“Well, we're in our new house. Let's get a new pet to get along with it,” Mrs. Brown said to her husband.” That sounds like a pretty good idea,” he answered. “Do you want to see the ads in the newspaper？” “No. Let's go to the animal shelter. Many pets there need homes. Since tomorrow is Saturday, we can both go,” she said.
    The next morning the Browns met Mr Snow at the animal shelter. “We want to be sure that the pets here go to good homes,” Mr Snow said, “So I need to ask you some questions.”
    After they talked for a while, the Browns decided to get a small dog. It wouldn't need a big house or a big yard. A small dog would bark（吠）and warn them if someone tried to break into their house. After Mr Snow gave the Browns a book on pet care, they chose one and wanted to take her home right away. But the animal doctor hadn't checked her yet. So Mr Snow told them to return on Sunday.
    On Sunday afternoon the Browns went to the animal shelter. The animal doctor said, “Shadow has had all of her shots(预防针). She will be healthy.” The browns thanked the doctor and took Shadow home.

    Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history？Many people would think of Confucius, whose birthday was September 28.Although he lived over 2, 000 years ago, people still remember and respect him for his contribution to the education today, Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, which lies in Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only 3. His mother brought him up. As a child, he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius didn't give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poetry and sports.

    Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children from noble families could go to school, but (Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3,000 students in his lifetime.

    Today, people still follow Confucius' lessons. He told us that we all have some advantages. "When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities and follow them."

    He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. "All study but no thinking makes people puzzled(困惑的).All thinking but no study makes people lazy."

    Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important theories are about kindness and good manners. "A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others," he said.

    Growing up in the US, I always wanted to know about another culture. The chance came when I was 15. After a few months of planning and preparing, I was ready to spend the second term of my first year of high school as an exchange student in Australia.

    The city I stayed in was Perth, Australia, and it is the fourth largest city of Australia. When I arrived at the airport, the family I would live with were already waiting for me there, and the new school term would start in only five days. The school I attended was very different from my school in the US. In the school we had to wear the uniform, and we were not allowed to wear bracelets (手链) or necklaces(项链). I was quite uncomfortable at first, because I had never been to a new school— even in the US. Everything went smoothly, though. The teachers were welcoming and the students were friendly.

    The most memorable time of my term abroad was with other international exchange students. We traveled around Australia during the breaks. The few weeks we spent together were filled with amazing activities. At the end of our stay in Australia, we had three weeks to share our stories and help each other. Our last day together was filled with tears. We packed our things, exchanged e-mail addresses, and got together to say goodbye.

    I really have learned a lot from my exchange experience.

    A poor (贫穷的) man goes to a rich (富有的) man's house. On the way, he sees a box under a tree. He opens it and sees some apples in it.

    The man thinks, "I will have dinner in the rich man's house. He will give me nice food to eat. It will be very delicious." So he doesn't eat the apples. He throws them away (扔掉).

    The man walks on and comes to a river. He can't go across it. He waits for some time, but there is no boat coming. "What a bad day! I can't go to the rich man's house today," he thinks.

    The man has to go back home. He doesn't have any food at home. He is very hungry. He thinks of the apples. He goes back to the tree. He is very happy to see them near the tree, and he eats them quickly.

   The story tells us: Do not throw away good things; you may need them some other time.