More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that's why there are about 1.4 billion bicycles and only about 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

    Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighbourhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car. You can bike to work and benefit (受益) from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don't even have to ride all the way.

    Folding (可折叠的) bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by accessing on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travellers.

    Health Benefits of Bicycling:

    It helps to prevent heart diseases.

    Bicycling helps to control your weight.

    A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year. Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).

    Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident. Bicycling is healthier than driving.

I was not surprised when my 89-year-old father called me and said that he wanted to come to my farm. He always liked1and being busy.

He asked, “Peg, I hear you are going to pull sick cows out of the cowshed (牛棚) for2. Do you think I can help pull them out?” He asked me twice after my long silence. I just didn't want to3him, so I had to reply, “Dad, you can come over here and try it.”

We continued to do work on our cows. When there were three left, my father4. I helped him put on the protection suit. For an old man, it was a really5task, but he finally made it. I noticed Dad's tears sparkling in his eyes, which were the tears of6that he still managed to pull three cows out.

My workers were all moved and admired him very much. I also felt7that I had such a great father. During those years, my father worked as a pilot, a pilots' trainer, a husband and a father. He treated everything8. He set an example to me that I should create a better life with hard work,9and responsibility. Bearing this in mind, I went from an ordinary farm worker to an able farm10. I owed all this to my father.

There are three different kinds of friends — "pest friends", "guest friends" and the "best friends". The first kind of friends is simply acquaintances(泛泛之交), and all you usually know about them is their names. You may meet this kind of friends at school, at work, or on the bus, but you don't miss them when they are not around. When this kind of friends does something bad, it may be difficult to stop them. That is why they are called "pest friends".

The second kind of friends could also be called "social partners". They are closer than acquaintances, but not as close as true friends. You know their names, a little of what they like or dislike, and a little of their family stories; you usually have a few things in common. However, you don't talk about anything deep, such as your wishes or fears, and they don't open up to you how they really feel either.

The last kind of friends, the "best friends", is those you know the deepest. You're like family, and know everything about each other. You have no problem with staying at each other's houses, and you share your deepest feelings and thoughts. They will correct you when you're wrong, and although they may not be perfect, they at least will always care about you, and never do anything on purpose(故意地) to hurt you.

We all have our pest, guest, and best friends. We should value all friendships, no matter how deep or how superficial. Remember, all best friends start out as just acquaintances.

It was Christmas Eve in 1971. Juliana Koepcke was 1 over the Peruvian rainforest with her family.

The plane started shaking heavily, and her mother 2 a flashing red light as she looked out the passenger window. She looked over to Juliana and said, "That's the 3 . It's all over." The plane started jumping up and down quickly before falling towards the 4 . A few moments later, Juliana found herself tied to her 5 , falling down.

The plane had broken into pieces two miles above the ground, which left Juliana falling 6 towards the ground. Luckily, the 7 rainforest broke her fall, reducing the falling force. Al-though she fell close to 10, 000 feet (about 3 km), she only had a broken collarbone(锁骨), deep cuts on her legs and arms, and injuries(受伤) in her knee.

Then came the 8 part-surviving(生存) the Amazon rainforest until she could find help. Maggots(蛆虫) made their way into the cuts on her body, and she was 9 to pick them out from her wounds one by one. The 10 was terrible as the maggots tried to get further into the wound. She 11 out about 30 maggots.

Ten days into her fight for survival, she could hardly 12 . She decided to float(漂浮) a-long the bank of a large river. Before long she saw a small boat moving towards her. The boat was full of local fishermen. They pulled Juliana out of the 13 before taking her to a local camp to provide first aid. Luckily, Juliana 14 making a full recovery(恢复) from her injuries.

Juliana's story tells us how 15 the human mind can be. Next time you want to give up on your goals, remember how much fight you really have left.

China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day （Longtaitou） is one of them. 

This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar （阴历）. It stands for the start of spring and farming. This year，the day fell on March 10. 

The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the"descendants （传人） of the dragon". Therefore，people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs（传统） about dragons. 

On the day in ancient times（古代），people put ashes （灰） in the kitchen. This was to" lead the dragon into the house". People believed that with the help of the dragon（收成） in autumn. 

Also，people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example，people eat" dragon whisker （细须）"noodles and dumplings called" dragon teeth". 

Today，many customs have faded away （消退）. But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother's brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day. 

Once upon a time, a wise Greek man named Thales came to Egypt. Thales was good at maths. He also loved solving puzzles and finding out how things worked. One day, he visited the Great Pyramid. It was the tallest building he had ever seen. After enjoying its beauty, he wondered how tall the pyramid was. He asked the locals, but nobody knew.

Thales thought about this question day and night. One night, when he was enjoying the moonlight, he came to realize that everything has a shadow when the sun shines. An idea hit him," If I can measure(测量) the pyramid's shadow, I can figure out its height!"

So, Thales waited patiently until the sun was just right. He stood next to the pyramid and measured his own shadow. Then, he measured the pyramid's shadow. Thales was about 6 feet tall, and his shadow was 2 feet long. The ratio(比例) was 3:1. The pyramid's shadow was much longer, about 120 feet. Thales realized that the pyramid's height equals 120 multiplied by 3.

Finally, at lunchtime, Thales declared the Great Pyramid's height—____ feet. Everyone was amazed. Thales used his wisdom to solve the puzzle.