Some time ago, an old businessman had a large store in Boston. He wanted a boy to work for him, and he put an advertisement in the newspaper. The next morning, many boys came to the old man's office, asking for the job.

 There was a post(柱子)by his desk, and there was a nail(钉子）in it. He took a walking stick and said, "Everyone has three chances. If anyone can hit the nail on the head with this stick more than once, I will give him the job."The boys thought it was easy. They all tried, but nobody could make it. So the old man said, "I'm sorry I can't take any of you."And they left.

  He kept the advertisement in the paper, and the next morning many more boys came, and among them he saw a thin boy who had been there the day before. The boy hit the nail successfully for three times. The old man felt surprised and asked how he did that. "Yes," said the boy, "I failed yesterday, but I thought that if I kept on trying a while, I could do it. So I went home and practiced hitting a nail with a stick till I could do it, and I got up very early this morning, and tried again."

 The old man said, "You are the boy for me." And he gave him the job. Whatever the boy had to do, he tried to do his best. It was not very long before he became the best clerk in the store.

Answer the questions according to the passage.

    My name is Dave. I have three good friends, Jack, Tom and Jim. Jack, Tom, Jim and I like different(不同的) food for breakfast. Jack likes cakes, Tom likes fruit, Jim likes eggs and I like vegetables. We all(都) like hamburgers for lunch. We eat hamburgers for lunch every day. Jack, Tom and I also like French fries, but Jim doesn't like them. For dinner, I don't like chicken. But Jack, Tom and Jim do. They all think chicken is very delicious(美味的).

Learn to Refuse

    Believe it or not, I've always been a people pleaser. I often put others before myself because I want to make my friends happy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    “Can you help me with my English?” Grace asked me on the first day after she became my desk mate. “Of course,” I replied without hesitation（犹豫）. Grace has been working really hard on her studies and needed my help — although I didn't have much time left for her.

    One day after school, while I was doing a huge amount of homework, Grace's phone call came.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} but I still felt bad about saying no. When Grace ended the call, the clock said it was 00:15 am. But I still had homework left and I wanted to sleep. This was bad for a Junior 3 student who is going to take an important exam this June.

    Finally I burst into tears. I felt so tired and realized that the stress had an effect on my health. I tried to get myself out. Studying is more important than other things,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} . It's now important for me to say no, no, no. “Can you do me a favor?” Grace asked last Monday. “Sorry I just have to review my biology notes,” I answered. “All right, it's up to you,” she said. I felt completely relaxed when I heard her reply.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    To be honest, I have felt much happier since learning to refuse. I have more time to spend on my study at present. I still try my best to help others,{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. She complained a lot and it made me feel bored

B. If anyone asks me for help, I always say, “yes!”

C. Anyway, it's not so hard to say no at all

D. but sometimes I say no because I know everyone has a limit

E. so Grace has to come the second

    Eleven countries are building a great wall of trees across Africa. It is called the Great Green Wall. The aim is to bring life to the dry lands and help to fight the bad environment.

    The wall is 8, 000 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide. It covers from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, on the south of the Sahara Desert (撒哈拉沙漠). So far, Senegal has made the best progress by planting about 11,000,000 trees.

    Many years ago, there were few trees in that area and the winds used to be very strong. It was harmful to the fields. Also, there was little rain, so few plants could grow and many people went hungry. Since the tree planting project started, the trees have provided food for the local people and increased the wetness (湿度) of the air. Little by little, there appeared green fields for people to grow plant.

    The project which began in 2007 is supposed to cost a total of 8, 000, 000, 000 dollars. Many countries are trying their best to help to continue the planting. So we will be able to see the whole green wall across Africa in the near future!