Not long ago, I arrived at a meeting earlier. So I walked into a room, and there I saw some volunteers were busy with handouts (手册) of the meeting. I went over and asked if I could1. Seeing I was lame (瘸腿的) , one of the ladies2said "Oh, no, thank you" and offered me a chair to just sit while they3.

    Then,4volunteer came into the room, saw me5there doing nothing and said, "Hey, young man, come over there. There's work to do, and you can help." He put two chairs together, placed two stacks (摞) of handouts and6me, "OK, the left piece goes on top of the right one."

    "Fine, I can do that," I said. And just like that, I was now happy to be part of the7.

    This member of the group saw that my disability did not mean an inability (无能) to help. Later, I8him and asked why he invited me to help. "Well, I considered we'd finish more quickly with more9. Of course you can," he10.

    The kind lady11my offer of help, but I know that she didn't mean to offend (冒犯) me. Too often, people with disabilities are left out of a social group because of their12but not because of their inability.

    It's important for all of us to feel part of a group. And when we are13, we feel that we are accepted, respected and considered as a full and14member of a group. It sends a15that says,

    "To us, your abilities are more important than your disability."

    Can trees talk? Yes — but not in words. Scientists have reason to believe that trees do communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree (柳树) attacked in the woods by caterpillars (毛毛虫) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them tasteless so that the caterpillars got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. The even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special vapor— a signal causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make themselves taste also terrible, too.

    Talking, of course, doesn't need to be always in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar (花蜜) for honey. So why shouldn't trees have ways of sending messages?

    Last summer, Oliver had a two-week holiday in Australia. He was in a group of children coming from different parts of the world, and they had a great time together.

    From Brisbane, in Queensland, they went to a beautiful island off the coast of Australia. It is not far from the famous and crowded Frazer Island. Oliver's group stayed in a hotel on the beach on the island, so they could try snorkeling (用通气管潜泳) in the light green water. At night, they went into the water to feed wild dolphins.

    After a few days on the island, they went into the inland areas. There Oliver met some famous animals in Australia like kangaroos! During their three days there, they rode horses. Oliver threw a boomerang (回旋镖), too. They cooked their food over a campfire at night, under the stars.

    Then they went northwards to the Coral Sea to visit the Great Barrier Reef. This over 2,000-kilometre line of coral (珊瑚) is a magical place. They spent three wonderful days there, swimming in the coolest sea!

    Their trip finished in Sydney, a nice city. Oliver really enjoyed his holiday.

When you go on a vacation, the hotel you choose and the room you stay in are important. There are many cool theme hotel rooms around the world.

Dear Daisy,

    Long time no see. How's it going these days? I have a piece of good news to tell you.

    My parents (buy) a new flat in the center of the city. The rooms are not big, they are all comfortable. There are more rooms than our old flat. I am (excite) because I have my own bedroom. In the old flat, I shared the bedroom with my sister.

    My favorite room in the new flat is my bedroom. I can be alone in it. It is (I) own small world. I can listen to music, read (book) and chat with my friends on the phone. I can also look for things on computer and send e-mails to my e-friends.

    The kitchen (be) my favorite room too. I like helping my mother the cooking. My mother is a good cook, and she likes cooking very much. She often teaches me how (make) some different dishes. She lived in Sichuan she was a child, so she likes hot food and she can cook very delicious hot food.

    I love our new flat. You're welcome to visit our new flat if you are free.

    Best wishes!

Yours,

Linda

Dear Jenny,

    I went on a trip with my family last week. I would like to tell you something about my family and our trip.

    I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours,

Daisy