Many people are superstitious(迷信的) about numbers. They think that there are lucky numbers and 1 numbers.
The number 13 is often considered(被认为) unlucky. In 2 parts of the world, buildings don't have the 3 floor. People go from the twelfth to the fourteenth 4. Some door numbers are like that 5. In Japan, the number 4 is considered unlucky because in Japan the word "four" is pronounced the same as the word "death". The Japanese 6 give gifts of four knives, four napkins or four of anything.
7 are lucky numbers? 7 is a lucky number in many places, and 8 is considered a lucky number both in Japan and China. In China, businesses often open 8 August 8, and many couples get married at 8:08 on August 8. Some people 9 lucky numbers very deeply. They would like to get a telephone number with "8" or "6" in it though it 10 them much more money. They think that the lucky numbers can really bring them good luck, and, at least no evidence(证据) says they can not.
Mrs. King is an American doctor. She is now in China. She works in a Children's Hospital in Beijing. She is also learning Chinese medicine(医术) there. She likes Chinese medicine very much. She loves working for children. She works hard in the day and reads English books on(关于) Chinese medicine at night. She learns Chinese from the Chinese doctors and her Chinese friends. Now she can speak some Chinese. She can read some Chinese books, too.
Her husband Mr. King is a teacher. He teaches English in a junior high school in Beijing. He works hard, too. He works from Monday to Friday. He teaches three classes every day. Sometimes, on Saturdays and Sundays, he teaches other English classes. He wants to make more money (挣更多钱).
Once there was an old woman. She lived in a shoe with her many children. They all looked after each other.
The family didn't always live in a shoe. They had a house before living in the shoe. One day, a giant (巨人) came, broke it into pieces and took the father to his castle (城堡). The woman's family were sad. Then the youngest son found the giant's huge shoe. He suggested staying in it until their father came back, but the father never did.
Finally, the eldest son decided to go to the giant's castle. At the castle, he found his father in a cage in a large room. However, a dragon was sleeping there. He killed the dragon and then saved his father out of the cage.
Back at the shoe, the old woman thought her son was in trouble. A witch (女巫) offered to help. She did something to make the giant's feet painful. Now, the giant wanted his old comfortable shoes. He went to look for them and found the woman's shoe home. It was his!
Just then, the eldest son came back with his father. They killed the giant. The family built a new house and lived happily together.
Mr. and Mrs. Scott want to buy some new chairs for their new house. They come into a shop and see some very good chairs on the floor. They like the colour and want to know how much they are. They see a price tag (标签) on one chair. It says (上面写着) "￥100". They like the chair but they are too dear (贵) for them. The Scotts don't think they can buy them now. They leave this shop and go to other shops. Mr. Scott thinks they can find some cheap chairs.
Hebei Province works to stop using coal (煤) for heating (供暖). About 2.2 million families in Hebei will use clean energy instead of coal for heating during the winter to reduce the air pollution.
Winter heating with clean energy is the most important measure for helping to protect the air and the environment greatly.
In recent years, over 5 million families have started using clean energy for heating. "When working hard to protect the air, we should make sure that all families can have a warm winter with enough clean energy in those areas or clean coal in areas that haven't started to use the clean energy for heating," Yuan Tongli said.
Some people living in villages may not want to use clean energy because they have enough coal in their homes and don't want to change. Officials from Hebei Province will work to stop them from using coal for heating.
"For areas that haven't started to use clean energy for heating, families need to use clean coal for heating. Hebei Province has provided enough clean coal to be used in the province," Hebei Daily said.
Some other cities in northern China such as those in Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan will also use clean energy for heating soon.
Dear Alice,
Thank you for your last letter. I enjoyed reading it very much. Thank you for telling me about your best friend. In this letter I will tell you about mine. Her name is Trudy. Trudy has long, dark brown hair and green eyes. She is the same age as me, but a little taller. She is always happy.
We sit together in class, and help each other with our schoolwork. We always go home together after school and play computer games for an hour. Trudy thinks very quickly(很快地) and usually wins(赢).
Trudy is learning to play the piano. I am learning to play the flute(笛子). We practise(练习) together every day. Sometimes Trudy stays in my house for a night, or I stay in her house for a night. We always have a good time. Do you ever stay in your best friend's house for a night?
Write soon.
Love,
Lily
It's natural for you to feel sad when some people are not polite to you. However, we should try to understand others let the sad moments go.
Last Sunday, when I was shopping, I met old friend of mine, Betty. She was looking for something. After a short talk with , I knew that she worked as a cashier (收银员) at a nearby store.
It was clear that she was not happy. Sometimes the customers (客人) were not (friend) to her at the store. She said that it even made her a bit nervous she worked.
"Well, I think I can understand," I said. "You know, I was a nurse before, and I had sad moments as well. Sometimes patients (病人), their family (member) or doctors weren't polite, but I tried to understand them. I let the sad moments go and just tried to do my job (good)."
She looked a bit relaxed after (hear) my words. "How kind and friendly you are!" she said. We (talk) for another while and then she headed back to the store a big smile on her face.
Try to understand others, and the world will be better.
