On Christmas Eve (平安夜), Simon usually has a party with his family in his house. They buy a Christmas tree and decorate(装饰)it with flowers, toys, lights and cards. After they finish, it looks very beautiful. Then they have a big Christmas dinner. There is turkey, hot drinks and much other Christmas food on the table. After dinner, they sit under the Christmas tree and sing songs happily. They all have a lot of fun.

Why Live Near the River?

Imagine pioneers traveling west in the 1800s. In those days, it was hard to find running water and shops where to buy things. As time went by, most pioneers had to make their homes near a river so that they could get water easily.

How did rivers help people live in the past?

Back in the pioneer days, people grew their own food, caught their own fish, and collected their own water.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}People also used rivers as roads, traveling on boats. Traders shipped goods (货物) to people from other areas.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

When building many factories right next to rivers for the water's power to make machines work, some people choose to live near a river for working. They use the river to ship large goods, and some of them work at these factories where power factories provide electricity for homes and businesses.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Who wouldn't want to live near a river?

Some people are nervous about living near rivers because rivers can cause floods (洪水). Every once in a while, floodwaters rise higher than a house, ruining (毁坏) many things in the house.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Such waste causes water to smell bad and pollutes the crops (作物) we eat. Water and crops in polluted areas can make people very sick.

How do people decide where to live?

 {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Rivers can provide jobs and fun activities in a beautiful place. However, those living by rivers should be willing to accept possible problems as well.

"Never give up!"It is my law(法则) of my life. It has brought me 1 . I learnt the law from my father's 2  story.

My father was 3  in a poor village in the north of Jiangsu, China. When he was a young boy, he went to school in the morning, and then 4  in the fields till sunset. And then he did his homework and didn't sleep 5  midnight. Life was hard, 6  the family had no money!

At the age of , my father 7  the United States. It was the land of gold. and8  people could become rich there.

"Why don't I go to America?"he thought to 9  , full of hope.

So my father came to America."I had thought it was easy to 10  money in America," he told me."But when I arrived there, I realised it was not true. They did not like to hire (雇用) me because I spoke 11  English. Later, I worked in a small restaurant, cleaning up tables, washing dishes and sweeping the floor. Life was 12  for the first few years, and I worked from am to pm. I wanted to go to school to learn English, but it was impossible. I couldn't 13  to go to school."

My father 14  working hard, and finally succeeded. He often says to me,"If you want something, you have to work for it and never give up."

Things do not come 15  in life. That is what I learnt from my father.

Colin walked out of the shopping center with his head down. There were many wonderful Mother's Day gifts there, but they were too expensive. He had only saved four{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(dollar).

"Why don't you make {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(she) something?" Colin's older sister Whitney asked. "Remember the poem I{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(write) for Mom last year? She loved it so much." Colin knew it was true. The poem hung above the fireplace. But Colin wasn't good{#blank#}4{#/blank#}writing poems.

"It doesn't need{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(be) a poem," Whitney said. "It could be anything that makes her think of you whenever she sees it. That's why homemade gifts are special." "But I don't know how to make anything Mom would{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(actual) want,"Colin said.

"Yes, you do! You're always drawing those funny little comics (漫画). Why don't you do a comic of Mom? She would love it!"

Colin thought about the idea{#blank#}7{#/blank#}whole way home. He spent the next two days drawing in his room. Finally it{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(finish)!" On the morning of Mother's Day, Colin gave it to mom. He held his breath as his mom looked at it. "This is{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(good) gift you've ever given me, Colin," his mother said tearfully. "I know just where to put it," his dad said with a smile. He hung it next to Whitney's poem above the fireplace. Colin looked up at the comic. "{#blank#}10{#/blank#} a perfect work it is!" Colin said to himself.

I have got two friends. They're from different schools. jerry is a boy from the UK. His school is very big. The students sit around tables in class. Sometimes he joins clubs and makes some new friends from different classes. School starts at 9 o'clock and finishes at 3 o'clock. He often plays football with his classmates after school. Lingling is a Chinese girl. Her school is beautiful and new. There are some beautiful flowers and tall trees there. There is a big library in her school. She often reads books there. School starts at 8 o'clock and finishes at 4 o'clock. She plays the guitar with her friends at break time sometimes. It's very cool.