Peter and Mike are very good friends. They are in the same class at school. They often go to school and play t{#blank#}1{#/blank#}, and they often visit each other's home at weekends, too.

    Now they are b{#blank#}2{#/blank#} eight years old. Peter's mother has got a new baby. Peter is very glad to have a little brother, so he is always talking about his younger brother to Mike.

    At first Mike is very interested in the new baby because he doesn't have any sisters or brothers. But after some time he begins to get tired of Peter's endless talking about it. He also feels a little jealous (嫉妒) of his friend.

    One morning before class, when the two boys m{#blank#}3{#/blank#} at the school gate, Peter says to Mike cheerfully, "Do you know, Mike, my little brother, has put on nearly half a pound in weight this week."

    "That's not much at all," answers Mike. "I know a baby who can put on more than ten pounds a day."

    "Oh, that can't be t{#blank#}4{#/blank#}," answers Peter. "W{#blank#}5{#/blank#} baby is it?"

    "An elephant's," says Mike.

    "Who needs a {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(超市) if you have Taobao?" says Li Min, a writer in Shanghai.

    Taobao, China's largest {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(在线的) shopping site, has become an important part of Li Min's life. She buys everything on Taobao.

    A growing number of Chinese Internet users like Li have found the joy of online shopping. More women shop online than men. Clothing and household products are the most {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(流行的) goods online. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(购物) online has lots of {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(优势). You can buy {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(任何东西) at home, and you can also {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (比较) the prices of the same {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(产品).

    You may question the security (安全) of online shopping. Don't worry. Unless you {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(收到) the products from the sellers and are satisfied with them, the shop owners will not get the money. You can also get your money back if you want to {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(返回) the products.

Once a man walked to India where he had never been before. When he got there, he saw many kinds of fruits. But most were expensive. The man saw a big basket of red, long fruit. He thought it must be sour and sweet. 

He went up and asked, " How much per kilo?"And the shopkeeper said, "Two rupees(卢比). "

Two rupees in India is nothing. And it was the cheapest in the shop. So he bought a kilogram and started eating it. But after he ate some, his eyes watered, his mouth watered and burned, and his face became red. He even coughed while eating. 

But he still ate the fruit! Some locals who were looking at him shook their heads and said, "You're crazy, man. It's chilly! You can't eat so much! People use it as spice(调味品), but only a little bit to put into food for taste. They're not fruit!" But the man said, . "No, I can't stop! I can't waste my money. "

Do you think that man was stupid? In fact, we sometimes do a lot of things like that. We put money, time or effort into a relationship, business or job. Even though over a long time it won't work, and we know things will never change in the future, we still go on just because of the things we've put in. like the man. 

So even if you've lost something, let it go and move on. That's better than keeping losing. 

The Internet has changed the world, people are able to get and share information in seconds. Nowadays, people begin to wonder: Is the Internet good or bad? "It's impossible to answer that question because the Internet means so many things," says psychologist （心理学家） Patricia Greenfield.

Some are truly wonderful. In many ways it makes life easier and simpler. It helps us get things done more quickly. It opens up the world to us. And if a friend lives far away, the Internet makes it easy to stay in touch.

However, the issue （话题）    isn't black and white. Some can become real problems if we don't take care. Spending too much time online is bad to people's health. It may even cause them to be less social with family and friends. Aside from that, some people attack the web or use the Internet to steal others' personal information, even banking information. Most of the young students think the Internet is simply an icon （图标） on the screen（屏幕）. Kids won't realize that the Internet is a network of millions of computers until about 10 years old.

The Internet can be a useful tool, but don't let it take up all of your time. Use the Internet properly and carefully and it can make your life more colourful.