13．The Race of the Robots
　　The robotics competition was taking place. Lily and Toby followed their two other teammates, David and Marcus, into the big hall. They laid out all their equipment on the table because the rules said the robot could not be assembled (组装) before the competition. They needed to build and program a robot that could make its way around an obstacle (障碍) course. It was said that judges often gave a surprise (1)       change that would require the students to change their robotic design at the last minute.
　　"Teams, it is now time for the new rule," the host announced. "Some rocks will be placed on the course. You will have to make your robot remove them from the course."
　　"We can build an arm to pick up the rocks and (2)       them on the side," said David right away. "But that would take too much time," Marcus replied.
　　The team stood in (3)      , each trying to think up new ideas. Toby thought hard about the design they had already planned out. Then he realized something special about their design — the secret box.
　　"How about we create a door in the front of the (4)       space in the center of the robot? We can add a sensor (传感器) to the door. So when our robot goes along and comes across those rocks, it will open the door and pick them up," he explained.
　　The team thought about it. Actually, that might work. "The fact that the robot is (5)       these things rather than just moving them might give us extra points," Lily said.
　　The four set to work, (6)       but quickly assembling their pre-designed robot, then adding the door with the extra parts they had brought. It was hard, and time was running out. As the buzzer (计时器) rang, Toby placed the last part on the robot.
　　It was time for Toby's team to compete. They set their robot on the course and watched it make its way and meet the first rock. It stopped for a second, and the members of the team (7)       their breath. Then the machine opened its door and slid (滑行) across the small rocks. When it passed over the rocks, the rocks disappeared — (8)       in the robot's secret box. The team cheered, knowing they were one step closer to the championship.

14．　　Goodbyes are never easy. A group of students are sharing their ideas to make a virtual (虚拟的) going-away party fun and memorable.

15．　　On the final day of the summer camp, Ada and Lydia stood below the Bear Crawl, the camp's highest, hardest rope course. Lydia volunteered to go first. Hands before feet, Lydia began her crawl (爬) across the rope ladder.
　　"Go, Lydia, go! You're a champion. You've got this!" Ada cheered from below. When Lydia made it all the way across, completing the challenge, Ada felt relieved for her friend but also nervous: it was her turn now.
　　Ada reached her arms out to the first rung on the rope ladder. Her arms felt shaky as she felt the ladder sway (摇摆) a little under her weight. She carefully walked her hands forward to the next rung. About halfway across the Bear Crawl, Ada was starting to feel a little more confident. With every rung, she was getting closer to the opposite platform. She could do this!
　　Ada reached out for the next rung, just as a strong wind made the rope ladder sway. Ada's hand did not grasp the wood rung. Instead, her hand hit only air and continued downward, followed by her arm, her shoulder and the rest of her body!
　　Almost immediately, the harness (保护带) caught her. As Ada was lowered to the ground slowly, she could see all the other kids staring up at her. Ada's face burned from embarrassment. When she finally reached the ground, she looked at her shoes and the ground.
　　"Can I try again?" Ada whispered, holding back tears.
　　The coach looked at her watch, "I'm sorry, Ada. We don't have time."
　　On the bus home, Ada rested her head against the window. Beside her, Lydia sat silent and thoughtful. "Hey, Ada?" Lydia said. "I couldn't have made it across the ladder without you. I got so terrified in the middle, but then you shouted my name and I kept going."
　　"You got scared?" Ada asked.
　　Lydia nodded, her eyes widening. "Super scared. I'm surprised I didn't throw up on everybody below." Ada smiled a little. "You were just unlucky that such a big wind came up," continued Lydia.
　　Right that moment, she knew her friend was trying to cheer her up. Suddenly falling off the ladder did not seem so important anymore.

16．　　Keeping your family traditions alive is a wonderful way to create memories — and here's why they are of great value.
　　Family is something special. Keeping your own family culture developing and alive is often the result of having family traditions. Traditions are one of the things that make your family unlike any other — something to be passed from generation to generation.
　　I bet you can think of one tradition you and your family have always done together and a whole lot of wonderful memories about it. Memories of moments spent together with the people you love are always a hot topic of conversation whenever you reconnect. Those memories — especially the ones involving family traditions — can last a lifetime.
　　When you have family traditions set in stone, whether they fall on a holiday, or on an important day for your family during the year, you always have something great to long for. Whether it's baking cookies together, going on an outing in spring, or putting up paper cuts during the Spring Festival, traditions make any occasion special. And they can add a little excitement to your life when you need to take a breath from the boring and tiring daily work.
　　Family traditions provide consistency (稳定性). Life is always changing. Sometimes it feels like when you catch up and get used to the new things, something else comes out of nowhere and throws you off balance again. When you're feeling lost, traditions can provide stability and make you feel grounded again.
　　Family traditions bind (凝聚) you all together in a way that nothing else can. Nothing brings you and your loved ones closer than getting together to celebrate traditions and enjoy each other's company. Traditions remind you about everything your family is — where you came from, where you're going, and how far you've come together.
　　Often times, it's not just the most wonderful traditions that have the biggest influence. Even something as simple as eating a bowl of noodles on your birthday can strengthen the ties between you and the loved ones in your life. The most important and valuable memories of your life could be created from your family traditions, both the big and the small.

17．　　Friendly and trustworthy people are more likely to be picked for teams than those known for just their skill competence (能力), according to new research.
　　"We would think people are chosen because of the knowledge and skills they bring to the table. However, the research suggests people may often get picked because team members feel comfortable with them," said Cynthia Maupin from Binghamton University. "People may be willing to sacrifice (牺牲) a bit in terms of performance in order to have a really enjoyable team experience."
　　Maupin's team focused on a number of MBA students to carry out their study. Students were randomly (随机地) divided into teams to work on class projects when a term began. Toward the end of the term, students were asked to form their own teams and talk about why they picked each member of their group. "We wanted to find out what people did to show others they might be a good teammate," Maupin said.
　　The researchers specifically (具体地) looked at how students showed their human capital, the ability to do their tasks well, and their social capital, the degree to which they were friendly and trustworthy, to other students by studying their use of challenging or supportive voice:
　　• Challenging voice: Communicating in a way that challenges the present situation and focuses on new ideas.
　　• Supportive voice: Communicating in a way that strengthens social ties and trust.
　　"As might be expected, anyone who was very strong in terms of showing both their human and social capital were extremely wanted when it came to forming teams. They're doing all the right things to show they're both trustworthy and competent," Maupin said.
　　However, the researchers found students who only showed social capital through supportive voice were more needed than those only showing their competence through the use of challenging voice.
　　These findings could have major implication for the workplace. If people are looking to join important teams, they should use supportive voice to show others they can be trusted, especially when they're new to an organization. In times of the pandemic (流行病), the findings are even more useful as many organizations have a fully long-distance or mixed work model. "You may only see your coworkers during online meetings," Maupin said. "With fewer in-person interactions, you really need to make your human and social capital noticeable through the use of your voice, especially if you're looking for future team opportunities."

18．　　When much of the world shut down due to COVID-19, a family of four living in New York, decided to bring home six baby chicks. The plan was to raise them to provide the family with fresh eggs. What they hadn't expected was the bond (情感纽带) that would form between these chicks and their nine-year-old daughter, Sophie.
　　Sophie fell in love with the baby chicks the moment they came home. She named the chicks Trixie, Bearty, Sweet Pea, Speedie, Captain Flint, and Adrian. She spent much of her time playing with them, reading to them, and even making them their own cardboard houses. She was even upset when her parents wouldn't allow the chicks to sleep in her bed with her. "They're really cute and warm. I like to hug them," said Sophie. "Bearty is my favorite. She likes to go for a walk with me."
　　The six chicks served as a distraction (分心的事物) during a time of loneliness and disease, but as the world began to settle into its new normal and the chicks grew into full-grown chickens, the bond continued to grow. Sophie liked to bring a chicken with her wherever her parents would allow. She even dressed as a giant chicken for Halloween and brought Trixie along for trick or treat. The chickens kept Sophie company during her online classes, and even joined in on the family photo. The bond between Sophie and these chickens was unbreakable.
　　However, the beloved Captain Flint died suddenly because of an accident. Sophie was heartbroken.
　　She mourned (哀悼) by painting Captain Flint and wearing a necklace with a photo of the chicken. "Her chickens are teaching her about love, loss, and pain. Sophie has handled it well," said Sophie's mom. "In a few short months, these chickens have taught us to relax, accept situations we can't change, and find joy where we can. They've brought us comfort during uncertain times and changed our lives. We are thankful."

19．假如你是李华，值此毕业之际，你校英语社团公众号计划做一期主题为“学长学姐有话说”的推送。请你用英语给八年级的学弟学妹们写一则寄语，简要谈谈你对初三生活的看法和理由，并给他们提一些建议。
提示词语：busy, plan, exercise, support, make progress
提示问题：
● What do you think of your life in Grade 9? Why?
● What tips do you have for the 8th-graders?
Dear 8th-graders,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wish you all the best,
Li Hua

20．少即是多 (Less Is More)，不断做减法，才能让自己轻装前行，走得更远。
某英文网站正在开展以“少即是多”为主题的征文活动。假如你是李华，请用英语写一篇短文投稿，谈谈你对该主题的理解，以及你是如何付诸实践的。
提示词语：reduce, focus, simple, effective (有效的), improve
提示问题：
• What is your understanding of "Less Is More"?
• What do you usually do to put it into practice?
　　It's important to understand "Less Is More". ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________