Mr Wu is an English teacher. Last Monday at the beginning of class, he 1 asked his students how their weekends had been. One girl said that she had spent a 2 weekend—she had her wisdom teeth pulled out and they still hurt. "Why do you always seem to be so happy, Mr Wu?" she asked.
The girl's 3 reminded Mr Wu of something he had read somewhere before. "Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to get close to life that day," Mr Wu said with a smile. "I 4 to be cheerful."
"And today is my lucky day," he added.
"5? " The whole class were curious.
"This morning, I 6 to school as usual. I only had to go another kilometer down the road when my e-bike broke down..."
"Your e-bike broke down and it's your lucky day?" The students were 7. "What do you mean, Mr Wu?"
"My e-bike broke down a quarter before class, so I 8 it on the roadside, took my books, and walked down the road. It took me ten minutes to arrive at the 9. I live eight kilometers away. My e-bike could have broken down 10 along the way. But it didn't. 11, it broke down in the perfect place—off the main road, within walking distance of here. I'm still able to teach my class 12 I'll be able to get it repaired after class. If my e-bike must break down 13,it couldn't be arranged(安排)in a better way."
The students' eyes opened wide, and then they smiled. Mr Wu smiled back. Somehow, his story had 14 them. He was happy that they had a perfect chance to consider 15 in a new way.
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| Hi, guys! Last week I read a book called Rabbits in Australia. Rabbits look cute, but when they enter in large numbers, it's a problem. In Australia, rabbits have crowded into the land. They eat the plants that farmers grow. They eat the plants other animals need to eat, so other animals find it hard to live. |
| | These days I'm reading Moby Dick. It's considered to be the "Great American Novel", or one of the greatest novels of all time. "The story takes place on a whaling ship that sails the seas to find Moby Lick, a very large whale. |
| | Well, I love detective stories. Last month I read The Stolen Letter. The writer brings me into the story of his characters' lives. He also introduces a sense of mystery in the story. It keeps me interested until the very end of the story. |
Mr Scott talked about colours all the time. "What a honey—yellow morning it is!" he said to his wife. His wife planted fruit and vegetables in their garden, but Mr Scott was more interested in the leafy plants, the bushes, and even the grass that grew in the garden. "So many kinds of green," he said to her after watering all the plants. "I counted at least twenty shades of green!"
"Well done, dear," Mrs Scott said. " Now would you please count twenty dollars and go to the supermarket for some ingredients(配料)? I want to make lunch! "
With a smile on his face, Mr Scott left at once. He enjoyed trips to the supermarket because of all the colourful cans and boxes in it. Fruit and vegetables, too, shone in their bright skins. There was never just one colour: carrots were orange, but also had bits of yellow and brown in them. Bananas were yellow and black; apples hid oranges and purples inside their reds. Mr Scott would walk through the supermarket and enjoy all the colours around him.
"I wish there was a store full of colours that I could spend all my time in," he sighed.
He bought everything on his wife's list and came home. When he walked into the house, Mrs Scott noticed the sad look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked him. "It looks life you had fun at the store. I can see that you picked out the best things."
"I did have fun in the store. So much that I wish I could have spent more time there. It's so full of colours!" Mr Scott said.
"I see," Mrs Scott said. "Well, cheer up, because I'm going to cook a nice lunch for us!"
The next day Mr Scott was on his usual morning walk through the neighbourhood, saying hello to everyone, enjoying the colours of the trees and flowers. It was another day of colours!
"Good morning, Mr Brown," he called out to one of his neighbours. He liked Mr Brown very much, because, well, you guessed it: his name was a colour!
"Mr Scott! Just the person I wanted to see!" Mr Brown replied. "My wife and I are moving out of this town, and I need someone to take over my shop. You are the perfect person for the job because it's a paint shop! I need someone who knows its colours. Would you be interested?"
Mr Scott was mad with excitement. "I will take it over right away!"
Mr Brown was relieved when he left town, because he knew his paint shop was in good hands. Sure enough, Mr Scott kept the paint shop open for twenty more years and got to talk about colours all day, every day.
My name is Wei Hua and I'm a sporting robot of the 23rd century. I'm clever at high flying exercises. I jump from spaceships and as I fall, I turn, dive, circle and dance until I softly land as close as I can to the finishing line.
Robot competitions in the 23rd century are truly a popular sport. Fans from all over China watch their hand—held TVs when a competition comes on. Last time I took part in the 78th Olympics and I won the silver medal for my performance. This year I was very proud to be chosen again. I wanted to meet robots from other countries and explore ideas about our sport. However, my programmer fell ill the week before we were leaving. It was very painful for her and I felt very scared. I didn't feel so confident that I would win.
The day of the competition was rather cold for my legs and my special oil began to freeze. I stopped for a moment(which I shouldn't) before I jumped from the starting place on a little spaceship, then I began my performance. At the correct moment I tried to open my parachute(降落伞)but there was a problem. It only opened a little. I began to fall faster and faster so that I could not turn, dive, circle or dance. My heart stopped beating as I landed heavily on a mountain covered with snow.
This is why I am writing to you from my hospital bed with two broken legs and a weak head. I did not win anything at the Olympics after all. I need the factory to build me two new legs and an even bigger head. Then I will be able to compete once more. Let's hope for greater success in the next Olympics!
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no longer compare later under earlier traffic |
—I have no idea. It depends on the .
My favourite clothing is an old biker jacket. It (make) of thick black leather and it has a red lining. It belonged to my mother when she was young, so it's very old now!
Why do I love my jacket? Because it (be) once my mother's and because it is very practical. I (not need) to iron it and I never need to get it cleaned. It (keep) me warm and dry, so I wear it all the time, except in summer. Also, leather jackets never go out of fashion and you can wear them with jeans, skirts and dresses.
The other day, I was in a cafe and I left the jacket on the back of my chair. I (realize) it when I was on the bus and I thought I'd lost it forever. At that moment a young guy jumped onto the bus and he (hold) my jacket in his hand! He had run after me down the road with it. We started chatting and I made a new friend. Now I think of it as my lucky jacket.
There are long rivers, and there are famous rivers. The Nile(尼罗河)is the world's longest and most famous river. It runs 6,650 kilometers. Crocodiles and hippos(河马)live in its waters. Pyramids built by ancient Egyptians rise along its banks.
The main branch of the Nile, the White Nile, starts just above Lake Victoria, the world's second largest fresh—water lake, in east central Africa. Then it flows to the north. At Sudan's capital, another great river called the Blue Nile joins the White Nile. Together, they form one very powerful river. Then it goes through Egypt's famous Nile Valley before reaching the Mediterranean Sea.
Ancient Egypt, the first great African civilization(文明), started along the banks of the Nile more than 5, 000 years ago. Ancient Egypt ruled the Nile Valley for thousands of years. Great pyramids and temples were built on the banks and we can still visit them today.
Without the rich farmland along the banks of the Nile, there might be no ancient Egypt civilization. Every year, the Nile flooded its banks. The floodwaters covered the banks with a rich soil. The Nile's banks were easy to farm and produce crops.
The Nile also made a perfect highway for boats. The river runs north, but the wind on the river blows south. To go south, boaters put up sails to catch the wind. To go north, they took the sails down. Ancient people traded along the river for hundreds of miles.
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The Nile — the and most famous river in the world |
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Where does the Nile flow? |
●The White Nile is the branch of the Nile. It starts Lake Victoria and then runs to the north. ●The Blue Nile joins the White Nile at the of Sudan. They form a powerful river. ●Then the Nile goes through the Nile Valley. Finally it the Mediterranean Sea. |
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The Nile's long and rich |
●Ancient Egypt started along the banks of the Nile over 5.000 years ago. Its people pyramids and temples we can still visit today. ●Every year the Nile flooded its banks. The floodwaters covered the banks with a rich soil. Rich farmland made this ancient civilization . ●The Nile made a perfect highway for boats. To go south, boaters put up sails to catch the wind. To go , they took the sails down. Ancient people bought and goods along the river for hundreds of miles. |
The face—down generation（一代）
If you were born in the 2000s, you are called the oh—ohs. The 21st century. That would make you young, creative, connected, world—wide, and no doubt smart. Maybe good—looking, too. Right? But what do other people think about your generation?
Some adults worry that you're more interested in the screen in front of you than the world around you. They think of you as the "face—down generation" because you use your phone so much. They wonder how you will deal with school, friends, and family.
Other adults worry that today's youth are spoilt(溺爱)and don't want to face the challenges of adult life. Many children born in the 1990s and 2000s were raised by "helicopter parents". They were always there to guide and help their children with a busy program filled with homework and after—school activities such as dancing, drawing, or sports. With parents who do everything for them, today's youth seem to prefer to live like teenagers even when they are in their 20s or 30s.
Does the face—down generation need a heads—up? Well, probably not. The fact .is that many of today's teenagers are better educated and more creative than past generations. They seem to be willing to become leaders. More young people than ever volunteer to help their communities. There are also brave young people such as Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for pushing girls' rights to go to school.
So if you're one of the oh—ohs, there's reason to be hopeful about the future. Things are looking up for the face—down generation. Chances are that you do great and laugh out loud.
