Every year hundreds of people try to climb the world's highest mountain or walk through rainforests(雨林). Let's take a look at two of the 21st century's(世纪的) greatest adventurers(冒险家).

    A mountain climber

    Do you know that more than 4，000 people have climbed Mount Everest? Gerlinde is one of them. She is one of the world's greatest climbers and has climbed all the mountains over 8，000 meters in the world. It's difficult to climb mountains in cold weather, but Gerlinde loves it. She started climbing the mountains near her home as a teenager. When she left school, she became a nurse but always went climbing in her free time.

    An Amazon adventurer

    Ed Stafford is the first person to walk along the Amazon River from the mountains of Peru to the mouth of the river in Brazil. His journey took two years and four months. There are many dangerous animals in the rainforest. But Ed was lucky and he was only bitten(咬) by small insects(昆虫). On his trip, Ed had to look for fruit or catch fish each morning. Sometimes food was hard to find and Ed was often tired and hungry. So he used a radio to ask the people of the rainforest for food and help.

    Do you know the story about Vince? It was a true story. Vince was an English boy and he was eight years old. He didn't like soap or water. Three or four times a day his mother said to him, “Vince, your hands are very dirty again.” Go and wash them. ” But Vince never washed them well. He only put his hands in the water for a few seconds and then took them out again.

Vince's uncle and aunt lived in another city. One day they came to stay with Vince's parents, and they brought their small son, Toby, with them. Toby was seven years old and he didn't like soap or water, either.

    The boys sat with their parents for a few minutes and then they went outside. When they were pla­ying, Vince looked at Toby's hands and then went back to Toby's parents and said proudly (骄傲地）， “Toby's hands are dirtier than mine, ”

    “Of course they are，”Toby said angrily. “You are one year older than I am, ”

Dear Miss Hooper,

I'm writing to thank you for your help this year．There were lots of subjects(主题)in class，but you made sure that I could understand every one．To tell the truth, you're the best teacher I've met．You explain things so clearly, and are also so kind．I really enjoyed every minute of your class．

There were so many best parts this gear．Whatever the subject， you made it fun and interesting to everyone．All of your students found learning new things so easy because of you．I really believe you have a great teaching skill，You should be very proud(自豪的)of the way that you help children learn．It is because of you that I've decided to become a teacher when I grow up．

I have mixed feelings about school next year．I'm sad that you won't be my teacher anymore．However, I'm happy that other children will get to share your knowledge(学问)．I'm sure that they'll thank you for your good work．

I didn't enjoy school much before this year．I was new to the school this year．At my old school, I found learning quite difficult．The last nine months have changed all of that．I'm now confident(自信的) and looking forward to the next school year．

Thank you once again for all of your help．You are really a great teacher and you've helped me greatly．I hope that we can share the same classroom again one day．

Yours，

Jacob Maclean

I'm David．When I was 13,my parents decided that I should go to England to improve my English．I had never been to other countries before，so I felt a little worried．My parents prepared everything for my journey．My plane was due(预期)to leave at 9：30 a．m．and arrive in two hours．I phoned the English family who I would stay with and they told me they would wait for me at the airport(机场)．

Unluckily my plane to London was delayed (延误)．I tried to phone the English family again but I couldn't speak to them because they had already left home for the airport．

When I arrived in London．it was already 1：30p.m．I went to get my luggage(行李)but I couldn't find it．I became very worried．Luckily, the airport staff(工作人员)was very helpful and efficient ． I didn't wait long-they found it 10 minutes later．

My English family were still waiting for me! I was so happy! Then my new life in London began．My English family were quite kind．I learned a lot of English because I spent most of the day talking in English．I played computer games with the little boy in my English family．I also taught him how to play chess．Sometimes I told him stories I learned from my family．

I missed my family during my stay in London．but I also feIt sad when my stay there came to an end．My English family held a party for me．I enjoyed it very much．I'll never forget that summer in London! It is one of the most wonderful experiences I've ever had．

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    In the world today, all of the people need to have fun when they are free. We can't work all the time if we are going to keep healthy and enjoy life.

    Everyone has his own way of relaxing. Perhaps the most popular form (形式) is to take part in sports. There are team sports, such as basketball and football. There are also individual(个人的) sports, such as swimming and running. Skating and mountain climbing are the most popular recreation (消遣) for people who like to be outdoors.

Not everyone who enjoys sports likes to take part in them. Many people like watching them on TV or listening to them on the radio. So many people like some indoor relaxation, such as watching TV, singing and dancing.

    It doesn't matter if we like indoor recreation or take part in outdoor sports. It is important for everyone to relax from time to time, and enjoy some themselves.

    The Spring Festival is celebrated not only in China but also in other parts of the world. The traditional holiday is the most important t Chinese both at home and abroad.

    A long time ago, the monkey and the turtle were good friends. One day, they saw a fallen banana tree and decided to plant it. They divided the tree into two parts. The monkey took the part with leaves, thinking that it would grow faster, and then they went home and planted it. Many days passed. The monkey's plant died but the turtle's grew well and produced fruit. When the fruit was ripe(成熟的)，the turtle asked the monkey to share it with him. The monkey climbed up the tree and ate all the fruit. So the turtle got angry. He found some sharp sticks and put them around the tree. When the monkey came down, he hurt himself. The turtle laughed and hid himself under a big shell(贝壳). The monkey got very angry and caught the turtle.

    “I'll cut you into pieces," said the monkey.

    “Good, so there will be many turtles. ”

    “No, I'll put you into the fire.

    “That's better. My skin will be red.”

    “No, I'll throw you into the river. ”

    “No,” said the turtle, “I'll die.”

    The monkey threw the turtle into the river, and the turtle swam happily.

    Venus is the second nearest planet from the sun. It is only a little smaller than the earth, about 95% of the earth's diameter and 80% of the earth's mass. Earth and Venus are sometimes called the twin planets.

    The word Venus means the goddess of love and beauty in Greek. __________ probably because it is one of the brightest planets we have known by now. We human beings have known Venus for a long time. It has a cloudy atmosphere. This helps it reflect sunlight. So it appears to be very bright. It is easily observed in the sky. It is seen near the sun. It seems that it is the brightest thing in the sky except the sun and the moon. Venus reaches its maximum* brightness shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset, and is often thought as the Morning Star or as the Evening Star. A lot of observation of Venus was important to Copernicus's Heliocentric Theory * of the solar system.

    Scientists for years thought that Venus was very likely to have life in some forms. In 1962, scientists sent the first spacecraft to explore Venus, and we will know more about Venus in the future.

    Many students have hobbies, such as reading, painting, growing vegetables in their gardens, and looking after animals. Some hobbies are relaxing and others are creative. Hobbies can make you grow as a person, develop your interests and help you learn new skills.

    David Smith is a student, and his hobby is writing. During the summer holiday, he spent four weeks on a summer camp. Unlike the usual activities, such as sailing, climbing and mountain biking, he joined a writing workshop with a professional (专业的) writer. "She asked us to imagine that we were in a story. Then we wrote about our experiences at the camp."

    In high school David wrote a story about teenage life, and it came out as a book. Many teenagers love his book, and as a result, David became a successful young writer.

    David is very lucky because his hobby brings him enjoyment and success, but he is also interested in many other things. "I like playing volleyball, too." says David. "I spend some of my free time playing volleyball for my school team. Maybe I'll write more books in the future, but I'm not sure."

    It's sometimes difficult to remember that we shouldn't spend all our time on our favorite hobbies. There are many other interesting things to do in life, and we should try to do something new or different.