Marco Polo was from Venice, Italy. In 1271, at the age of 17, Marco went on a trip with his father and uncle to China. Today people often travel to different places around the world. But it was very hard for people from Europe to visit China then. After three and a half years, the Polos reached China in 1275.

    While he was there, Marco Polo worked for Kublai Khan, the emperor of China. He was able to learn and experience many things that were new to Europeans. In his diary, he wrote, "Kublai Khan's palace is the greatest I've ever seen. The streets of the new capital, Dadu, are so straight and so wide." Paper money also took him by surprise, since it was not yet in use in the West at that time. Homes were heated with "black stones… which burn like wood." Those stones were coal, and most of the Europeans knew little about it then.

After 17 years in China, Marco and his family finally returned to Venice. After he returned home, Marco completed a book called The Travels of Marco Polo, full of facts about his wonderful experiences in China.

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    My parents used to tell me how important school was for me, but I didn't think so. I paid little attention to it.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One day, when I walked past a mobile phone store, I saw an advertisement on its door. It was hiring(雇佣) new workers! I went into the shop to ask for the job. The manager looked at me for a few seconds from head to foot, then asked," Do you have a high school diploma(文凭)?"He continued,"{#blank#}2{#/blank#}”

    I felt so ashamed(感到难为情的) and uncomfortable that I didn't know what to say, so I just turned around and left. I could not fall asleep that night.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}I must go to school or I can't do anything without a good education, "I said to myself silently. I never went back to the store again until I finished my study and got a diploma.

    Everything looked the same when I returned to the store. However, compared with last time{#blank#}4{#/blank#}I showed my diploma to the manager. He looked at it and said," Great, you are in.'

    Now I am still working in the same store. With this experience, I always advise people to attend school.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Now I am not worried about my future because I'm still reading and learning books about my work in my free time

A.    B.    C.    D.    E.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} ⑴A girl named Alice falls down a rabbit hole after an unusual big white rabbit. She finds herself in a land of talking animals and other fantastic animals, and starts a trip full of adventures(冒险).

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} ⑵After a ship accident, Crusoe lands on an island. To live he must build a home for himself. He saves a man called Friday. A lot of adventures happen to them on the island.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} ⑶The story is about the Marchi family of four sisters growing up. It shapes the image of the four different characters to the family daily life.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} ⑷This is an adventure about a boy called Jim Hawkins. He goes out to sea with a treasure map and finds an island full of treasures. It's a problem-solving journey to rescue(营救) treasures from dangerous situations.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} ⑸This story is about an emperor who loves clothes very much. Two brothers cheat the emperor to get silver and gold. They tell him that people can't see the clothes unless they are clever.  In the parade, everyone says his new clothes are wonderful except a little boy.

    There is a new shopping mall near my school. It is very easy to find. It is near the bus stop and the taxi rank. The mall is very big. There are five floors of shops and each floor is very big. There are lots of clothes shops. It is great for girls. However, there are not many shops for boys. There is only one sports shop. I think the mall needs some more. There are lots of restaurants on the top floor. You can eat different kinds of food from different countries. I like Chongqing Restaurant best. It has great food from Sichuan. I like the big cinema. I like watching a film before I go shopping. I do not like the computer games center. It is small and there are too many people. The mall is a fun place to go. It is a good place to meet friends.

May 31, 2017

    Jaden is a six-year-old boy. He experienced the unlucky things of life twice. First he lost his dad when he was four and his mom died unexpectedly in her sleep last month. Jaden's heart was broken. His parents' death hit him a lot.

    But things always go towards a good side. A few weeks later, Jaden told his aunt that he was tired of seeing everyone sad all the time. He'd like to see more smiles around him. He hoped that the number of the smiles could reach 100.

    Then he asked his aunt to buy him some little toys and take him to the center of the city. "I'm trying to make people smile," said Jaden. At first, he was not sure if the people passing by would like to accept his toys. In fact, he was always successful and got close to his dream step by step, because no one could refuse such a little boy's giving and expecting.

    "I'm keeping a count of 100 smiles," said Jaden. When asked if he could make it, he answered, "I think I can."

    Reported by Barbara.