What will the house of the future look like? Could it have gardens on its walls, or a pool with fish for dinner? Architects(建筑师) believe that they are all possible. The only thing for sure is that the houses will be as green as possible.

    In 1989, an 8.2 earthquake killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. A father rushed to his son's school, only to discover the building was as flat as a pancake.

    But he remembered that promise he had made to his son, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" Tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of debris(瓦砾)that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his words. He rushed there and started digging.

    Other parents tried to pull him off what was left of the school. They tried saying many different things: "It's too late!" "They're all dead!" "Come on, face reality, there's nothing you can do!"

    A firefighter also tried to pull him away, saying, "Fires are breaking out, explosions(爆炸) are happening everywhere. You're in danger."

    The police came and said, "You're endangering(危及)others. Go home."

    To which he replied, "Are you going to help me?" And then he went back to his digging, stone by stone.

    He went on because he needed to know, "Is my boy alive or is he dead?"

    He dug for eight hours ...12 hours…then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a large stone and heard his son. He screamed his son's name, "ARMAND!" He heard back, "Dad? It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You did it, Dad!"

    "What's going on there?" the father asked.

    "There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad," his son replied. "We're afraid, hungry, thirsty, but thankful you're here."

    "Come on out, boy!"

    "Let the other kids out first, because I know you'll get me! No matter what, I know you'll always be there for me!"

    Once upon a time, a proud (骄傲的) Swallow lived in a large tree. He liked his colorful feathers (羽毛) and his long tail so much that he believed nothing could be better than them. One day he saw a Crow and thought. "How silly this bird is! All his feathers are black." He looked at himself lovingly and enjoyed his own feathers.

    Just then, the crow flew and sat on the same branch as the Swallow. The Swallow said, "All your feathers are black and your tail is so short." The Crow smiled and said. "But they help me fly." The Swallow said. "So do mine. But look at how beautiful they are!" He spread (展开) his wings and flew a little closer to the Crow. The Crow saw that the Swallow had lots of blue feathers and some white and pink ones, too. He looked at his own feathers and thought, "It's true. The Swallow's feathers are much prettier than mine."

    The Crow said, "Swallow, you're right. You have lovely feathers and a long tail, but only in summer. Your little feathers cannot keep you warm in winters at all. While you shiver (颤抖) in the cold, my thick feathers keep me warm in the cold winters."

    In life, there will always be some people or things that deeply touch you, or even change some of your ideas.

    On my way to school, I always see some people w{#blank#}1{#/blank#} in orange color and sweeping the street. They are city cleaners. People always d{#blank#}2{#/blank#} them as beauticians of the city. However, their work is really hard!

    Last week, our school carried out a social practice activity. I f{#blank#}3{#/blank#} a sanitation (环卫) worker Aunt Hu to experience. As we walked, we w{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Aunt Hu went to clean up the rubbish when she saw it. I also c{#blank#}5{#/blank#} some leaves and waste paper into a plastic bag. After five minutes, I felt a little tired. It was very hot. How I wanted to find a cool place to have a rest! But Aunt Hu didn't mean to stop even though there was much sweat (汗) p{#blank#}6{#/blank#} over her face. Just at this time, a banana peel fell on the ground. I looked up and saw that it was t{#blank#}7{#/blank#} by a fashionable girl! I was very angry, but Aunt Hu picked it up silently and put it in the dustbin. At this moment, I was touched d{#blank#}8{#/blank#}. She left the dirt and tiredness to herself and the tidiness to us, but the girl turned a blind eye to her job!

    City cleaners are worth our high regard. Thanks to them, the public environment has become clean and c{#blank#}9{#/blank#}. The news reports how the public respects the touching news of these lovely people. We are glad to see the public's a{#blank#}10{#/blank#} to the little people.