16．　　A group of boys stood around a tree. "What a tall tree!" they said to each other, "It would be (1)       to climb to the top!"
　　The group of boys then decided to play a game to (2)       who could climb to the top of the tree first. Their mothers were sitting not far away, looking on at their (3)       as they played.
　　One of the climbers was an 8-year-old boy named David. He was the shortest child in the group. (4)       thought he would win.
　　Then the game started. All of the boys tried their best to climb as high as they could. Although the other boys climbed faster than David in the beginning, he (5)       the top of the tree fastest in the end.
　　His mother was (6)      . She asked him, "David, how did you reach the top of the tree so (7)       ?"
　　"It was easy," David said, "The other children (8)       looking down as they climbed. When they realized how high they were, they were afraid of (9)      . I, however, looked only up. When I saw how close I was, I kept going higher and higher (10)       I reached the top."
　　It is true in life that if we just keep going forward without looking back, we are more likely to reach our goals.

17．Good news for art lovers! We have collected some information about the exhibitions put on in Shenzhen this summer.

18．　　"Miss Smith! What rough (粗糙的) hands Mary Jessup has!" said Daisy Marvin, as she walked home from school with her teacher.
　　"In my opinion, Daisy, Mary's hands are the prettiest in our class."
　　"Why? Miss Smith, they are as red and hard as they can be. How they would look if she tried to play on a piano!" Daisy said.
　　Miss Smith took Daisy's hands in hers, and said, "Your hands are very soft and white, just the hands to look beautiful on a piano: yet they don't have one beauty that Mary's hands do. Shall I tell you what the difference is?"
　　"Yes, please, Miss Smith." Daisy looked at Miss Smith, with eyes wide open.
　　"Well, Daisy, Mary's hands are very busy. They wash dishes, they make fires, they hang out clothes, and help to wash them, too. They are always trying to help her poor, hard-working mother."
　　Miss Smith continued, "Besides, they wash and dress the children, they mend their toys and dress their dolls, yet, they find time to bathe the head of the little girl who is so sick in the next house to theirs."
　　"They do good deeds (行为) to every living thing. I have seen them patting the tired horse and the homeless dog in the street. They are always ready to help those who need help."
　　"I shall never think Mary's hands are ugly any more, Miss Smith," Daisy said that with tears in eyes.
　　"I am glad to hear you say that, Daisy, and I must tell you that they are beautiful because they help others gladly and cheerfully."
　　"Oh, Miss Smith! I feel so ashamed of myself and so sorry," said Daisy, looking into her teacher's face with shining eyes.
　　"My dear, beauty doesn't lie in how one looks but what he does."

19．　　When Chinese people talk about Chinese tea culture today, they won't miss an important person in Chinese history — Lu Yu, respected as a "Sage of Tea (茶圣)" for his achievements in the Chinese tea culture. He is best-known for The Classic of Tea, the first work on growing, making and drinking tea.
　　Lu was born in Jingling in 733 A. D. As a child, he became a student of Zou Fuzi. Thanks to his teacher's guidance, he learnt a lot. He often made tea for his teacher. He also took care of his fellow students' health using his knowledge on tea and herbs (草药).
　　Lu Yu often went to the countryside to gather tea leaves and herbs. On one of those trips, Lu Yu found a spring. The water was quite clear and clean. When Lu made tea with this spring water, he found the tea tasted better than usual. From then on, he realized the importance of water quality in making tea.
　　In 752 A. D, Lu Yu finished his studies and returned to Jingling, where he met Cui Guofu. Both men shared the same interests in tea, literature (文学) and poetry. They soon became good friends. Since then, the two spent much time travelling, drinking tea and writing poems together.
　　This period was important to Lu Yu as a man of literature. Cui, with his rich experience and skills in writing, became a coach of Lu. He provided necessary help with Lu's writing. It was during this time that Lu finally wrote the amazing work, The Classic of Tea.

20．　　Teens and kids are reading a lot less for fun, according to a recent report.
　　Although the decline (下降) in the past ten years is very surprising for teen readers, some data (数据) in the report shows that reading is still a big part of many children's lives.
　　According to the report, the number of teens who hardly read has gone up from 8 percent to 25 percent today. The report data shows that kids' reading ability remains almost the same. However, the amount of reading time has fallen, from about an hour every day to half an hour.
　　As for children's e-reading, the report mentions little about its effects. But it says that many parents choose to control the time spent on e-books, mainly because they are worried about the increased screen time. After all, it is important to protect their kids' eyes.
　　The most helpful part in the report is parents' effects on their children. It shows that parents are examples and important guides for them in reading. If parents read more and find more time to read with their children, it turns out that their children actually read more often.
　　As summer vacation arrives, parents might take this chance to step in, make a reading list and enjoy the pleasant family reading time.

21．　　The Taojinshan Greenway (绿道) in Shenzhen has been open to citizens since July, 2019. Sitting at the west side of Shenzhen Reservoir, it is as long as 7. 07 kilometers.
　　With plants along both sides and lakes lying at different sites, tourists can enjoy wonderful scenery all the way. If they are tired, they are free to take a rest at the 3 stops that were built for breaks. Additionally, five unused guard posts (岗亭) along the old route have remained. They serve as sightseeing platforms for visitors to feel the cultural spirit behind the place.
　　Of all its 13 scenic spots, 8 were designed to have AI helpers. From them, visitors can gain information on parking, tour guide services and more. The smart greenway, with free WiFi available, also provides environmental data, such as temperature, wind speed and air quality. What's more, it can give visitors warnings of coming extreme (极端的) weather and natural disasters, including rainstorms and typhoons that may hit Shenzhen.
　　"Started in the middle of 2015, the building process of the Taojinshan Greenway has taken good care of the wildlife and environment nearby," said Yang Shiming, an official in charge of the project."
　　The greenway is an example of construction projects without doing harm to the nature. It also shows the role that technology plays in building a smart greenway for more life convenience."

23．深圳市正在争创全国文明城市、假定你是鹏城中学学生会主席, 希望同学们为 “创文” 做出自己的贡献。请你按照所提示的要点，代表学生会写一篇倡议书。

要求：
1. 词数80左右(开头和结尾已经给出, 不计入总词数)；
2. 要点齐全，可适当发挥；
3. 条理清晰，语句通顺，意义连贯，书写规范；
4. 文中不得出现真实姓名和校名。
参考词汇：
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志愿者volunteer
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Dear friends,
　　As we know, Shenzhen is working hard to win the title of China's National Civilized City. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
　　All in all, Shenzhen is our home. It's time to take action.
　　The Student Union
　　July 20, 2020