Mr Smith works in a factory in the middle of the city. The factory is not far from his home. It is about 800 meters away. So Mr Smith doesn't go to work by bus. He usually goes there by bike, sometimes he walks to work. It takes(花费) him 10 minutes to get there by bike or 20 minutes on foot. He usually leaves home at ten minutes to eight. Today something is wrong with his bike. He wants to walk there. His work starts at half past eight in the morning and finishes at a quarter(一刻钟) to five in the afternoon.

    Long long time ago, the Jade Emperor, organized an animal race. He told all the animals that the first 12 animals to win could get a place in the Chinese Zodiac (十二生肖), and have a year named after them.

    The cat and the mouse both asked the ox to wake them up early on the day of the race. That day, the ox tried to wake them up, but without success. So the kind ox carried them on his back and started running when the race began. The mouse woke up just when the ox was going to across the last river. He knew that he could never beat the cat. So he pushed the cat off the ox's back. When the ox reached the other side of the river, the mouse jumped off and ran to the finishing line, just before the ox.

    So the 12-year cycle（循环） begins with the mouse. The ox comes after him. The tiger follows the ox. The rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig come after them. The cat didn't get a place in the Zodiac. That's why the cat hates the mouse and always wants to kill it.

    Mrs. Brown goes to see her son in London. Her son works in a music club(俱乐部) there. Mrs. Brown doesn't know London well. And she can't find her way.

    She sees a man at a bus stop. She wants to ask the man the way. “Excuse me! But can you help me, please? Which bus goes to Miller's Shop?” Mrs. Brown asks.

    The man is very friendly. He smiles(微笑). But he can't speak English. He can speak French(法语). He is new in London. He puts his hand into his coat and takes out a small book. He opens it and reads something on it. “I'm sorry, I can't speak English.”

    Tom is a young man. He has a very big dog and he has a very small car, too. He likes playing tennis. Today he plays tennis for two hours at the club and then he wants to go home by car. His dog comes after him, but it does not jump into the same car. It jumps into the next car. "Come here, foolish(愚蠢的) dog!" Tom shouts at it, but the dog still stays in the next car. Tom puts his key into the lock（锁）of the car, but the key does not turn（转动）. Then he looks at the car again. It is not his car! He is in the wrong car! And the dog is in the right car!

A

    Bill always does everything very carefully．Everyday he drives his car to go to work and go home．He drives his car slowly and never has an accident．He often says that travelling by car is much safer than travelling by plane．

    Today，he has to go to another city to have a meeting．The meeting will begin at nine o'clock．And it is eight now．If Bill goes there by train or by car, he will be late for the meeting．Bill has no idea．One of his friends，John，says to him，"Don't worry, Bill．I can take you there in my own small plane．And we can get there at half past eight．"Bill is afraid of going there by plane．John tells him that it is very safe．Bill gets on the plane at last．

    John starts the plane and begins taking off．Bill is too afraid，so he closes his eyes．After a minute or two，he opens them again，looking out of the window of the plane，and says to John，"Look at those people down there，they look as small as ants." "But they are ants." says John．"Don't you know we are still on the ground?"

Canada Day

Since 1982, July 1st has been officially known as Canada Day. Canadians of all ages take part in this festival across the country.

Canada Day is the year's biggest national party. In many towns and cities, the government organizes a lot of events, often outdoors. These include parades (游行) , concerts, festivals, firework displays and ceremonies for new Canadian citizens (公民) .The celebrations often have a patriotic mood. Canada's national flag, a symbol for Canada Day, can be seen everywhere and a lot of people paint their faces red and white, which are Canada's national colors. The celebrations in Ottawa, Canada's capital city, are especially grand and exciting.

In the province of Quebec, many home rentals (租赁) start on July 1st and last for exactly one year, and many people in Quebec spend Canada Day moving from one house to another. So in Quebec, Canada Day is also known as Moving Day.

Many organizations, businesses and stores are closed this day. Only some bookstores, hospitals and gas stations may be open. Post offices are closed, too. As Canada Day falls in the Canadian summer holiday period, all schools are closed as well. In some areas, special services are provided for large events. The concerts, parades and festivals may cause some traffic jams.