This story happened four years ago. Tom was seven years old then. He was a good boy. He was one of the best pupils in his class. But he could not get up early. He often slept until nine or ten o'clock in the morning. So he was often late for school.

    Tom's mother didn't want him to be late for school. So she bought him a clock. She said to Tom, “You must get up when you hear the clock ring.”

    “Yes, Mum,” said Tom. After that Tom got up at six thirty when he hear the clock ring.

    One day his mother forgot to make the clock ring at the usual time. And the next morning Tom didn't get up at six thirty. It was time for breakfast. Mother went to see him. Tom was still in bed and his eyes were open.

    “Why didn't you get up?” Mother asked angrily.

    “You told me to get up when I heard the clock ring. So I am waiting for the bell. Mum, is the clock still sleeping?” Tom answered.

    Do you think there is a ghost in the world? More than 20 years ago, a student jumped from the top of the clock tower in the University of Birmingham. He did this only because he failed his final exam.

    After his death, a superstition（迷信） began: Anyone who walks under the clock tower will have bad luck in his exam. Years later, students there still remembered the story of the tower. Although Birmingham is the second largest city in Britain, the university is green and quiet. The grass around the tower has been worn away by the feet of students who refuse to pass underneath the tower.

    The university had to pave（铺） extra paths, so students could walk to their classrooms without passing under the most terrible area. But, one day just before an important exam, a top student in the university walked under the clock tower because he was lost in thought. However, he got high marks in the exam the next day. Quickly students all knew about it. Then they realized that the most important thing is working hard.

    Whenever I go under the clock tower, I will tell myself, "Working hard is the key to success."

Miss Brown did not like getting up early in the morning. One day a lecture was going to be given by an artist at nine o'clock. Her sister was1. She set her alarm clock for half past seven. This should 2her plenty of time to get ready and3early enough for a good seat. She was determined to4there in time. She would never forgive(原谅)herself for5the lecture. That is a famous artist's lecture.

The next morning, she slept through the alarm bell and woke up at half past eight. Shew as rushing and everything went6. At last, she was ready, and rushed out to catch a bus. When she arrived at the university, she7to the lecture hall. She was surprised to find that the doors were locked. She looked round to find someone, and saw a clock. It said half past seven. "I can't understand it. "She cried out. "Nobody's here and the clock is8! "Then she suddenly remembered. Her alarm clock had stopped the day before and she must 9to reset (重新设置) the hands. "This is the first time I'll hear the beginning of a lecture. "She said to10, laughing.

Today I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (go) on a school trip. We {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (visit) the science museum and it was really {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (interest). We got there so fast by train. We saw some farms {#blank#}4{#/blank#} villages along the way. At the museum, I learned a lot {#blank#}5{#/blank#} robots. I didn't know they could play chess with {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (we). It was so cool! Then the guide {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(teach) us how to make {#blank#}8{#/blank#} model robot. I took a lot of great {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (photo) too. After that, I went to the gift shop and {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (buy) some lovely gifts for my parents. They weren't expensive. All in all, it was an exciting day. 

I'm from a small town. It lies in(位于) the east of Zhejiang Province near the East Sea. You can't see it on the map of China because it is too small. There are not many tall buildings in the town. The tallest building is the primary school. 

The population of the town is fifty thousand. The East Sea is to the east of the town. To the south is the flat land. Some low hills are near the town. And a river runs through the town. 

The weather here is comfortable. It's not too cold in winter or too hot in summer. There is a big garden in the town. We can hear birds singing everywhere in the garden. And there are many kinds of fishes in the town. The fishermen(渔民) in my home town are all living a happy life. 

I love my home town and I hope it will become better and better!

A duck is very sad because he is the ugliest among his brothers and sisters. But to his surprise, when he grows up, he finds that he has become a handsome young swan(天鹅)! This is the story of The Ugly Duckling(丑小鸭) by Danish(丹麦) writer Hans Christian Andersen.

In fact, Andersen was an "ugly duckling" himself. In 1805, he was born into a poor family in Odense, Denmark. As a young boy, Andersen was tall, ugly and had a very big nose. His friends always made jokes about his big nose. During his school life, young Andersen spent most days dreaming about the stories he imagined(想象) in class.

Later, because of his father's death, Andersen had to make a living(谋生) by himself. He once worked as a tailor(裁缝) and made money in a theater. The difficulties helped him write his fairy tales(童话). Andersen began his writing by writing plays and poems for some small magazines. He talks about love and sacrifice(牺牲) in The Little Mermaid(美人鱼), and makes fun of authority(权威) in The Emperor's New Clothes.

Andersen wrote for 43 years until the end of his life in 1875. He finished 168 works and we can read them in about 150 languages. They never stop bringing happiness to kids around the world.