Plans for the holidays

    The summer holiday is coming. Students are going to enjoy it this month.

 Tom is going to his family party."I can't wait to go home and go to the family party. I also plan to go to New York to see some friends. A lot of friends and I are going to dance at my house," he says.

    Tom's friend—Jack is going to spend the holiday with his aunt. "I really want to go to England to meet my family. I want to have a good time with them. But now I can't. I am going to look after my aunt because she is ill," Jack says.

    Mike is Tom's friend too. "I want to spend my summer holiday with Jim. We plan to travel around the world. We think we are going to enjoy ourselves," he says.

    It's hard to make friends if you stay at home alone all the time. Get out of the house and do things that will put you in touch with other people. It's easier to make friends when you have the same interests.

    Don't be afraid to show people what you are really good at. Talk about the things you like and do best. People will be interested in you if there is something interesting about you.

    Look at people in the eyes when you talk to them. That way, they will find it easier to talk to you. If don't, people may think you are not interested in them and may stop being interested in you.

    Be a good listener. Let people talk about themselves before talking about 'me, me, me'. Ask lots of questions. Show interest in their answers.

    Try to make friends with the kind of people you really like — not just with those who are easy to meet. Be friendly to a lot of people. If so, you will have a bigger group of people to choose(选择) from and have more chances (机会) to make friends.

Title: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}to make friends

    Autumn is a beautiful season. For many Chinese, the season is also a time for rebuilding(恢复).

    Chinese herbal medicine(中药)science says that people get tired and weak(虚弱的)during the hot summer. So when it comes to autumn, we need to rebuild. There is a tradition called tieqiubiao(贴秋膘). It means to eat some meat in autumn. This can help people get ready for the coming winter.

    Autumn is also a great season for outdoor activities; Chinese people think that fresh air in autumn is good for our health. The Double Ninth Festival is an important Chinese festival in autumn. On that day, families get together and climb hills for luck in the hope that old people will live much longer. Other good outdoor activities are hiking, biking and having picnics.

    Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 in Scotland. He was from a poor family. When he was twelve, his family moved to the USA. They wanted a better life. There, Andrew started to work right away. He got a job in a factory. He was a good worker, but he didn't like the job. Later, he changed his job. He worked at the Railroad Company where everybody liked him. He did many different jobs. His salary got higher every year.

    In his free time, Andrew loved to read. But in those days, the United States didn't have free public libraries. Luckily, he lived with a rich man with many books, who let young boys use his library for free, so Andrew could read as much as possible. He read throughout his life.

    Andrew learned a lot at the railroad company. He realized that the railroad was very important for big countries. He had a idea to start a business with railroads. He saved all his money and opened a business at the age of thirty years.

    First, his company made bridges for the railroads. Ten years later, it made steel for bridges, machines, and many other things. Soon he was the richest man in the world.

    Andrew liked to make money. But he believed it was very important to help other people. In 1901, he sold his company for $480 million. He started to give away his money to make new libraries and colleges all over the United States. He built 2811 libraries. Andrew also gave a lot of money to people who worked for peace. In 1903, he gave $1.5 million to build a Peace Palace in the Netherlands.

    Andrew Carnegie died in 1919.He was eighty-four years old. During his life, he gave away nearly all of his money. He gave away over $350 million for education and peace. There are colleges, libraries, hospitals, and parks named after Andrew Carnegie.He helped millions of people all over the world to study and learn.

    It is not easy for people to sail (航海) around the world in quite small boats. Sometimes the weather gets bad. Accidents(事故) can happen easily and quickly.

    One family once had an accident. A big fish swam under their boat and bit holes(洞) in it. Sea­ water came in and the boat soon went down. Luckily these people had another small boat—a lifeboat, so they all got into the lifeboat. They lived in the boat for many days. They ate and slept, and always hoped. At last people in a ship saved them.

    How do people live in a very small lifeboat for a long time? They must be strong in every way. They must have a hope, and they must have a strong desire(愿望)to live. People cannot drink seawater. If they drink a lot of seawater, they will quickly die. They must catch rainwater and drink it. They must also catch fish and birds for food. Lifeboats do not often carry cookers. So people cannot cook their food in the lifeboats. Raw (生的) fish and birds are not very nice but they are their only food. They must eat raw food, or they will die.

    Our dog Abbey died last month. My 4-year-old daughter Lucy missed her a lot and asked if we could write a (A) __________to God to make sure he could (B) look after Abbey well. I told Lucy that I thought we could, and she dictated (口述) these words:

Dear God,

    Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got (C) sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love,

Lucy

    We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Lucy and addressed it to God/Heaven. Yesterday, we received a package addressed "To Lucy" with this note:

Dear Lucy,

    Abbey has arrived in heaven.

    (D) 她不再生病。Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. You don't need to worry about (E) her. She's being looked after very well here. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. You have a wonderful mother. I send my blessings every day and remember that I (F) __________you very much. (G) By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.