The twenty first century is really fast and forces us to move faster with the pace(步伐) of it. The smartest way to shop nowadays is online shopping.

    Online shopping saves our precious time. It frees us from unpleasant visits to the shops. We don't need to travel long distances under the hot sun or the pouring rain. Just turn on our personal computers and a simple click will bring us into a magic world.

    It is very convenient(方便的) way of shopping because we can choose the product from a large range(范围) and we get to know the new products. We can see almost all products that we need online. There is food for people and pets， clothes， tools， books and magazines， electronic equipment， souvenirs and many others.

    Things in online stores are cheaper than those in big stores. There are always sales and special offers. With so many stores on line， we can take our time to make a comparison(比较) and choose the lowest price. There is also a possibility to pay by check or credit card(信用卡).

    Besides shopping on line， we can conduct(经营) our sales on line too. Is your family considering(考虑) replacing the old television that does not fit in your new home setting? Then why don' t you try to sell through Internet? Yes， even you can sell your products or un-wanted things through online shopping. You don't need to have your own personal e-commerce site. You can sell it through free ad posting sites. You will find plenty.

    With the latest technology， we have the best chance to shop online and feel the pleasure. You haven't tried it yet? Go and get a true online shopping experience now!

    We always look forward to World Book Day—it's a chance to share our love of books and reading with even more people! Here are some of the activities in different countries and places to celebrate the World Book Day, April 23rd every year.

    School Children's Books

    School Children's Books are happy that best-selling writer Holly Webb is their World Book Day writer for 2012. Holly has written a large number of books for children and she has written a special Magic Molly story just for this year's World Book Day!

    Reading Package

    On the World Book Day, every primary school student in Britain will receive a package from their school. Inside, there is a story book, a beautiful card and a reading list. Besides these three things, they will also receive a special note, which is worth one pound. Children can use it to buy their favorite books. And they can also enjoy a special price-20% cheaper.

    Share of Reading

    It is an interesting on-line activity which is for one week. People can share their opinions of a book on line. There are also many reading-aloud activities in libraries. For example, in 2010's World book Day the former US first lady Michelle Obama read aloud a book called The Cat in The Hat for more than 200 children in a library.

    Information Card

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The main stairs are cleaned twice a week by the Association, so please try to keep them tidy and clean and do not leave furniture or bags on the stairs or in the hallways.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Residents are asked to keep noise to a minimum. Loud music and other loud noise can disturb other people and the Association will get in touch with you if you make too much noise.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Rubbish collection is on Tuesdays. Please do not leave rubbish bags out before Tuesday as birds and animals can break into them and they smell.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The main lights are on a timer and they stay on for five minutes when you press them. Please tell the Association if any lights are not working.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} There is a washing line for every flat in the garden next to the car park. Please only dry your washing on these lines so it does not disturb（干扰） people in the ground floor flats.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Betty has a six-year-old daughter. She wants her to be a musician when she grows up, so she is looking for a famous music school for her.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Sara's son is 10 years old. He is interested in water sports. He said that he hoped to be a sailor in the future.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Alice learned to dance when she was young. Now she is a successful dancer. She wants her little daughter to follow her steps.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Mary is always worried about her daughter, who is poor at math and English at school, so she is looking for a training centre to help her daughter.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Gina has a son who is a football fan. He knows about almost all the well-known football players. He wishes to be a football star.

    Yesterday Jack went to a movie with his mother, Mary. There were two movies last night. One was My Father's Birthday. It was a very funny comedy. They both liked it. The actor was Paul Jackson. Jack liked him very much. The other was Black September. It was a thriller. His mother thought it was boring. After that it was ten o'clock. They went home by car. Jack was very happy, because he liked the films and he had a good time. Half an hour later, he went to bed happily. It was a happy Children's Day.

All Together Now!

    Have you ever heard of homemade music? That's right-homemade music. Music that is made at home can be lots of fun. And all of the family can take part in it. You don't have to have good voices. And you don't need to buy a musical instrument. What a family needs is the willingness to make music.

A singing game my family like is Crazy Voices. Each person sings a different song. But everybody sings at the same time! We do sound a little crazy. But the tunes (曲调) all fit together. Sometimes we get all mixed up. Then we just hum the songs. Or we put our hands over our ears. Then we try it again. And crazy voices fill the air. We really have homemade music when we play the Tap-a-Glass. Why? We make the instrument- that's the Tap-a一Glass. This takes some time. First, we hunt for drinking glasses that have a good ring to them. We tap them with a spoon to find out. We need eight glasses- one for each tone (音调) of the scale. How do we get different tones? By putting different amounts of water in the glasses. The more water, the lower the tone. After a while, we have all eight tones of the scale. Now the Tap-a-Glass is ready. One person takes the spoon and taps out a simple tune. We always give the player time to practice a little bit first. Then we try to guess the name of the song.

    Sometimes we do echo (回声) singing. In echo singing, we sing the same song. We pick a simple tune. One person begins to sing. Then a second person starts-right after the first singer! Sure enough, we have homemade music with a homemade echo!

    My family have fun with homemade music. We enjoy the time being together. Sometimes we get all mixed up. Sometimes we have to stop because we are laughing s0 hard. But more importantly, we can make music ourselves. To us, it sounds great.