Mr. and Mrs. Green were very worried about their son, Daniel. He was born normal (正常) in every other way,1 seemed to be dumb (哑的). Mr. and Mrs. Green tried everything to get him to 2, but with no success.
When Daniel was six years old, the best doctors in the town examined (检查) him3, but could find nothing wrong. And he seemed to be smart. It was just that he 4 spoke.
“There might be something wrong with his 5, and he doesn't know he's able to speak,” one doctor said.
“But he can read and write,” said Mr. Green, “We've written him notes, telling him to speak some day.”
“It's certainly very 6,” another doctor said. “Perhaps he will be able to speak some day.”
7passed. Daniel went to university. But he didn't speak a single word.
Then one day Daniel was having a meal with his parents. Without any warning, he looked up from his 8 and said, “Pass me the salt, please.”
Mr and Mrs Green were excited. “You spoke! You spoke!” they cried. “Why have you 9 so long to speak?”
“I didn't have anything to say,” he said. “Until now everything was10. But you forgot to put salt in these potatoes.”
A
The sun shines almost every day. In the morning it is a little cold because the temperatures are low. Then later in the day, it is sunny and warm. So I have to wear a jacket in the morning and take it off when it gets warm. Sometimes it rains and I have to wear my raincoat. In spring my fingers and nose are always cold in the morning.
In winter it is very cold. It is snowy and rainy all the time. I have to wear a lot of clothes — my blue hat on my head, my black scarf around my neck, my red coat around my body and my thick white socks on my feet. Then I wear my black boots. I look like a bear with all these clothes. I hate it! It makes me look funny! But I am not cold.
Summer is the best season because it is hot and sunny. I only wear T-shirts and shorts. My T-shirts are in all colours. On my feet I wear my blue sandals (凉鞋) or white socks with my red and blue sports shoes. Then in autumn it gets cloudy and windy again, and I have to wear my coat or jacket again. I do not like it because later it is winter and I look like a bear again!
One day, Jay and Zeb were camping in the forest. They were old friends, and they camped together every summer.
It was just about lunchtime. Jay and Zeb were looking for a place to eat some lunch. Suddenly a bear appeared from behind the trees and stopped in their way. The bear was very surprised when it saw the two men. It roared (咆哮).
They started to run away from the bear. After a few steps, Jay fell down. He shouted for his friend to help him, but Zeb kept running and climbed a tree. Zeb climbed as high as he could. Jay was afraid that the bear would get him, but he remembered something his grandpa told him, “If you pretend to be dead (装死), a bear will leave you alone.”
Jay then pretended to be dead. When the bear came up, it smelled all over his body. The bear's breath was hot and dirty. Jay was scared, but he didn't move. Several minutes later, the bear left.
After the bear left, Zeb came down from the tree. He was happy that Jay was okay. “How are you?” he asked Jay.
Jay looked very upset. “Well, Zeb,” he said, “I have just learned a very important lesson.”
“What did you learn, Jay?” asked Zeb.
“I learned that you should never walk with a friend who leaves you at the first sign of danger.” Jay walked away from Zeb. Zeb tried to apologize (道歉), but it was too late.
June 5 is World Environment Day. This makes us pay more attention to our environment.
Wang Jun is a high school boy in our school. When he uses up his exercise books, he does not throw them away. He collects them. He also encourages other students to collect their used exercise books. Then they store and sell them to a paper making factory.
The paper is recycled and used again by students and teachers in the school. At the same time, the money from the sales goes to schools in Inner Mongolia for planting trees and grass. Inner Mongolia is one of the sources (源头) of the sandstorms that often attack Beijing during springtime.
Our school is one of the schools in the city that take part in the “green promise (承诺)” environmental protection activity. So far, nearly 210,000 students have taken part in the activity. They have collected more than 87 tons (吨) of waste paper.
“There have been more environment problems in many parts of China these years, such as haze (雾霾) and sandstorms,” said Wang.“We should do our duty and encourage others to do so as well.”
In the deserts(沙漠)of North Africa and Saudi Arabia lives the smallest fox with the largest ears. This animal is the fennec fox.
Fennec foxes have ears that are 5 to 6 inches long. That's big for an animal that weighs less than four pounds. Their ears help shed (去除) body heat. And, as you may have guessed, they also provide great hearing.
It's also interesting to think about the hair of fennec foxes. Why would a fox that lives in the desert need a thick, fur coat? Actually, the desert isn't always warm. During the nighttime, a desert can be terribly cold! A fennec fox's fur keeps them warm during those desert nights. They also have long bushy tails that they use as a blanket. And the hair on their feet protects them from the hot sand in the daytime.
Fennec foxes live in small communities of dens (兽穴).They spend most of the day sleeping in their dens, out of the hot sun. Then, when night comes, they come out in search of food. In addition to(除……之外) their great hearing, fennecs also use their great sense of smell and big eyes to track down dinner.
Fennecs eat both meat and plants. They like eating birds, eggs, insects, snails, fruit and leaves best. Fennec fox mothers have one to five babies at a time. Sometimes they are in danger. They have to be careful with predators (捕食性动物), such as caracals (a type of wild cat) , jackals, eagle owls, hyenas and humans. Humans catch them for their fur and to sell as pets.
Fennec Foxes | |
Living areas | of North Africa and Saudi Arabia. |
Appearance | They are the of all foxes with the largest ears. Their thick fur them warm in the cold desert night. The hair on their feet protects them from the heat of the sand during the . |
Ability | They have very good and eyesight with big ears and eyes. They are also good at tracking down dinner with their great sense of . |
Character | They live in small communities. Theyin their dens most of the day. At they become active and come out in search of food. |
Food | They eat both meat and plants. Theirfoods include birds, eggs, insects, snails, fruit and leaves. |
They are hunted by caracals, jackals, eagle owls, hyenas and humans. | |
