In ancient China, a woman told the best stories. She married to the emperor (皇帝). Sadly, one day, this woman became ill and died. Everyone thought the emperor would soon find another favorite among his wives, but the emperor was very sad. He spent more and more time in his garden, and less and less time caring for the needs of his people. Everyone in the kingdom was worried.

One day, a priest (牧师) passed when some children were playing with their dolls. The dolls made dancing shadows on the wall. This gave the priest an idea. He knew the stories the emperor's wife used to tell. What if he could bring those stories to life?

    The priest made a puppet (木偶) out of bits of clay (黏土). He painted the puppet to look somewhat like the emperor's wife. When the puppet was finished, the priest silently walked into the emperor's garden, carrying his puppet, a candle and a curtain. He placed the curtain near the emperor's chair. He placed his candle, his puppet and himself behind the curtain. He waited for the emperor to appear.

The emperor did not even notice the curtain at first. The dancing shadow drew his eyes. As the priest moved the puppet behind the curtain, he told wonderful stories as the emperor's wife. It seemed as if his wife was spending time with him. The emperor was no longer sad. At the end of each busy day, the emperor went into his garden to visit his shadow wife and hear her stories once again. That is how shadow puppets first began.

    What will you do if you get 5 million (百万)? Some people give some different answers.

Sally:

    I want to do business. If I am rich, I will do a lot of things for my family. For me nothing is more important than my family. I will buy a new house for them and travel around the world.

Joe:

    If I have 5 million, I will use this money to do everything I like. At first, I will use 2 million to open my own shop. And I will use another 2 million of this money to buy some new houses. In the future, the houses will become more expensive, and I will sell them to other people. Finally, I will use 1 million to buy some presents for my family and my best friend.

Anna:

    If I have 5 million, I will put 3 million in the bank and spend 2 million. I will visit Paris, London and New York. I will eat delicious food, play games, and build a building with a swimming pool.

Jack:

    I will buy an island if I have 5 million. Then I will be the king of the island and I will invite my friends to my island.

    A very new, young officer（军官）was at a station. He was on his way to visit his mother in another town, and he wanted to telephone her to tell her the time of this train, so that she could meet him at the station in her car. He looked in all his pockets, but he did not have the coins（硬币）for the telephone, so he went outside and looked around for someone to help him.

    At last an old soldier came by, and the young officer stopped him and said, "Do you have change for ten pence（便士）?"

    "Wait a moment,' the old soldier answered. He began to put his hand in his pocket, "I'll see if I can help you."

    "Don't you know how to speak to an officer?" the young man said angrily. "Now let's start again. Do you have change for ten pence?"

    "No, sir," the old soldier answered politely and quickly.

(Now more and more people like shopping online, but is it good or bad? Here're a few different ideas. Let's take a look at them. )

Fred: I spend time on the Internet and buy many things online. I don't need to go out and wait for a long time. Also, I can always get the best things online. 

Dennis: I like shopping online a lot. I love to buy things on the Internet because people can send the products to me in a few days after I click the mouse on what I want. 

Anthea: Shopping online is a good way for us young people. We can save lots of time. When we buy anything online, we can compare different prices and features at the same time. 

Elihu: l like spending time going here and there in different shops and meeting different people, so I do very little online shopping. 

Harriet: 1 especially like shopping online, because it's much easier to choose my favourite things. Now I also have an online store called Millen to sell clothes. 

A shoemaker sp ent his time in singing from morning till night. It was wonderful to see, wonderful to hear. He was very pleased.

However, his neighbor—a banker, who was very rich, sang little and slept less. When by chance he fell into a light sleep in the early morning, the shoema ker woke him up with his song. The banker complained(抱怨) sadly that God had not made sleep a saleable thing, like food or drink, that people can buy with money. At last he sent for the singer. He said to him,"How much money a year do you make, Master Gregory?"

"How much a year, sir?"said the happy shoemaker laughing,"I have never thought in that way, living as I dofrom one day to another; somehow I manage to reach the end of the year; each day brings its meal."

"Well then! How much money a day do you make, my friend?"

"Sometimes more, sometimes less. But the worst of it is that we can't work a few days in the year, or we willmake more."

The banker said with a laugh,"In the future I shall place you above what you want. Take these hundred gold coins, keep them carefully, and make use of them in time of need."

The shoemaker was surprised to have all so much money. Returning home, he buried(埋藏) his money and his happiness at the same time. No more singing, he lost his voice at the moment he got his money. Sleep left him and cares, worries, and fears took its place. All day, he kept his eye on his money from time to time; and at night, if some cat made a noise, he thought someone stealing his money. At last the poor man ran to the house of his rich neighbor. He said,"____."

He was happy again.

Teddy bears

Children everywhere love toy bears, and people have been making them for hundreds of years. They also like stories about young bears. Three of the most famous storybook bears are Rupert Bear, Pooh Bear, and Paddington Bear, and most children in Britain and America also know the story Goldilocks and The Three Bears. At the moment so many children and adults too like toy bears and there are shops that sell only toy bears of all kinds. 

Many people call toy bears "Teddy" although this name has been used only since the beginning of the 20th century. The word "Teddy" comes from Theodore and a man called Theodore Roosevelt was the president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. Because people liked him very much and they called him Teddy, and because he had a toy bear, they called their own bears Teddy, too.