Dear Mary,

    Can you take these things to my brother, Bill? These things are: his red hat, alarm clock, keys, English book, notebook, watch and ID card. (A) His keys are on the table, too. His English book is in the bookcase, too. (B) His watch is in the dresser. And his ID card is in the dresser.

    Thank you.

Jenny

    Paul is my good friend and we want to join different clubs in our school. I want to join the music club. I want to learn (学) to play the guitar. I think it is easy to learn. But I am busy so I only have time to go to the club on weekends. I have a sister and she likes playing the violin. I think she can join the same club with me. What about Paul? He wants to join the sports club. He can play soccer and tennis well. He says he can teach others (其他人) in the club. He is not busy, so he can go to the club from Monday to Friday.

    August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned(布置) to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.

    You might think that I don't want to spend my summer reading, hut that's not the problem；I love reading. On the first day of summer holiday this year, I borrowed a Gathering of Old Men by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to(订阅) and spend about     minutes every day with the morning newspaper.

    So why do I hate summer reading for school？Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting(不吸引人的) . Teachers don't under-stand that summer reading can be interesting as well as educational. They choose books called "spinach books": good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.

    This bitterness started three years ago when 1 began high school. As preparation. my English teacher told me to read The Age of Innocence(《纯真年代》). At 14, I couldn't understand the love 100 years ago in the story. I only know my love for baseball. The Age of Innocence was completely different to my life. What is more, sometimes I guess teachers don't think exciting plots make for "good literature". To me, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.

    If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value(文学价值) and can also entertain kids. If the teachers could add a little fun into the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable.

    I always knew that I depended way too much on my phone, but I didn't know how much. So I decided to do this challenge(挑战) to find out.

     Every morning since I got a smartphone, I've used The Weather Channel App to find out what to wear. On the first morning I had to dress without guidance, but thankfully I was able to guess that the day would be cold and foggy by looking out of my window.

    I couldn't tell what time it was. I haven't worn a watch for more than a year, because my phone showed the time. So I was late for picking up friends who had been on the bus for two hours from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes. I was also late for my part-time job. And even worse, I couldn't call people to tell them that I was running late.

    Getting to places was harder, too. I got lost because I couldn't use the GPS(导航系统) on my phone. My driving, though, got a lot safer because I no longer had my phone in one hand checking directions while driving with the other.

    But the number one trouble was not having my contact list (联络簿). I forgot to write down my friends' and family members' phone numbers before I started the challenge. It was sad to realize that I couldn't remember my brother's and my mom's cellphone numbers. Oh, how I wished to turn on the phone for just a second to look up phone numbers!

    Even with all the problems, however, I found peace not worrying about missing a text message or an email.

    This challenge was a great learning experience. It surprised me how I'd taken no notice of even the simplest things like remembering phone numbers. We all should take some time to think about how we can depend less on our cellphon

How do you keep cool during summer? Air conditioning(空调) and electric fans are good tools in modern society, But before that, people could only use tans.

Over 3, 000 years ago, the first fans began to be used. They were made of feathers(羽毛) bamboo or silk. They came in different shapes, including round and square.

Later, with the invention of paper, folding( 可折叠的) paper fans became popular during the Song Dynasty. There are usually beautiful pictures on fans. Some are landscapes(风景). Others are flowers and animals. Moreover, many great people including Su Dongpo, a calligrapher(书法家) and painter of the Song Dynasty, and Tang Yin, a poet and painter of the Ming Dynasty, once painted their masterpiece (杰作) on fans. The made fans not only useful tools in daily life but also great artworks.

Therefore, with its value of beauty, people take the fan as a symbol of status (地位). That's why in old China, emperors(皇帝) and scholars often held fans.

Today, fans are also great collectors' items and gifts. On the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, folding fans were given to leaders and officials of other countries, as well as other audience. While they were waving fans to get cool, they were also experiencing Chinese culture.

Miss White is a teacher. Her home is near her school. So she walks there in the morning. All her students are very small. It's a cold and windy morning. Miss White walks to school as usual. The cold wind goes into her eyes and big tears（眼泪） come out of her eyes. She gets to school, opens the door and goes into the classroom. It's nice and warm there and she is happy. But then a small boy looks at her, then puts his arms round her and says, "Don't cry, Miss. School isn't very bad. "