It's the day before Christmas. Karen Hartley, 33, was skiing（滑雪）by 1 at Powder Mountain in Utah. By mistake, she began to ski off the trail. Soon she 2. She shouted for help, but no one heard her. Night came, and the temperature 3 below freezing（凝冻）. Karen was very cold and afraid of 4. But she stayed calm. She played music in her mind and danced all night long to stay 5. She danced to old disco songs, pop songs, and Christmas songs. “It was either dance 6 die,” she said. “I kept on 7. I didn't give up.”
The next morning, a helicopter began to 8 Karen. After 18 hours in the cold, she was 9 just before it's too late. Karen was very cold but all right. She 10 Christmas Day in a hot tub（浴缸）.
A: Hello, Peter!
B: Hello Li Wei!
A: ?
B: I've been here for two weeks, but I'm going back to Australia tomorrow.
A: Have you traveled much?
B: . I've visited many interesting places.
A: ?
B: I have been to Tian An Men Square, Palace Museum, the Great Wall, the Birds' Nest and so on.
A: Wow, great! ?
B: Yes, I went to see the Terracotta Army（兵马俑）. It was fantastic.
A: ?
B: I love it very much, especially Beijing Duck. It's so delicious.
A. Where have you gone? B. How long have you been in China? C. What do you think of Chinese food? D. What places have you been? E. No, I haven't. F. Yes, I have. G. Did you go anywhere outside Beijing? |
Victory Bacelis is a California immigrant（移民）who grew up in a poor village in Mexico. He is used to working hard. He works more than 90 hours a week at three different jobs, including McDonal's. He is saving up to buy a house.
One day, while Victory was cleaning the floor at McDonal's, he found an envelope and picked it up. There was $612 in it. He called the police to report the lost money. The police couldn't find the owner, so they gave the money back to Victory.
Then Victory read a story in the newspaper about Adrian Snadoval, a baby who was very sick. Victory decided to give the money away to help pay for the baby's operation. Victory truly has a heart of gold.
Have you ever heard of e-waste, which can be produced every day? How do you deal with your computers, MP4 players and mobile phones when they're broken or you want a new one?
Most people just throw them away. With the development of electric industry, e-waste pollution has become a serious problem. According to the United Nations, in 2014, people around the world produced 41.8 million tons of e-waste and only recycled 6.5 million tons. The US was the biggest waster, producing 7.1 million tons. China came second, with 6 million tons.
It's important to pay attention to e-waste. It can either be valuable or harmful, depending on how we deal with it. E-waste is a valuable urban mine. The value of the metals, like gold and silver in the waste around the world, is amazing. And the metals can be reused. But if people throw them away, the toxic chemicals can get into the earth or air, effecting the environment and people's health.
Apple, for example, now recycle people's used products in China when they are buying new ones. The company will test and repair the used ones and sell them at lower prices. To help reduce e-waste, we can also take computers and phones to see if companies offer recycling programs.
Li Ruyan, 13 years old, did something special last summer with his classmates in Shanghai. They worked in groups with traffic police at different crossroads in the city. Holding small red flags, the students helped keep order and stopped people from jaywalking(乱穿马路). As a part of the school project, Li's school has encouraged its students to do more community(社区) work. After the half day of exhausting work Li told himself not to jaywalk anymore.
“I think through community work we get to help others and, more importantly, we grow a sense of responsibility(责任感),” he said.
Community service is an important part of education for teenagers around the world. In the US and Canada, high school students need to finish 40 hours of community service before graduation. In America, those who have finished 1,400 hours of community work can be awarded nearly $ 5, 000(33, 000 yuan).
Chinese students today do more community work, too. For example, starting from 2010, Sichuan high school students have been asked to do 10 days of community work. It will become part of their school grade.
Qian Lijun, 16, and her classmates in Suzhou, Jiangsu went to a local elder care home this winter. They put Spring Festival couplets (对联) on the walls and cheered up the people living there.
Li Xiaotian, 15, in Anshan said he used to clear flyers (小广告) from telephone poles (电线杆) with his classmates. They brought tools, towels and buckets and worked for three hours in the summer sun. “It was tiring, but seeing the clean poles without ugly ads — we really felt proud,” he said.
Ed Rosenthal lives in a nursing home in Boston with other elderly people. Ed is a senior citizen, 91 years old.
When Ed was 75 years old, a doctor came to the nursing home. She saw that Ed was out of shape and his body was weak. She told him to exercise and get in shape. So Ed started going to the exercise center to lift weights. He exercised for more than 16 years, day in and day out.
Now Ed has big muscles（肌肉）, and his stomach is as flat as a pancake. He is very healthy and happy. His family and friends are surprised. They can not believe their eye.
Nowadays, there are lots of left-behind children（留守儿童）at school, especially in the （贫穷）areas in China. According to report, China has 61.03 （million）children who have been left behind by their families. （lack）proper care, many of these children suffer from anxiety（焦虑）and （事故）.
Some of left-behind children have （not see）their parents for more than a year. Some of them live with their grandparents or relatives. They feel （孤独）and miss their parents a lot. Every child needs （parents）love and care.
Zhi Yan, a 10-year-old girl, lives in a mountain village in （west）China. She has to prepare supper for her family （除了）study. “Thanks to schools, governments and society's help, we live （happy）.” The girl said.
