon, the wise man came and saw the stone sparkling. He asked, "Is Hafiz back?" The new owner said, "No, why do you ask so?" The wise man said, "Because that is a diamond. I recognize it (9)       when I see it." The man said, "No, that's just a stone. Come on, I'll show you there. There are lots of stones like that." They went to the stream and collected some samples and sent them to an expert for analysis. The expert was quite (10)      that the stones were diamonds. In fact, the farm was filled with mountains of diamonds.

3．　　An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
　　When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, "Only a miracle (奇迹) can save him now," the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
　　She hurried to a drugstore (药店) with the money in her hand.
　　"And what do you want?" asked the salesman. "It's for my little brother," the girl answered. "He's really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle." "Pardon?" said the salesman.
　　"My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?" "We don't sell a miracle here, child. I'm sorry," the salesman said with a smile.
　　"Listen, if it isn't enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs."
　　A well-dressed man heard it and asked, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need?"
　　"I don't know," she answered with her eyes full of tears. "He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it, so I have brought all my money."
　　"How much do you have?" asked the man. "＄1. 11, but I can try and get some more," she answered. "Well, what luck, "smiled the man. "＄1. 11, the price of a miracle for little brothers."
　　He took up the girl's hand and said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need." That well-dressed man was a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again.
　　How much did the miracle cost?

4．　　E-waste is fast becoming a serious problem around the world. This report will examine this problem and provide some possible ways to solve it.
　　We live in a society that is producing and using electronics all the time. It is often cheaper to buy new products than to repair old ones. Also, through clever advertising, companies always encourage people to change their old TVs, mobile phones and computers for the latest models. E-waste is created when we throw away old ones. In the EU alone, about 8, 700, 000 tons of e-waste is produced each year. Sadly, just over 1, 000, 000 tons is recycled.
　　Burying (填埋) e-waste or burning it cause serious problems for the environment. Electronics have dangerous things in them. These things can then get into the ground or pollute the air when they are burnt.
　　In recent years, many countries have started recycling e-waste. However, their plans are not always managed properly. Sometimes electronics are just sent to poor countries such as Ghana. There they are often burnt in public areas, which is very bad for people's health. Setting up recycling centers is a good way to solve this problem. E-recycling centers could recycle the parts that can be reused and deal with the rest properly.
　　Another way is to make producers responsible for their used products. This means that producers must take back old products which are no longer wanted. They should then make sure they are properly recycled or reused.
　　As for us, we should try to cut down on e-waste. Change electronics only when we have to. And don't buy a product just to have the latest model.
　　E-waste is a serious problem in the modern world. Both producers and users must take actions and try to keep it to the smallest amount.

5．　　Denise Pope, a teacher at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, found that too much homework can have negative effects on kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.
　　"Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional thought that homework is surely good, " wrote Pope. She and her colleagues used survey data to examine opinions about homework and student well﹣being in a s ample of 4, 317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in California communities. Students in these schools average about 3. 1 hours of homework each night.
　　The study found that too much homework leads to some problems:
　　● Greater stress:56 percent of the students considered homework a main source of stress. Forty﹣three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.
　　● Reductions in health:In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework made them lack sleep and have other health problems.
　　● Less time for friends, family and after-class activities:Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy for spending too much time on homework.
　　The results offer evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, after-class activities and social time. Many students felt forced to choose homework instead of developing other talents or skills.
　　The study also found that 90 minutes to two hours is better for high school students. Plus, Pope suggested that any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to improve learning and development.

6．Helpers Behind the Medals

　　Chinese athletes (运动员) did a great job at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, winning 88 medals in total. But did you know that there are many cool technologies — even space technologies — behind their success?
　　Quan Hongchan, a 14-year-old diving darling who won the gold, said an AI training system helped her train. Developed by Baidu, the system analyzes a diver's body posture (姿势) from the diving board until he or she enters the water. A dive can last less than two seconds. But the AI can catch many important details, such as the diver's starting height, entry speed and angle. They are sent to coaches right away.
　　Before setting out for Tokyo, some Chinese athletes visited the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics. The technologies there are usually used to develop rockets and missiles (导弹), and they can also help rowers, swimmers and other athletes.
　　"For example, rowers in the women's quadruple sculls (四人双桨赛艇) came to my lab and used a wind tunnel to do experiments," said Jia Yi from the academy. The tunnel can make winds with different speeds. "They measured the air drag on their bodies. The data helped them change their movements and redesign their sport suits."
　　But there are even more. The national table tennis team has a popular "coach" called Pongbot. It's a robot that can make difficult shots and never gets tired. Su Bingtian, the first Chinese runner to reach the Olympic 100-meter final, uses high-speed cameras to record his training.
　　The use of technology will help improve the nation's overall competitiveness in sports.

7．　　Telling Chinese stories to the world is a responsibility for those of us who can speak English. If you want to tell the world a "Chinese story", what would you choose to talk about?Students at a speaking competition offered their own answers. (1)      This topic showed strong confidence in our own country.
　　(2)       Some of them talked about Chinese traditional stories, such as Confucius' travels. Others preferred more modern stories, such as the Belt and Road (一带一路). But most contestants chose to share personal stories. (3)      
　　(4)      Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15^th day of the eighth month in Chinese lunar calendar. But in Ningbo, it is on the 16th day. One student told a story to explain this. During the Song Dynasty, a person named Shi Hao would go to Ningbo and celebrate the festival with his mother every year. (5)      To his surprise, everyone there was waiting for him to celebrate. The story shows the importance of family reunions (团聚) in Chinese culture.
　　We believe telling stories is a good way to help foreigners understand China better.

8．　　Many young people have trouble in making new friends. However, there are some useful ways to help you (1)s       the problem. First, it's helpful for you to have a good sense of (2)h      . People usually like to stay with interesting people. Second, I (3)s       that you should smile often. It will leave a good impression on others. Third, you should communicate with the people around you (4)p      . Being friendly is the first step to make new friends. At last, you can also invite your friends to have a big (5)m       and taste different delicious food at weekends. Follow the above steps and you will find it easier to make new friends.

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