Once upon a time, there were two seeds(种子). They were good friends. They often talked with each other when they were free. One day, they had nothing to do. They lay on the ground. They looked up at the sky and had a chat with each other.

      The first seed said, “I want to grow! Then I can enjoy the sun and the rain!” Later, it grew. It had a chance to enjoy the sun and the rain.

The second seed said, “I am afraid of growing up. If I grow, I have to live in the soil. Little animals may come up to me and eat me. How terrible! If I become a beautiful flower, a child will come and pick me. It is much better for me to wait. It's a dangerous way to be alive.” It did nothing and refused to grow.

       Spring came soon. A duck came up to the seeds. It eat the second seed and went away. See? We shouldn't act like the second seed. We should face our life bravely.

    Mary is four years old. She likes to ask questions. Her questions are often funny.

One day Mary goes to see her uncle with her father. Her uncle lives in another city. The city isn't near their city, so they take a bus to go there.

After many hours, they get to Mary's uncle's city. He is very happy to see them. The next morning, Mary's uncle takes her and her father out and shows them around(带领他们参观)。“Look at that big house,” says her uncle. “ It's the oldest(最古老的) house in the city.” “How old is it?” her father asks. “It is about 2100 years old,” her uncle answers.“How can that be?” Mary says. “It's only 2015 this year!”

When I was a child, watermelon (西瓜) was too expensive for my family. One of my father's friends, Bernie,was a rich businessman. He owned a large fruit store in another place.

Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would give us a call. My father and I would go to Bernie's place. We would sit on the dock (码头) happily and get ready for a big meal.

Bernie would take a big watermelon out, cut it up, give us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we three would put our faces into the watermelon, eating it happily.

In my father's eyes, Bernie was a real rich man. I always thought it was because he was a successful businessman. Later I learned that it was not Bernie's money that made my father think like that. My father thought he was rich because of the way he lived his life. Bernie knew when to stop working, get together with friends and enjoy his "watermelon".

When I grew up, because I was too busy making money as a doctor, I forgot the lesson I once learned on the dock. Well, now I've relearned it. Though (尽管) I'm still busy working as a doctor, I will try to slow down and take the time to enjoy the small pleasures (快乐) of my life.

①Japan's population is rapidly aging, with 28 percent of its people aged 65 or older. This means there aren't enough young people doing jobs that need physical strength (力量) like building things and farming.

②To encourage older people to work on, technology companies in Japan have developed special suits called exoskeleton (外骨骼). These suits can make it easier to lift and carry heavy objects.

③"We have no choice, elderly people need to stay in the workplace," says Daigo Orihara at Innophys. This company has made a suit called the Every Muscle Suit. It's light, weighing less than 4 kg. It doesn't need any batteries (电池) or motors (发动机). When users put it on like a backpack, they pump (抽气) air into it 30 times with a hand pump. Then, the suit can help them lift up to 25 kg easily. The suit costs about 1000 pounds and is used by food companies to help worker lift big boxes, by old people's homes to help workers lift people in and out of bed, as well as by food factories and building companies.

④Another company, Panasonic, is also developing different exoskeleton suits. Its most important one—the Atoun Model Y—costs 4200 pounds. It uses motors instead of air to work and can last for 8 hours. It weighs 4.5 kg and can help users lift up to 10 kg.

⑤Similarly, Japanese company JTEKT, part of the Toyota group, also began selling an exoskeleton. It's used to help older workers and also runs on a motor.

⑥As Japan is facing the problems of fewer and fewer workers, they may need to raise the age when people stop working. This means there will be even more need for exoskeleton to help older people keep working.

A: Hi, Emily. Nice to meet you.

B: Nice to meet you, too. Your city looks very nice in winter.

A: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. And many people come to our city to play in the snow every year.

B: Winter is a good time to have fun. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}?

A: Yes, I do. I like winter very much. Winter is a time for festivals, too.

B: Oh, I love festivals.

A: {#blank#}3{#/blank#}?

B: New Year's Day. It's a time for me and my family to have fun. What about you?

A: My favorite festival is Jilin Snow Expo（雪博会）.

B: {#blank#}4{#/blank#}?

A: Because there are many interesting things about ice and snow.

B: That sounds great!

A: {#blank#}5{#/blank#}?

B: Sure. Let's go then. I´m expecting the interesting things.