For years I wanted a garden. I'd spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.

    But then we had Mathew， and Marvin， and the twins -- Alisa and Alan， and then Helen. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.

    Money was not enough. Neither was time. Often when my children were little， one of them would want something that cost too much， I'd have to say，"Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees， you know."

    Finally， all the children got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about a garden.

    Then， one spring morning， on Mother's Day， I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly， I looked out of the window and there was a new tree， planted right in my yard. There were things blowing around on it. Then I put my glasses on and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in my yard!

    I went out to look. It was true! There were dollar bills， one hundred of them， hanging all over that tree. There was also a note among them， "Thank you for your time， Mom. We love you!"

    Later， my children bought me tools， ornaments（装饰品）， a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books. A new page started in my life.

    That was three years ago. My garden is now very pretty， just like I wanted. When I go out and take care of my flowers， I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me. Now every year when winter comes， I look out of my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me， and I get tears in my eyes -- every time.

    I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!

    One day, some tourists came to a hotel but there were only two rooms left. One was on the fourth floor and the other was on the seventh floor.

    "We Chinese like the number 8. 8 means we will get rich. We also like 9 because it means we can live long. But we don't like the number 4 because it sounds like 'death' in Chinese. I think if we sleep on the fourth floor, we may die?

    The Greeks said,"We want the room on the fourth floor." In Greece, 4 is a lucky number.

    The South Korean said, "We don't like number 4 or 13. 4 sounds like 'death', and 13 is an unlucky number in the west." The tourists from the west said, "Oh, we love number 7. There are seven days in the world as it says in the Bible(圣经).We don't like the number 13. It is an unlucky number. If we sleep on the 13th floor, oh…"

    "In Japan, 4 sounds like 'death', so we don't like it. And 6 is also not welcome. There isn't the fourth floor or the sixth floor in the tall buildings in our country. However, we like 7 very much", said the Japanese.

    At last, only the Greeks lived on the 4th floor, and the rest slept on the 7th floor.

    Mrs Wilson{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(like) to ask her husband{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(go) shopping{#blank#}3{#/blank#}her on Sundays. Her husband{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(pay) for the things that she buys. Now they are in a shop.

    "Look, Andy. Is it a fancy hair clip?" Mrs Wilson asks her husband.

    "All right. And how{#blank#}5{#/blank#}is it?" he answers and{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(give) money to the shop assistant. When Mrs Wilson asks him about{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(anything) good or bad, he often says "All right. And how much is it?"{#blank#}8{#/blank#}her.

    At about 8 p. m., Andy is tired and thirsty, and he wants to have a drink. Suddenly (突然) his wife looks{#blank#}9{#/blank#}at the moon and says, "Look, Andy. Is the moon so beautiful?"

    "All right. And how much is it?" her husband answers{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(quick)

Kate is an English girl, but she is in China with her parents. She is a middle school student in Shanghai now. Let's ask her some questions and see how she answers them.

◆What do you eat for breakfast?

I have milk and eggs. They are my favorite food for breakfast. I think they are healthy. I don't like bread.

◆Do you eat lunch at school?

Yes. I eat chicken and rice at school. Sometimes I eat salad for lunch. I don't like eating hamburgers. They are not good for my health.

◆What fruit do you like?

I like bananas, apples and strawberries very much. I eat fruit every day. Fruit is important to our health.

◆Do you play sports every day?

Sure, I do. I play basketball with my friends every day. I think it's interesting and relaxing. Sometimes I play volleyball, but it's difficult for me.

Ben could hear strong winds outside his home in Alabama. Black clouds were making the sky very dark. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The news on TV reported that a heavy rainstorm was in the area.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ben's dad was putting pieces of wood over the windows while his brother was making sure the flashlights (手电筒) and radio were working. He also put some candles and matches on the table. Ben was helping his mom make dinner.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}After dinner, they tried to play a card game, but it was hard to have fun with a serious storm happening outside. The family went to bed at 10 o'clock. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} He had to listen to some music to calm himself down. He finally fell asleep when the wind was going down at around 3:00 a.m.

When he woke up, the sun was rising. He went outside with his family and found the neighborhood in a mess. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The family joined the neighbors to help clean up the neighborhood together. Although the storm broke many things apart, it brought families and neighbors closer together.