Scene 1

    (The setting is a room in the palace of the Queen of Sheba. The Queen sits at one end of the room on a chair. Zahrah stands on one side of the chair. Amram is showing some silks to the Queen.)

Amram: Would your Majesty be good enough to feel this silk? See how fine and soft it is!

    (Amarm comes a little closer to the Queen and holds out some purple silk. She feels it.) 

Queen: Yes, it is. And I like this bright purple color very much. (She turns to Zahrah.) Zahrah, what do you think of it?

 Zahrah:  I like it very much, and it is a good color for a queen, your Majesty. (She folds up the silk and puts it to one side.)

Amram:  The king of my own country, the wise King Solomon, likes this bright purple better than any other color.

Queen: I have heard many things about your king.   

Amram: He is a good king, your Majesty, and a kind man. All his people love him.

Queen:  I have also heard that he is very wise. Is it true, Amram, that King Solomon understands what animals say?

Amram: It is true, your Majesty.

Queen (Smiles): It's very hard to believe.

Amram: If I told you what happened one time when I was with the king, I think you would believe it.

Queen: I'd like to hear your story.

Amram: Well, one day our king and some men of his palace were riding on horseback to a nearby city. The king was riding ahead of the rest of us. All at once he pulled his horse to stop. He looked down at the sand in the road.

Queen: Go on.

Amram: Then the king turned his horse off the road and onto the grass. He kept his horse on the grass a little way before turning back onto the road.

Queen:  Did he say why he stopped and then turned his horse off the road?

Amram: King Solomon told us he had seen some ants hurrying along in the sand of the road. He said he had heard them say they were afraid that the horses would walk on them.

Queen (Surprised): And that was why your mighty king turned off the road?

Amram (Proud)Yes, your Majesty. The mighty King Solomon stopped to hear what the little ants in the sand were saying. He turned off the road to save them from being hurt.

Queen: Then he must be as wise and as kind as people say he is.

Amram: Now you can believe it, can't you?

Queen:  I won't fully believe it until I see and hear him myself, Amram.

Amram: Then why don't you come to our country and pay him a visit, your Majesty?

Queen:  Yes, I think I shall do that, Amram. But first I must think of a way to test this wise king. You may go now, Amram,

Amram: Good day, your Majesty. (He backs away.)

(Curtain)

One Day of a Middle School Student

My name is Jill Green. I am a teacher of a middle school in England. 1 want to tell the school day of my school to you.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The first lesson is at 9:20 a.m. It lasts(持续) an hour. The students can have a break(休息) from 10:20 a. m. to 10:45 a. m. Most girls like to talk, but most boys like to play ball games.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}After the break, students have the second lesson. During(在.....期间) the first quarter of the lesson, teachers usually have a test(测 试)for the students.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Lunch time is from 12:00 to 1:10 p. m. All students have their lunch at school. After lunch, students like to go to some clubs. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They can also watch TV, play games or tell stories in the clubs.

Students read some books and have the last lesson in the afternoon.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then students go home.

There are three different kinds of friends — "pest friends", "guest friends" and the "best friends". The first kind of friends is simply acquaintances(泛泛之交), and all you usually know about them is their names. You may meet this kind of friends at school, at work, or on the bus, but you don't miss them when they are not around. When this kind of friends does something bad, it may be difficult to stop them. That is why they are called "pest friends".

The second kind of friends could also be called "social partners". They are closer than acquaintances, but not as close as true friends. You know their names, a little of what they like or dislike, and a little of their family stories; you usually have a few things in common. However, you don't talk about anything deep, such as your wishes or fears, and they don't open up to you how they really feel either.

The last kind of friends, the "best friends", is those you know the deepest. You're like family, and know everything about each other. You have no problem with staying at each other's houses, and you share your deepest feelings and thoughts. They will correct you when you're wrong, and although they may not be perfect, they at least will always care about you, and never do anything on purpose(故意地) to hurt you.

We all have our pest, guest, and best friends. We should value all friendships, no matter how deep or how superficial. Remember, all best friends start out as just acquaintances.

Love, joy and the warm feeling of getting together don't cost a thing. But gifts do cost money. So what should a poor family do?

When I was 10, I told my mother that the only thing I wanted for the New Year was a pogo stick (弹簧单高跷). However, my mother said it was so expensive that we couldn't afford one.

On a Saturday before New Year, my family went shopping together. While my mother and I were picking out the gifts, my dad said, "I'll be back soon-I need to see something in the tool area." A moment later, he came back with a long box. I remembered wondering if there was a pogo stick in it.

When we arrived home, my dad put the box in the garage. While my parents were busy with their chores, I quietly walked out to the garage and found the box. I was so excited and I knew as soon as I opened that magical box, my bright, shiny pogo stick would appear. No such luck! Inside the box was a silly old broom (扫帚).

That New Year morning, I got some gifts like a tiger toy and a saving pot, but I didn't get the present that I really wanted. How upset I felt at that moment though I didn't want my parents to see!

After cleaning up the room, my dad went to the garage. When he came back, he was carrying a beautiful pogo stick. I couldn't believe it! My parents probably got quite a laugh from the trick they played on me.

Although we didn't have much money, my parents gave me the most important gift of all: lots of love. That was over 60 years ago and I still think about those wonderful memories. They were full of my childhood. I will never forget all the joy my parents brought into my life.

Most of us don't have to worry about our next meal because we know there is plenty of food available. But many people around the world are not that lucky. They live in hunger every day.

 According to a UN report in 2019, about 113 million people around the world suffered from acute(急性的) hunger in 2018. The number of people suffering from hunger stayed above 100 million from 2016 to 2018.

 Acute hunger is the most serious form of hunger— it refers to those who will die soon if they don't have food. Nearly two- thirds of people facing acute hunger come from just eight countries, including Ethiopia, Syria and Yemen, the report noted.

 One reason for this is war. Some 74 million people, or over half the number of people facing acute hunger, are living in war- torn countries.

 In addition, climate change and natural disasters(灾害) pushed another 29 million people into acute hunger in 2018, according to the report. This number includes people in southern Africa who faced droughts(干旱) that year.

UN World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley called for world leaders to" step up to the plate" in order to meet the UN's goal of being free from hunger. He called on them to solve the problems ▲.

 China has worked hard to solve world hunger. The country is working together with the UN to help other countries deal with serious hunger problems.

 Most of the planes we see are white. But do you know why the planes are painted like this?

 Actually, white is not their natural color. But there are many advantages(优点) if they are painted white. It is a good way for airlines(航空公司) to protect their plane from sunlight. Another reason is that white paint can reduce (减少) heat and any possible damage(损坏) from sun radiation(辐射). Less heat also means lower cooling cost for airlines. 

 That's not all. The airplane company staff check the plane's surface each day. White paint makes it easier than colorful paints for staffs to find out the cracks on the plane' s surface. Most importantly, safety is a matter that we should pay more attention to. At night or in bad weather, it will become more difficult for the ground monitoring station to see the plane flying in the sky. So white planes can help people reduce this bad effect(效果) when the planes are seen clearly in the special environment. 

 The cost of keeping a plane in the best situation is mainly considered by many airplane companies. Actually, a colorful appearance looks good but is useless. Colorful planes often lose their color after flying for several years. Especially, bad weather, the main reason, will do harm to their appearance. Airlines will have to spend time and money repainting their planes. In order to cut the unnecessary cost, many airlines will paint them in white or keep most of the planes' appearance in white instead of other colors. 

 All in all, the color white is a better choice.