I live in a flat with two bedrooms. I have electricity to cook meals and charge(给......充电) my mobile phone. I can walk to the supermarket nearby to buy meat, fruit, vegetables and so on, How comfortable my life is!
However, I always expect something different. What will life be like without all the modern conveniences? Last Friday, I got a chance to get the answer to this question.
My cousin Jack has a treehouse at the top of a hill in Colorado. Staying in that treehouse is like going back in time. There is no electricity or running water. There are only two chairs and a bed in the house.
Jack told me how to cut wood, make a fire and cook over a fire. Time was everything. We had to start to make dinner early so that we could have enough daylight to do that.
But the life without computers, TVs, and smart phones was not bad. There was plenty of time for talking, walking and going sightseeing. I also slept better there.
Jack s sister Jenny cooked breakfast for us. In the morning, when I woke up, I could smell the delicious food with the morning light warming my face. I stayed there for two days. On Sunday afternoon, I had to leave the treehouse and go back home.
It's hard to say which kind life is better. However, I do think we should try to enjoy a break now and then from the convenient and busy modern life.
Road accidents keep happening in every city, on every road and at any time. Traffic rules are made to keep order on the road. They can also help to keep the pedestrians(行人) safe.
The pedestrian has as many rules to follow as the driver of a car. You should walk on the sidewalk or at the edge of the road. Always look carefully before you walk across the street. If you ride a bike, don't ride in the middle of the road or look around to talk. If you drive, you should slow down at the traffic lights. You must always wear a seat belt(安全带). Without the belts, both the driver and the passengers may be badly hurt in a sudden accident.
Traffic rules are also called Road Safety rules. The maxim(格言) for all road users is "Thinking about others. '
Xu Xiake was known in China as a great explorer (探险家)，geographer and travel writer. Born in 1587, he loved reading books about geography and nature and from an early age wished to see the natural wonders of the country. Xu started to travel at the age of 22 with the encouragement of his mother. As well as exploring famous mountains and rivers, he went to places that had never been visited before. His first journeys lasted only a few months so that he could often return home. But by 1639, about two years before his death, Xu had been travelling for years at a time, covering almost half of modern China. Unlike most travelers these days, Xu travelled the hard way— n foot. He showed great courage during his journeys. He often went without food for days and suffered (遭受) bad weather, illness, dangerous animals and even robbers.
Xu wrote about his discoveries in his travel diaries, which are the earliest records of landscapes (风景)in Southern China. Xu's own experiences enabled him to correct several mistakes in earlier books. One of his most important discoveries was that the
Jinsha River was the true source of the Yangze River. At more than 600,000 words, Xu's diaries are regarded as one of the greatest works in both scientific and literary fields. Translated into modern Chinese, it is amazing to hear the voice of Xu Xiake speaking to us across the centuries about his adventures.
It was the old lady's eightieth birthday. She was sure Myra wouldn't forget her mother's birthday, even if she was busy. After all, eighty was a special birthday. Perhaps Myra might come. Even if Myra did not come, she would send a present. The old lady was sure of that. She was excited like a child.
Mrs. Morrison had brought a card and some flowers when she came to do the breakfast. Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake. Johnnie, the little boy next door, was now up with her with a bag of sweets.
"I guess you'll get lots and lots of presents," he said. "I did last week when I was six."
What would she like? A pair of slippers, perhaps. A blue new sweater. Or a little clock, with clear black numbers. So many lovely things.
She sat in her wheelchair by the window, watching. The postman turned round the corner on his bicycle. Her heart beat fast. Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate.
"Granny, granny," Johnnie returned. "I've got your post!"
He gave her four envelopes (信封). Three were from old friends. The fourth was in Myra's writing.
"No parcel (包裹), Johnnie?"
"No, granny."
Disappointedly, she opened the fourth envelope. Folded in the card was a check. Written on the card was a message: Happy Birthday—Buy yourself something nice with the check, Myra and Harold.
The check for $1,000 fell to the floor like a bird with a broken wing. Slowly the old lady picked it up, thinking of the lovely present she wanted. With shaking fingers she tore (撕) the check into small pieces.
When Emma and her family went out to dinner, they always went to their favorite restaurant. Their favorite restaurant was an Italian restaurant, and they usually went there once a week.
One week when they were getting ready to go out to dinner, Emma's dad suggested they try the new Chinese restaurant in 1own, but Emma and her little brother Josh both disagreed.
"You might actually end up liking it if you give it a try," said their mom. Their dad added, "Let's try it once, and if you don't like it, we can go back to the Italian restaurant." Emma and Josh agreed and got into the back seat of the car.
When they arrived at the Chinese restaurant, a waiter met them at the door and greeted them with a smile. He led them to a table. The restaurant looked pretty cool, and the waiter was very nice. He told them what some of his favorite dishes were. Emma and Josh took his advice and ordered their dishes. Soon the dishes were ready. After Emma and Josh tasted them, they both said," You are right, Mom. The food here is pretty delicious."
When the meal was over, Emma said, "l think I have another favorite restaurant." Josh agreed and asked," When shall we come here again?" "On Children's Day," said Emma's mom with a smile.
It was two months before Christmas when nine-year-old Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bike. Her Snow White bike was just too old to ride, and it needed repairing as well.
As Christmas came closer, her dream for a bike seemed to disappear, for she didn't mention it again. We were busy buying some beautiful storybooks, a doll house, a holiday dress and toys.
Then much to our surprise, on the evening of December 24, she said she terribly wanted a bike more than anything else.
Then we didn't know what to do. It was just too late for us to make her dream come true. So there was no time to buy the "right bike" for our little girl. Thinking that we were parents who would make their child unhappy, we tried to deal with the problem.
Suddenly my husband came up with an idea. "What if I make a little bike out of clay and write a note that she could trade in the model bike for a real one?" "Perfect!" I shouted. So he spent the next five hours carefully working with clay to make a small bike.
On Christmas morning, we were so excited to wait for our daughter to open the little box with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. She opened it and read the note loudly. She looked at me and her father, and said, "So, does it mean I can trade in this bike for a real one?" Smiling, I said, "Yes." Rose had tears in her eyes when she replied, "What a wonderful surprise I have! I will never trade in this beautiful bike that Daddy made me. I prefer to keep it rather than get a real bike." At that moment, we would have bought her every bike on the earth.
Nowadays, a new method is used to decide who are the top students in school. The best students are those who not only get high marks, but also follow the rules and the behavior standards for middle school students. Here are some of the new rules and standards.
Tell the truth. Have you ever copied someone else's work on an exam? If you have, then don't do it again! That's not something an honest student should do. If you have played computer games for two hours in your room. don't tell your parents you were doing homework.
Learn to work together with others. It would be more fun when more people work together. Did you fight with your teammates when your basketball team lost? Only working together can make your team stronger. Be friendly to the people you are with. Try to think of others, instead of only yourself.
Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Perhaps you'll discover Earth Ⅱ someday. Don't look down on new ideas. Everyone's ideas are important. You should welcome them, because new ideas make life better for everyone.
Use the Internet carefully. Some websites on the Internet aren't for kids, so make sure to visit the web pages that are good for you. You can visit the websites for fun or homework. Can't you find any good websites for children?
Children's Games in Ancient China
During ancient times, children didn't have much to enjoy. However, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood.
Kicking stone balls
During the Qing Dynasty, kicking a stone ball around was a popular game in the northern part of China, and it was often played in winter to keep warm.
Playing hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the nation. There are two ways to play: cover a child's eyes and then other kids run around to tease(戏弄)him, or more usually, others hide and one child must try to find them.
Flying kites
Kites have quite a long history. The earliest kites were made of wood, instead of paper. The three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, the Tianjin kite and the Wei-fang kite. Each has its own feature. For example, the bird-shaped kite with long wings is a special kind of the Beijing kite.
Watching shadow plays(皮影戏)
The closest thing to watching a film in ancient times was going to see a shadow play. The artists control puppets (木偶) behind the screen and tell stories to the music.
Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Products are not produced in a "green" way. It leads to the new pollution problem. One result is that millions of tons of wastes like glass, paper and plastics are produced. The waste problem is difficult to deal with.
However, today, people have realized the importance of buying and using environmentally- friendly products. More and more people are choosing "green" and expecting that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these, "Will this soap be bad for the environment?" "Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?"
Over 20,000 people took part in a web survey on buying environmentally-friendly products. Among them, 8,129 people say that they now consider the environmental safety of a product before they buy it. That is to say, companies must change the way they make and sell their products to make sure that they are "green".
A few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds of them. Some supermarket products carry labels to show that they are green. Some companies have made the clean and safe products. The growing need for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business of them. The public will no longer accept the old idea of "buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it." As a result, the companies have to take action.
More than 700 years ago, Scotland (苏格兰) was fighting with England. The King of England wanted to control Scotland. He had a strong army so it was difficult for the Scots to fight. They lost many times. King Robert of Scotland had to run from the English army.
It was a rainy day. King Robert lay in an old house. He thought that he was not good enough to be king. He was so worried that he didn't even see a spider(蜘蛛) near him. He looked up when he saw the spider climbing. It was trying to climb up to its web at the top of the house but it fell down.
"How sad!" thought King Robert." The spider is like me. It's not strong enough." He watched while the spider climbed up again. It fell down a second time.
"Be careful. little spider, or you might die," he said." Life is so hard. You'll never get back to your web." But the spider tried again and again. King Robert watched while it slowly climbed back to its web. After an hour, the spider got to the web.
"You're such a great spider," be sad." I lf you can keep trying, I can too. I must keep on fighting I won't let the English win. "His army grew strong and they sopped the English army. Scotland was free.
