How long does it take to build a new house? It usually takes about six months or more. But each year, thousands of people work together to build new homes in just four months! Who does this wonderful work? Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is a group that builds homes for families in need. It has branches in different states around the USA. This group works all over the world, too. Volunteers help build the homes. They are unpaid workers. Volunteers can be builders and painters. They can be teachers or bankers. Some are students.

    Habitat for Humanity has built more than 300,000 houses. More than 1.5 million people live in these houses. Building a home is hard work. Volunteers learn how to put up walls. They use tools and machines. These selfless volunteers work with the family that will live in the house. Everyone works together to make the family's dream come true.

    Suruchi Srikanth has worked with Habitat for Humanity for four years. She began volunteering in high school. She has built many homes with other volunteers. She takes her responsibilities(责任) seriously. Volunteers know that if they don't help, homes might not get built. They are good citizens(公民) who care about other people.

    One morning, a little mouse went out to find something to eat. He was careless and met a fierce (凶猛的) lion. The lion caught the mouse and wanted to eat him.

    "Please let me go, Mr. lion, "said the mouse." One day, I'll help you. "

    The lion laughed, "How could a little mouse help a big lion?" "Well," he said. "I will let you go. But you must walk more carefully. "

    The mouse was very grateful (感激的). "Thank you, Mr. Lion. You are very kind. I will repay (报答) you one day, " the little mouse said.

    The next week, the mouse was looking for something to eat again. He saw the lion under a tree. But the lion was tied tightly (紧紧地被捆着) in a net of strong ropes (绳子) .He could not get out.

    "I will help you, "said the mouse .His teeth were sharp. Then he bit (咬) one rope, and then another. Soon the lion was free. He was very pleased. "Thank you, Mr. Mouse,” he said.

    When it comes to the letter grade on your test or homework, you might notice that there is no letter E. Have you ever thought about why that is so?

    In the A, B, C, D and F grading system, the first four letters are typically considered passing grades. An F in this system simply stands for "fail". The word "fail" happens to start with the letter F, which seems to leave out the letter E.

    The first college in the US to use a letter grading system like the ones we use today is Mount Holyoke College. In 1897, they began to use the following grading scale;

    A: 95-100% (excellent)         B: 85-94% (good)      C: 76-84% (fair)

    D: 75%( nearly passed)         E: below 75% (failed)

    We can see the inclusion of E instead of F.

    Gradually, the letter grading system became more popular all over the US. However, many schools decided to drop the E grade and go straight to F. There is no evidence(证据) to really support this, but one possible explanation is that teachers were worried that some students and parents might mistake E for "excellent".

    Why do we have letter grades? Well, part of the reason is that they made grading simpler during a time of great change for schools. As the 20th century began, growing cities and an increase in immigration led to larger school classrooms. Most teachers at that time thought this new letter grading system was an easy, fair and clear way to grade students.

    Today, more and more people think that letter grades don't fully show students' learning. However, as teachers try to improve grading methods, many parents continue to prefer the letter grades they got as kids, as they are familiar and easy for parents to understand. So while they might not be perfect, the letter grades probably aren't going away any time soon.

    We can find emojis (表情符号) in our life every day. "Funny" is a made-in-China emoji. It is from Baidu Tieba. And now lots of people like using it. People can buy "Funny" emoji bolsters (抱枕) on the Internet. They are just so cute, so people feel very happy when they see the bolsters.

    Look, this girl is wearing a long and beautiful dress. Do you know what it is? It is Hanfu. Hanfu is traditional Han Chinese clothing (传统汉族服饰). It is about 5,000 years old. Hanfu is different now, but it is still loose (宽松的) and long. More people are wearing Hanfu these days. Do you like it?

    Chinese tea is very popular around the world. White, yellow, green, oolong, black and dark tea are the 6 main types (主要种类). People in Guangdong and Fujian love to drink "Kung Fu Tea" in small tea cups. In Beijing, people love green tea. Remember to make the cup only seven-tenths full(七分满).If the cup is too full, it will get too hot.

When you are tired of buildings, you can visit one of London's beautiful parks. 

Hyde Park first opened to the people of London in the seventeenth century. It is not far from the shops of busy Oxford Street, but it is nice and quiet. In the center is the lake called the Serpentine, and you can take a boat out on the water. 

There are usually a lot of people at Speakers' Corner. Some people come here because they want to tell the world important or interesting things—about the government, science, or "the end of the world". They stand at the Corner, and call out to all the people around them. Other people stand and listen, and sometimes laugh too. 

Kensington Gardens is next to Hyde Park. Here you can see a statue（雕像）of Peter Pan, the famous boy in the book Peter Pan written by J. M. Barrie. There is also a playground here, called the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground. And the playground has lots of exciting things for children. 

Regent's Park is the home of London Zoo. The zoo opened in 1828, and it has animals from all over the world. There is also a theatre in the park. On a summer's evening, you can sit out and watch a play created by Shakespeare. Or you can see the park from the water—take a boat along the canal（运河）from Camden Lock to Little Venice. In the summer, you can listen to music in the park. 

St James's Park is next to the Mall. It is a small park, but very beautiful, and it is the oldest of the royal（皇家）parks. Lots of birds live on and around the lake in the centre of the park. 

Last Sunday, Claire's dentist told her the bad news:she had to start wearing braces (牙箍). Some of her teeth were not growing in straight. They might bring problems to her other teeth. 

Claire was not happy with the news. She thought of all the food she couldn't eat. She thought she would have a different smile. She did not want to have something different from others. 

The big day came, and Claire made her way to the dentist's office. Claire watched a TV show when the dentist put braces on her teeth. She tried to think of something fun so that she did not get scared. It seemed to take forever(要花很长时间) for the dentist to finish . . . . In the end, the dentist told her to sit up and gave her a mirror. 

Claire looked at herself in the mirror. Her smile was new, but she didn't like it. Claire's mom took her to get ice-cream to make her feel better. She just had to get used to(适应) the braces. It would all be worth(值得) it because she would have a beautiful smile two years later!