It was a hot summer evening. Kevin and his brother Alan were1soccer in the backyard. After a while, they decided to drink some orange juice and watch TV in the house. Suddenly the TV was2. Alan tried to turn it back on, but3happened. They soon realized that there was no electricity (电). What could they do? Kevin suggested going outside to do some star4. Without streetlights, the stars were bright and5to see. Lying on the grass, they saw different kinds of stars6they even saw the planet Mars. Kevin and Alan had never realized7fantastic the night sky could be.

    After watching the stars for an hour, the boys8the house. It was very dark except for9candles that their parents had lighted. The family spent the night playing cards and telling stories by candle light. Kevin and Alan had never thought of having such a night10electricity like that before. They really enjoyed watching stars.

    Most cars run on gas. Gas cars work very well. But there is a problem. Cars that run on gas make the air dirty. The dirty air is not good for people, animals or trees. Gas cars make the air dirty for all living things. What can we do? We can drive electric cars!

    Electric cars do not use gas. These cars do not make the air dirty. These cars have batteries that power their motors (马达). The batteries can be charged (充电) many times. They can be used again and again. This makes electric cars great.

    But electric cars have problems too. They are slower than gas cars. They are also very quiet. This means that some people can't hear them when they go by. They may not think a car is coming. So they have to be careful.

    People are finding ways to make electric cars better all the time. Maybe one day all cars will be electric. That would be much better for the world.

    When I was in the eighth grade, my teacher asked us to write an article about what we would like to do when we grew up. All I could think of was one sentence—I want to help other people! During the years, I met many problems. But I never gave up. I know that to help other people I have to help myself first. I encouraged myself after I experienced failures (失败). Finally my dream really came true. I found a part-time job in a charity. I began to spend my days doing things for people. I have a happy life. That doesn't mean that this kind of life is easy, or that my work is always enjoyable. I am happy because I am doing what I want to do.

    What do you want to do? Write it down now. If you don't know, you can ask yourself, "What would I do if this was the last day of my life?" Then write down the first thing that comes to your mind, no matter (无论) how silly or impossible it is. If you have an answer, you will know what your dream is.

    My name is Tom. When I was young, I was always sad, and almost everything ended in failure. I completely lost my heart, sighing (叹息) unhappily all day. Having seen me like that, my father decided to cheer me up.

    One day, he gave me a cup of water and asked me to taste it. I found it salty. My father said he just put one small spoon of salt in the cup. And then, he led me to a lake, where he put a big handful (一把) of salt into the lake, picked up a spoon of water and let me taste it again. He asked, "Does it still taste salty?" "Not at all," I said. My father said, "Now, you may know the reason of your pain: you are just a cup of water, but not a lake. Be a lake and you won't feel sad any more."

    I came to understand my father's purpose; I feel frustrated because my heart is as small as a cup of water. He hoped that I could be a person with a heart like a lake.

      Gina is in Toronto, Canada. She wants to know the way to the park in the city.

      Bob is my cousin. He enjoys reading books. He wants to find a library to read books every week.

      Jane needs to send a letter to her parents. She wants to know how to get to the post office.

      David arrives in Paris. He wants to see his uncle. But he doesn't know the way to his uncle's house.

      Lucy is an English girl. She wants a Chinese pen pal because she wants to learn more about China.

    Poems are the art of language. They can express our feelings and ideas       a powerful way. Everyone can enjoy the poems if he        (know) some tips (建议).

    Read poems aloud. Poems are "word music", an art which paints pictures with words and sounds. Since the sounds        (great) increase the effect of the words, poems must be        (read) aloud to provide you with the fullest joy. Make your first reading a silent one, if you like, to know       the poem says. But you should read it aloud to experience the poem the        (two) time.

    Relax, slow down and there's no rush. Read with understanding, rather       speed. As you read the lines, feel their        (happy), their sadness; sense the look, smell and taste of them. By reading carefully and slowly, you will experience a response to the words.

    Read it again and again. Very often we cannot        (full) enjoy a poem after the first reading. So if a poem        (fail) to catch your feeling the first time, give it another chance.

Using electricity safely