Marco Polo was born in Italy in 1254. When he was 17, he travelled along the Silk Road with his father, who wanted to trade with the Chinese. Finally, they arrived in Beijing. They were guests at the Emperor's Palace Marco was very clever and could speak four languages. The Emperor was impressed by him and they became friends. He asked Marco to serve in his court (宫殿) and sent him to do many important jobs all over the country.

    Marco was amazed by how beautiful China was. He was impressed by Beijing and the Emperor's Palace, especial the Summer Palace which was described as "The greatest palace that I've ever seen". The walls were covered with gold and silver and the hall was so big that it could easily hold 6,000 people for dinner.

    Marco was also attracted (吸引) by the inventions and developments in China which couldn't be found in Europe at that time. Marco was surprised to see Chinese people using paper money in the markets. In Europe, people paid for goods(货物) with gold and silver. He could not understand how people paid for food and valuable things with paper! He was also puzzled by the black stones people used to burn to produce heat. The black stones were coal, but Marco had never seen coal before!

    After he served the Emperor for 17 years, in 1291, Marco returned to Italy. He was a very wealthy man then. A writer wrote down all the stories that Marco told him in a book called The Description of the World, which became one of the best-selling books in Europe.

    People enjoyed the book, but many of them thought that Marcos stories about China were too fantastic to be true. However, Marco always stood by his tales. Just before he died, aged 70, Marco was asked the question, “Was it all true?” And this was his answer, “I have only told a half what I saw!”

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    Maybe you have heard of the“Mozart Effect". It says that listening to classical music, especially Mozart, can help with math and science learning, and develop smart children. But how can we enjoy music.

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    Listen in the car, while the children draw and color, and at dinner, for fun. Listen and talk about music.

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    Do you like this song? Why, or why not? If you like this kind of music, how does it make you feel? Happy or sad?

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    Get to know classical music, but don't forget jazz, blues or many other kinds of music. Many children enjoy different sounds from around the world as well.

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    Learn about a singer and then listen to his or her music. Libraries often offer CDs as well. Learn an instrument. This costs some money and time, but the result can be worth it. This including singing. Learn how to sing traditional songs.

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    Find concerts that you attend. Many towns and cities offer family concerts (for parents and their children）. Look for one near you house. Go to a music festival.

    Once upon a time, in the forest there lived a baby elephant, who had no friends. ________________ of the animals wanted to be his friend because he was too large.

    One day, a wild fire happened in the forest. The animals ran to safer places. The dry trees caught fire and the fire was sure to go all around the forest. The baby elephant ran to the nearest river, collected much water in his trunk (象鼻) and rushed to the burning trees. He sprayed (喷) the water on the fire. Finally, he put out the fire.

    Later, while he was resting after the hard job, all the animals and birds came to him and expressed their thanks for his kind help in time. They were now ready to have him as their good friend and their hero. They said, "A friend in need is a friend indeed."

    The baby elephant was happy to get so many friends and played games with them. He walked through the forest, carrying several small animals and birds on his back.

    You don't have to be bored on a rainy day. Here are some new ideas：

    Tell stories. You might tell stories you heard before, or you might make up some really wonderful stories.

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    You can learn to cook a pizza or maybe some cookies. Give your friends a chance to help in the kitchen and make something tasty.

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    You might write stories on your own and then read them aloud to others, or you might write a story together.

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    Think of some scenes and then play a game. Act as teachers, doctors, nurses or policemen. You can dress up in whatever you may have.

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    Pick out some music and dance around in the room. You can also sing while others are dancing.

    Soon the next rainy day, try some of these ideas for a day full of fun!

    As teenagers, you have a lot of dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize, or they can be small. You may just want to become one of the top ten students in your class.

    Once you find a dream, what do you do with it? Do you ever try to make your dream real? Making our dreams real is life's biggest challenge(挑战).

    You may think you're not very good at some subjects, or that it is impossible for you to become a writer. These kinds of thoughts prevent you from being successful.

    In fact, everyone can make his dream come true. The first thing you must do is remember the dream in your mind. Don't let it leave your heart. Keep telling yourself what you want. Do this step by step and your dream will come true faster because a big dream is made up of small ones. Please never give up.

    You may have difficulties on the road to your dreams. But the biggest comes from yourself. You need to decide what is the most important. Studying instead of watching TV will lead to better exam results while saving five yuan instead of buying an ice cream means you can buy a new book. As you get closer to your dream, it may change a little. This is good as you have the chance to learn more skills and find new interests.

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