My family lives very happily on a farm near a small town. My father always learns some information about weather through the TV, the Internet and newspapers.

    One evening, he asked us to meet at the table after dinner. "I have some bad news," he said. "The weather reports on the television warned(警告)that we would face a typhoon tomorrow."

    At 6:30 a.m. the next day, the winds started and the rain was falling heavily. There were new warnings that the sea level could go up as much as 5 meters.

    The winds were terribly strong and tree branches were flying everywhere. Trees were falling down and the rain kept coming down.

    Just after 10:30, the wind stopped suddenly-it was strangely calm and the sun was shining. Then the winds came howling(咆哮)again, but this time more rain fell. There were more flying things and the storm came in. Everything within 1 km of the coast was flooded-there was fish in the streets. Now the winds were dying down, but the rain was still falling.

    After another two hours, the wind came to a stop at last. My home was in a mess and my mum burnt her arm when the hot water from the stove hit her skin. We were all frightened, but we were all safe, including the cat.

    Matt jumped into bed. His father sat down beside him.

    "What kind of day did you have?" he asked.

    "It was a bad day for me," Matt answered. "I had a fight with Ned. The teacher sent a note home about me. And Mom talked about it with me."

    "Yes, part of the day was bad," Mr. Gold said. "But there were good parts, too. Now it's time to go to sleep. So, tell me about the best thing today."

    Matt smiled. "After school I went fishing," he said. "No one wanted to go with me. So I had to go alone. I didn't think I would have any fun. But I did! I caught a fish!"

    "I'm glad you had a good time," Mr. Gold said. "Think about it until(直到)you go to sleep. Happy dreams!"

    "Good night, Dad," Matt said.

    His father kissed(亲吻)him good night.

    Every night, Mr. Gold and Matt have a little talk like this.

    Every night, Matt answers the same question. "What was the best thing that happened to you today?"

    Every night Matt goes to sleep thinking about the best thing. He has many happy dreams!

    Sometimes he has to think hard to find the best thing. Sometimes it is a very small thing. But he always finds one good thing to think about.

    Matt's father taught his son a good way to end his day. You may want to try it. If you do, why not begin this every night?

Do you know Roma people? They were called Gypsies (吉普赛人) by Europeans because they thought they came from Egypt (a country in Africa). About a thousand years ago, the Roma people left their homeland. They are known as nomads because for hundreds of years many of them have lived in large groups that travel from place to place. They have no real homeland.

Today, the Roma are now living all over the world. They have kept their language and many customs. For example, it's important for Roma to marry other Roma. It's also a custom for parents to choose the person their children will marry. Roma people get married when they are young, sometimes even as young as 14.

Romany is the language of the Roma people, which was written down only recently. Because the Roma are nomadic and have moved all over the world, their language has developed in many different ways. It is sometimes hard for Roma in one part of the world to communicate with Roma from another part.

Roma music is famous all over the world because many Roma throughout history have been musicians. Their music has influenced many other kinds of music, like classical and jazz.

Roma don't usually assimilate (同化) into host countries. Over many centuries, governments have forbidden them to marry each other, travel or wear their traditional bright clothes. They have their gold taken away from them—treasures from their parents and grandparents. They have been taken as slaves (奴隶), and have been forced to change their names.

 But today, the Roma are finding ways to live in peace with others while keeping the treasures of their culture. "There's a will within us to continue to live as a people." says George Kaslov, whose family arrived in New York from Russia a hundred years ago. "All the other ethnic (种族) groups who came to America assimilate gradually with time going; they lose their customs and language. But not the Roma. We hold out."

I start my first day of school at junior high today! I can't believe this day has finally arrived.

What I am thinking about m{#blank#}1{#/blank#}me nervous（紧张的）. After all, I was one of the leaders at my old school. The younger students all looked u{#blank#}2{#/blank#}to us sixth graders. Now, I am going to be a new kid all over again and I am going to have to make new friends.

I am not alone. All of us going into the junior high are in the same b{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. In fact, I am not w{#blank#}4{#/blank#} about being a new junior high school student. I am excited about it! I am excited about all the different s{#blank#}5{#/blank#}I get to study.

The letter I got last week from my new school says that this Friday will be Club Day. There are a lot of a{#blank#}6{#/blank#}at my new school. I think I might take p{#blank#}7{#/blank#} in the Film Making Club. Dad told me that a good w{#blank#}8{#/blank#}   to make new friends is to meet people who share your hobbies.

I will miss my old friends when I am in this new school, but I know there will be at least three other students from my primary school. I also know that I can talk with my old friends even if we no longer go to the s{#blank#}9{#/blank#}school.

I am so excited now! Mum, Dud, Grandma, and Grandpa are all excited for me as well. I think I am going to enjoy m{#blank#}10{#/blank#}at the junior high school after all. I am looking forward to a great year and an exciting new world!

B: Lucy, are you going to the School Science Show?

L: {#blank#}1{#/blank#} When does it start?

B: I saw the poster yesterday. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It will last two days.

L: Oh, July 5th and 6th. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

B: Yes. And this time it will be open from 10:00 am to6:00 pm.

L: That sounds good. It will give more people the chance to enjoy it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

B: Only $2 for students, but adults should pay $10.

L: Great! It's much better than before.

B: The poster also says there are many new inventions to watch and try this time.

L: {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I won't miss it!

A. Is it the first weekend of July?

B. It must be very exciting.

C. How much are the tickets?

D. How much should I pay?

E. Does it last two days?

F. It says the show starts on July 5th.

G. Yes, I plan to.

Life is like the four seasons. Now I am very old, but when I am young, it is the spring of my life. I play a lot, and I grow bigger and bigger day by day. There are sweet days and heartbroken (心碎的) days. Some days the sun shines. I have a good job. I am strong and happy. Then I marry (结婚) and have a child. In those days, I am busy and work hard. I start to get gray hair. It's the summer of my life and it passes quickly.

Then the days get shorter. Leaves fall down from the trees. My child is a university（大学） student and then an engineer. My home is much quieter. I start walking more slowly. One day I leave my job, and I retire. I have more time. I know this is my autumn, a beautiful time when the trees change colour and give people delicious fruit. But the days are getting shorter and colder. Winter comes. I am older and weaker. I know I do not have many days, so I will enjoy them to the end.