My name is Jerry Zhang, and I am a father of two young daughters one is about four years old and the other is only about one. I come from China and now live in the USA.

One day, my older daughter, Madison, told me she didn't want to be Chinese. Those days she was crazy about the book characters Madeline and Eloise. She kept asking me why she was Chinese and they weren't, and how she could have blonde or red hair like them.

    This made me look for books with Asian (亚洲的) characters for Madison to read. However, I only found a few, and they were heavily cultural, and Madison didn't connect (把……联系在一起) herself with any if the characters in them. And she wasn't interested in them at all. Then she told me again that she didn't want to be Chinese, and it broke my heart.

    In most of the books for children in the USA, the characters look like Americans. Few of them have Asian faces, although there are over 17 million Asians and Asian Americans in this country. I think it's important for Asian children to see themselves in books as interesting and smart kids.

    So I created (创作) a book for Madison. Pepper Zhang in the book is an Asian girl. Her imagination (想象) takes her on a trip to creativity and art! I want my children to know-that being Chinese or being Asian is a great thing, too.

    Over the last few centuries, there have been many changes in our lives.

    To start with, people were not able to travel such a long distance in such a short time in the past. Planes were not very popular at that time because they used to be a very expensive way to travel. Nowadays, we have fast, comfortable cars, and more and more people can travel by plane.

    Secondly, in the past, people had to work much harder because they did not have the tools that we have today. Today, most of the difficult and dangerous work is done by computers and machines.

    Thirdly, in the past, the living conditionswere not as good as they are now. There were no bathrooms or running water in many houses, and many people could not buy things like fridges, TV sets or washing machines. Now, most families have several of these things.

    Finally, nowadays, more and more people have the chance to get a good education. In the past, there were fewer schools and the quality of education was much poorer. Also, it is much easier to find the educational materials that you need on the Internet now. 

    The scientific and technological development in the world is amazing. Life now is much faster and busier than it used to be. And we are still creating new things to make our lives better and easier.

    Friendship is one of the greatest pleasures that people can enjoy. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}A true friend does indeed find pleasure in our joy and share sorrow in our grief. In time of trial, he or she is always at our side to give us his or her help and comfort.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}We must choose someone who has a good character, whose activities are good and who shows kindness of heart. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you tell a friend your secrets, he or she won't tell anyone else. Friends share each other's joys and sorrows. They help each other when they are in trouble and cheer each other up when they are sad.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} In conclusion, when you have made a good friend, don't forget him or her.

A. Knowing how valuable friendship is, we should be very careful in our choice of a friend.

B. It is very difficult to find a better definition of friendship.

C. A true friend can always be trusted, loved and respected.

D. The most important thing is that a friend always understands you.

E. We should avoid these shallow people who are easily changed by adversities or misfortune.

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.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

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.

Jane is a student. She is very 1 and friendly. She's very helpful so she is loved by her friends. However, Jane has a big 2 . In fact, she is fat. Her father and mother are 3 , too. They love eating ice cream and hamburgers very much.

Jane's friend, Amy, dislikes junk food. Amy is 4 active in doing sports. Once, Amy asked Jane to take a walk together in the park. But Jane got 5 soon. It was a pity to see her like that. However, she still watched TV and ate hamburgers at home after that.

Last week, Jane was invited to go to a birthday party. At the party, when her friends danced with others, Jane 6 the time eating and drinking. Nobody invited her for a dance. She thought maybe that was 7 she was too fat. She was unhappy and she went home early. She was so 8 that she couldn't fall asleep that night. So, she decided 9 a doctor next morning. She told the doctor her problem. The doctor advised her to change her lifestyle by doing 10 and eating healthily. He thought that Jane should go on a diet to lose weight.

An unusual Spring Festival

It was my first Spring Festival in the UK. I wanted {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(treat) my British friend, Emilia, to a Chinese dinner. She is a nice girl. Sometimes, she {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(cook) for me. 

However, I just couldn't make it. I often watched Grandma {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(cook), but I never cooked anything {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(I). It was midnight in China, time {#blank#}5{#/blank#} dumplings. But my whole family came to my help on the phone. And I {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(become) a chef in one hour! I even made some cucumber flowers. 

After Emilia {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(hang) balloons and lanterns in the dining room, I put the last dish on the table. " This is the {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(lion) head!"

"Are you joking? Isn't that {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the law?" Emilia was shocked. 

I {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (laugh ). " It's a pork meatball. My family always have it at the Spring Festival. Its round shape stands for family {#blank#}11{#/blank#}(reunion). Try it!" Emilia cut a piece of it {#blank#}12{#/blank#} her knife and put it into her mouth. "I love it!" she said. The smell of the dishes and our {#blank#}13{#/blank#}(laugh) filled the room. I felt like I was back home.