Here is a story of a dog. It saved his owner, Audrey Stone, who was a lady and had poor vision (视力).

    Figo, an eight-year-old dog, is Audrey Stone's third service dog. "He protects me and loves me. We are friends," Stone said.

    On a Monday, Stone and Figo were on their way back from their "usual daily walk". When they prepared to cross a street, "I gave him the order to cross the street," Stone said.

    "I said, 'Forward.' And we were in the middle of the street and it happened so quickly, but people said he just jumped at the school bus and saved me," Stone said.

    The school bus was carrying two children to a learning center. Luckily they were not injured. Stone said she didn't remember much of the accident, but one image (画面) stayed with her: a wounded Figo staying by her side, holding up his wounded right paw (爪子).

    "I knew he was hurt," she continued. "I remember Figo standing there, looking at me, trying to get close to me, but he didn't know what to do. Because he knew I was hurt." Figo had an operation (手术) on his right front leg. Figo's vet (兽医) said his leg was getting better.

    Stone said she was sure of one thing, "I'd have been sad if he had got killed." But, she added, they both lived to tell the story.

Information Card

    Summer is a great time to get a new hobby. It's something that can start now and last all through the year. If you like music, think about some music lessons such as guitar or drum. You may think about joining in the music team for teens. You can also make some new friends there. Do you collect your favorite things? Now it's the time. There are many fun things to collect like postcards, especially sports cards. If you enjoy taking photos, you can choose the photography classes. And don't forget to share your wonderful pictures with your family members and friends. How about cooking? Try to read some books about cooking. Maybe you can cook with your morn. That will be great fun. If you are bored (无聊的) at home, bike-riding is also a hobby. Why not go bike-riding? You can get exercise as well as enjoy the beauty of nature. Maybe you have a nice summer.

Information Card

    Started in the year 1970, Earth Day is now celebrated in more than 193countries each year. Every year, the event is celebrated under a different theme. The theme for 2016 is" "Trees for the Earth". Here are five things you can do to celebrate Earth Day (apart from planting trees)and make this a better world for future generations.

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    Cars, being the greatest source of air pollution, can be left at home this weekend. Traveling by public transport is the better choice. Other greener choices are carpooling, riding a bike or you can also walk if your workplace isn't that far away from your home.

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    NO, we don't mean you should be dirty. We simply mean to say, don't take a bath every day. A day or two without a bath won't harm you, but it will certainly do a lot of good for our planet. Water saved is the planet saved.

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    This is one of the best things you can do. Why? Because it will do you good, too. Volunteer to join other tasks. If you have time, you can plant trees, clean a park or simply come up with ways you can preserve mother Earth.

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    This is one of the most common things that people can do at home, that is, turn off their lights. However, this isn't something you should do just for a day. Save energy by turning off all electricity points whenever they are not in use.

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    Do something every day that will improve your surroundings and contribute to making the planet a better place to live in. Always remember that every step counts.

    I wish there would be a way to describe China in a simple word but that's impossible.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}In my English classes when the students were asked what they would do if they only had a few hours to live, most students told me they would spend their last few hours with their families and parents.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I teach in Xiangyang, a beautiful city which the Hanjiang River goes across it and I live here better. The foods are cheaper than those in the US, so are clothing and articles(物品) of everyday us. People pay less for the public transportation, too.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, it is reported that still there are a few children who can't afford the expenses(费用) of schooling. But the government organized Project Hope many years ago. It creates conditions for the poor children to go back to school.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}I seldom saw the things mentioned of the creative(有创造力的) changes China has made. But the economic miracles(经济奇迹) have the big problems.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To be honest, if I compare China with the US, my answer has always been the same: "We are not worse or better than each other; we are only different."

    Have you ever seen Korean writing before? In many people's eyes it looks lovely but difficult. Do you know the history of this special alphabet?

    Long ago, Korean people didn't have its own alphabet. At that time, Koreans used Chinese characters. Because Chinese is hard to learn, only rich people had the money and time to find teachers to teach them.

    One of their kings was called Sejong. He decided to invent a Korean alphabet.

    He thought hard. One day, on October 9,1446, he looked at a window frame and shouted: "I know what our alphabet should be!" He got the idea from the frame and invented characters of all the same size, like they were put in a frame.

    Hunmin Chongum, the earliest Korean alphabet was born.

    King Sejong said," Chinese characters can't express Korean meanings. These letters are very easy to learn. It is my hope that they can help all people learn to read."

    August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned(布置) to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.

    You might think that I don't want to spend my summer reading, hut that's not the problem；I love reading. On the first day of summer holiday this year, I borrowed a Gathering of Old Men by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to(订阅) and spend about     minutes every day with the morning newspaper.

    So why do I hate summer reading for school？Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting(不吸引人的) . Teachers don't under-stand that summer reading can be interesting as well as educational. They choose books called "spinach books": good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.

    This bitterness started three years ago when 1 began high school. As preparation. my English teacher told me to read The Age of Innocence(《纯真年代》). At 14, I couldn't understand the love 100 years ago in the story. I only know my love for baseball. The Age of Innocence was completely different to my life. What is more, sometimes I guess teachers don't think exciting plots make for "good literature". To me, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.

    If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value(文学价值) and can also entertain kids. If the teachers could add a little fun into the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable.