Little Bob was born in a poor village in New York. His father has been ill for a long time and cannot do any 1at all. Bob's mother is very busy with the housework 2 working. Bob understands how hard his mother works, and he always helps her3some housework. 4 he does too much housework, his mother is still very strict with him. There are some family rules for Bob.

    He must5his things in his room and keep them tidy. If he makes them dirty, he must clean them up 6. He is allowed to keep a parrot, a cat and a dog, but he must feed them often and give them water 7 every day. After school, he is allowed to play with his pets for a short time. 8 his clothes, he isn't allowed to choose his own clothes. On school nights, he can't go out 9 and only on weekends, he is allowed to watch TV.

    Sometimes Bob hates the rules so much that he wants to break them, but he thinks the rules his mother has made are 10 him, so he faithfully obeys them.

A Meaningful Gift

    Emily was an eight grader. To pass her Civics course（公民课程）,she had to do some volunteer service in a nursing home for a week.

    One Monday, Emily went to the nursing home after school. When she arrived, she was told she would1an hour every weekday with an elderly lady, Mrs. Blair. She was then led into a room, where an old lady in a flowery dress was sitting on a sofa.

    Emily2awkwardly（别扭地） in front of the lady. She cleared her throat and said,“Good afternoon. I'm Emily.”

    “Good afternoon, Emily. Take a seat,please,”Mrs. Blair replied.

    Then,3filled the space between them. Emily wondered what to say.

    “Tell me about yourself,Emily,”Mrs. Blair said suddenly.

    “Well,” Emily started, “I don't have any grandparents, so I can't relate to elderly people much. I love the performing arts. I'm here mainly because I have to 4here to get a good grade for my Civics class.”Mrs. Blair didn't seem to5.Many people, especially teens, don't seem to care about old people like me. Now you're here, and I'm going to change that about you. Ask me anything.”

    Emily thought for a moment, and finally decided, “What was your job?”

    “I was a Broadway star in the 1950s,”Mrs. Blair answered.

    “Cool! Can you tell me about it?” Emily asked, amazed.

    Mrs. Blair smiled. “Back then, only the lead actress had the honor to wear a 6bracelet. I was the lead in almost all of the plays, so I always wore the bracelet. Till this day, I still have it.”

    Emily smiled along with Mrs. Blair and listened to the other stories, attentively. She had become so interested in Mrs. Blair's7that she decided to come earlier the next day.

    Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday passed by quickly. Then came Friday. As she was leaving, Emily was really8to say goodbye.

    “Don't be sad. You can still visit me,” Mrs. Blair comforted her. She then handed a small box to Emily, “It's my gift to you.”

    Emily9opened the box and was surprised to see what was inside. “It's the bracelet that you wore. Thank you!” Emily said, with tears in her eyes. “I'm sure to visit you whenever I'm free.”

    On her way home, Emily thought of her own love for the performing arts. She touched the bracelet and made a10that she would keep her word to Mrs. Blair.

A young man went for a job interview in a big company. The boss found that the young man's college grades were excellent. Then he asked the young man who paid for his education. The young man told the boss that his parents did and they worked as laundry (洗衣店) workers. 

The boss noticed that the young man's hands were smooth and perfect. He asked, "Have you ever helped your parents wash clothes?" "No. My parents always make me study. Besides, they wash clothes faster than I do."

The boss asked the young man to go back home and wash his parents' hands. When he got home, he told his parents that he wanted to wash their hands. His parents felt surprised but happy. Then the young man began to wash their hands slowly. 

He was in tears. He found his parents' hands were so rough (粗糙的) and pale because of washing a lot of clothes in the cold water. There were also many injuries (伤口) in their hands. After washing their parents' hands, the young man quietly washed the rest of the clothes. 

The next morning, the young man went to the company again. The boss noticed the young man's pale hands. He said to the young man, "Welcome to join us!"

①Exercise is a key part of staying healthy. Many people want to keep healthy through sports and exercise. But some of them have some wrong ideas about it. 

②"A plate of chicken is a good meal before games because it has much energy. " In fact, meat is not a good meal before games, because the best meal before games should have carbohydrates(碳水化合物). You should have some food like potatoes, bread and bananas before exercising because they are rich in carbohydrates. 

③"The best time to exercise is early in the morning. " Morning is a good time to exercise, but it may not be good for you. If afternoon or evening is OK for you, and you enjoy the feeling of getting healthier, you can also exercise in the afternoon or in the evening. So there is no certain time for you to exercise. 

④"You can't drink water when you exercise because it will make you feel tired. " Staying hydrated(使吸入水分) while exercising is very important, especially during the hotter months when we lose more water by sweating. The best way to hydrate our body is to drink water. When you exercise, you must have some water during breaks. And after exercising, you must have much water. If you don't drink enough water, then you may feel tired. 

⑤" ▲ " Wrong! You need to give your body a day to have a break. Too much exercise is bad for your health. When the body is not given enough time to recover after exercise, there is always the risk that it will be easier to get hurt. And remember, don't exercise when you are very tired.