Once there was a man and a woman. They had been married for more than 60 years. They kept no secrets from each other except that the old woman had a shoe box under her bed. She told her husband never to open or ask about it.

For all these years， he had never thought about the box. But one day the old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would never get better.

The woman said it was time that he should know what was in the box. The old man took the shoe box to his wife's bedside.

When he opened it， he found two beautiful doilies(装饰小垫) and some money. The money was $25,000.

“When we got married，”she said,“my grandmother told me that the secret of a happy family was never to fight. She told me if every time I got angry with you， I should just keep quiet and crochet(编织) one doily.”

The old man was so moved because only two doilies were in the box. He thought she had only been angry with him twice in all those years.

“My dear，”he said， but what about all the money？ Where did it all come from？”

“Oh，”she said，“that's the money I made from selling the doilies. So far， I have sold 2,500 doilies.”

    A group of students at Sunshine School are holding a charity sale to raise money to help their classmate Lisa. Lisa had cerebral palsy (大脑性瘫痪) when she was a baby. People who have cerebral palsy have trouble walking. Although Lisa has to use a wheelchair (轮椅) to help her get around, she never gives up.

    "Lisa has the chance of standing up, but she needs an operation (手术)," Lisa's doctor said.

    "I never thought that I could stand up one day. Actually the news is surprising for me. However, when I see my parents are worried about the cost of the operation, I am sad. I don't mind if I can't stand up," Lisa said. "Now my classmates and some other kind people are helping me. I am really thankful."

    "While helping Lisa, we can also learn a lot. We have learned how to cook cookies (曲奇饼) and how to sell them," Betty, one of Lisa's classmates said. "Now we know making money is not easy, so we won't waste money anymore."

    Alex, a boy in Lisa's class, told a reporter that they could raise about $100 every day. "We have raised about $2,100 so far. We hope we will raise more money for Lisa's operation," he said.

    Andrew Holleman, a 12-year-old boy, loved playing in the open land near his home. The land was wet and forested, and made a home for birds, other animals and many different plants.

    It made the perfect place for him to study and get to know nature. He had seen some red-tail hawks, red foxes, wood turtles and other animals. He also found special native flowers.

    Suddenly it was reported that the "empty" land would be improved by a lot of houses on it. The plants would be removed, the animals would run away and most would probably die. Then the wet soil would be covered with extra grounds.

    When he heard about the news, he was not happy. He was very worried that the land and water would be polluted. Andrew wrote down clearly all the research he had done about the area, and how the houses would affect(影响)the local environment. He sent letters to members of local government and television reporters. He also called on his neighbors to oppose the building of the houses.

    Although he was only 12 years old, he had the courage and wisdom of a person much older.

    Andrew's teachers described him as a gentle, shy and active. His classmates also admired how much he knew about local animals and plants, and the environment. Each day after school, Andrew went door-to-door, to ask the people to sign(签字), who did not want the houses to be built. In only one month, he got the signatures of 250 people.

    In the end, the land remained a safe place for birds, animals and plants that belonged there.

    Andrew won many prizes for his brave and great work to stop the houses being built, and he helped save the environment.

    Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there {#blank#}1{#/blank#}water for everyone. Your mother has to save the family's shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?

    Probably not. But that's what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}a report, the capital, Sana'a, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.

    Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old girl from Lahej, told the Times: "In a good week we'll have the water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for {#blank#}3{#/blank#}."

    Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water trucks. Private companies own the trucks. They {#blank#}4{#/blank#}every day to sell water—at very high prices. "A lot of people can't afford it," she said.

    The government is {#blank#}5{#/blank#}making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.

    Many of usdon't pay much attention to the importance of eye care. It is said that if youtake care of your body, then you can surely be healthy. That is why our eyesshould be given a lot of care. Natural eye care should be put in a number oneplace.

    There areseveral causes leading to poor eyesight like not enough food, genes (基因) and aging (老化). Televisions, computers and reading are also the causes of havingpoor eyesight. If you work in front of the computer, it is best to take a breakevery once in a while. Something dirty can cause redness and they will make youfeel uncomfortable. It is bad for your eyes too. If this happens, the best wayis to clean your eyes by using cold water. You must also try your best toprotect your eyes from harmful things. For example, sunglasses are not just forfashion but they can also serve as a great way to protect your eyesight fromultravioletrays.

    Eatinghealthy foods will do good to your eyesight. Remember that vitamins A, C and Eare good for eyes. Try to eat food groups that have these vitamins. And youshould do eye exercises because exercises protect your eyesight too. If aperson exercises regularly (定期地) and eats the right kind of food, his eyes will stay in goodcondition for a long time.

    All aboveare natural ways of eye care that help us keep healthy eyes. Being happy allthe time can be helpful to a person's eyesight too. In a word, eye care is veryimportant, no matter how old a person is.

Taos is a small town in New Mexico, USA. Many people come here for a visit every year. They do not come to see the beautiful scenes (景色) 1 eat delicious food. They come to listen to a kind of 2 sound: the Taos Hum. 

The word "hum" means a low sound that never stops. 3 is the sound strange? Firstly, the Taos Hum that people hear is quite 4 . Someone says it sounds like a little bee (蜜蜂) flying around you. Others think it sounds like a car moving in a faraway (遥远的) place. Secondly, 5 knows where the sound comes from. Joe Mullins, a scientist from the University of New Mexico, is one of the first persons to do 6 on the hum. He put some instruments in places where people could hear the hum, but those instruments couldn't "hear" any hum! Others who wanted to find the hum failed, too. 

Many people try to 7 that strange sound. Someone says it is a noise made by insects. Someone believes it must come from some secret projects. Someone says there 8 be an underground UFO base! But no one is sure which is right. 

It might be interesting for 9 to listen to the hum, but it is not for people who live in the town. They have to hear the sound 10 . That is really a hard life.