A
Maps are pictures of places. You must have seen a map of the world, of your home country and even of your home city. They show us towns, cities, roads, parks, schools, hospitals, and more.
There are also many other types( 类型) of maps. Each gives a special kind of information. There are street maps, tourist maps, and even maps of the air and sea.
Here is a simple road map.
B . 
C . 
D . 
C
In America, boys and girls often join clubs. The members of a club work together. They also learn certain skills and share good times.
Many boys belong to Boy Scouts. Boy scouts enjoy hiking and camping out together, and they learn many things. Scouts learn safety rules, first aid, and what to do when in danger. Members have a chance to learn outdoor living. They learn to build fires and cook out in the open.
Girl Scouts and Camp Fire Girls are clubs for girls. These two clubs give their members a chance to have fun and learn. The girls in a group take trips, have parties and go hiking and camping together. The Camp Fire Girls earn honor beads( 荣誉珠) for learning such skills as swimming and cooking. The Girl Scouts earn badges(徽章).
Both boys and girls can be members of 4-h clubs, Children who live in either the city or the country may belong to 4-h. A project such as raising a pig or a calf can be carried on only by farm children, while city children can take part in gardening and cooking projects.
In all these clubs the boys and girls learn to be good and useful citizens.
D
Inventions make our life easier and better than before. What are the best inventions of last year? Here are three amazing things in Time magazines list of the 25 best inventions of 2017.
Smart mug
It's hard to keep coffee or tea warm, especially in winter. But this smart mug from US company Ember Technologies can solve this problem. There is an app for the mug that allows people to set the mug to a certain temperature between 48℃ and 62℃. Then, the mug keeps your coffee or tea at that temperature for about an hour, and even longer if you put the mug on a charging（充电）plate.
Social robot
Can robots talk to us like humans? Jibo, a robot made by US company Jibo Inc, can do this. With a big, round head and a big body, Jibo looks like a cartoon character. And its voice sounds like a 10-year-old boy. As soon as you say "Hey, Jibo," it dances and turns to face you. When it talks to you, it moves its head and body to communicate with you. Its appearance, tone of voice and humor make you feel that you have a little friend Jibo is able to tell stories to children, take pictures just by hearing your order "Jibo, take a picture", and do hundreds of other jobs. Although its creators think that Jibo still has a lot to learn, it's available with a price of $ 899; a good price for a pretty smart and friendly robot!
Fidget spinner
What is the most popular toy this year? The answer is probably fidget spinners. They are small plastic or metal toys with a bearing(滚珠轴承）in the middle. The toys can keep turning around on your fingertip for a few minutes after you start them. Once they are turning, you can put them on any other flat surface, such as a ruler or even the nose of a pet dog. This toy is very popular among young people around the world. Some people say that it helps them calm down and relax. But it may not be a good thing to spend too much time playing with it.
A
There were many people on a bus. An old man (look) here and there. He wanted to find empty seat. Then he saw one and went to it. A small bag was on the seat. And a young man was beside it.
"Is this seat empty?" asked the old man.
"No, it's an old woman. She went to buy some bananas.” said the young man.
"Well, let me sit here, please. I'll leave here when she (come) back, "replied the old man.
After a few minutes, the bus started. "The old woman (not come), but her bag is here. Let me give her the bag. "Then the old man threw the bag out of the bus window.
The young man jumped up and shouted, "Don't throw! It's my bag!"
B
A Spring Morning
This spring morning in bed I'm lying,
Not to awake till the birds are crying.
After one night of wind and showers,
How many are the fallen flowers!
(Translated by Xu Yuanchong)
This poem (write) by Meng Haoran (689-740), who lived during the Tang Dynasty. It might be one of the (famous) Poems about spring in China. People like to read it they wake up on a spring morning.
Meng didn't directly say how much he loved spring. Instead, he wrote about the details(细节） of the season：the birds，wind， rain showers and fallen flowers． His descriptions（描述）of these things showed (we) the joy he felt during springtime.
Meng chose to write about the sounds of spring. These sounds allow readers (picture) spring using their own imagination.
rule, none, again, note, first directly, another, set, out, gave up |
One day, a student asked his teacher, "what is greed?" The teacher didn't answer his question , but asked the student to walk through the chocolate factory next to their school and pick out the biggest chocolate bar（条、块） he could find．But there was a : as he passed through the factory, he could not turn back.
The student went to the chocolate factory. As he walked, he saw a large chocolate bar. He liked it, but thought he might be able to find an even bigger one if he kept going. He kept walking and saw chocolate bar. This one was a little bigger. But , he thought he could find an even bigger one if he kept going. As he neared the end of the factory, he saw fewer chocolate bars, and of them were as large as the earlier ones. He started to regret his decision to keep going. Finally, he . He went back to his teacher empty-handed and explained what had happened.
The teacher told him, "You liked the chocolate bar, but you kept looking for a bigger one. And later, you realized that you had given up the best chocolate bar because you thought you could do better. That is called greed."
There was once a King and he wanted to find out who could paint the best picture of peace. And he would offer a prize to the artist. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm(平静的) lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with white soft clouds. Everyone thought that was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged(崎岖的） and bare（无遮蔽的）.Above was an angry sky. And it was raining and lightening. Down the side of the mountain, a waterfall fell quickly. This did not look peaceful at all.
But when the King looked carefully, he saw behind the waterfall a bush(矮树丛)growing in a crack（裂缝） in the rock． In the bush a mother bird had built her nest（巢，窝）, There, she sat on her nest… in perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize?
The King chose the second picture."Because, "said the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the middle of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.
