Casey was painting the sets (粉刷布景) for the school play (戏剧). When she worked, the actors practiced on stage (舞台). A girl named Amelia played an important role in it. Now she was singing.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}She saw the actors practice again and again. She remembered the words to all the songs by heart.

    Casey's friend Kareem helped her paint. "You should try out for the next play," he said. "You're good."

    Casey said, " {#blank#}2{#/blank#}"

    The next day, Casey and Kareem finished painting the last part of the sets. They were cleaning up their brushes and paints.

    "It's too bad!" Ms. Brown came in and said. " {#blank#}3{#/blank#}She can't be in the play. What will we do?"

    Kareem and Casey heard this. "You know all the words to the songs. You can take over Amelia's part!" said Kareem

    "No, I can't," said Casey.

    "Sure you can. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You must do it!" said Kareem.

    Casey really wanted to act on stage. She thought, " {#blank#}5{#/blank#}" Then she took a deep breath (深呼吸) and walked to Ms. Brown, "I know what we can do!"

Albert Einstein(1879-1955)

Early Life

    Albert Einstein was born on I4th March,1879 in Germany. He was an extraordinary (非凡的)person since he was born. Einstein wasn't able to speak a word until three. He was curious(好奇的)and imaginative. He loved watching things carefully and asked a lot of questions about them

His questions were often hard to answer for teachers.

Schooling

    Einstein started school in 1885. Though he did well in maths and science, he failed in many subjects like history geography and languages. He was not the teachers' favourite. He didn't enjoy going to school. Einstein finished high school in Switzerland and entered a university in Zurich. He graduated（大学毕业）as a teacher of maths and physics in1900.

Scientific Work

    After graduation. Einstein worked at the Patent Office. He spent much time studying physics. By 1909, Einstein had become a top scientist. Though he became successful in the field of science, he still put great effort in scientific research. Finally, he won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1921.

Later life

    Einstein kept at his research until he died in 1955. Scientists studied his brain(脑)after his death to see if there was anything special about it. However there was no conclusion(结论).

    Today, many famous scientists still think Einstein is the smartest man in the world.

    March 20th is World Water Day every year. According to a report from the United Nations, more than half of the world's major rivers have serious water loss and are polluted.

    The Yellow River, the world's fifth longest river, watered some of the oldest farms on earth. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Its source（源头）on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is drying up. In most of the past 35 years, it didn't reach the sea.

The Nile in Egypt, running 6, 650 km, is the longest river in the world. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Now it is down to 2 billion m³ or so. Australia's Murray River reaches the sea only every other year. One fifth of America's Rio Grande has no water, either.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Mostly it's damming（筑坝）and global warming that make rivers dry. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Now about 45, 000 of them lie across the world's rivers. They hold back around 15% of the world's fresh water from running to the sea.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Warmer weather takes water away. The glacier（冰川）are becoming smaller. The source of the Yellow River is drying up because of it. Global warming has had certain effects on water sources. Droughts happening around the world make people pay more attention to this fact.

    Critical thinking(批判性思维) is trying to improve the way you think. People use critical thinking in every area of life to solve problems and evaluate claims(评估主张).

    Like every other skill, critical thinking takes practice. When a problem comes our way, we need to think critically to decide how to solve it. When we see an advertisement, for example, we should stop and think. Advertisements are made to make people feel certain that they are true, and then people can buy the products. But is what the advertisement says true? Is it making a claim? Or does it only interest us? Critical thinking is important and stops us from making poor choices. In fact, we are using it if we ask questions naturally about what we see.

    Practice makes perfect. While you are growing in critical thinking, you'll become a wiser and more thoughtful person. There are many ways of doing practice. Here are a few.

    Read about a topic people disagree on. Look at articles or books on all sides of the subject. For each side of the subject, think carefully and evaluate it.

    When you see or hear a claim, ask questions about it. Who is making the claim and why?

    Evaluate your own thinking. Where and why do you think uncritically? How can you improve?

    Critical thinking should be part of everything we do. It may help you to succeed at work or school. Make yourself into a habit of critical thinking. Change your thoughts and change your world.

Face the Stress

    Have you had a headache during a test? Have you ever been so worried about something that you have a headache or even can't sleep at night? If so, then you know what stress is. Stress is what you feel when you are worried about something. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You may feel angry, sad, scared, or afraid—all of which give you a stomachache or a headache.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Some kinds of stress are beneficial and others are not. Good stress might happen when you're called to answer questions in class or when you have to give a speech. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, you may do a better job in your test if the stress pushes you to prepare better before the test.

    On the other hand, bad stress can happen if the stress lasts too long. You may not feel well if your parents are fighting, if a family member is sick, if you're having problems at school, or if anything else makes you unhappy every day. That kind of stress isn't going to help you. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Make sure you keep yourself in mind: Sleep, exercise, leisure, and food. If you get enough sleep and eat healthily, and if you exercise and leave and leave time for fun, you'll probably feel less stressed.