Have you ever heard of Weifang, Shandong Province? What is it known for? There is an international kite festival every April in Weifang. It is a modern city with many traditions. People from all over the world compete in the kite flying in Weifang. There are also competitions for the best kites. The kites in the competition are all made by hand.

    Most people have flown a kite. It makes people happy. It's easy to make it. It's made of bamboo and paper. But not so many people know that kites were first made in China thousands of years ago. The ancient Chinese made and flew kites even before they could write.

    A long time ago, the Chinese made kites to use in wars. They would fly these war kites in the dark. The kites were fixed and they made strange sounds in wind. Men who were at war against them would hear these sounds and run away. They thought those strange sounds were made by gods in the sky.

    The ancient Chinese also flew kites to bring good luck and to make their crops (稻谷) grow rich and tall. Sometimes they tied long strings and hooks(绳子和钩子) to their kites. Then they would fly the kites over water, letting the hooks hang down to catch fish.

    The Chinese use sticks, string and paper for their kites. Some of these kites look like animals or trees and others look like houses.

  First Frenchman: I once heard someone shout, "Look out." I put my head out of a window and a glass of water fell on me. It seems that "look out" may mean "Don't look out."

  Second Frenchman: I was once on a ship and heard the captain shout, “All hands on deck (甲板). I put my hands on the deck and someone walked on them.”

  Third Frenchman: I once went early in the morning to the doctor's and his nurse came to the door and said, "He's not up yet. Come back in half an hour." When I went a second time for him, she said, "He's not down yet." I had to go away again. Later I thought the doctor should be in the house in the evening, so I went there once more. "Oh, how sorry I am! He's not in! I'd better tell him to wait for you if you could come tomorrow." said the nurse.

  "Well! He's not up, he is not down, and he is not in. please tell me where he stays!" I said angrily.

    A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.

    Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn't built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.

    Even so, travel isn't difficult. The waterways have always been the best ways to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go. People in Venice move from place to place by boat. They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along.

    Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped from a war more than 1,500 years ago, and built homes there.

    Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem.

    Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made the ice of the Arctic Ocean (北冰洋) melt (融化).

    Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.

    Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower.

My problems started after I went to a new school far from home. I was only 14, and at first I missed my family a lot. I often called them and cried on the phone. But after two weeks, I found I enjoyed being with my classmates at school. 

I had many friends who were boys. I thought of them as my best friends—but only friends. I never guessed my friendship with boys would become a problem. 
    Then, three months later, my friends told me that some teachers and girls said I was hanging out（闲逛）with boys all day long in order to get attention from them. Seven months after that, the head teacher Mr. Wang asked the class to choose（选择）some students to join the Student Union. I thought I could win for I was doing well in school. I'd already won prizes（奖励） for the best in math and English exams. A week later, the list came out and it didn't include（包括）me. I was sad.

Mr. Wang came to me and said. "Don't be sad. I know you're excellent! Maybe you're a little distant（远） from the girls in our class. They don't know much about you, so some of them didn't choose you. It doesn't matter. Do your best to get along well with everyone and I think you'll make it next time. "