Bill, Frank, Dave and Tom were brothers. Every year they sent their mother expensive gifts on her birthday. They liked to show her how rich they were.

The eldest brother, Bill, had lots of money and wanted his mother to have the most expensive gift, but he didn't know what to buy. So he put an ad in the newspaper, "Wanted—the greatest gift for my mother”.

 About a week before his mother's birthday, a man came to his office. He brought a big bird, this bird can speak foreign languages and sing pop songs. The man made the bird talk in French and tell a joke in Japanese. Then the bird sang a beautiful song. The next day, Bill sent the bird to  his mother with a birthday card.

 The day after his mother's birthday, he called his mother, “Well, mother,” he asked, “what do you think of the bird?”"Oh, it's very delicious, dear." said his mother.

    On October5, Tu Youyou, 84, became the first Chinese to win a Nobel Prize in natural science. She is only the12th woman in history to be awarded the honor.

    Tu was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China on 30 December 1930. She once studied at Xiaoshi Middle School and Ningbo Middle School. Her teacher said that Tu liked reading books and she was very hard-working. From 1951 to 1955, she attended Beijing Medical College. Later Tu was trained for two and a half years in traditional Chinese medicine.

    Tu was given the award for her discovery of artemisinin(青蒿素), which has been developed to fight against malaria(疟疾). When Tu started her search in the late 1960s, over 240,000 compounds(化合物) around the world had already been tested, without any success. Her interest in traditional Chinese medicine drew her to ancient texts and finally found the sweet wormwood(青蒿),which had been used to treat malaria in China around 400 A.D. After more than190 failures, she invented the right drug in 1971.

    Tu Youyou doesn't have a Ph.D., neither has she ever studied or worked overseas. One former colleague, Liao Fuming, who has worked with Tu for more than 40 years, describes her as a "tough and stubborn(固执) woman."

    Tu is stubborn enough to spend many years putting ancient texts together and use them in modern scientific practices. The result is millions of lives saved.

    "She has done wonderful contribution to the world with her work, she really deserves it! It's a blessing for the Chinese people, as it is for the world!" Mats Wahlgren, member of the Nobel Assembly said.

    "I am going to the store, Uncle Moti, "Mina said. "Do you want to come along? You have not seen much of the neighborhood yet."

    Uncle shook his head. "No, thank you," he said. "It is just too loud and crowded for me. Everyone is always on the go, while I am used to the peace and quiet of our village. I feel afraid out there, like a frightened (害怕的) child. "Mina sat on the sofa next to her uncle. "Tell me about the village, Uncle Moti," she said. "Would I like it there?"

    Uncle laughed. "Without a doubt, you would find it dull at first-the loudest sound is usually birdsong. The people I meet on the street are all people I know, and we stop and talk or go to the tea shop and have tea. There are not many shops, but the shopkeepers know all their customers. Everyone is friendly and has a smile for everyone else."

    "Sounds really nice," Mina said. "But I think maybe it is not different in every way. I really wish you would come with me, and I could show you why I say that. "Uncle sighed and got up, saying, "All right, Mina, I will go."

    Out on the street, cars zoomed by, some of them honking. Uncle looked very nervous at all the noise and activities, and Mina took his hand.

    "Look," she said, "there is my friend Nate, and coming down the street is my teacher, Ms. Sanchez." Mina waved to Nate, who waved back, and called hello to her teacher. Then she led her uncle down the street to the store, where she greeted the shopkeeper. "Hi, Ms. Franklin, this is my uncle Moti, who has come here to live."

    "Over here," Mina took her uncle's arm and led him across the street. A sign over a door read "Navid's Tea Shop." Uncle smiled. They went in and sat at a table. They ordered tea, and Uncle sighed happily.

    "Well, I see what you were trying to show me," he said. "This neighborhood is your village. Now it will be mine to. It has friends, kind shopkeepers, birds, and even a tea shop…"

    Tom was walking through the forest with his axe (斧子) when a sapling (树苗).Called to him and stopped him on his way.

    "Could you please help me clear away these trees.my kind friend?  They are stealing (窃取)all of my sunshine. There is no room because of the trees .so my roots cannot grow freely. I cannot feel the wind with the trees above me."

    Tom decided he could do this favor for the poor sapling. He swung his axe and cleared the trees around the sapling.

    But after Tom made space for the sapling, the hot sunlight dried his leaves. Then there was a heavy rainstorm. The poor sapling couldn't stand(忍受)the weather.

    "Oh, foolish one." said a farmer who was passing by. "The taller trees may seem like they're taking your sunshine, space and wind form you, but they're actually helping you. They protect you from sunburns, heavy rain and other bad weather. _____.You only see them taking your space, but you don't see how they help you. One day when you grow up, you might be the one to protect other saplings."

    Tony goes to school at 7:00 in the morning.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    "The bus is coming," says Tony. The big school bus stops at the bus stop.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They are going to school.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}After school, Tony looks for the bus. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}He sees a new bus. His friends say to him, "How do you like the new bus, Tony? Come on! We are waiting（等）for you!"

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}All his friends are in the bus. They go home on the new bus.