A group of frogs（青蛙）went jumping through the forest one day. Suddenly, two of them fell into a deep1. All of the other frogs came together to look2at their two fallen friends. They all began to shake their heads3 "It's too deep!" said one frog. Another added that there was no way they would ever be able to get out4.

    The two frogs began to jump and tried to get out. But the frogs that were5kept shouting at them that they had better6because they were just wasting their7. One of the two frogs finally8, listened to their advice and died.

    The other frog just kept on jumping harder than ever9all the shouts. They kept shouting at him to stop being so10and save himself from all the pain（疼、痛）when he jumped and fell back down to the hard bottom again and again.

    Finally, to the11of all the other frogs, he jumped right high enough and got out. The other frogs asked him, "Why did you keep jumping12we shouted at you to stop?" The frog explained, "I was so worried at that time that I could hardly13anything. I thought all of you were saying words of14all the time and cheering me on to try harder."

    Yes! Cheering words can sometimes make such a(n)15. A little encouragement can go a long way.

    Here is some information about some of the wonders of the world. I am sure you will be interested in them.

    ThePyramids of Egypt

    There are about eighty pyramids known today. The most well-known was for Pharaoh（法老）

    Khufu. It is known as the "Great Pyramid". It's also the largest one. Workers used about 2.3 million blocks of stone to build it. They spent about 20 years finishing it.

    The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

    The garden sat on a hill. It was a large and wonderful structure（建筑物）. Many parts of the garden were high up on large columns（支柱）. There were many big and green trees with lovely flowers. Although there are many different ideas about the garden, we are not sure whether this wonder ever existed（存在）!

    TheLighthouse of Alexandria

    The Lighthouse of Alexandria was designed about 2,000 years ago. It was in Egypt, too. It was one of the ancient wonders of the world, about 135 metres high. It was once the highest building in the world. Although it doesn't exist now, many people come to see its relic（遗址）every year.

    On August 4, while a young man in Hangzhou was caught because of killing another young man with his car, a 17-year-old girl died because of the same reason in the same city. It's reported that the driver was badly drunk.

    Cars are more and more popular for more Chinese these days. And the numbers of car accidents are increasing. From 1994 to 2008, deaths because of drunk-driving increased 7.3%. In 2009, a total of 18,371 people were killed in car accidents because of drunk driving.

In the middle of August, there were some new rules to deal with the drunk drivers:

    ⒈If a driver's alcohol content（酒精含量）is 20mg per 100 ml of blood, he is regarded as a drunk driver.

    ⒉If a driver's alcohol content is 80mg per 100ml or more, he will be held（拘留）for 15 days and have their license revoked（吊销执照）for six months, and are given a fine（罚款）of 2,000 yuan.

    The first weekend, 3,167 drivers were held because of high levels of alcohol in their blood.

    So many people are calling for the law to deal with drunk drivers in order to make drivers understand that drunk drinking can make serious problems.

    We spoke to three students from around the world about different national holidays. There are different customs for each festival.

    Tan Xiaodong, 15, Hong Kong, China

    "It'll soon be Chinese New Year. Before it we'll clean the house and decorate it for good luck.

    Every shop is going to close for a few days and we'll go out a lot to celebrate in the streets. We might go and see the lion and dragon dances in the city center. I love this festival."

    Wendy, 16, Sydney, Australia

    "Australia Day is on 26^th January and it's an important holiday here. We always have a Monday off, so we celebrate for three days. My parents and I go to the countryside for a picnic and friends always come over. Many people go to beach parties or street parties and there's lots of music and dancing. What fun!"

    Amy, 14, New York, USA

    "The first Thanksgiving Day was hundreds of years ago when Europeans who came to America thanked God for his help. It's still a very important day for families to be together. This year we're going to visit my grandparents and we'll eat a delicious meal of turkey. Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November every year."

    Nearly every parent says that we never grow up. In fact, we are maybe 16 or 17 years old. In their eyes, we are always little ones and always do wrong things. For example, when I need to stay at home, alone, they always worry about me and my life without them.

    Most parents always think that they have offered the best things they can to make their children live in a comfortable world. They buy their children pretty clothes, cool shoes, strange but expensive school things, and always a thousand-Yuan-cost bike. They think that they have done everything they can to their dear little children. In return, they only want their little boy to give them good results in the examinations.

    But why their little babies still can't understand them? Why? Does it mean that they still want more material（物质的）things? No. As a matter of fact, what they want is a true family. What does a true family mean? I think it means a place where we can hide ourselves from the outside cold world. From here, we can get warmth, we can get consolation（安慰）, and we can get happiness.

    And one important thing is that we should be stronger and more confident in the outside world because we know that we have a family.

    So I think that parents should save their money and sit down to talk with their child to let them know that they have a true family, so the child and his parents could understand each other more and more. Then, no boy will be regarded as a little boy.

    The USA is the fourth largest country in the world in size after Russia,        (Canadian)and China. The population of the USA is the        (three) largest in the world.

    The Mississippi River is the        (long) river in America. It's over 6,000 kilometers long.

    The Mississippi River        (call) the "Father of Waters" or "Old Man River". The most important lakes in the United States        (be) the Great Lakes. They are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.        of them are between Canada and the USA except Lake Michigan.

    Let us talk        American education. There are two kinds of schools in the USA: public schools and private schools. Most children go to public schools. Their parents do not need to pay for their education.        a child goes to a private school, his parents then have        (spend) a lot of money on their schooling. Children start school at the age of five. Most students are eighteen        (year) old when they leave secondary schools.

    Imagine this: your parents go away on business, but you have to stay at home alone. Would life be as easy as when your parents are around? Would it be a perfect holiday for you?

    "I can fill an empty stomach with tomato and egg soup, but that's all. I think many of my classmates are the same. We wouldn't know what to do, or how to look after ourselves," said Zheng Chenyu. "And I'd forget something important. I'd probably watch television and burn the soup."

    "As soon as I leave home, I'll learn to cook. But now parents do almost everything for us.

    We're very lazy," she said.

    Most teenagers have only time for their homework. They don't learn any life skills until theygo to college.

    However, Sima Yige doesn't think so.

    "I think I'd be all right. I wouldn't just eat sandwiches or fruit. I know how to cook, some simple dishes because my mum showed me," the 13-year-old boy said. In his opinion, many teenagers depend too much on their parents, and there is much more to learn than cooking, like tidying up your room or even dressing yourself properly.

    For most teenagers it wouldn't be a holiday at all.

1）中秋节的日期及庆祝方式；

2）中秋节的意义。

注意：

1）词数 80 左右；

2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。