Linda and Lily are sisters. Linda is fourteen1old and Lily is eleven. They2in Beijing with their parents this year. They are3in Beijing, so they don't know much about it. They are students, but they are not in the same school. Linda's school is not near (在……附近) her home. How4is it from her home to school? It's about five kilometers. So she usually goes to school5bus. She walks to the bus stop near her home first. And then she6a bus to school.7usually takes her half an hour to get to school.

    Lily's school is8one kilometer from her home. She usually9her bike to school.10when she gets up early sometimes, she will walk to school. She likes walking in the fine weather (天气). When she goes to school by bike, it usually takes her ten minutes. When she walks, it always takes her twenty — five minutes.

    Lin Hong is my new friend. Her father has a shop near the factory. The {#blank#}1{#/blank#} /θIŋz/ in his shop are all nice. And his family are kind {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the workers. So they like to buy {#blank#}3{#/blank#}/'sʌmθIŋ/ there. It's Saturday today. Lin Hong doesn't go to school. She knows her father is busy, so she gets up early. She does her homework and then goes to the shop to help her father. There {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(be) many people in it. She sells(卖) bananas, apples, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (orange) and drinks to the workers. A car stops(停) in front of the shop. The {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (drive) comes in and buys some hamburgers and then goes away. Lin Hong finds his bag on the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} /flɔː(r)/. She runs out, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} she can't see his car. "I know Mr. Yang. We can take {#blank#}9{#/blank#} bag to him this evening," says Mr. Lin. It's nine and the shop is closed(关闭的). Lin Hong and her father go to Mr. Yang's home. The man and his family thank {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(they) very much.

Few parents can hear the words "What can I do to help?" from their kids. Teenagers spend more time on video games, computers and mobile phones, so they help less with housework.

Students at a primary school in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province were required to clean the school toilets to help them develop good habits. But some parents are strongly against the idea. They can't see the advantages of students doing such chores. They think that the school should provide students with a proper education, not the chance to be school cleaners.

In fact, parents, schools and society play an equally (同等地) important role in developing the character of students. It is good for schools to give students such tasks, because few of the students will do them at home. Their parents want them to do homework only.

In recent years, some parents will make mountains out of molehills when students are asked to do some chores in schools. Some will complain the teachers if their kids get hurt in schools; some will even challenge the schools' teaching methods and management. As a result, many primary schools, especially those in big cities, do not let students join in outdoor activities during breaks, fearing that they might get hurt. This is bad for the development of students' best qualities.

What the primary school in Fuzhou doing is worth praising. Doing chores can put a sense of responsibility (责任感) into students' minds and teach them the spirit of rules as well as teamwork. Also, it can make students' in-school experiences more meaningful.

    Karan Singh is just like any other five-year-old- except for the fact that he is 5 feet 7 inches tall! When he was born, he was 15 pounds- the usual1of a newborn baby is about half of this, and he was four inches taller than the usual baby.2his height and weight at birth, his father Sanjay thought there might be something wrong with him, but doctors found he was3and really fine.

    Before he could walk or talk, Karan was made into The Guinness Book of World Records in 2008 as the tallest and heaviest newborn baby. Karan clearly4his mother, Shweatlana, who is 7 feet 3 inches tall and one of the5women in South Asia! Sanjay is also quite tall at 6 feet 7 inches.

    Being so tall isn't always a great thing for Karan and his6. Karan used to get bullied about his height, but he doesn't anymore. "But they all say that I am cheating when we7 basketball," Karan said.

    Shweatlana also had trouble finding diapers that fit him when he was8and still has trouble finding children's clothes for him sometimes. "Now I just buy him adult size9. They fit him perfectly well," she said.

    She is also10about her health and that her son might have the same condition she has. "I used to get about 1.5 inches of height every year because of too much growth hormone. I sometimes feel afraid that my son has the same disease as I have. But I know he is doing well and he will grow up to be a nice and healthy person."