The umbrella is a very common object. It keeps the 1and the sun off the people. Most umbrellas can be folded up(折叠) so it is 2 to carry them.

    However, the umbrella was not always as 3 as it is now. In the past, it was a symbol of importance. Some African countries still use umbrellas in this 4. Someone carries an umbrella and walks behind the king or important person.

    Umbrellas have a long history. People in different parts of the world began to 5 umbrellas at different times. The Chinese had them more than 3,000 years ago. From there, umbrellas 6 to India and Egypt. In Greece and Rome, 7, wouldn't use them. They believed umbrellas were only for women.

    England was 8 the first country in Europe where common people used umbrellas against rain. The weather there is very 9 and umbrellas are very useful.

     Everybody uses umbrellas today. The next time you 10 one, thinking that for centuries only great men and women used them, you'll feel you are the important person, too.

      Each morning a rich man found a poor man sitting on a park bench（凳）．The poor man always 1there, looking at the big   2  in which the rich man lived. One day the rich man got out of his car and said to the poor man, “Excuse me, but I just want to know 3 you sit here and look at my hotel    4 ”.“Sir ,” said the poor man, “I am a failure. I have no money, no family, no home. I sleep on this bench, and every night I dream that one day I'll sleep in that hotel.”

      The rich man said, “Tonight your dream will  5  . I will pay for the   6  room in that hotel for you   7  a whole month.”

      A few days later, the rich man  8 the poor man's room to ask him if he was enjoying  9  .To his  10 , he found that the man had moved out of the hotel, back to his   11 .When the rich man asked why, the poor man said, “You see,   12    I'm down here sleeping on my bench, I dream I'm up there , in that big hotel. It's a    13 dream. But when I was  14  there, I dreamed I was back to this cold bench. It was a terrible dream , and I   15  get any sleep at all.”

    Once upon a time, there was a teacher and his student lying down under a big grass area. Suddenly, the student asked the teacher, “Teacher, I wonder 1 I can find my soul mate（灵魂伴侣）? Can you please tell me?”

    2 for a second, then the teacher answered, “Well, it's a pretty hard and easy question.”

    The student 3 hard.

    The teacher continued, “Look that way, there is a lot of grass there. You just walk there but please 4 walk backwards(向后地), just walk straight ahead. On your 5, try to find a beautiful grass and pick it up and then give it to me. But just one.”

    The student replied, “OK ，wait for 6.” Then he walked straight ahead to the grass field.

    A few minutes later the student came back.

    The teacher said, “Um, I don't see any beautiful 7 on your hand.”

    The student explained, “On my journey, I 8 a few beautiful grass, but I thought that I would find a 9one, so I didn't pick it up. But I didn't realize that I was at the 10of the field, and I hadn't picked up any 11you told me not to go back so I didn't go back.”

     “That's what happened in 12life,” the teacher told the student.

    What is the message of this story?

    Grass is people 13 you. Beautiful Grass is people that draw your attention. Grass field is time.

    In looking for your soul mate or your right job, please don't always 14and hope that there will be a better one. By doing that, you'll 15 your lifetime ,because “Time Never Goes Back.” So the moral (寓意)of the story is LOVE & take the chance that you have now! Treasure it, don't wait until you lose it.

    Animals United is a 3D German cartoon. Reinhard Klooss and Holger Tappe directed it. It is a story about animals.They get together to find 1. Along their journey, lots of funny things 2, and of course, they have a lot of adventures

    The animals in the grassland in Africa are 3 for coming flood. However, this year's flood seems to come later than in other years. The animals become unhappy and 4. At the same time, some animals from other places come to the grasslands to look for peace. However, the things are5 because the water is becoming less and less. 6 they decide to look for the river.

    Finally, they find the reason why they don't have any water to drink. People7a dam like a strong wall so that humans can have a better life. After a long fight with humans, they let the world know 8 that animals are in danger.

    This film is about environmental matters. The humans are the bad and the animals are the good. This film is to give humans a warning.They must not destroy the homes of animals or damage nature in order to9a better life. Humans should know that animals also have their own 10.

    When I was a little boy, I used to be very quiet and didn't have any friend. At that time my parents were very1with their work. I lived with my grandparents in another city. I always thought that2cared about me. Everything changed when I was thirteen years old. A boy gave me a special3a smile.

    It was my4year in the middle school. Everything there was new to me. No one knew who I was. I didn't know them, either. I was too shy to5anyone. Of course I was very lonely. Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing, I felt hurt. I had no friend to talk about my problems. I didn't want my parents to6me.

    Then one day, my classmates were talking7with their friends, and I sat at my desk lonely and unhappy as usual. At that moment, a boy entered the classroom. I didn't know8name. He passed me and,9a word, gave me a friendly smile. I said "Hello" to him. It was the first time that I greeted my10.

    This smile brought me to another world, a warm, bright and friendly world. That smile11my life. I started to talk with the other students and made friends with them. Day by day I became12to everyone in my class. The boy with the most wonderful smile became my best friend.

One day I asked him why he smiled, but he didn't remember that. It didn't matter13all the dark days had gone. I made14progress in my study. I felt my parents' love and began to talk with them. You can imagine how happy they were. Now I believe that the world is what you think it is.15you think you are lonely, you might always be alone. Therefore, smile at the world and it will smile back.

    My father brought home a sailboat when I was ten, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing. Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at1. As for me, I2both before twelve because of living close to Lake Ontario.

    The last time Dad and I set sail together is really3. It was a perfect weekend after I graduated from university. I came home and4Dad to go sailing. Out we set soon on the calm lake. Dad hadn't sailed for years, but everything5well with the tiller(舵柄) in his hands.

    When we were in the middle of the lake, a 6 wind came all of a sudden. The boat was hit violently. Dad was always at his best in any7, but at this moment he froze(呆住).

    "John! 8!" he shouted in a trembling voice, with the tiller still in his hands.

    In my memory he could solve any9. He was the one l always10for strength and security. Before I could reply, a wave of water got into the boat. I rushed to the tiller11it was too late. Another huge wave of water12the boat in a minute. We were thrown into the water, and Dad was struggling aimlessly. At that moment, I felt strongly 13 of him.

    I swam to Dad 14 and assisted(帮助) him in climbing onto the hull(船壳) of the boat. Upon sitting on the hull, Dad was a little awkward about his flash of15. "It's all right, Dad. We are safe now. " I comforted him.

    That was the first time Dad had relied on me in a moment of emergency. More importantly, I found it was my turn to start taking care of my father.