[1]Once, when there was a famine（饥荒）, a rich baker sent for twenty of the poorest children in the town, and said to them, “In this basket there is a loaf（面包）for each of you. Take it, and come back to me every day at this hour for more.”

    [2]The hungry children gathered eagerly about the basket, and fought over the bread because each wanted the largest loaf. At last they went away without even ______ the good baker.

    [3]Gretchen, a poorly dressed little girl, did not fight or struggle with the other children, but stood quietly in the distance（远处）, When the badly behaved children had left. Gretchen took the smallest loaf, which was all that was left in the basket. She kissed the baker's hand and went home.

    [4]第二天，孩子们表现得像以前一样糟糕。Gretchen got a loaf almost half the size of the one she got the first day. When she came home, her mother cut the loaf open. Many new shining pieces of silver fell out of it.

    [5]Her mother was very worried and said, “Take the money back to the baker at once. The silver must have fallen into the dough by accident. By quick, Gretchen!”

    [6]When the little girl gave the rich man her mother's message, he said, “It was no mistake, I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf to reward（奖赏）you. Always be as content（满足）,peaceable, and thankful as you now are. Go home now, and tell your mother that the money is yours to keep.”

    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!

    Please look at my family photo.

    Those are my grandparents. These are my parents. My mother is Mona. She likes red. She likes hamburgers for breakfast. And she often plays ping—pong. That is my brother. His name is Jack. He doesn't like red. He just likes yellow. He often has milk and bread for breakfast and then plays soccer. Now this is me. my name is Tony. I like blue very much. My sweaters, my T—shirts, my pants, my shoes are all blue. For my breakfast, I like eggs. I don't like soccer. It's so boring. I just like tennis. It's so fun. This is my family. I love my family.

    Alice and John are in the music club at their school. Alice plays the violin and John plays the drums. There are two groups in the school music club: the training group and the concert group. Everyone starts in the training group!

    "When I first started to play the violin it sounded terrible!" Alice said. "My family asked me to practice outside."

    After a year's practice, Alice and John play much better. Now, they are both in the concert group and they are learning more difficult music. "We're learning the music from the film Pirates of the Caribbean. It sounds fantastic!" John said. "Playing in the club with other kids is a lot of fun."

    Playing an instrument (乐器) is not only fun. It also helps children learn to concentrate (集中注意力). "I have to concentrate when I'm practicing," Alice said. "And now it's easier for me to concentrate on my schoolwork."

    Playing an instrument can also help children become more confident. As John said, "I was scared when I played in front of a lot of people for the first time. But now I really enjoy it."

    I'm Sara. I'm a middle school student. At school, we have nine subjects — math, English, Chinese, science, geography, history, art, P.E. and music. My mother is a Chinese teacher and she says Chinese is beautiful and important (重要的). I like Chinese. I always read Chinese books before I go to bed. I also like history. It is my favorite subject. Mr. Brown is great fun. In his history class, I can learn many interesting stories.

    Mr. Green is my math teacher. He says math is useful and interesting, but I think it is boring. My science teacher, Mrs. Smith, is nice. I listen to (听) her carefully (认真的) in class. But I can't do well in the science exam(考试). I don't know why. Although it's difficult for me, I will try my best to solve it step by step.

    We always have art, P.E. or music in the afternoon. For me, the classes in the afternoon are fun and relaxing. In P.E. class, I like to play ping-pong with my P.E. teacher Mrs. Miller. She plays very well.