People are often free on weekends. But Mike had a busy weekend last week. On Saturday morning, he went to visit his uncle with his parents. His uncle lives on a farm. There Mike helped his uncle feed the chickens. There are many animals on the farm. After lunch, Mike went to mountains with his cousins. Mike was happy to see the trees and flowers. In the evening, they saw an interesting movie. Song Dandan was in the movie. All of them laughed all the time. On Sunday morning, Mike wanted to play soccer, but it rained very hard. So he had to stay home. He did some reading and watched TV. In the afternoon, Mike helped his mother do the housework. In the evening, he played computer games. Then it was time to go to bed.

If you receive an e-mail that looks something like this:

    ARE YOU GOING TO CLASS TODAY? How does reading this message make you feel? Why did the sender use all capital letters(大写字母)? Was he or she angry, or did that person just forget to turn off the 'Cap Lock' on the computer? The fact is, this e-mail is usually the way that people shout online. Knowing when and when not to use capital letters is just one example of online etiquette(礼仪) —often called 'netiquette'. Virginia Shea's book, Netiquette, lists a basic set of dos and don'ts for communicating suitably with others on the Internet. Following are some of her suggestions.

    First, always remember that you are sending messages to a real person, not just to a computer. Don't type anything that you wouldn't say to someone's face. Also, remember that the person who receives your message cannot hear the tone of your voice, or see the expression on your face, so make sure your meaning is clear.

    Don't do anything online that you wouldn't do in real life. Don't take anything without paying for it, unless it's free. Don't use information that someone else has written, and say it's yours. Don't read other people's e-mail—you wouldn't open your next-door neighbor's mailbox and open their mail, right? Do share your knowledge of the Internet with others. It's a big place with lots of information, and there are many new things to discover.

    Remember that people judge(判断) you by your words as well as your actions, so try to write well. Good writing skills, as well as correct grammar and spelling, matter(有关系). Send polite, well-written e-mail messages to others. If you're uncertain about how to spell a word or which phrases to use, look it up. There are lots of helpful books and websites.

    It's okay to show your ideas online in forums(论坛) like chat room or message boards, but don't start arguments with people. 'Flame wars' in online discussions can be interesting to read, but are often unfair to other members of the group. Express your opinions, but remember that fighting online or offline is just not suitable.

    When you're online, just as in 'real' life, try to respect(尊重) other people's space, privacy and feelings. Remember, you are not the only one travelling on this highway!

    Tyler opened the door to his house and went inside. His mother was in the kitchen. She felt surprised when she saw his sad face. “Tyler, what happened? Is everything okay?” “Nothing is okay, Mom.” “Is there anything I can do to help?” “That's just the thing, Mom. We can't help. There's nothing we can do.” Tyler kept talking,“Today, the teacher talked about Earth Day and the environment. Earth Day is a day when every person promises to do something to help take care of our world. Mrs. Green said that our world is getting dirtier and that many animals and plants are dying. She wants us to think of something we can do to help and I thought all the way home and there is nothing I can do. I can't stop people from polluting our air and water and I can't save all of the animals. There is not anything that I can do to make a difference.”

    His mother listened and after thinking for a minute said,“Of course you can. There are lots of things you can do. For example, you can walk to school. You can use both sides of your paper to save trees. You can plant a tree every year. You can clean up rubbish from your neighborhood park. Everything you do to help the planet makes a difference. The most important thing to remember is that Earth Day should be every day!” “Oh, I see. Mom, we each can make a difference to the world. Thank you, Mom.”

    The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it. Man has been polluting the earth. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to an-other place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world. Air pollution is still the most serious. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO, is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution. The earth is our home. We must take care of it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time.

(John, one of the exchange students, wants to buy something in Beijing. But he doesn't know where to go. Now he is asking Millie for help)

John =J,       Millie =M

J: Where can I buy some postcards, Millie?

M: Go to the bookshop in the shopping mall in Old Street. You'll find many postcards there.

J: Can you tell me how to get to the shopping mall?

M: Walk across the footbridge. Then walk along New Road until you see the traffic lights. Cross New Road, you'll see a restaurant. And the shopping mall is next to it.

J: Oh, I see! I also want to buy some souvenirs for my friends. Can I find some in the shopping mall?

M: You'd better go to the Souvenir Shop. It's very easy to find. Just come out of the shopping mall, you'll see the shop is at the other side of the street.

J: That's great! By the way, can I enjoy Beijing Duck in the restaurant?

M: Of course! The Beijing Duck in that restaurant is very nice.

J: Thanks a lot!

    When visitors came to see Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street, they often did surprising things. Sometimes they put their heads in their hands and cried. Sometimes they talked and talked, and couldn't stop. And sometimes they just sat there and didn't say a word. But nobody was more surprising than Dr Huxtable.

    He was a large man, tall, well-dressed. He came into the room, walked to one of the big chairs, and suddenly fell into it. He sat there, with his eyes closed, looking pale and ill.

    Holmes looked in the man's pockets-and found a train ticket from Mackleton, in the north of England.

    "Mackleton-that's a long way," said Holmes, "it's not twelve o clock yet, so he probably left home before five o'clock this morning. He was probably hungry."

    After a minute or two, the man began to move, and his eyes opened. A second later, he stood up. His face was now red and unhappy.

    "Mr Holmes, I am so sorry! I forgot to eat or drink anything this morning that's why I felt ill. But I'm better now," said our visitor," and Mr Holmes, come back to Mackleton with me by the next train, please!"

    "I'm sorry, that's not possible," said Holmes," I'm working on two important cases. I cannot leave London at the moment."

    "Important cases!" our visitor cried, "But this case is very important too. You know about the kidnapping of the son of Duke(公爵) of Holdernesse three days ago."

    "What! The Government Minister?" I was shocked.

    "Yes, that's him. And he is one of the greatest men in the country." said Dr Huxtable, "Mr Holmes, the Duke is offering five thousand dollars for news of his son, and another one thousand dollars for the name of the kidnapper."

    "That," said Holmes, "is a most interesting offer." He looked at me, "Watson, I think we are going with Dr Huxtable back to the north of England this afternoon."