Do you often help the people who are in need?

One day, two boys were walking along the road to school when they saw an old woman carrying a large basket of pears. The old woman looked very tired. They went up and said, “Are you going to town? If you are, we'll help you carry your basket.”

“Thank you,” said the woman. “That's very kind of you.” Then she told them that she was going to the market to sell the pears. So the boys decided to lift the basket together. They walked slowly with the heavy basket, but they were happy.

 The other day, I saw a little girl pick up a piece of banana peel(水果皮). She threw it into the dustbin(垃圾箱). “I  hope nobody would throw that on the street,”she said. “Someone may slip (滑倒) and fall.”

Perhaps some people may say that these are not great things. That's right. But almost all great things are made up of such small things. We shouldn't wait for the time to do great things. We should begin with these things that are full of love.

    People have always wanted to know what our future will look like. Go on reading this text, and you will know what will happen in the next fifty years.

    How can we know what the future will look like? To be able to understand the future, you have to know the past, what has taken us to where we are today and what has changed along the way? The world has changed a lot in the last 150 years, but people are driven by the same basic needs as they were 150 years ago. Will this change in the next 150 years? No.

    What inventions have really made a different in the last 150 years? In the past years, the inventions that have changed most people's everyday life are telephone, radio, television, computer, the car and the internet. Then we of course have a lot of inventions that have made life easier, like new medicine, faster cars, trains, etc. In general, people have been working hard in the last 150 years to make inventions that will make the world a better place. Since there is still much to do in the area, this will be important for at least the next 150 years.

    Why do we need to guess the future? Guessing the future is important for two reasons: First, we need to start to think about what kind of future we would like for ourselves and our children. And then we need to know what decisions we need to make today that will give us the best future.

    Do you know that a student can produce up to 240 pounds of school waste and lots of waste gas (气体) during a term? This includes transportation, food, paper, pens, pencils and so on.

    Transportation    Some parents drive their kids to school every day. We all know waste gas from cars is a main cause air pollution. If parents who live in a neighborhood can take turns to drive their kids to school each day, that'll be better. Another way of going green is to walk to school if students live near their schools.

    Food    It's surprising that only one elementary school can produce up to 19,000 pounds of lunch waste each year. That's only one school. One way to help take care of the environment is to stop using plastic bags. There are all kinds of environmental boxes for students to put their food in.

    Paper, pens and pencils Lots of paper is thrown away by American students. They throw away about 1.6 billion pens every year. They waste many pens and chemicals (化学药品) in them are bad for the environment. Many more pencils are thrown away than pens. Pencils are made from trees, so if more pencils are thrown away, more trees will be cut down. So students should reuse (再使用) paper, pens and pencils instead of throwing them away.

    Backpacks As fashion comes and goes, almost every kid needs a new backpack every year. They can save lots of money and materials if they reuse the same schoolbags each year.

Teacher: So, how was your vacation, Karen?

Karen: It was great. I had a vacation with my friends in Hainan last winter. There were beautiful beaches and blue sea water. It was sunny and warm. We stayed there for a week. We went swimming every day. We played beach volleyball together. We ate seafood, too. We felt very relaxed.

Teacher: How about you, Brad?

Brad: I went to Beijing with my parents on vacation. The weather was fine and the trip was happy. We spent five days in Beijing. We visited Tian'anmen Square and the Palace Museum. We also went shopping. The shops were crowded. We ate in some Chinese restaurants, too. The food was cheap and delicious. The Chinese people were very friendly. We had great fun in Beijing.

    Keep in Touch

    You can keep in touch with your friends in many ways. You can call them. You can send letters or e-mails to them. You can even use a website like Facebook to keep in touch with them.

    Touch Luck

    "Touch Luck" is used when you feel sympathy(同情) about something bad that has happened to someone. But it is also used when you don't have any sympathy for someone's problems.

    Touch Screen

    You can find touch screens everywhere now, many mobile phones and music players have touch screens. Many ATMs have them, too. They are fun and easy to use! You can use them to buy tickets or shop online.

    Touchdown

    When you watch an American football game, you will hear the word "touchdown". A touchdown happens when a player carries the ball across the other team's goal (球门) line. When a player makes a touchdown, he scores (得分) six points for his team!

    The Midas Touch

    Midas was a king(国王) in an old Greek story. He loved money very much! He wished that everything he touched would turn to gold (金子). His wish came true. Everything he touched –his furniture(家具), his food, and even his daughter-turned to gold.

Are you a stressed-out student?

    You can beat it with our FIVE-POINT ACTION PLAN！

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    Some people are OK with three or four hours of sleep a night, but most people aren't. You should try to sleep eight hours a night. If you can't, then take a nap in the afternoon. Sleeping too long isn't good, either. Don't stay in bed all day.

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    Students often put on weight because they eat a lot of junk food and eat late at night. Bad idea! You should try to eat your evening meal early and have healthy snacks, like fruit. You should also try to drink at least eight cups of water a day. Finally, don't skip breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day!

    You don't have to eat a big breakfast, but you should eat something.

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    Sometimes you have to stop what you're doing. Take a break. Turn off the TV or computer, walk around the room, and breathe deeply. You should do this several times a day. And once a week, take a walk in a park or in the woods. Look at the trees and smell the flowers.

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    Walk as much as you can. Walking is the best way to stay in shape. Or get a bicycle, but remember that riding a bike can be dangerous. You should always wear a helmet and bright clothes. Never ride without them!

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    Do you have a gym nearby? You should use it. You don't have to exercise every day, but you should do some aerobic activity three to five times a week. Thirty minutes a day is enough. Remember: you can review for a test and jog on a treadmill at the same time.