Mrs. King is an American doctor. She is now in China. She works in a Children's Hospital in Beijing. She also learns Chinese medicine there. She likes Chinese medicine very much. She loves working for children. She works hard in the day and reads English books about Chinese medicine at night. She learns Chinese from the Chinese doctor and her Chinese friends. Now she can speak some Chinese. She can read some Chinese books, too. Her husband(丈夫)Mr. King is a teacher. He works in a junior high school in Beijing. He works hard, too. He works from Monday to Friday. He teaches three classes every day. Sometimes, on Saturdays and Sundays, he teaches other English classes, too. He wants to make more money.

    Hello, my name is Han Meimei. I1new here. I2reading. I often read books in3evening. I like dancing4I can dance very well.5you like dancing? I like singing too.6favourite singer is Zhang Jie. I like running. It is my favourite7. I can swim and8football, but I can't play basketball. I often put my football9the bed. I can10English, but I can't speak Chinese. That's all, thank you.

Hello, I am Mary. I live in Chengdu. It's sunny and cool in my city now. I'm studying at home. My parents are shopping. What's the weather like in your city? And what are you doing?

Why Live Near the River?

Imagine pioneers traveling west in the 1800s. In those days, it was hard to find running water and shops where to buy things. As time went by, most pioneers had to make their homes near a river so that they could get water easily.

How did rivers help people live in the past?

Back in the pioneer days, people grew their own food, caught their own fish, and collected their own water.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}People also used rivers as roads, traveling on boats. Traders shipped goods (货物) to people from other areas.

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When building many factories right next to rivers for the water's power to make machines work, some people choose to live near a river for working. They use the river to ship large goods, and some of them work at these factories where power factories provide electricity for homes and businesses.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Who wouldn't want to live near a river?

Some people are nervous about living near rivers because rivers can cause floods (洪水). Every once in a while, floodwaters rise higher than a house, ruining (毁坏) many things in the house.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Such waste causes water to smell bad and pollutes the crops (作物) we eat. Water and crops in polluted areas can make people very sick.

How do people decide where to live?

 {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Rivers can provide jobs and fun activities in a beautiful place. However, those living by rivers should be willing to accept possible problems as well.