In the UK, bus journeys are very common. Buses are often convenient(便利的) for the people who live or work in the city centre. Passengers can avoid heavy traffic and do not have to pay for the parking. However, taking the bus is just a necessary but boring part of life: They get on the bus, pay for it and sit down or find a place to stand when it is crowded. Everyone seems sad and bored.

    In Latin America, however, bus trips can be wonderful. For a start, films are showed on the buses between cities for passengers to have fun along the journeys. Local buses do not show films, but drivers usually turn on the radio and it can be great for passengers to listen to songs and get relaxed.

    Even better than films and music are the sights and sounds on the buses. Local buses always go to parts of the town that passengers would not visit by themselves. There passengers can see shops that they have never heard about. And they can also see other cultures of the town from the windows of the buses.

    Besides, passengers' luggage(行李) is also interesting. It is common to see a happy dog's head getting out of somebody's bag or a lovely chicken "speaking cheerfully" under somebody's arm. Once on a bus in Peru, a farmer even tied a sheep to the top of the bus. It was quite surprising.

    In all, taking the bus in Latin America is really fun and unforgettable.

    Mr. Beynolds, my teacher, handed us a list of thoughts, and asked us to write a paper on one of those thoughts. I chose the topic “I wonder why things are the way they are.”

    I wrote down all the questions that puzzled(困扰) me about life. I realized that many of them were hard to answer, and perhaps others could not be answered at all. When I handed in my paper, I was afraid that I might fail because I did not answer the questions.

    The next day, Mr. Reynolds handed me the paper and asked me to read it for the class. The other students became quiet as I began to read my story:

    Mum, why are the roses red? Why is the grass green and the sky blue? Why do I have to graduate(毕业)? Why do I have to grow up? Why do I have to be called “Grandma” on day? ...

    Dad, why can't I stay out until 12:00? Why do I miss my old friends? Why do I miss being at home? Why do you love me so much? ...

    Mum, Dad, why did you have to leave me? I need you.

    At the end of my story, I looked at Mr. Reynolds, and I saw a tear slowly coming down his face. Then I realized that life is not built on the answers we receive, but on the questions we asks.

    Today more and more students like going shopping on the Internet. Do you have any ideas about it? Here are four girls' ideas.

    Sandy, twelve

    I like new skirts and jeans. At the weekend I usually go to the shops on the Internet. When I see my favourite things, I can pay for them by my credit card(信用卡).

    Kitty, thirteen

    I think it is very easy and cheap to buy things on the Internet. I only need to stay at home and choose the things I like. I can get them quickly without going out. It doesn't take too much time.

    Wendy, eleven

    I'm not good at computers. I never do the shopping on the Internet. I don't think it is interesting. When l want something, I ask my parents to buy it for me in the shopping mall.

    Shirley, twelve

Shopping on the Internet is not good. I can only see some pictures about the things. I don't believe the notes near the pictures.

    When I was young, my family lived a hard life in the country. The roads in the country are not good. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} One evening we were visiting some relatives and the weather was very bad.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Dad carried me on his back. Mum gave her coat to my brother. We walked together in the rain for more than one hour.

    I was fat at that time and Dad held me for a long time.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} He almost fell down many times. I tried to get down and walk myself, but I couldn't do anything because I was just a little kid.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The rain had come through the leak(有裂缝的) roof and water was everywhere. Mum put bowls all around the house to try to catch the rain. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} She carefully placed us on the remaining dry place. I fell asleep soon. When I opened my eyes, I found Dad and Mum were sleeping in chairs, both having caught a bad cold.

A. As you can imagine they are difficult to walk on.

B. I thought he must be tired.

C  It began to rain on our way back home.

D. Then she put me and my elder brother to bed.

E. We didn't say any word on the way.

F. When we arrived home, the inside of our house was full of rain water.

    In Western countries, most children get pocket money by doing some chores at home. They usually start to do chores at the age of ten. School students have to do their homework and study for test, so they don't have a lot of free time on weekdays and they often do some chores on weekends.

    Young kids can only do easy chores, so they don't get much money. But many of them only want to buy candy. And candy is cheap! They do the dishes after dinner and feed the pet cat or dog. Sometimes they water flowers and other plants in the garden.

    When kids get older, they want to buy more things. They want something more expensive than candy. Then they have to work harder. They often wash the car, cut the grass of feed the dog.

    Some chores can help kids learn new things. It is important for kids to learn how to do chores and help their parents with housework.

    Sometimes we meet people who change us. They bring magic(魔法) into our lives. Bridge to Terabithia (《通往特雷比西亚的桥》), the latest movie from Walt Disney, tells us such a story.

    Jess Aarons is a different kind of kid. He doesn't have too many friends in school. He is distant (疏远的) from his family as well. Jess wants to be the fastest runner in his school. He spends all of his time training for a race.

    But something strange happens. He's beaten, not by a boy but by a girl! As you might think, his pride is hurt.

    You wouldn't think Jess, and the girl, Leslie, would become friends. But the two kids open up to each other. Leslie shares her love of magic with Jess. Jess loves drawing. But before meeting Leslie he's never told anyone about it.

    Together they discover a secret world. They get to it by using a rope to swing across a river. There they fight against their enemies, from the Dark Master to school bullies (欺负弱小者).

    Can the kids beat their enemies? See the film and find it out for yourself.