Shenzhen is a city in South China．It is not very big, but it has attracted people of the whole country and the whole world as well．

    Just about thirty years ago, it was only a small fishing village．There were not many people there． Most of them lived on fishing．Things have greatly changed since the 1980s．It became the first special economic zone(经济特区) in China．

    Because of the opening policy(政策), economic changes between China and the outside world have increased greatly．People can come and go easily between Shenzhen and Hong Kong．Both foreigners and Chinese have built a lot of factories, companies and tourists' attractions there．People all over the country have come to find jobs．Many of them have settled down in this new booming(兴起的) city．

    Shenzhen has been developing so fast that it has become a well－known metropolis(大都市) in China．

Money VS Family

    Rama's family is very big. He has three kids, two sons and a daughter.

    He works for more than 16 hours a day. The kids cannot see him as he leaves home early in the morning before they wake up, and he reaches home around midnight when kids have slept every day. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Though Rama's family is one of the richest families in the city, he still works so hard. One day, Rama's family went to their beach house to spend their vacation. His daughter asked, "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}"

    Rama replied, "Yes, my dear, tomorrow for sure, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}I'm tired of work and need refreshment!"

    The whole family became very happy.

    Unfortunately, the next day, none in Rama's family were alive as they were washed out in the tsunami(海啸)!

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When he tried to reach his beach house, he saw sea and water everywhere and screamed for his family. He could not even find the dead bodies of his family.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}He remembered his wife's words, "Why are you running for money? We can be happy with what we have now."

    Lily is from New York, the U.S.A. She is twelve. She is in Shanghai NO.3 Junior High School. She is in Class Eight, Grade One. Her phone number is 66786019. Dongdong is from Kunming. His English name is Tom. He is eleven .He is in Class Seven, Grade One. His telephone number is 24524233. They are not in the same class. They are good friends.

    Do you live in a city? Do you know how cities began? Long long ago, there were only a few thousand people in the world. These people moved from one place to another. They moved over the land, hunting animals for food.

    No one knows how or when these people learned about growing food. But when they did, their lives changed. They did not have to move any more.

    They could stay m one place and grow food there. People began to live near each other, so the first

    Villages appeared. Many people came to work in the villages, and these villages became larger and larger.

    Then people had machines. Life in the villages changed again. People built factories. More and more People lived near the factories, so the villages grew into cities. Some of them grew very big.

    Today, it's strange that some people are moving back to small villages. Can you tell me why?

Dear humans,

It's the first time I write to you, my Children. I sent you many messages in the past, but you didn't take them seriously. So I decide to write you a letter.

First, let me tell you more about our family. Dear humans, besides you, I have many other children. Some of them fly in the sky; some of them swim in the water; some live in ice-covered places; some run in the grasslands.

They might be very close to you, or even live in your house. But there are others that you may never have the chance to meet.

You bring them home to be your pets, friends and helpers. You put them in the zoos. You kill them for their meat and fur. And you even hunt them for fun. They bring you money and happiness, but they also bring you illness and death.

I hope you remember that wild animals are not your food, clothes or furniture. They are not killers, either. They are, in fact, your brothers and sisters. You should grow up together. I'm worried that one day you will be lonely if you keep killing them.

So, grow up, humans. Grow up to be more loving and caring. I hope you and all the wildlife can live happily in my arms.

Yours,

Mother Earth