Mike lived in a small village near New York two years ago. He had a big brown dog. He liked the dog very much because once it saved a boy.

    One day, his dog stood next to an old well(井)." It stayed there for about half an hour," Bow-wow-wow," barked the dog. It barked and barked. Mike heard it and ran over to the well." Why do you stay here, my dear?" Mike asked. "And why are you barking?" The dog looked at him and looked at the well. "Bow-wow- wow ,”he barked even louder. Mike asked his friend Jim for help." Come here, Jim," he said." The dog wants to tell us something.”

    They looked down in to the well .They saw a. boy there. The boy couldn't speak. He was too scared(惊恐)。Mike went to get a rope( 绳)at once. He climbed down to save the boy with the help of the rope. The dog was really clever.

Mother Tongue (语言)

    My name is Jiniku but everyone calls me Joey, including my parents. My father is American but my mother is not. My mother grew up in a country whose name I cannot pronounce correctly. She was educated in French and Latin, Spanish and German.

    My mother wrote all day, but never showed anyone what she wrote. She had notebooks she would write in, and a typewriter to straighten out (整理) the final copy.

    When she had typed (打字) pages, she put them in a box. This box was deep under the bed that she and my father shared.

    There were only two words that she ever said in the real voice, with her real accent (口音), real tongue. I heard her say them only three times in her life. She taught them to me one night as I lay on her legs, sweating (出汗) with fever.

    "Jiniku," she said in a low voice. "Jiniku." I focused (集 中) on her voice through my fever, realizing that something had changed. She was speaking from a part of her that she had not opened for a long time. She took my hand, and placed my palm (掌心) over her heart. "Juriszu." She stared out the window. There was a long silence. I could feel her heartbeat, which was calmer and slower than my own. "My name," she said at last, speaking once more in English, "means „dark ocean (海洋).‟ And you, Jiniku, my baby, yours means „life.‟" She looked out the window again. "„Ji‟ is the word for a happy birth. One where everyone lives and there is little pain. „Ni‟ is a tree that had its roots (根) spread far and whose branches (树枝) shelter (庇护) all. „Ku‟ is spirit. You have this all-encompassing (包罗万象的) life." She placed her hand on my heart. "The first and last letters of our names are the same," she said. "Don‟t forget that, Jiniku."

A: Hi, Henry. You look so worried. What's up?

B: Hello, Jack. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many people hurt because of it.

A: Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Why did it happen?

B: {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And the weather was dry and windy at that time.

A: That's the point. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

B: You are right. Safety comes first. Some children lost their home.

A: I want to do something for the children. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

B: Maybe you can make a short video to cheer them up. 

A: Our schoolmates can also help them, too. 

B: That's a good idea. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

A: Let's go and talk with him.

A long time ago, there lived an old man. He raised the finest horses in all the land. His family was happy and he was rich in friends, too. 

One night, the man's prized horse, a big black horse, was lost. The old man was sad. Friends came to say how sorry they were. The old man said only, "Why wouldn't this be good luck?"

Months later, the villagers saw the black horse coming back, leading two white horses. The villagers were happy for the return of the old man's horse and the addition (增加) of two more. The old farmer thanked them for their happiness and said quietly for all to hear, "Could this be a disaster (灾祸)?"

The old man's only son loved horses, so it was natural for the old man to give his son the black horse. The old man began to teach his son to ride. Unluckily, the boy fell off the horse and broke his legs. No one knew if he could ever walk again. Everyone was sad, and came to tell the old man how sad they were. The old man just looked at them and said. "Why wouldn't this be a blessing (福气)?"

In a few weeks, the enemies invaded (侵略) the land. The king sent his soldiers to enlist (征募) one young man from each family to fight against the enemies. When they reached the old man's village, they took one son from each home. At the home of the old man, they found the disabled (残疾的) boy, and they did not take him. As a result, the son stayed away from the war and saved his life. 

In 1826, a Frenchman named Nieple needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden. That was the first photo.

The next important date in the history of photography was in 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his reading room. He used a new kind of camera in a different way. In his picture you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest thing. The kind of photo was called a Daguerreotype. Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's way. Travelers brought back wonderful photos from all over the world. People took pictures of famous buildings, cities and mountains.

In about 1840, photography was developed. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. That was not simple. The photographers had to carry a lot of films and other machines. But this did not stop them, for example, some in the United States worked so hard.

Mathew Brady was a famous American photographer. He took many pictures of great people. The pictures were unusual because they were life like. 

Photography also became one kind of art by the end of the 19th century. Some photos were not just copies of the real world. They showed the author's ideas and feelings, like other kinds of art.