"I'm going shopping in the village," George's mother said to George on Saturday morning. "So be a good boy and don't get into trouble. And don't forget1good care of Grandma. "Then out she went.
Grandma2in the chair by the window when she opened one little eye and, "Now you heard3your mother said, George."
"Yes, Grandma," George said.
George was bored to tears. He didn't have a brother or a sister. His father was a farmer, and4farm they lived on was miles away from anywhere,5there were never any children to play with. He was tired of staring at6pigs, hens, cows and sheep. He was especially tired of having to live in the house with his grandma. Looking after her all by himself was hardly7way to spend a Saturday morning.
"Go and make me a cup of tea for a start,8sugar and milk," Grandma said.
Most grandmothers are lovely, kind, helpful old ladies, but not this one. George's grandma was a woman9was always complaining about something or other. She spent all day10on her chair by the window. George11that Grandma used to be a gentle lady, but as she grew older, she was not able to look after herself and even worse, she was easy to get angry.
"We12be nice to the old, George," his mother always told him.
Thinking of this, George13into the kitchen and made Grandma a cup of tea with a teabag. He put one spoon of sugar and14milk in it. He stirred the tea well and carried it into the living room15.
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School is starting soon. Last year I bullied (欺负) a boy. (I'm a girl) I attacked him even though he's stronger because I knew he wouldn't hit a girl. I want to apologize but I don't know how. I feel bad for doing this. He doesn't trust me. How should I show him I have changed? —Lily |
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Firstly, be proud of yourself for changing. It's not easy to admit (承认) that you bullied someone or to stop once you start. Offering an apology to someone you bullied is a great first step toward starting over. If you can, tell him, "I want to apologize for my actions last year." Speaking from the heart can help. Tell him, "I feel really bad for what I did. It's been on my mind all summer." |
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People who are bullied often have difficulty trusting others, especially the people who bullied them in the past. So don't expect the other person to accept your apology easily. Secondly, be patient. It will take time. You've probably heard that "actions speak louder than words". So after offering words of an apology, you then need to show him that you've really changed: be kind and helpful to him. Thirdly, you should remember: First, what you're doing takes courage and you can be proud of the fact that you are taking real steps to change. Second, whatever happens, you're building some good skills and learning more about yourself and the kind of person you want to be. |
Sammy looked out of the classroom window at a bird in a tree. He saw a worm (小虫) in the birds mouth. "Wow!" he whispered as he looked at the bird eating the worm.
"Sammy!" his teacher Mr Maxwell said loudly.
Sammy jumped and knocked his science book off his desk. Everyone in the class laughed and Sammy blushed (脸红). This was the third time today he had been caught not paying attention to the science lesson. It was just so easy to get distracted (分心的) when people read aloud from the science textbook!
It wasn't that Sammy didn't like science. He loved to learn about machines, earth and animals. He even thought bugs and plants were great. He wanted to go outside and see how a snake lived. He wanted to watch plants growing from the ground as they did last month. He just didn't want to read about these things.
Sammy thought Mr Maxwell would surely understand. "There was a bird with a worm in its mouth…" Sammy began. Then he saw the furious look on his teacher's face. Sammy decided that he had better stop talking before Mr Maxwell became any angrier.
The Blacksmith (铁匠) I am a blacksmith. I am important because I make everything that is needed such as shoes for horses and other animals. I can also be considered a dentist, because I pull the tooth out if someone's tooth hurts.
The miller (磨坊主) My neighbour is a miller. The mill that he owns and runs is extremely important. The mill is part of the reason why we live here. The miller grinds (磨) grain for farmers. Instead of getting money from the farmers, the miller takes a percentage of the grain for a payment.
The cobbler (补鞋匠) The cobbler makes my shoes. He is a very busy man because we walk a lot. The cobbler fixes old shoes and makes new ones. It's very expensive to get a new pair of shoes, so I make sure my shoes are weli-worn before getting a new pair or getting them fixed! The shoes aren't very beautiful. In fact, the cobbler uses the same pattern (模式) for every shoe, and it makes no difference whether it's left or right! Each shoe is exactly the same.
The Town Crier (公告传报员) The town crier is how we get our news in the town. He travels from town to town ringing a bell to get everyone's attention. When he tells the news, he doesn't give much detail, just words like: "War began today."
In every walk of life, we can find advertisements. Radios, televisions, newspapers and mobile phones are filled with advertisements. Even when we read emails, we can find advertisements. Advertisements influence people's behaviour. It can be possible that I do not have that need without seeing an advertisement, but after seeing or hearing, I want to buy that thing. For example, I have a mobile phone. It is working well but after seeing the advertisement of another mobile with more features, I want that mobile now. Advertisements are the best way to create needs among the consumers.
The advertisement helps us in making life better. It motivates us to work hard so that we can buy better things. It gives knowledge about new products and motivates us to make them better than the things before. It is a great motivation to invent new products.
The advertisement also has a bad side. It motivates us towards materialism (物质主义). We want new things all the time, which motivates us to earn more money. Therefore, we do not have time for each other. We like to do those things from which we can earn more money instead of sitting with friends or family members.
In conclusion, every coin has two sides. In my view, the advertisement is a great source of knowledge. It also motivates us to work hard and make life more Interesting.
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over and over again get bored hundreds of such as and so on |
Nowadays, there are already many robots working in factories. They can help to build cars, and finish doing simple jobs . Fewer people will do such jobs in the future because they are boring, but robots will never
. Some robots in Japan can walk and dance. There will be a lot more robots in the future. Some scientists believe that we can make robots move like people, and also it will be possible to make them really think and talk like a human. However, it may take years. The robots in the future will have many different shapes, humans, plants, animals . Do you think you will have your own robot in the future?
Jeff Gaye, a young American swimmer, is becoming more and more famous. He has his own teacher, driver and even his own cook. Each time people hear him speak on television, they can't believe he's only 13. Jeff's father is an engineer but he is also his son's manager. He says, "I don't make Jeff do anything he doesn't want to do. He chooses which competition to swim in. But he works hard and wins nearly every race. I cut out all the newspaper articles about him and put them in a big box!"
Jeff is very busy every day because people want to write about him, or photograph (给……拍照) him for magazines. "When I'm at school," Jeff says, "I just want to be like my classmates. That's really important to me." But Jeff doesn't have a normal schoolboy's life. He often has to travel for international races and has little free time. "I go to the pool every day and swim there for at least six hours. When I'm in the pool, I love every minute."
参考词汇：face to face, communicate with, get on well with
The Internet is becoming more and more popular. It brings us a lot of fun and convenience, but it also causes some new problems.
