Every year, people from every corner of the world travel to Australia to meet the kangaroo—the lovely, unusual and special Australian animal that jumps all over this sunburnt continent. There is a young kangaroo that is lucky to be alive today, thanks to meeting a pair of New South Wales teenagers.

    Nick Heath and Jack Donnelly were riding their motorbikes in the bush outside Sydney on Sunday when they came across a kangaroo stuck in the mud(泥). The boys were lucky enough to see the head of the animal sticking out of the mud at Agnes Banks next the Nepean River in southwest Sydney.

    The animal was clearly in pain but the boys couldn't reach it so they raced home to get a rope. When they returned, Mr. Donnelly tied the rope around his waist(腰) and walked into the thick mud to get hold of the kangaroo while his friend then pulled them about 30m to safety.

 Appearing on Today this morning, the young men retold their story.

"The kangaroo's life was important to us, so we pulled out all the stops to rescue it." Mr. Heath said.

    "We're proud of what we did. If we see something like that again, we'll do it all over."Mr Heath added.

    The animal, which was not in great health, after being saved, was handed to Wildlife Rescue Organization. It's believed that it's very hot and the kangaroo was likely searching for water in the dry conditions when it got stuck in the mud.

    As for the heroes of the story, they're glad to have been in the right place at the right time to help the animal and don't care about the attention it's brought.

    "Yeah, we liked it, something different." Mr. Donnelly told reporters.

    For thousands of years, humans have explored(探索)the Earth. Nowadays, we are exploring space. Astronomers (天文学家) are the modern﹣day explorers, Now, many astronomers are looking for new planets and new places for humans to live in the future. But where do astronomers start looking？

    First of all, astronomers look for a star. That's because our own Earth moves around a star (the Sun). More importantly, it is the correct distance( 距离) from the Sun for heat and light. So when astronomers have found the star, they look at the planets around it. In recent years, astronomers have found nearly 400 new planets with stars. However, many of these planets are either too near to the star or too far away.

    However, if the planet is in a good position, astronomers look for three key things: water, air and rock. Water is important because all life needs water. Humans can drink it and they can also grow plants with water. And plants produce air for humans to breathe and food to eat. Rock on a planet is also important. That's because there is often water under the rock.

    After many years of scrutinizing, astronomers have found a planet that is similar to the Earth. It's Gliese 581g and it's near a star. The astronomers think it has water and rock and the average(平均的) temperature is between -31℃ and -12℃.That's cold, but not colder than Antarctica or the Arctic Circle, for example. Gliese 581g is bigger than the Earth. A year on Gliese 581g is only 37 Earth days instead of 365. But astronomers do not think these are big differences and some of them think Gliese 581g will be a new Earth. However, Gliese 58Ig is twenty light years from the Earth.

    Chinese Farmers' Harvest (收获，收割) Festival is the first festival in China for farmers. The festival starting from 2018, falls on the Autumnal Equinox (秋分) each year. The Autumnal Equinox is one of the 24 solar terms(节气) of the Chinese lunar calendar and usually falls between September 22nd and 24th, during the country's harvest season.

    As we all know, China has the largest population all over the world. It was difficult to feed the largest population in the past. After reform and opening (改革开放), with the development of modern agriculture (农业), people's life is getting better and better, and their living conditions have improved a lot. Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival shows that our government is paying more attention to agriculture and farmers' life. It will greatly encourage farmers to farm and develop further modem agriculture. China has a long history of agriculture. Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival, the cultural symbol, helps to show China's long farming culture to the world. It also connects the excellent traditional Chinese culture to modem civilization (文明) and improves the cultural self-confidence and national pride.

    Since the festival is especially created for farmers, they are encouraged to think of their own ways to celebrate harvest. Some activities are held across the country, but most of the celebrations will take place at a local level that comes from local customs. Also, local government usually hosts all kinds of activities for the festival, such as folk culture performances, food tasting and so on.

    Some people think the festival is the happiest time of a year, even better than the Spring Festival, because food gives people a sense of safety and hope. For other people, the harvest festival is a time to look back at the past and look forward to the future.

    Earlier this year, China achieved a new milestone (里程碑) in space research. On January 3, 2019, Chang'e-4 became the first lunar probe (月球探测器) in history to successfully land on the far side of the moon.

    The Earth's gravity (重力) slows the moon's rotation (自转), matching it to the speed of its orbit (公转). Therefore, the far side of the moon is almost "dark" and has never been seen. It's this sense of the unknown that makes the far side of the moon such an interesting place for scientific and space research. Being blown by solar (太阳的) winds, the far side may have the special minerals (矿物质). For this reason, Chang'e-4 will study the effect of solar winds on the lunar surface and any mineral found by the spacecraft. Chang'e-4 is also carrying flower seeds, potatoes and silkworm eggs to see whether life is possible on the moon. If it is, then the moon will become a possible choice for space travel in the future.

    However, research of the "dark" side isn't easy. As the far side is blocked(阻断) off from us, radio noise coming off Earth is also blocked. This is why China's relay satellite (中继卫星) Queqiao was sent up in May, 2018. Thanks to Queqiao, the communication problem between

Earth and Chang'e-4 has been well solved.

    Power supply (电源供应) is also a challenge to the task. Chang'e-4 gets energy from the sun through its solar panels. As we know, a lunar day has the length (长度) of 28 Earth days. After Chang'e-4 was sent up on December 8, 2018, it took the probe over 20 days to orbit the moon to be in a position to be able to land in moon daylight and use its solar panels.

    Luckily, everything goes well, Chang'e-4 has worked on the "dark" side for over 5 months. It has sent back many photos of the far side of the moon and has been used to carry out some scientific experiments.

The New York Times used the word "groundbreaking" to praise the task and wrote that "it will offer help to the history and development of the moon".

    Some researchers explain how most people form their social groups with people of their age. Especially, as children and teenagers, even adults, people make their friends based on proximity (邻近) more than anything else. Even in a college classroom, the students may not make friends with those who have similar personalities and interests. It's the people they really sit next to. Clearly, who stands to you has the greatest influence on you. As Jim Rohn has widely said. "You are average (平均) of five people you spend the most little with."

    Over the past ten months, I've paid Ryan, it Famous writer of several bestselling books, to help with the book I'm writing. Working with him has shown me just how low my standards for my work are. For example, every time I send him a drab (草稿), he shows me how it could     be 10 times better, and he holds me to that standard.

      ▲   It's because that I don't know what I don't know. Working with Ryan has made me realize what is possible and what it takes to create something powerful.

    Like Ryan, my business partner Richard has wonderful ideas and far different experience than I have. He has written 36 New York Times Bestsellers. He's been speaking and doing events for 20 years. Richard always performs at high levels, and he is also very strict with me because my performance is a reflection (反映) on him. It's not a bad thing because it creates high pressure (压力) to help me make great progress in organizing author training.

    In a word, you need to stay with those people who can help you realize your level and potential. Staying with people who have higher standards is the fastest way for you to change. If you don't change your environment, your progress will be very slow. Who you stay with has huge importance. You can't ignore this.

    Many children today live in unsafe places. They may live where wars have been fought or where there is a lot of crimes. Play for Peace is an organization formed to help these children. It does so by bringing kids and adults. For what? To make a more peaceful world.

    Places where Play for Peace works include Northern Ireland, India, and Germany. Kids from different backgrounds come together to play games. Some of the games encourage them to work together and to learn about one another. While playing, kids begin to understand their different ways of thinking and doing things.

    As kids in the program get older. Play for Peace teaches them to be leaders. They become advisers. The older kids lead the games for the younger kids. One leader called Mandeep from a small village in India described her experience. "I didn't realize there was a larger world until I joined Play for Peace…It was a big challenge for me. But I grew to feel safe and like them even though they were different from me."

    Play for Peace works because it brings kids together. They have fun and learn how to get along. Many kids who take part find that they have much in common-and they become friends!

     The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and morden communication means (工具). Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even heart it.

    Man has been polluting the earth. The more people have, the more pollution becomes. Many years ago, the problem was nor so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true.

    Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.

    Air pollution is still the most serious. It's bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution, Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.

    Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by sulfur dioxide (So₂) is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.

    The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must pay attention to the rise in pollution at the same time.

School Activity: the "Exercise Month"

    A number of important school activities are coming up, and the biggest one is the "Exercise Month".

What is our aim(目的)?

    The "Exercise Month" is organised by the Youth Sports Club. The main aim of this activity is to improve our school members' knowledge about the importance of exercise.

What are our activities?

    The "Exercise Month" will take place from 15 December to 15 January. During this month, a lot of activities will be held to show the importance of exercise.

    ●Writing Competition  The topic of the writing competition is "Exercise and Me". The length of the writing is 500 words for this competition.

    ●Talk  The talk will be given on 18 December. The speaker will be Dr Chiu from St Stephen's Hospital. He will then answer our members' question about exercise.

    ●Exhibition(展览)  The exhibition will be held from 19 December to 3 January in our school hall. The history of different kinds of exercise, and the winning and excellent writings from the competition will be on show.

    ●After-school Exercise Classes  The after-school exercise classes will run from 18 December to 14 January. In these classes, experienced coaches from the local exercise clubs will also help our school members to make practical exercise plans.

    You think it's "cool" to carry your backpacks and head out to school. But if you don't know exactly how to choose, load, lift and wear them-these all-important accessories(配件)can be a pain in the back. Not to mention the neck, head and shoulders.

    Backpacks can influence your health. Carrying a heavy load improperly can lead to poor body position; and even hurt the spinal column(脊柱)This can cause muscle strain, headaches, back, neck and arm pain.

    For example, if it is carried on one shoulder; a heavy backpack forces the muscles and spine to balance the unequal weight. This may increase the possible back problems later in life.

More than 50 percent of young people suffer back pain by their teenage years. Research shows that this could be mainly caused (场)improper use of backpacks.

Here's some advice to help you carry backpacks comfortably and safely.

    Choose the right backpack. Forget leather (皮革)! It looks great, but it's far too heavy. Go for canvas(帆布). Pick a pack that has two wide, adjustable, comfortable shoulder straps(带子), along with a hip or waist strap, and plenty of pockets. Make sure the pack fits properly and its size is suitable for the wearer's body.

    Packing it properly. Only put in the pack what is needed for that day. It's a good idea to know what each object weighs. The total weight of the filled pack should be no more than 10 to 15 percent of the wearer's own body weight. Pack heaviest objects close to the body, and place little ones outside, away from the back.

    Putting the backpack on. Put the pack on a smooth surface, at waist height. Put on the pack, one shoulder at a time, then adjust(调整)the straps to fit comfortably. Remember when lifting a backpack, or anything, to lift using the arms and legs and to bend at the knees.

    The right way to wear a backpack. Both shoulder straps should be used, and adjusted so that the pack fits the body, without hanging to one side. Backpacks should never be worn over just one shoulder. You should be able to move your hands between the backpack and your back. The waist strap should also be worn.

    Take the above advice, and you may not complain back pain, numbness or weakness in your arms and legs any more.

    I am Turere. I come from Kitengela, a farming community on the edge(边缘) of Nairobi National Park of Kenya(肯尼亚). Since the age of nine. I have helped to look after my family's cows. As a child, in my free time. I enjoyed playing with electronics. I made my own inventions, such as electronic toys from car parts and other things. I also built other electronic devices(仪器) for my neighbors.

    At the age of 13, I invented something that changed my life. It also changed the lives of many people in my community. One night, a lion from the park came into my family's farm and killed one of our cows. I was angry. However, killing the lion, I thought, was not the best way to solve the problem. Instead, I decided to invent a solution

    The first idea I got was to use fire, because I thought lions were scared of fire. But I came to realize that didn't really help, because it was even helping the lions to see through the cowshed (牛棚). So I didn't give up. I continued.

    And a second idea I got was to use a scarecrow(稻草人). I was trying to trick the lions into thinking) that I was standing near the cowshed. But lions are very clever. They will come the first day and they see the scarecrow, and they go back. But the second day, they'll come and they say, this thing is not moving here, it is always here! So he jumps in and kills the animals.

    So one night, I was walking around the cowshed with a torch(手电筒), and that day the lions didn't come. And I discovered that lions were afraid of a moving light. So I had an idea.

    Technology is developing fast and it has become an important part of our life. Then what will the world be like in the future?

    3—D food will be both delicious and nutritious(有营养的). We can use 3—D printers to print some basic materials.    ①    And we can go further. Scientists belive that we just need to turn on a printer in the kitchen and then we can enjoy our favourite food whenever we like.

         ②      5G network will allow many more people to get information. Big companies like China Mobile and China Unicom will start to offer 5G. It is said that promises download speeds 10 to 20 times faster than 4G. For example, we can download a film within just 1 second. But with a 4G network, it takes a few minutes. There will be much bandwidth (带宽) and we can get unlimited (无限的) information.

    Underwater cities will provide more space. The earth is becoming more and more crowded. We may turn to underwater homes, which will be built as low as 15 of the sea can be used to provide power for the homes.

         ③      For us common people on the earth, the dream of travelling around space will come true. In the coming years, spacecraft will be as popular as buses, trains and planes. We can leave our home and enter space to take an adventure (冒险). And even we will get used to living there.

    A robot will be a part of life.  Robots can do many of the same things as we humans do like driving cars. But they will be used in other areas as well. They will be able to think. They can tell the difference between right and wrong. They can feel       ④        In a word, just as Jules Verne said, "Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real."

    An eight-year-old girl named Tina heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. When she heard her dad say to her mom, "Only a miracle(奇迹)can save him now", Tina went to her bedroom and took all her money out of a small box and counted it carefully. Then she made her way six blocks to the local drugstore(药店).

    "And what do you want?" asked the owner of the store.

    "It's for my little brother." Tina answered. "He's really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle. His name is Mike and he is two years younger than me. Now he has something bad growing inside his head and my dad says only a miracle can save him.

    "We don't sell miracles here, child. I'm sorry, "the owner said, smiling sadly at Tina.

    In the store there was a well-dressed customer. He asked Tina. "What kind of miracle does your brother need?

    "I don't know," she replied. "He's really sick and my mom says he needs an operation (手术),But my dad can't pay for it ,so I have brought all my him."

    "How much do you have?" asked the man.

    "One dollar and seven cents, but I can try and get some more," she answered quietly.

    "Well, what a coincidence (巧合)," smiled the man. "One dollar and seven cents-the exact price of a miracle for a little brother. Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents."

    That well—dressed man was Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was completed without money. Two weeks later, Mike became well and was home again.

    Tina was happy. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost- one dollar and seven cents-and the faith(信念) of a little child.

    Dubai (迪拜) is a good place to travel to. There, you can find many tall buildings, taste lots of delicious food and experience some interesting things. Have you ever been to this city? If you go to Dubai during the summer holiday, you may see a special kind of "taxi". It is a drone (无人机). It flies in the sky by itself！ It is said that Dubai plans to use Chinese—made droes as a self —flying air taxi in July.

    The drone taxi is named EHang 184. A Chinese company(公司)made it. The city of Dubai will start using it in July. It will be the world's first passenger drone, according to Yahoo News.

    The drone taxi can fly up to 3, 500 meters high. It can fly at a top speed of 160 kilometers an hour. It can only take one person.

    How do you call an EHang1842 You use its app(应用程序) on your phone. When the drone comes, you choose the place you want to go to on a touch screen. There is no pilot in the drone. But some people on the ground will be watching it. They will make sure your trip is safe. You don't have to worry about it.

    EHang 184's battery(电池) can only keep about 30 minutes, So it cannot take you further than 50 kilometers.

    Would you like to take a trip in this flying drone? Don't wait. Let's go!

    Imagine a world with no more animals: no elephants, no tigers or lions. To some people, that thought is too terrible for words. So they are doing something about it. Tiffany Soechting is one of them.

    Being among wild animals—feeding them and caring for them—is all Tiffany Soechting has wanted to do with her life. And that is exactly what she does!

    Soechting is the human "mother" to the 500 animals that live on her family wildlife farm in San Antonio, Texas. On the farm, she cares for animals from around the world. Soechting says she loves them all. However, two reticulated giraffes(网纹长颈鹿) take up a special place in her heart. Their population in the wild has become smaller by 80% in the last 15 years. "I'm so glad to get help from five wildlife researchers that took giraffes up to a higher level. All our hard work helps protect giraffes living in the wild."

    Besides her animal caring, Soechting also holds monthly classes, where she teaches school children about the animals.

    Soechting also opens the farm to the public. Visitors not only learn about the animals, they can also get close to them. And the animals are not against that. For them, people are part of their natural environment.

The farm is part conservation(保护) area, part educational center and part animal park. As the animals walk peacefully around the grounds, it is easy for them to forget that San Antonio, a busy city, is just a few minutes away.