1970 was World Conservation (保护) Year. The UN wanted everyone to know that the world was in danger. They hoped something could be done.

    Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were about 1,300 kinds of plants, trees and flowers in Holland, but now only about 866 are left. The others have been destroyed by modern people and their science. We are polluting earth, air, water and everything around us. We can't live without these things. If things go on like this, we shall destroy ourselves.

    What will happen in the future? Perhaps it's more important to ask "What must we do?". More and more young people have known this. Many of them are helping to save our Earth. For example, they plant trees. In a small town in the United States, a large group of girls cleaned the banks of 11 kilometres of their river. Young people may hear about conversation through an album called "No One's Gonna Change Our World". It includes songs of Cliff Richard and other singers. The money from selling it will help to conserve tigers, elephants and pandas on Earth.

There are many holidays and festivals. Dads have Father's Day. Children have Children's Day. Is there a special day for old people?

Double Ninth Festival is a special day for old people in China. It started long ago. The festival is on lunar September 9th. On this day, people show love to their grandparents.

People do many different kinds of things on this day. They enjoy flowers, eat special cakes and drink wine (酒).

It's very interesting. The best way to celebrate it is climbing hills or mountains. People think climbing will bring them good luck and help old people live long lives. Double Ninth Festival is also a good time for a family get-together. And young people give their presents and best wishes to the old.

    Tom Smith is English. He is 12. He is in No.8 Middle School. Is he in {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, Grade 7? Yes, he is. There are {#blank#}2{#/blank#}people in his family. Amy Smith is his {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. She is 60. His {#blank#}4{#/blank#} is John Smith. He is 41. What's his mother's name? Her name is Kate Smith. How old（多大年纪）is she? She's 40. Who is Mike Smith? He's Tom's {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. He is only eight.

There are some famous buildings in the world.Every one can recognize (认出）them with their imaginations. For example, when you see a picture of a1stadium like a bird's nest, you probably know it is the Olympic Stadium 2Beijing.

 In fact, you can recognize other buildings more 3The shaped of the building shows the things people can see inside. In Guizhou, China, people can visit the Meitan Tea Museum, built in the shaped of a big teapot. From far away, the teapot-shaped museum 4like some kind of huge work of art. But 5you get closer, the windows make it clear that this is a building.

 If you 6interested in guitars, you might want to visit the Guitar Museum in Tennessee, the USA. The building is shaped like a guitar. Inside, visitors can see all kinds of guitars and learn about famous guitar players.

 One of the 7funny-shaped museums is a pottery(陶器) museum on the ROK. This museum built in 2011, is shaped just like 8traditional pot of the ROK. Along with seeing examples of pots and tools used for making pots in the museum, visitors can try to make 9own pots there.

10 interesting！Don't you think so?

In a small Chinese town lived a poor young man named Liang.He loved 1 . One night, an old man with a long beard 2 Liang in a dream.He gave Liang a paintbrush.

"Use this magic paintbrush to 3 the poor," he said, "but don't use it to help people who are 4 and greedy (贪婪的), or the skill will 5 your fingers and you will never paint again."

When Liang woke up, he 6 the paintbrush on the table by his bed. He painted a butterfly and was 7 to see it fly off the page and out of the window.

Liang ran out of his little house and started painting things for people. He painted a buffalo (水牛) to help a farmer, food for 8 people and clothes for people who were cold.

A rich man, however, 9 about the paintbrush and asked Liang to paint some gold for him, 10 Liang refused.

"If you don't paint for me, I'll cut your fingers off," the rich man said."Then you will 11 paint again." So Liang painted an island of gold in the middle of a blue 12 .

" 13 will I get there?" asked the rich man.

Liang painted a 14 for the rich man, who got in it and went on his way toward the island.

But when the rich man was halfway there, Liang painted a hole in the side of the boat.The boat sank(沉)into the water and 15 ever saw him again.

Just outside a village, there was a pretty but small Fir tree. He lived in a very beautiful forest with a lot of sunshine and fresh air. However, he didn't care about that, and always wished for something more interesting instead of enjoying the simple things in his life. 

One day, the largest trees were cut down. They would be made into masts. The Fir tree thought happily, "I want to be a mast. It seems so cool. "

The air and the sunshine heard the tree and said, "Don't wish for another life. Be happy now. You have warm sunlight. You have a health y trunk. "But the tree did not understand them.

This year, some young trees were cut down. They would live in a warm room and were decorated(装饰) with so many colors and lights. The Fir tree was very interested in this and really wanted to be like that. 

Again, the sunlight and the air said to the tree, "Do not be so silly. Your life in the forest is the best. Be happy with that. "But the tree didn't listen to them.

Finally, the woodcutters came to cut down the Fir tree and put him into a large room. 

On Christmas Day, many servants came in. They decorated the tree. On its top, there was a large golden star. Later, all people came in and sang Christmas carols together. The tree enjoyed watching all of this. 

"This is all for me!"thought the tree, "I will live my life in this warm room. The sunlight and the air were all wrong. "He felt very good about his future.

However, the next morning, some servants came into the room. They put him into a dark room. He was forgotten. 

As many lonely nights passed, the door to that dark room finally opened. Two servants came in and took the tree outside. 

"This is wonderful. "thought the tree. "My new life is beginning. "He relaxed in the sunlight. Just then, he discovered something terrible. His branches were all yellow. They were weak.

At that time. Some children were running around the garden They cned, "Look! The Christmas true is old and ugly. But it still has the yellow star on top of it. "One of the children took the star from the tree. Now, there was nothing beautiful about the tree anymore.

Soon, a gardener came with an axe. He chopped the poor Fir tree into pieces. Then, he placed each piece into a fire. The poor tree burned in the flames. As he burned, he could see the children playing. They were playing with his golden star. But it was too late for regrets now. 

"This really is the end, "thought the tree.