Everyone likes to listen to stories.下面是一个有趣的故事。

    Henry goes to his friend Sam's house. There is a big party there in the evening. It starts at 7:00" I can eat delicious food and meet my old friends there," says Henry. And he is happy. Henry starts from his home at 5:30 pm. When he comes to a big tree, he sees a box of apples under it. "I don't want these apples. I want the party" And then Henry comes to a river (河). But there aren't any boats (船). What a bad day! Henry can't go to Sam's house. So he decides (决定) to go back home. ~d then he is happy to see the apples under the tree on ~s way home. He eats

them for dinner before he gets home. They are delicious.

    Sweden, a small country in northern Europe, takes up almost the same size as China's Gansu province. But it has earned the title of the country with best fame in the world recently. Sweden does really well on all the different factors(因素) we used to understand what people think of a country. The country is safe, beautiful, friendly and powerful in many aspects(方面)。

    Although it stayed as a neutral(中立的) country through world wars, Sweden is actually very strong in military(军事的) technologies. It was the first country to make stealthy warship that is hard to found by a radar(雷达). Countries like the US and China once bough Sweden's military technologies.

    Some of you must be familiar with IKEA, the world's largest furniture retail(零售商). In China, you can find IKEA in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and many other big cities. The affordable price and modern design make it popular worldwide.

    When you want to listen to music, you may open QQ music. But many US teens prefer Swedish music service Spotify. Now Spotify has more than 100 million users.

    You may wonder why such a small country can stand out in so many fields, it is possibly because of its good welfare that gives people a safe and comfortable place to live. Moreover, Children can receive free education from kindergarten to university. This provides the country with many talented people.

    Confidence (自信) is very important in daily life. It can help you to develop a healthy attitude. A study show that the people who are more confident are much happier. They can have more chance to make themselves successful. But how to be more confident? Here are some suggestions:

    Speak loudly when you are not confident, you can't do well what you want to do. You speak in a voice so slow that other people can hardly hear you. Try to speak aloud enough so that people can hear you clearly. The high voice can help you become more confident.

    Play sports Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed. When you are athletic, you will be full of confidence.

    Encourage yourself Write down a list of things you did during the day and see how many things you have done well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh? Give yourself praise for the good things you've done.

    Get rid of (消除) fear Fear comes along with failure (失败). But it's easy to get over if you know that failure is a part of your life. Don't hide your head just because you said something foolish last time. Try to start again and believe you can do better.

    Pick up a hobby If you like singing, singing as much as you can. In some ways, a hobby can make you outstanding. And it will make you happy and confident.

Information Card

    The sea has always interested man. From it he can get food, minerals (矿石) and treasure. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But he could not go far under its surface.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}However, he is not a fish. He must breathe air, so he can't stay under the water's surface for any length of time. To explore deep water, man faces even more dangers and problems.

    A diver who wants to stay under water for more than a few minutes must breathe air or a special mixture of gases. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}He can carry a tank of air on his back and breathe through a nose and a mouthpiece. Water weighs 800 times as much as air. Tons of water pushes against a diver deep in the sea. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    When a diver is under great pressure, his blood takes in some of the gases he breathes. As he rises to surface, the water pressure becomes less. If the diver rises too quickly, the gases in his blood form bubbles(气泡). The diver is then suffering from the bends(减压病). The bends can cause a diver to double up in pain. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. His body is under great pressure.

B. For thousands of years, he could sail on it.

C. They can even kill him.

D. He can wear a diving suit and have air pumped to him from above.

E. Man wants to explore deep into the sea.

Pack Up and Fly Away

    Hainan Island

Hainan Island is a wonderful place of sun, sand and sea. It is in the south of China. It's famous for its underwater beauty. Tianyahaijiao is also very famous. It attracts lots of tourists around the world every year.

    Thailand

Thailand is in the heart of Southeast Asia. Its capital Bangkok has some of Thailand's greatest buildings, like the Grand Palace(大皇宫). Chiang Mai(清迈) is a big city in Thailand. There are many historic temples(寺庙)there, such as Wat Phra Singh. The temple has a history of over 650 years.

Australia

This country is the land of beauty and diversity(多样性). It is famous for the Sydney Opera House and Ayers Rock(艾尔斯岩). Ayers Rock is 3, 600 meters long and 348 meters high. What's more, children can also see many animals here like koalas, kangaroos and sheep.

    South Korea's Jeju Island(韩国济州岛)

As a volcanic(火山) island, Jeju once was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders(奇迹)of Nature. Besides that Jeju attracts children with its Teddy Bear Museum. There, people show historical events with teddy bears.

The Art of Paper

    Chen Zijiang is a paper cutting expert whom I interviewed for my article on Chinese Art. Paper-cutting is something that he learned to do from an early age.

    "It is a Chinese folk art with a long history," Mr. Chen told me, "Paper cuts of animals have been found in tombs. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}" He added that by the Southern Song Dynasty, paper-cutting had become an important part of everyday life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They are paper cuts for decoration, for religious purposes (宗教目的) and for design patterns.

    Paper cuts for decoration are often seen, on windows and gates. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They are also used on presents. A present for parents whose child has recently been born might show a paper cut of children, for example. Paper cuts which show the Chinese character for double happiness are often used to celebrate weddings.

    Paper cuts for religious purposes are often found in temples{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The third kind of paper cuts are these used to make patterns on clothing. They are also sometimes used to decorate jewelry (珠宝) boxes. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.