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    Yao Ming is a very good basketball player in the world. He is 25 years old. He was born in Shanghai, but he lives in the USA with his parents now. Yao Ming is quite tall. But he isn't so strong. He was in the Rockets Team after he left (离开)China. He plays very well in the NBA. Many people come to his match(比赛) in America. Lots of Chinese young men watch the matches on TV. Yao Ming wants to be a superstar one day.

    I have tried to write a ghost（鬼魂） story that won't make you unhappy with yourselves，with each other，with the seasons，or with me．I hope it haunts（飘荡） your houses pleasantly．

    By Charles Dickens One Christmas Eve，old Scrooge and Bob were working busily in his office．It was a cold，foggy day．The fog was so thick that the houses opposite were like ghosts．It was only three o'clock in the afternoon，but it was already quite dark．

    "Merry Christmas，Uncle!"cried a happy voice．It was Scrooge's nephew（侄子）．

    "Bah!"said Scrooge，"Humbug（骗人的话）!"

    "Christmas is a humbug？Surely you don't mean that，Uncle．"said his nephew．

    "I do，"said Scrooge．"Merry Christmas!What reason have you got to be merry？You're poor．"

    "OK，then，"replied the nephew cheerfully．"What reason have you got to be sad？You are rich．Don't be angry，Uncle!"said his nephew．

    "What else can I be？"answered the uncle，"I live in a world of fools!Merry Christmas!What's Christmas time to you？It's a time for paying bills without money？!It's a time for finding yourself a year older，but not richer．

    Everyone who goes around saying 'Merry Christmas' should have his tongue cut out．Yes，he should!"

    "Uncle!Please don't say that!"said the nephew．"I've always thought of Christmas time as a good time，a kind，and a charitable（慈善的）and happy time．And so，Uncle，Christmas has never put any gold or silver in my pocket，but I think it has done me good．And it will do me good．I'm sure．"

    Bob，standing in the corner of the room，applauded．He realized his mistake very soon，and went quickly back to his work，but Scrooge had heard him．

    "One more sound from you，Bob Cratchit，"said Scrooge，"and you'll celebrate Christmas by losing your job!"

    "Don't be angry with him，Uncle．Come and have dinner with us tomorrow．"said Scrooge's newphew．

    "No．"said Scrooge．

I'm sorry you don't want to celebrate Christmas．But I do．So a Merry Christmas，Uncle!"

    "Good afternoon!"said Scrooge．

    "And a Happy New Year!"said his nephew．

    "Good afternoon!"said Scrooge again．

    His nephew left the room．He stopped to wish Bob a Merry Christmas．And Bob replied，"A  Merry Christmas to you，too．"

    On the first day of the New Year 2019，I made up my mind to go to Thailand to teach English as a volunteer. At the beginning, all I cared about was travelling and seeing the world. I didn't know how fantastic my life would be in the coming months!

    My journey began with attending TESOL certification(认证) course in my home state of Florida last February. After 3 weekends of study and another 40 hours' study online, I received my TESOL certificate.

    I was asked to contact Philip, who is Program Director of the Teach in Thailand. After discussing with Philip, I chose my school and after many months of excitement，I finally flew to Thailand in early April and I couldn't wait to explore the country!

    After a few weeks of single travel, I met up with Philip and the other new teachers in my program in Bangkok. It was great to meet other people who were on the same journey as me, see some cool sights and walk in Thailand's cities! After that, I attended the week­long seminar(研讨会). At the end of the seminar, I was transported to my school—Anuban Buriram Primary School.

    I truly love my job—I teach Grades 5 and 6 and I have the cleverest and most active kids in the world. It's a truly fantastic thing that you can see the difference you make in someone else's life, right in front of you!

    Buriram is a small city with green rice fields. People here are more friendly than anyone I've ever met—I've never been anywhere where a smile is so easily received，where everyone you pass is so friendly to say "Hello" and "Good morning". I've been taken out to countless dinners, and been lent a guitar, a camera, and I am given Thai treats and the most delicious fresh fruits many times a week. I only hope to repay them in the future.

    One weekend, Taylor, an eight-year-old girl, went shopping with her parents. She asked her parents to buy a toy she wanted. Instead of giving her money to buy the toy, Taylor's father encouraged her to make money by herself. "How can I make money?" Taylor thought for a while and had an idea, "Why not make cakes and sell them at church to raise money to buy the toy?"

    The next day, Taylor started her plan. She first needed some money for tools and materials. So she borrowed $40 from her parents and promised to pay it back. Then she began to make cakes by herself. To her parents' surprise, she made $175 by selling the cakes that Sunday.

    Everyone thought Taylor would buy the toy she wanted. She certainly had made enough money for it, but she didn't. Instead, Taylor decided to buy business cards and had her father's phone number on them. Then she began handing the cards out. More people knew Taylor and came to buy her cakes. Even large companies began to try buying her delicious cakes.

    Though Taylor has made a lot of money, she still works hard at school. She also likes to take part in other activities. So Taylor must carefully manage her time. For example, instead of watching TV after school, Taylor might have to bake(烘焙) a lot of cakes for customers. When she has dance lessons on some days, she needs to get her baking done on time so she isn't late for class.

    Making cakes may take time and be hard work, but Taylor sees the fun in it. "I think making cakes is mostly my hobby." she says. She also decorates(装饰) the boxes that are used to pack the cakes. Taylor uses all kinds of decorations to make sure each box looks special for her customers. People love the extra feeling Taylor gives them by decorating the boxes, so more and more people come for her cakes.

    Taylor's cakes are becoming very popular. She achieves a sweet success.

    Hello, my name is Judy. I am a girl. I live in a house with my family. This is Anna. She is my friend. She lives in a house on Park Road. Anna is 11 years old. I'm 12 years old. I'm order than Anna. Anna is 1.5 metres tall. I'm 1.55 metres tall. Anna and I live far from the school, so we go to school by bus. Anna likes to listen to music. I like to read books. We are good friends.

    Alan Smith is blind. He teaches blind children in his country. To show the world that the blind can also do something amazing, he walked across the world's largest salt desert, Salar de Uyuni, only with the help of a GPS.

    Walking across the desert is not easy for an able-bodied person, let alone(更不用说) a blind man. Before setting off, Alan spent three years training for the journey. He studied everything he could find about the place and asked for advice from other travelers. During his journey, he only took water, food and sleeping bags. He walked about 20 kilometers a day. He showed great perseverance(毅力)and finished the 140-kilometer journey in just seven days.

    The brave teacher thought his week-long journey was wonderful. He said, "The journey was quite good. There were snow storms and winds, but luckily I made it."