- When are we going to see the movie ZooTopia, this afternoon or tonight?
- ______ is OK. I’m free today.

    My father was a self-taughtmandolin（曼陀林琴）player. He was one of the best players in our town. He could not (1) ______ music, but if he heard a tune（曲子）a few times, he could play it. When he was young, he was a (2) ______ of a small country music band. They played at local dances and the radio station.
    At home Dad often got out his mandolin and played for the family. We three children sang along. (3) ______ played the mandolin like my father. He could (4) ______ your heart with the music that came out of that old mandolin. He seemed to shine when he was playing. You could see his (5) ______ in his ability to play so well for his family.
    But Dad had to find another (6) ______ in a factory later because the money he made at the band wasn’t enough to (7) ______ the family. Unluckily he had an (8) ______ one day and lost one finger. He couldn’t play as (9) ______ as before. From then on, every time we asked him to play, he would make up reasons to (10) ______ down our request. However, we missed his performance so much. (11) ______, he agreed and said “Okay, but remember, I can’t hold down on the strings（琴弦）the way I (12) ______ to”. When he played the old mandolin, it carried us back to a (13) ______, happy time in our lives.
    Dad was that kind of man. (14) ______ was what he was doing all his life. If he could give (15) ______ to others, he would, especially his family. He was always there, sacrificing（牺牲）his time to see that his family had enough in their life.

    Tyler was a troublesome student. He sat in the back row. Every time I called him to answer questions, he’d reply with a flip（轻率的）answer. If he got it wrong, he would get very angry.
    Usually kids could sit quietly in class. However, Tyler was just loud. One day, Tyler was talking while I was teaching. I said to him, “Tyler, why not join in our discussion instead of having one of your own?” He got up from his chair, pushed it over, and shouted something I can’t remember. I sent him to the office and he received a week’s out-of-school punishment.
    The week was a wonderful time for me, but when it came to an end, I began to feel worried. So I came up with a plan. On the day of his return, I told him I wanted to start over with him. If he felt like he was going to lose control in class, he could step outside the door for a moment.
    From then on, Tyler was a changed student in my classroom. In fact he was a smart child and he even stopped a fight between two students one day. And he never used the privilege（特权）to leave the class for a moment. I believe that just letting him decide for himself made all the difference.
    When the year was over, he wrote me a thank-you note about how good the year had been for him. I still have it today and find it very moving to reread when I get stressed about teaching.

    There are many different kinds of disasters around the world. As an adult you know what to do during a disaster, but what about the children? Some adults think it would probably never happen to them, so they don’t teach their children what to do. Before it’s too late, here are ways to help you prepare your child for a disaster:
    Educate: It is always good to let your child know about possible disasters. This doesn’t mean children have to live in fear. When teaching them about disasters, keep the conversation positive（积极的）by telling them there is a solution（解决办法）to the disaster. Keep the conversations short, allow for questions and answer honestly.
    Prepare: Always be prepared, that is the best advice for children. For example, when preparing for bad weather, get the tools you need, like candles, radios, food, water and medicine. Teach your child what is needed in certain disasters so that they know what is available for them, if ever needed.
    Plan: You should always have a plan for you and your child for any dangerous situation. Write out a simple list that they can read. The plan could start with “listen to an adult’s advice and/or call 119”.
    Practice: Once you have got the correct safety tools and worked out the right plan, practice every few months. Practicing what to do during a disaster with your child will help them if the time comes.
    Disasters can’t be avoided but they can be lessened（减轻）once you are prepared and ready for one.

    My house is on a hill. There was only a small parking place. As a new driver, I was so scared when I realized I would have to reverse（倒车）out of the driveway. I knew that if I parked backwards（朝后）, it would be easier to get out later. (1) ______.
    For three months, I didn’t even think of trying. (2) ______. But one day, I suddenly thought to myself, “How am I ever going to know whether I can do it if I don’t even try?”
    So I started my car, went down that hill, turned around and reversed. I made it. I got into the parking place. (3) ______.
    As weeks went on, I continued trying. The more I practiced, the better I did. But I had never practiced parking in the dark before. Then I decided to push myself. (4) ______.
    When I slowly drove to the parking place, I couldn’t see anything. My heart was beating rapidly. A moment later I guessed I was getting somewhere, I let the car go. Oh, my god! The car hit a tree. (5) ______. But I tried it after all.

The decision to set up a No Homework Day every week is ______ （欢迎）by all students.