For most people, summer holidays mean sun, sea and sand, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. She had a holiday full of ice and snow. She and her family travelled across Greenland! Starting just above the Arctic Circle (北极圈), Sarah's family used dogsleds with kites to cross the world's biggest island.

    Sarah says {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. "There is only snow, ice, and more snow. " The family travelled 15 miles a day for 22 days, moving faster when strong winds pushed along their kites.

    Then the weather became a bit hot for the dogs to pull sleds during the day, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. The Landrys lived in tents, ate dried food, and took baths with heated water. When they weren't travelling, they played with kites and made snowmen. Using their mobile phones, the family could send and get emails even from Greenland's ice cap! The road to the top was icy and dangerous.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. "Icebergs (冰山) were so bright, just like the rising sun." said Sarah. Now she and her family have returned home, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Next holiday, they are going to the South Pole.

Two frogs lived in a village all their lives. They would like to go and see the big city. It was about 20 km away from their village. 

They talked about it for a long time, and at last they went to see the big city. 

It was a hot day, and they soon felt tired. They only walked a little way when one said to the other, "We must be near there. Can you see the city? " "No, " said the other frog. "But if I climb on your back, I may be able to see it. "So that small frog climbed up on the back of the big frog to see the city.

Now when the small frog put up his head, his eyes could only see what was behind, and not what was in front. So he saw the village they just left. 

"Can you see the city? " asked the big frog.

"Yes, " answered the small frog. "I can see it.    ▲    "

Then the frogs went back and said to the frogs around the village, "We saw the city, and it was just like our village. "

A woman in New York had two sons. She was very 1 about them, especially the younger one, Ben, because he was not doing well in school. Other boys in class often 2 jokes on him because he seemed so slow. The mother decided to help her sons 3 herself. She told them to go to the 4 to read books and reports for her twice a month. One day, in Ben's class, the teacher held up a rock and asked 5 someone knew it. Ben put up his hand and the teacher 6 him answer it. All the classmates whispered (耳语). "What could he say? He 7 said anything in class." To their surprise, Ben not only knew all about the rock, but also had a lot to say about it. He even knew where the teacher 8 it. Ben learned it by 9 his reports. Later Ben became the top student of his class. 10 he finished high school, he went to Harvard University. And he became one of the best doctors in the United States.

Once upon a time, there was a family with 8 children living in a village. Two of the children, both boys, loved painting very much, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} the family was so poor that it was impossible to send both of them to study at art school.

After many discussions, the two boys finally came up with {#blank#}2{#/blank#} idea. They would toss (抛) a coin. The loser would go down into the mines (矿井) and support his brother with his pay. Then, when the brother who won the toss finished his studies, in four years, he would pay the school fee for the other brother {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (study) at the college.

One of the brothers, Albrecht Durer, won the toss and his brother Jack went down the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (danger) mines. Durer worked with all his heart and his paintings were much better than those of most of his {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (teacher). He made a lot of money for his paintings.

Durer {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (return). When he told Jack he could go to art college, Jack said {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (quiet), "The four years in the mines has done too much to my hands. It is too late. Now I can't even hold a glass."

To show his love to his brother, Durer drew his brother's hands {#blank#}8{#/blank#} palms (手掌) together and thin fingers towards the sky. He called his drawing simply Hands, but the whole world almost quickly opened their {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (heart) to the great work and renamed it The Praying Hands.

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (two) look. Let it be your reminder: No one can ever succeed alone!

My favourite food

I'm Li Hua. Great changes have happened to me in the past three years.