Hiram Fong grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. He began picking beans when he was only four years old to help support his family. Fong also sold newspapers, shined shoes, and worked as a golf caddy when he was a boy. A golf caddy is a person who carries a player's golf clubs.

    Fong began working in Hawaii's government in 1938. At that time, Hawaii belonged to the United States, but not a state. Fong believed that Hawaiians should be able to take part in making laws for the United States government, just as other Americans could. Fong said Hawaii should be a state of the United States. In 1959, Hawaii became the fiftieth state, and Fong was chosen as one of Hawaii's first two senators (参议员). He became the first Asian-American in the United States Senate.

    As a senator, Hiram Fong supported equal (平等的) rights. For example, he wanted the laws about immigrants (移民) to be fairer. He wanted to improve conditions for workers in factories and businesses. He also believed that women and men should be paid the same for doing the same job. In a lifetime of hard work, Fong found more than personal success. His work helped millions of people.

    Students in Japan are trying a new kind of travelling. In the past they could only go to the museums. That was boring for the teenagers. They often went by bus. Many of them felt sleepy in the museum. But now they can go out of doors. They can go to factories, villages and many other places they like.

    Experiential education (体验式教育) is now very popular in North America. It is also becoming more and more popular in Japan. Just look at the JTB, Japan's biggest travel agency. It has more than 300 different travel programs for students and schools. More than 25 schools have taken part in the programs.

    Where are the students going? They travel to fishing villages in Kyushu and farming villages in China. Some even go to English classes in England. Wherever they go, they enjoy helping the disabled(残疾的). By doing so, they learn how to take care of others. It's an experience that students will never forget.

    Travelling in Japan also does the farmers and fishermen good. Now there are many people visiting their villages. Visitors' coming every year brings them a lot of money and a better life.

    Scientists are trying to turn deserts into usable land again. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, so people can live and grow food. They are learning a lot about deserts. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Scientists may not be able to change these deserts. People are doing bad things to our planet.

    Some places don't get much rain. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. This is because green plants are growing there. Small green plants and grass are very helpful for dry places. Plants don't let the hot sun make the soil too dry. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. When a little bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, land can turn to desert much more easily.

    Imagine a boy from a small village in East Africa. He has been looking after cows from a very early age. At twelve, he knows more about cows than most of us. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Has this boy ever had any education?

    Education is discovering about ourselves and about the people and things around us. All the people who care about us—our parents, brothers, sisters, friends—are our teachers. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We start learning on the day we are born, not on the first day we go to school. Every day we have new experiences, like finding a bird's nest(巢), discovering a new street in our neighborhood and making friends with someone we didn't like before. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Encouragement from the people around us makes it possible for us to discover things as much as possible. As we grow up, we begin to find out what we are able to do. We may be good at cooking, or singing or playing football. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Just thinking about cooking doesn't tell us if we are good at it.

We learn so much just in our daily life. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Of course we can learn some things better at home than at school, like how to do the shopping, and how to help old or disabled people who can't do everything for themselves. At school, teachers help us to read and write. With their help, we begin to see things in different ways.

    ⑴We have thirty minutes' rest between classes in the afternoon. Look! Most of us are playing during the rest time.

    Some students are on the playground. They are having a basketball game. Oh! A boy is running with a ball. And another is trying (尽力) to stop him. They are so cool. And there are some girls watching the game. Some students are in the classroom. They are talking. A few of them are reading or doing their homework. Look! ⑵A girl is looking at the birds in a tree in front of the classroom. She must be thinking of something interesting because she is smiling (微笑). What are the teachers doing? Do you know? Some of them are working in their office, and some are talking with students. Everyone is busy with his or her things. Busy and happy!