In Sydney, Australia, there lived a man called Mark Simon. Mark enjoyed betting so much that he would bet on anything. One day, Mark showed a frog to a stranger. He bet the stranger $60 that the frog could jump farther and faster than any other one in Sydney. The stranger said he would bet Mark if he had a frog. Mark left his frog with the stranger and went to find a frog for the stranger. The stranger opened the frog's mouth and put a bag of sand into it Soon Mark came back with a frog for the stranger. The two frogs were put on the floor and given a push. To Mark's surprise, the stranger's frog jumped off smartly but his frog just sat there. Mark had to give $60 to the stranger. After the stranger left, Mark picked up the frog, and found it quite heavy. He turned it upside down, and the bag of sand came out He knew he had been fooled and started running after the stranger.

    Hi! My name is Dave. I am a middle school student but I think my life is different from most other students. After school, I always hunt wild birds and animals with my father, uncles and brothers. I also help them to plant and harvest (收割) crops. I want to be a carpenter. A carpenter is someone who works with wood and fixes (修理) chairs and other things made of wood. I have made lots of things like tables and other furniture.

    My elder sister does many different kinds of things every day. She makes our candles (蜡烛) by using the oil and fat from sheep and cows. These candles give us light at night. She also gets the wool from sheep. My mother and grandmother also teach her to sew. She can make letters and pictures on the cloths with needles.

    I think we live a very happy country life.

    Being a good friend isn't always easy, but taking the time to nurture（培养） a lasting friendship is worth the effort. As the years pass, some people will stay by your side; but many won't. And you'll realize that each friendship you keep is valuable. To have a good friend, you must be one. But, what is the quality of a good friend? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Being trustworthy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you say you'll go out with a friend and just cannot go, give your friend a gift and tell him or her you're sorry. Nobody's perfect, and it's okay if you break a promise once in a blue moon, but don't make it a regular thing.

    Be respectful. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your friend doesn't share the same values and beliefs with you, respect his or her choices and be open to hearing more about them.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Don't interrupt conversations. Take the time to truly understand when your friend is talking to you. Listening may open space between the two of you.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The best gifts are often hand-made and come from the heart. A phone call can mean as much as a visit!

A. You don't have to spend a lot of time or money to be good friend.

B. Good friends show respect for each other by being open and supporting each other.

C. Just follow these steps.

D. Be a good listener.

E. Don't ever make a promise that you can't keep.

    How would you persuade (劝说) your parents to support your dream? American actress Emma Stone created a PowerPoint presentation (陈述) to get her argument across.

    Stone is a rising star in Hollywood. She has played the role of Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man's high school love interest, in two Spider-Man movies.

The actress said she has something in common with her character in the film. "Gwen is clear on what she wants to do with her life... I think I am in the same ballpark (同一范围) there."

    Stone made up her mind to become an actress at the age of 15. But would her parents agree to her leaving school early and pursuing (追求) her dream? The young girl decided to think outside of the box.

    "I used a lot of computers when I was younger, and my dad's a businessman, so I just thought a presentation is the way to get my point across," she said.

She titled the presentation Project Hollywood and used pop singer Madonna's classic song Hollywood as the soundtrack, saying "just please let me move to LA to be an actress."

    Her tactic (策略) proved to be a success. In 2004, Stone dropped out of high school and moved with her mother to Los Angeles. She was homeschooled after that.

Now Stone is a successful actress with many films to her name. Her next step is to try different things like "bizarre (奇怪的)" characters or comedy. Will she persuade directors with PowerPoint presentations too?

    Answer the following questions:

    "Can I see my baby?" asked the happy new mother. When the baby was in her arms, she found the baby had been born without ears.

    Time proved (证明) that the baby's hearing was perfect, He got on well with his classmates. But one day, he rushed home and said to his mother with tears in his eyes, "A boy, a big boy…called me a freak(怪胎)."

The boy grew up. He developed a gift, a talent for literature(文学) and music.

    The boy's father had a meeting with the family doctor." Could anything be done?" he asked the doctor,

    "I believe I could graft (移植) a pair of outer ears, if you could get them," the doctor said.

    However, two years went by, nobody wanted to offer the young man ears. Then one day the father said, "Son, someone will donate his ears to you. But it's a secret, "The operation was a great success.

    Time kept the secret, but the day did come... The young man stood with his father beside his mother's body. Slowly, the father held out a hand and raised the thick, brown hair. To his surprise, the son found his mother had no outer ears.

    "Mother said she was glad she never let her long hair be cut," he said gently, "and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?"

    Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what is done but not known.