My town is a great place to live in. It's the best place to enjoy your free time. There are three movie theaters in the town. They are all good, but the one nearest my house is the best. Shopping is also easy. There are many shops and most of them are trendy. They sell very fashionable clothes. They are also cheaper than those in other cities, so students love to shop here. There are also a lot of video and music stores. These are very popular with students. I go to the music store every week to buy a new CD. The most crowded place for students to hang out is the park. Everyone goes there, so it's really interesting.

    Sometimes there are even street performers. Some students think they are boring, but I think they are the most creative people. I want to be a street performer, too.

Family Traditions

    Where are your family traditions? The following information comes from several readers：

JARED:{#blank#}1{#/blank#}We take turns picking a movie to watch together. It's fun because I watch something my parents like, and they watch something I like. My mother likes old black and white movies, so I see a lot of them! We also make pizza and eat it in front of the TV.

WINNIE:{#blank#}2{#/blank#} My favorite meal is spaghetti and meatballs. My mom usually cooks, but my dad and sister help. On my sister's birthday, we eat pizza. On my mom's birthday, we have chicken, and on my dad's birthday we have steak. Of course, we always have a birthday cake, too. What are your family tradition? The following information comes from several readers:

DANNI:{#blank#}3{#/blank#}My family is really busy. We have a large family, and it's not easy for everyone to get together at the same time. On that day, we go to a nice restaurant and we talk and talk and talk.

SUZIE:{#blank#}4{#/blank#}After dinner, we go to the living room and play a board game, such as Scrabble  or Monopoly. We have about seven different ones we play, but we only play one game a night. I plan to keep this tradition after I start my own family.

ROB:{#blank#}5{#/blank#}I get up early and make something special, such as a mushroom omelet with fruit salad. Then I put it on a tray with a newspaper and a flower, and bring it to my mother for breakfast in bed. She always acts surprised, but I do it every year.

    Sally was a student. It was going to be her mother's birthday. She wanted to buy her a present that would be nice and useful but not expensive.

    A week before her mother's birthday, she went shopping after a quick and simple lunch. When she had been looking for half an hour, she found a shop that was selling cheap umbrellas, and decided to take a black one, since her mother had lost hers the month before.

    She thought, "You could carry that when you are wearing clothes of any color." So she decided to buy a lovely black umbrella and took it back to the school with her until her classes were over.

    On her way back home in the train that evening she felt hungry because she had such a small lunch that she went along to the dining car for another sandwich and a cup of coffee. She had left the black umbrella above her seat in the compartment(车厢), but when she got back, it had gone! When she had left the compartment, there had been no other passengers (乘客) in it, but now there were three.

    Sally began to cry when she saw that the umbrella was no longer there. The other passengers felt very sorry for her and asked what the matter was. She told them that the black umbrella she had bought for her mother was gone, and that she had to get out at the next station. After the three other passengers heard it, they asked her for her mother's address so that they could send the umbrella to her if someone had taken it by mistake, and brought it back after Sally had got out of the train.

    The next week, Sally heard from her mother. It said, "Thank you very much for your lovely presents, but why did you send me three black umbrellas?"

    Here is a page from a magazine named Future. Read the following information about things that may happen in the future.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴Cars will run on solar power(太阳能)or electricity and will be much cleaner. They will be much safer. For example, if you are too close to another car or if you are driving dangerously, your car will slow down by itself.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵Because there won't be any spare land, new cities will have to be built in the sea. Some cities on water will have two levels. People will live on the upper level, and the lower level will be used for traffic, shops and factories.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶Biotechnology will make food better and healthier. Plants that are not affected by insects or illnesses will be developed. The taste of fruits and vegetables will be better and food will be kept longer.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷New technology will be used to make TVs that are only 5cm thick. They will have pictures that are as clear as photos. Electrical appliances will be quieter and will be controlled by computer. They will also use 50% less power.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸Many new ways to cure illnesses will be successful by using products of genetic engineering (基因产品). Cures will be found for the flu and the common cold. However, some new illnesses will appear.

    Paul is a boy in Brazil. He has many pen-friends around the world. He likes writing to them and receiving their letters in return. He started writing to his first pen-friend, Thomas Wright from Britain, when he was ten years old. They have been writing to each other for two years now.

    Paul also has five other pen-friends. They are from Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Norway and Mexico, He got their names and addresses from various sources (各种来源): the International Pen-friend Club, the Look and Learn magazine and the newspapers.

    Paul enjoys writing to people from other countries because he finds it very interesting to learn more about those countries and the different cultures and customs that are found there.

    He hopes to visit his pen-friends some day. In the meantime, he will continue writing to them and enjoying their friendship.

    He will also try to look for penfriends from other countries such as Holland, the Philippines and Japan.

    Needless to say, all the letters of Paul and his pen-friends are written in English—the international language.

Mr. and Mrs. Albino, with 64 children, have the world's largest family. Not one of their children is adopted(领养).

When people hear about the Albinos' large family, the first question they ask is, "How is it possible? How can one woman give birth to 64 children in her lifetime?" The answer is simple: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Soon after the Albinos got married, the children came quickly, in twos and threes. The first 21 children were boys. Mrs. Albino loved her sons, but she wanted a daughter very much.

The Albinos spent the early years in Argentina. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} To travel from Argentina to Chile, they had to cross the Andes Mountains. Mr. and Mrs. Albino and their 21 sons made the difficult, two-week journey on mules. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

During the snowstorm, Mrs. Albino gave birth to triplets, a boy and two girls!

The oldest Albino children are in their thirties and forties. They are on their own now, but 18 of the Albino children still live with their parents. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The shack has electricity but no toilet or running water. The children wash in a small bowl in the dusty backyard.

At times there is very little food in the Albinos' small house when there is not enough food for everyone, Mrs. Albino makes sure the youngest children do not go hungry. "The smallest eat first, and then the bigger ones. We've always done it that way," she says. Obviously, the Albinos do not have enough money for their big family, then, do they continue to have children?

The Albinos do not use birth control because it is against their religion(宗教). They could let other people take care of their children, but Mrs. Albino will not allow it, "When my two brothers and I were babies," she says, "our mother left us at an orphanage(孤儿院) and never returned. We lived there together until we were five. Then a couple adopted my brothers and I was left behind. I was heartbroken.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Even if I didn't have much money, I would always take care of my children by myself." Mrs. Albino has kept her promise.