Dear Selina,   

    I have some rules at my house. I have to stay at home on school nights. I have to do my homework and practice the violin. I can't watch TV. Well, I can go out with my friends on Saturday nights, but I have to be home before 9:30 p.m.

    What rules do you have at your house? Write and tell me about them.

Molly

Dear Molly,

    I also have rules at my house. On school nights I usually can't go out. But sometimes I can do my homework at a friend's house. Well, I can watch TV for half an hour before I go to bed. On Saturday afternoons, I can go shopping with my friends. I can buy my own clothes. That's nice, right?

Selina

    A forest fire that burned 55 square kilometers was finally brought under control on Wednesday morning. The fire started on Sunday in Black Bear State Park and quickly spread to nearby areas.

    On Monday, police evacuated (疏散) the small town of Lawson and asked the people to leave their homes. The fire destroyed 20 homes in the area and caused heavy damage (损坏) to 40 others.

    Nobody was hurt. Officials said the damage to homes and cars was between $l million and $2 million. The fire spread quickly in the hot, dry weather. Firefighting was difficult because of strong winds. Firemen from 55 fire departments in the state joined the National Fire Service to put out the fire. Some kept fighting for 24 hours. Fire engines (消防车) and helicopters (直升机) dropped water onto the fire. In order to control the fire, firemen cleared a way around the fire.

    Police closed King Road to traffic on Tuesday because of heavy smoke. Thousands of tourists had to drive an hour north to Queen Road to pass the fire area. Local police think open fires left by tourists might be the cause of the accident and ask tourists to follow the rules in case such accidents ever happen again.

    While you are at the bookstore, you may be faced with a difficult decision: e-books or paper books? Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. Making the best decision depends on a number of factor (因素).

    An e-reader can carry a whole library wherever you go, which is great for travelers or those who always want a choice of reading material Although e-readers are convenient, high levels of screen brightness from an electronic device(电子设备) can cause eye problems. A study in the Information Science Research found that young people preferred e-readers, like smart phones or iPads. That's why most teenagers are short-sighted.

    Many book lovers still prefer paper books and value the feeling of them. Paper books are very well designed, they look and smell good, and they carry with them a more human touch. Avid (热衷的)readers prefer reading on paper. Perhaps this is their choice because paper books give them a sense of ownership. It is reported that reading on paper rather than an electronic screen is better for memory and focus. But paper books are heavy and they are not convenient to carry.

    Which is your decision, an e-book or a paper book?

    Once a king got two nice falcons(猎鹰) from his son. He had never seen such beautiful falcons before. He loved them so much and he ordered the best falconer to train them to fly.

    After several months, the king came to see how the training was going on. He found that one falcon had already been able to fly high in the sky, while the other one was staying on the branch(树枝) of a tree quietly without moving.

    The king called all his falconers together and ordered them to try every way they could to make it fly. But none of them succeeded. One day, while the king was taking a walk in the forest, an idea came to his mind. He decided to find someone who knew the natural environment well to solve the problem. Then he sent for a farmer who lived in the forest into his palace to train it at once.

    The next morning, the king saw the other falcon flying above in the sky freely. "It is unbelievable!" shouted the king. "How could you make it happen?"

    The farmer replied, "It's very easy. I just cut off the branch where the falcon rested."

    It is always the same to humans. We all have "two flying wings in our hearts as well, but we often seem not to notice them and stay where we feel safe and comfortable. We won't realize we can fly so high and freely until the "branch" we are resting on breaks.

⑴ {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Frank is a junior high school student. He is 15 years old. He likes studying. Today is Tuesday. When he woke up in the morning, he felt sick. And then he had to ask for a day's leave.

⑵ {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Last Sunday, John visited the City Zoo with his parents. The animals there were very lovely. John liked them very much. After he came back home from the zoo, he decided to keep a pet.

⑶ {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Kelsey is an outgoing girl. She is also a real movie fan. She spends most of her free time seeing movies.

⑷ {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Alice is a student in No.1 Middle School, She lives with her parents. Her mother is a hotel manager and her father is a doctor. They are always very busy but they still try their best to take care of her.

⑸ {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Today is a holiday. In the evening Lily went out to watch the full moon with her family. They ate delicious moonquakes, and fruit. But Lily didn't eat much because she had to control her weight.

    It's my schoolbag!

    It's 5: 10 in the afternoon. A policeman(警察)stands near No. 2 Middle School. He talks(谈话)with some students.

    "①这是你的书包吗?" asks he.

    "No, it isn't, "says Eric.

    "It looks like(看起来像)John's, "says Mike.

    "No, it is not his schoolbag, "says Tom." His schoolbag is red, but it's green. "

    Mary comes and says, "②Peter can't find his schoolbag. It's his, I think(认为). "

    "It isn't his, "says Harry." His schoolbag is ③      , but it's small."

    "Where is your schoolbag, Jim?" asks Mike.

    "Oh, dear! It's my schoolbag! Thank you! "