Tolstoy, the great Russian writer, liked to walk about in a railway station near his home. One day when he was walking up and down as usual, looking at people getting on and off the 1, he heard a lady 2 after him, “Hey, you old fellow, go and fetch my handbag in the 3 room which I left there.”
Tolstoy 4 there. He 5 the bag up and walked quickly along the platform (站台）. At the same time the lady was waiting beside the carriage, looking 6. When at last the old man gave the bag back to her, she opened it to 7 sure nothing was missing. “Good, old man,” said the woman. “You are just as 8 as I hope. Here you are.” Tolstoy 9 the coin and put it into his pocket with a smile.
But the woman was very 10 when she heard that he was Tolstoy, the author (作者）of the great novel WAR AND PEACE. How interesting it was!
There was once a man who couldn't sleep well because he was afraid that there was a stranger under his bed. He thought that as soon as he went to sleep, the stranger would come out from the bed and rob him. He was worried that the stranger might even kill him!
Every night, after he got into bed, the man had to get up again and looked under the bed. There was never anyone there, but as soon as he got back into bed, he had to get up and looked under the bed again. This went on for hours until at last he fell asleep from exhaustion.
The time came for the man to get married. He didn't tell his wife about his fears but she soon found out because he kept her awake all night.
“You must go to see a doctor,” she told him. “He will make you become well. You won't have such silly fear again.”
The man did as his wife told him. He told the doctor his problem, and the doctor said, “You can be well again, but it will take about two years. You must come and see me three times a week. The cost for each visit will be $75.”
The next day the man called the doctor and said, “I won't need to visit you again. I'm well now.”
The doctor was surprised. “How?” he asked. “Who made you get well?”
“My wife did,” the man said. “When I told her how much I would have to pay you, she cut the legs off the bed.”
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The Arts Cinema is open 7 days a week, showing lots of American and foreign films. Next week it will show an Australian film called Midnight Meeting. It is about Sydney in the 1960s. You can see that film from Monday to Thursday. It will be on twice a day at 6:30 and 9:10 in the evenings. The film lasts two hours and fifteen minutes. Tickets are $4, but there is a special student ticket at $2.60 for all the films. Please bring your student card if you want the cheaper ticket. The nearest car park to the cinema is in Hamlet Street. It's just five minutes' walk from the cinema. If you need further information, phone 8813962 during office hours—9 a. m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. |
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The History of Basketball Dr. Naismith started the basketball game in 1891. He was a teacher. He wanted a sport that the students could play inside in winter. In 1936, basketball became a sport at the Olympic Games. Now, it is very popular and more than 3 million people play it around the world. |
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The History of Tea It is said that (据说) the emperor Shen Nong discovered tea by accident when he was boiling water over an open fire. Some leaves from a nearby bush fell into the water and produced a pleasant smell. He tasted the hot mixture (混合物). It was quite delicious. In this way, he invented tea. Tea was popular among the people, but it didn't appear in the Western world until 1610. |
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The History of Potato Chips A cook called George Grum invented potato chips by mistake in 1853. He wanted to play a trick on a customer. He cut the potatoes really thin and cooked them for a long time until they were crispy (脆的). Then he sprinkled (撒) lots of salt on them so they were salty. But in fact, they were crispy and delicious. The customer loved them very much. |
Long ago, people lived on wild animals，fruits and other plants and they didn't need to use money.
As time passed, families had more products than they needed, such as animals and crops. So they needed to trade (交易）with others. They began to use money to make it easier. However, it was not like the money we use today. They used shells, rice, salt or large stones.
During the 600s BC, people began using coins as money. Because they were easier to carry than goods (货物)，countries began to make coins as their money.
The Chinese were the first to use paper money, probably in the 11th century. An Italian traveler, Marco Polo, saw the Chinese use paper money when he visited China in the 1200s. After his travel, he told the western people what he saw. But European countries didn't start using paper money till the 1600s.
Today we have many ways to pay for things, such as coins, paper money and cards. Some prefer to pay by card. That's because paying with a card is easier and safer than carrying around a lot of “real” money.
Library of Congress (国会）is in the United States. This library is the largest library in the world. It is 3 stories high and the book shelves in it are 500 kilometers long.
Resources
The library has a large collection of resources like newspapers，magazines, CDs, videos and CD-ROMs. There are also many rooms for people to meet each other or listen to music. It also has a language learning center. It gets 2,000 questions a day, and some can be answered in a few minutes. Some need more time, sometimes a few months. All workers in the library use computers to help them.
How to join
If you are a middle school or above, then you can come to the library and fill in a form. Don't forget to bring your ID card. You must be an American and live in the United States.
If you have time, come along to America and take a look around for yourself!
Long long ago, there was a wild donkey and a tame (驯服的) donkey.
The wild donkey was thin and small. He spent his life outdoors. grass on the hill was his food. Sometimes, he had to walk miles to find water. At night there was (dangerous) from wolves.
The tame donkey was fat and strong. The owner gave him grass he felt hungry. There (be) always water for him to drink. At night he stayed in a stable (驴棚) (safe).
The wild donkey wanted to live like the tame donkey.
One day, the wild donkey was looking for grass on the hill. He saw the tame donkey walking slowly along the road. The tame donkey was carrying a (heavily) bag. The tame donkey felt tired and hungry. He wanted to stop (eat) some grass by the road. his owner didn't agree. He began to beat the tame donkey a stick.
The wild donkey changed mind. He didn't want to live like the tame donkey any longer.
