I'm Eason. I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} in "New York with my family. I like reading very much, and I have many books at {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, I'm in the school book club now. There're{#blank#}3{#/blank#}students and three teachers in the club. We meet from 7:00 to 8:00 {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Wednesday afternoon. We usually{#blank#}5{#/blank#}about one book together. Our teacher {#blank#}6{#/blank#} asks us some questions about the book. All of us want to answer them, because it's interesting {#blank#}7{#/blank#}a game. We can borrow (借) a book from the club, but we must take it back {#blank#}8{#/blank#}  It's fun joining the book club, because we can also make {#blank#}9{#/blank#} friends here. There's a new book {#blank#}10{#/blank#}every month in the club. I like the show very much and I never miss (错过)it!

Why Live Near the River?

Imagine pioneers traveling west in the 1800s. In those days, it was hard to find running water and shops where to buy things. As time went by, most pioneers had to make their homes near a river so that they could get water easily.

How did rivers help people live in the past?

Back in the pioneer days, people grew their own food, caught their own fish, and collected their own water.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}People also used rivers as roads, traveling on boats. Traders shipped goods (货物) to people from other areas.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

When building many factories right next to rivers for the water's power to make machines work, some people choose to live near a river for working. They use the river to ship large goods, and some of them work at these factories where power factories provide electricity for homes and businesses.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Who wouldn't want to live near a river?

Some people are nervous about living near rivers because rivers can cause floods (洪水). Every once in a while, floodwaters rise higher than a house, ruining (毁坏) many things in the house.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Such waste causes water to smell bad and pollutes the crops (作物) we eat. Water and crops in polluted areas can make people very sick.

How do people decide where to live?

 {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Rivers can provide jobs and fun activities in a beautiful place. However, those living by rivers should be willing to accept possible problems as well.

①Malta is a country with 5 islands: Malta, Gozo, Comino, Kemmunett and Filfla. With just 316 square kilometres (平方千米), the country is quite small. But don't let that stop your visit: Malta has lots of things for you to enjoy.

②Valletta, the capital city, is in the east of the island of Malta. It is a great city for tourists. People in Malta started building Valletta in the 16th century after their old capital was destroyed(摧毁). It became the new capital city in 1571. Now in Valletta, there are still lots of old houses, churches and palaces. You can have a drink on Strait Street or a meal at one of the waterfront's restaurants. If you love art, Blitz and Valletta Contemporary are great places to visit.

③Mdina is a city in the middle of the island of Malta and it is an older city than Valletta. Mdina will take you back in time with its old streets and buildings. The streets are so peaceful(宁静的) that Mdina is often called"the silent city".

④Gozo and Comino are also popular with tourists. They are just a short boat ride away from Malta. In Gozo, you can visit the famous beautiful beaches. You can also spend a day relaxing at Comino's blue lake.

Clark and Dale were staying in the same room in a hospital. Clark was so sick that he could not even move his body._He had to spend all his time lying on his back. Dale could sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon. His bed was next to the room's only window. 

Over time, Clark and Dale became good friends. Every afternoon, Dale would look out of the room's only window, describing the scenery outside for his friend. He told Clark about the flowers in a park outside the window, the people walking by, the green trees beside roads—anything that might interest a man. 

One morning, when a nurse came to check on the two men, she found that Dale had died in his sleep. As soon as the room seemed tidy again, Clark asked if he could move to the bed next to the window so that he could look out of the window himself. The nurse agreed. Slowly, he could take his first look at the world outside. To his surprise, he could see nothing but a blank wall of another building. 

The nurse explained that Dale had been blind. He had never seen anything outside the window at all—but he described beautiful scenes to help his friend feel better. 

There are some ways to improve your English, but I think the most important thing is to make English all around you. Here is some advice for you.

Listen to the radio in English. If there are no English radio stations where you live, listen to one on the Internet.

Watch TV and movies in English. If there are English channels on your TV, watch them. If there are no English channels, you can buy some DVDs of English movies.

Speak English to your friends. You can make friends with someone who is good at English and speak English with him or her as much as possible. You'd better make friends with people whose native language is English. Ask your friends to correct your mistakes when needed.

Study or travel to an English-speaking country. Of course the best way to improve your English is to live in English environments. You will find yourself surrounded with the language everywhere. It can be a more difficult and expensive choice, but you may find it to be a very valuable and helpful experience.

Hi, my name is Li Hua. I come from Huizhou, China. I am twelve and I am a student of Grade Seven. I like red very much. There are four people in my family. And these are my four good friends.