Dave is my friend. His family is rich. His parents always give himlots of pocket money(零用钱). But Dave thinks his parents work very hard and it's not easy forthem to make money, so he always tries to save money. He has some good ways todo it.

Dave likes books. He tells me he often buys books online, because they'recheaper. And when he is free, he often goes to bookshops to do some reading. Davehas a bike. He usually goes to school by bike instead of(代替) taking a bus. Sometimes whenit rains or snows, he walks. These two ways help Dave keep healthy and savemoney.

Dave brings a bottle of water to school every day. When others drinkjuice, he enjoys water. He says water is the cheapest and the best drink.

Some students think Dave is mean(吝啬的). But I don't think so. I think he is right.

Listen! At the moment, Daming and Lingling are talking about the year 2050 in the classroom. "What will our world be like in the year 2050? " {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (ask) Daming. "Well, no one knows, but it's {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (interest) to guess, " says Lingling. "I think in the year 2050, everyone will carry{#blank#}3{#/blank#}small computer. The computer will give people the answers to all the {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(question). We'll have new telephones too. And we'll be able to talk to our friends all over the world and see them at the same time. ""A lot of people would like {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(live) and work under the sea. In the future, there {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (be) big towns, factories and farms under the sea, Machines will do most of the work. {#blank#}7{#/blank#}people will have more holidays. Maybe they'll work two or three days a week. They will fly to the moon and spend {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (they) holidays there, " says Daming. "I am looking forward to the year 2050. l {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (real) hope one day l can fly to the moon! """I hope I'll be able to live under the sea, "says Lingling. "Just {#blank#}10{#/blank#}a fish! "

Long long ago, a man went to his neighbor's house and tried to steal something. On entering the gate, he saw there 1 a big bell. The bell was beautiful in design and shape, so the thief 2 to carry the bell back home. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not move it, because the bell was both big and 3 . He thought for a while and believed there was only one way to solve the problem. He had to break the bell to pieces before he was able to carry them back to his home 4

The thief found a big iron hammer, with which he struck(敲击) the bell with all his strength. The striking5 a big crashing sound, which made the thief terribly frightened. He got flurried(慌乱的）and hugged the bell, trying to muffle(裹住) the crashing sound with his6 . But how could the sound the muffled? He subconsciously (下意识地) shrank back and covered his ears hard with his hands.

The sound became weaker, so the thief became7 at once. The sound of the bell couldn't be heard when the ears were covered. He immediately had his ears plugged(堵住) with some cotton. He thought that in this way 8 could hear the sound of the bell. Feeling relieved, he began striking the bell, one blow after another. The sound of the bell was heard in the 9 , and finally people caught the thief.

Later, people used the interesting phrase "plugging one's ears while stealing a bell" to10 the ignorance and foolishness of the person who deceives(欺骗) himself as well as others.

Only half of the class handed in their homework one day. The teacher got an idea while he was giving his students a lesson about weight. He walked around the classroom while holding a glass of water up in the air. He asked his students, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

The students started to shout out their answers. 

"The weight of this glass isn't hard to find out, " the teacher said. "The problem is how long I'm holding it. If I hold it for two minutes, it doesn't feel like much of a problem. If I hold it for an hour, it might feel heavier as my arm begins to tire. If I hold it for a day or a week, my arm will hurt. It'll feel painful. I will be unable to think about anything but the pain that I'm in. In all of these situations, the actual weight of the glass will be the same. But the longer I hold onto it, the heavier it feels to me and the harder it is to hold it. "

"Your homework is like this glass of water, by the way, " the teacher said. The class then understood. 

I didn't use to like my dad.

When he knew that I was poor in math in the primary school, he made me stay with my aunt whose husband was a math teacher.

I wanted to stop practicing the piano because I thought it was boring. But he didn't allow me. He made me practice every day and warned me not to be lazy.

I would always remember how he punished me for not being good. Once I went to play computer games with some classmates instead of going to school. After knowing what happened, he hit me in the face and stopped giving me any pocket money.

I would also remember that when I asked him to buy me a pair of expensive sports shoes, he turned me down. But he bought me a very good computer to have online lessons.

When I was at university, Mom wrote me lots of letters but he just sent money. And whenever I called home, he acted like he didn't want to talk and he always said," I'll get your mom."

But while I am enjoying the pleasure that playing the piano brings me, I know his love. When I am enjoying the success of being a top student, I know his love. Dad loves me just as Mom does, but he shows it differently.

For most people, graduation(毕业) is an exciting day. But my graduation day was not.

I remember that weekend two years ago. Family and friends had1 from across the country to watch our class walk across that stage. We had degrees, but very few job chances because of the 2 economy (经济). I knew that the next day I  3 school, I would no longer have a place to call home.

I knew my small university town couldn't offer me any opportunities, so I drove to southern California to find 4 . I thought it would take a week to find one, but it 5 for two weeks, and then four weeks, and I found myself in the 6 spot(点) I was in before. 

You know that feeling when you wake up and you are full of fear? Fear about something you can't 7 . You hope that everything that has happened to you so far is just a bad 8 . 

So what did I do to stay 9 ? I wrote. Something about putting words on a page made everything seem a little clearer — a little brighter. Something about writing gave me 10 . If you want something enough, sometimes a little hope is all you need!

I turned my 11  feelings into a children's book—about a surprising hero who simply refused to 12 on his dream.

Then one day, without a writing degree or experience in the writing world, 13 a lot of hard work —I was offered a publishing (出版) deal for my first book! After that, things started to get 14 . I was 15 a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with a big company and got a good job. 

It takes time, but just hold on — change can happen when you least expect it.