Many people say that they are working too many hours. They don't have enough time to relax or to stay with their family.

    Work hours are different from one country to another. In France, people spend about 1, 646 hours a year at work. In Japan, however, people work about 2, 159 hours a year. That means a Japanese worker works 513 more hours a year than a French worker.

    Why do people work so many hours？Some people work extra hours because they want to make more money. However, many companies don't pay overtime. Their workers don't get more pay for more work. Some people think it's their duty to work more hours. Some are afraid of losing their jobs if they don't work more hours.

    Many people say that their vacations are too short. In France, people get five weeks of paid vacation a year. In Germany, they get four to six weeks, and in the United States, two weeks. One study shows fewer than half of workers used all their vacation days. In Great Britain, there is a saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull(迟钝的) boy. "If that is true, there must be a lot of dull people in the world.

    One day, Jack's parents told him that his grandpa would retire (退休) after working for forty years. Jack said1, "I'm only seven, so it means my grandpa has been…er…a really long time!"

    His parents said, "Yes. There is a (n)2place in his heart that we don't know how to fill. That's why we are going to have a surprise party for him."

    Jack loved his grandpa and wanted to do something3for him. He remembered the business card his grandpa had given him two years before. He knew that his grandpa would no longer hold the position on that card, so he decided to build a new one for his grandpa.

    When the big night came, Jack was4. He put his gift in a small box. But he didn't want to put his gift together with others'. He carried it around with him the whole5.

    When all the other people6, he took his grandpa's hand and brought him over to a chair and gave him the gift.

    His grandpa smiled, "Well, it must be a beautiful7. May I open it now?" "Sure!" Jack said excitedly.

    As Jack's grandpa opened the gift, tears came into his eyes. He was touched by Jack's gift. Jack gave him the greatest gift he had8got! It was a business card with his new position FULL-TIME GRANDPA! Jack said, "Now your9job is my grandpa."

    "Well10do l get paid?" his grandpa asked, smiling. "As many hugs (拥抱) as you want!" With these words, Jack gave his grandpa a hug. "Well, I guess that means I'm the richest man in the world!" said the grandpa.

    Mark and Betty are brother and sister. They love to play on the1. They think it's very2to play there. They go to the beach by3every weekend. They live far away from the beach, so their father usually4about two hours driving them there.

    Last Sunday their father was very5and couldn't send them to the beach. Mark and Betty6very bored at home. They thought they must solve (解决) the7quickly.

    Then Mark came up with an idea and said to his father, "I have a good8, Dad. We can live near the beach. Then Betty and I can go there every day, and you don't need to drive us there."

    His father looked at him up and down and smiled, "Sounds really good. But the houses near the beach are very9. I must work hard to buy a10. Then you can go to the beach every day."

    Do you go to school every day by bike or in your parents' car? The American English teacher Margaret tells her story about taking a school bus in America.

    When I'm a primary school student, I love taking the school bus. It is interesting to talk to my friends and play games on the bus. It is like children-only party every morning and afternoon. On the school bus there is only one adult（成年人）—the driver. Most of the time, we are well-behaved because we like the driver and don't want to make him unhappy. But one day, one of the boys makes a face at a policeman driving behind our bus. The policeman makes our bus driver stop. Then he scolds（训斥）the naughty boy loudly. We all behave well after that!

    It isn't comfortable for young people to wait for the school bus in winter（冬天） because it is very cold, especially when there are strong winds（风）. Some students in cities have bus shelters（遮挡）, but country children have to jump（跳）up and down to warm up. Hurry up, spring!

In a small Chinese town lived a poor young man named Liang.He loved 1 . One night, an old man with a long beard 2 Liang in a dream.He gave Liang a paintbrush.

"Use this magic paintbrush to 3 the poor," he said, "but don't use it to help people who are 4 and greedy (贪婪的), or the skill will 5 your fingers and you will never paint again."

When Liang woke up, he 6 the paintbrush on the table by his bed. He painted a butterfly and was 7 to see it fly off the page and out of the window.

Liang ran out of his little house and started painting things for people. He painted a buffalo (水牛) to help a farmer, food for 8 people and clothes for people who were cold.

A rich man, however, 9 about the paintbrush and asked Liang to paint some gold for him, 10 Liang refused.

"If you don't paint for me, I'll cut your fingers off," the rich man said."Then you will 11 paint again." So Liang painted an island of gold in the middle of a blue 12 .

" 13 will I get there?" asked the rich man.

Liang painted a 14 for the rich man, who got in it and went on his way toward the island.

But when the rich man was halfway there, Liang painted a hole in the side of the boat.The boat sank(沉)into the water and 15 ever saw him again.