Bill, a thirteen-year-old boy, thought he had grown up to be a man. But his parents told him,“You won't be a real man until you begin to1 helping others.”
One morning, his parents gave him some money to2 some milk for them. Outside a shop he saw a homeless old man who looked very3 . Bill went to him and asked, “What's wrong with you?”
The old man answered, “I'm hungry. I haven't had4 food for two days.” At the thought of his parents' words, Bill said to the old man,“ Let's go to the5.”When they got there, Bill asked the waiter to bring out bread and coffee to the old man. The old man finished the meal quickly. After the waiter6 the plate and the cup, the old man said, “Sorry for giving you so much trouble. I'm fine now. I'll7 forget your kindness! You are a very good young man.”
Bill was8 when he heard this. Just when he wanted to9 for the meal, the waiter came. Bill and the old man learned10 that the food was free because it was the birthday of the boss, and they were the first customers(顾客) that day.
When Mat was a kid, he was afraid to go to the toilet. He thought there was a little man living just under it, and he would attack(攻击) him if he was there too long. He always went as quickly as possible.
Many years later, he found that a good friend used to believe that his body was full of rice. He began to think, "Did other people have strange ideas when they were kids？ "He collected their stories and wrote a book. Later he started a website to collect more stories. The website is called "I Used to Believe". Anyone can write stories there. What a funny and strange world! Here is one from Tom.
"I think I am a normal adult, but when I was five, I used to believe that the goal of parents was to kill their kids. One day, I kept crying when my father was busy. He got angry and put his hand around my neck. He wanted to quiet me. I remember thinking, 'OK, this is the end. 'Then he let me go and I thought to myself, 'I guess he won't do it now because too many people can see him."
Americans like to say "Thank you" when others help them or say something kind to them. People of many countries do so, too. It's a very good habit.
You should say "Thank you" when someone passes you the salt on the table, when someone walking in front of you keeps the door open for you, when someone says you have done your work well, or you have bought a nice thing, or your city is very beautiful. "Thank you" is used not only between friends, but also between parents and children, brothers and sisters.
"Excuse me" is another short sentence they often use. When you hear someone say it behind you, you know that he wants to walk past you without touching you. It's not polite to interrupt (打断) others when they are talking. If you want to speak to one of them, please say "Excuse me" first, and then begin talking. You should also do so when you begin to cough or make any noise before others. Let's learn to say "Thank you" and "Excuse me".
When I was a boy, I used to travel by bus or by motorbike. My grandparents used to live in a small town, but my parents used to work in another town. It's far from my home to my grandparents'. It's about 100 miles. We used to take a bus or ride a motorbike to visit my grandparents. There were always many people on the bus. I used to feel terrible when I was on it. Therefore (因此) , my parents used to take me to my grandparents' by motorbike. I often felt better, but it was too cold in winter. We must stop to stay warm for a while and had a short rest for several times on the way.
Now, it has changed a lot. My father bought a nice car three years ago. We can drive to my grandparents' home. And I am an 18-year-old college student. I don't feel terrible even though I travel by bus. I usually feel comfortable when I travel by our own car.
My 10-year-old Donna said,“Mom,I had a new friend at school today.Can she come over tomorrow?”Donna was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell.
“Sure,honey,that sounds great,”I said,thinking back to my own best friend,Lillian.We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights,New York.We met at the age of 10,too.Like my daughter,I was shy,but Lillian drew me out.She was one of the friendliest people in school,with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile.
In senior high school,Lillian went on a trip to Florida.This was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days.“I'll be back soon,”she told me.But three days later,Lillian's sister told me that she had fallen into a river and hadn't come out any more.Soon,my family moved to New Jersey.Whenever I thought of her,tears came into my eyes.
The next day Donna brought her new friend home.“Hi,Mrs.Loggia,”the little girl said.Her hair was so shiny and black and she shot me a big smile.“My name is Laura.”
My daughter's new friend was so much like Lillian.I was still puzzled (迷惑) when Laura's mom came to pick her up later that afternoon.I opened the door to let her in.“Judy!” she cried.“It's me,Lillian's sister,from Washington Heights.”Yes,my daughter's friend looked familiar.She was Lillian's niece.
add up, take part in, take action, make a difference, cut down, be good for, hear of, be harmful to, pay for, begin with |
提示：⑴get ready for class，listen carefully
⑵study in groups and help each other.
⑶work hard, do sports.
⑷其他：1-2条
要求：⑴语言流畅、书写规范、卷面整洁，词数不少于60；
⑵文中不得出现真实姓名、校名，否则以零分计。
How to be a good learner
As a good learner，we should…
I hope all these will be helpful to us.
