I'm Mary. I'm 12 years old. I'm 1.62 metres. I have a friend. Her name is May. She is taller than me. But she is one year younger than me. We go to school by bus everyday. I like English best, but she likes music and art.

    Is lightning dangerous?

    Lightning is beautiful and exciting, but it kills a thousand people in the world

every year. Lightning is electricity. The electricity in lightning is very strong.In 1998, one flash of lightning killed eleven players at a football match.

    What does it feel like?

    Sabrina, aged 12 and her father are lucky to be alive. Last year, they were hit by lightning, but it did not kill them. Sabrina said afterwards, "It felt like a big hammer. My feet and legs hurt for an hour afterwards. My dad said he felt as if his hands were in an electric socket (插座).”

    How far away is it?

    When you see lightning, start counting the seconds: one...two...three....Stop

counting when you hear the thunder. Every three seconds is one kilometer. So if

you count six seconds, the lighting was two kilometers away. That does not mean

it is safe. Lightning can move very fast.

    How to be safe in a storm

    ⒈Stay inside if you can. You will be safe if you do not use the telephone,

electrical equipment or water. Do not stand too close to windows or doors.

    ⒉Lightning often hits metal things, so do not touch metal things outside. But

you are safe in a car if the windows are closed. The electricity goes down through

the car's metal and not through the people!

    ⒊Lighting often hits the tallest thing. Ask yourself "What is the tallest thing there?" If the answer is "A tree", do not stand under that tree. If the answer is "Me", move quickly!

    Most people have flown a kite or have seen one ride and dip(下降）in strong spring wind. Not so many people know that kites were first made in China thousands of years ago. The ancient Chinese were making and flying kites even before they were writing.

    A long time ago, the Chinese made kites to use in wars. They would fly these war kites in the dark. The kites were fixed(固定）so that they made strange sounds. Men at war would hear these sounds and run away. They thought those strange sounds were made by gods in the sky.

    The ancient Chinese also flew kites to bring good luck and to make their crops grow rich and tall. Sometimes they tied long strings(细绳）and hooks(钩) to their kites. Then they would fly the kites over water, letting the hooks hang down to catch fish.

    The Chinese use sticks(树枝), strings and paper for their kites. Some of these kites look like animals or trees. Others look like birds or houses.

    Bill and Sally are good friends. They usually go to art museums on Sundays. Bill likes Chinese ink paintings. And he likes paintings about animals. His favourite artist is Xu Beihong. Sally likes oil paintings. Her favourite painting is Sunflowers. It's a picture by Vincent van Gogh. She likes the colours.

Tom: Mum, it will be International Children's Day tomorrow. I want to have a party in our house.

Mum: It's a good idea. Who will you invite(邀请) to our house?

Tom: Peter, Jim, Mary, Lucy and Amy. They will bring their lovely toys here. Then we will show our toys to each other and play with the toys.

Mum: Great. What do they have?

Tom: Jim has a model plane. It can fly very high. Lucy and Amy have many beautiful dolls (玩偶).

Mum: OK, and I can cook some nice food for you.

Tom: Thank you, Mum.

Today is a fine day. It's Jenny's birthday. Many children are playing in Jenny's house. Kate is singing. Mary, Tom and Ann are dancing. Jenny's mother is making a birthday cake. Jenny is opening a beautiful box. Jim is watching TV. They are all very happy.