There is a zoo in our city. My parents often take me there on 1. I like animals. I have a lot of toy animals in my room. In the     2, I can see tigers, elephants, bears, monkeys, pandas, snakes, and many other  3. Some animals are friendly, but some are not. Tigers, bears and some snakes are 4. That is why they have to stay in  5. But I do not think it is good 6 animals to stay in cages. They should be free. The animals in cages can't be 7.

    I think the most interesting animals in the zoo are the dolphins. I like 8 them swim and jump. They swim so fast and jump so high. They can play 9 a ball. They can even(甚至) stand up and walk! They are very  10 to people. If you fall into water and can't swim, they may come to help you.

C

    A long time ago, there was an emperor. He had a beautiful garden. In the garden, there was a little nightingale(夜莺) singing very beautifully.

    One day, the emperor heard about this little bird's beautiful voice. He asked his guards to bring her to him. As soon as the emperor heard the nightingale's voice, he said, "Put her in a golden cage, so she can stay and sing for me whenever I want to hear her sing."

    The little bird was so unhappy about being kept in the cage that she stopped singing one day. The emperor was very angry. He ordered the scientists in his palace to make a robot bird for him. The bird could sing very beautifully, too. The emperor was pleased.

    Soon the robot bird became old. It no longer sang beautiful songs. Just at that time, the emperor became very weak. One morning, while lying in bed, the emperor wanted it to sing once again. But the robot bird couldn't sing any more.Suddenly the nightingale landed on the window. She began to sing her most beautiful song. The emperor was very happy! He became better and better each day.

    After the emperor was well, he changed a lot and became kind to his people. From then on, all his people cherished(爱戴) him for his love and kindness.

    Home Alone is a very funny 1990 American film. It tells us a boy who is left at home alone by accident.

    One night before Christmas, McAlister family meet at their house. They are planning to fly to Paris for the holiday and are busy getting ready. Eight-year-old Kevin is the youngest child and he is fighting with his brothers, sisters and cousins. When he goes to bed, he is so angry that he wishes all his family would go away. In the morning, everyone wakes up very late. They are all in hurry to get to the airport, so they forget Kevin and he is left alone at home.

Although Kevin is alone, he is very happy at first. His terrible family have gone—his wish has come true. He watches TV, eats lots of fast food and play games. He has a good time. But later on, he goes out and hears two bad men called Harry and Lary. Many things in the house get broken as Kevin tries to stop them. Finally, the police come and the men are taken away.

    The house is now in a mess, so Kevin tidies it up and waits for his parents. They get back from Paris and are very happy to find that Kevin is safe.

B

    Maria Montessori is a famous Italian educationalist, whose method of teaching has influenced people all over the world.

    Born in Italy in 1870, Montessori became the first woman doctor in her country after she graduated from medical school in 1896. Later, working with poor children, she set up a “Children House” in Rome in 1907. The rooms were bright and colorful. This was the place where she developed the Montessori Method, which was formed during 1908-1913.

    Maria thought that children must be free to learn without being criticized(批评) or limited. She let the children make their own choice of what they wanted to do and work with their own speed, not the rest of the class or the teacher. As a result, children enjoy learning and this gives them confidence and makes them happy. The Montessori Method also teaches children skills to help them become independent. Very young children learn to dress themselves, to cook and to put their toys and clothes away. It's a way of teaching which encourages children to learn by doing and experimenting. Children are encouraged to repeat activities as often as they wish, and they develop their observation(观察) skills by doing different activities. In addition, the Montessori Method thinks that teacher is a guide, not a leader of the classroom, helping to open students' eyes to wonder around them.

    A typical room in a Montessori school has many things children can use. The furniture is light so they can arrange it as they wish. Because the environment offers many activities, children like to work together and they develop a social life based on cooperation(合作)rather than competition.

    Maria Montessori travelled around the world to train teachers to use her method. In 1950, she received the World Peace Education Badges.

    It began one night, last September. We were getting ready to go to bed when it started raining. It was really windy. When weren't worried because it rains often here.

    At 2 a.m., my dad woke me up and said ,"There's a storm coming. We have to go to the basement(地下室）." I got up quickly. "Lin, find the candles, please!" my mom said."...And Chen, bring bottles of water from the kitchen." She said to my brother . "... and Huan, don't forget the radio," she continued.

    Dad asked us not to be worried. Then he told us to go down to the basement. The four of us went down to the basement and only a few minutes later we heard the storm. The noise was huge. We could hear the wind breaking glass and other terrible sounds. I remember we just hugged each other all night. I don't want to live through that again. The storm died out the next day. Our house was completely broken down. But we were happy because we were alive.

When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in a new soldier school in Ashland and not sure if I could make it home for the holidays. On the afternoon of December 23, we were told some of us would have three-day holidays posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers.

It was Christmas Eve when I arrived home, and a light snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see over her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood. There were lights all colors shining in the green of the tree.

"Where did it come from?" I asked.

I asked the gate boy to cut it" my mother said. "I wouldn't have had one just for myself, but you called in such a rush! He just brought it in this afternoon."

The tree was almost as tall as the room, and the Tree Top Star was in its place. A few branches reached about a little disorderly at the side, I thought, and there was a big bare branch（树枝） showing in the middle. But the tree filled the room with the pleasant smell of Christmas.

"It's not like the one you want to find, " my mother went on. "Yours were always in good shape and you were good at it. I think the gate boy didn't know where to look for a better one." "Don't worry." I told her. "It's perfect."

It wasn't, of course, but at the moment I understood for the first time, all Christmas trees are perfect.