One rainy morning, my phone woke me up. It was a phone call from a1 driver who had my friend's mobile phone. 2 , my friend had left it in the taxi the night before.

 A 3morning for taxi drivers in this big city is a very busy time. He asked me where he could meet me to give me the mobile phone. I told him the street where I lived. Then I quickly 4and got dressed in order to meet   5 on the corner.

 My friend had only recently moved to this city. So his mobile phone was very  6 to him.

 When the taxi driver arrived, I thanked him and praised him  7 having such a kind and beautiful heart. I asked him for his name,  8 my friend himself could thank him. He said my praises and 9 were all that he needed. Then he drove off.

 I told my friend how I had received his 10 . Hearing this, he was thankful and said kindness was really everywhere in this world.

    My father was a self-taught mandolin（曼陀林琴）player. He was one of the best players in our town. He could not 1 music, but if he heard a tune（曲子）a few times, he could play it. When he was young, he was a2 of a small country music band. They played at local dances and the radio station.

    At home, Dad often got out his mandolin and played for the family. We three children sang along. 3 played the mandolin like my father. He could 4 your heart with the music that came out of that old mandolin. He seemed to shine when he was playing. You could see his 5 in his ability to play so well for his family.

    But Dad had to find another 6 in a factory later because the money he made atthe band wasn't enough to7 the family. Unluckily he had an 8 one day and lost one finger. He couldn't play as 9 as before. From then on, every time we asked him to play, he would make up reasons to 10 down our request. However, we missed his performance so much. 11 , he agreed and said “Okay, but remember, I can't hold down on the strings（琴弦）the way I 12 to”. When he played the old mandolin, it carried us back to a 13,happy time in our lives.

    Dad was that kind of man. 14 was what he was doing all his life. If he could give 15 to others, he would, especially his family. He was always there, sacrificing（牺牲）his time to see that his family had enough in their life.

    Josh is a kind boy. Last month, he went back home by 1. Before he left the train, he found an iPhone 4. 2 lost it there. He decided to 3 it to the train office. Then the phone rang (响) and he answered, "Hello." A 4said, "Hi, this is Michelle. You're using my phone. I 5it on the train." Josh said, "Yes, I found it. And I will take it to the train office." "Oh, that's very nice of you. If you leave your address (地址), I would like to post you ￡20 to 6 you." Josh said no problem. When the woman came, she got her 7 and a piece of paper (一张纸). Josh left it for 8. She thought it was his address,9it wasn't. On the paper she found "Don't worry about the 10. Just do something nice for others."

Do you know about rice? Rice is a very important kind of food for more than half of the world's people. Rice is eaten at every meal in many Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea and India. 

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} In China, scientists discovered the rice fields that were over 8,000 years old. That means rice has been a part of life in China for a very long time. Growing and cooking rice are a part of China's culture. 

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} They include sweet rice, wild rice, and brown rice. Rice is low in salt and fat. Rice is grown in many countries of the world. The fields growing rice are called paddies (稻田). {#blank#}3{#/blank#}To produce more rice, farmers get water inside the paddies. 

Rice is used to make a lot of food in China, such as rice cakes and noodles. In many other countries, it is good with many dishes. For example, it is good with onions and beef, tomatoes and eggs and orange chicken. Before we make these dishes, we must learn how to cook rice. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Put two cups of rice in a pot. Wash the rice with some cold water. After that, add three cups of water. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Next cover the pot and lower the heat. Cook for another 15 minutes. Two cups of uncooked rice will become 6 cups of cooked rice.

A. It's really easy for most people, so you can try it yourself.

B. It's known to us that some rice needs lots of water to grow.

C. There are more than seven thousand kinds of rice in the world.

D. Then cook until there is very little water in the pot.

E. Many places of the world have grown rice for thousands of years

Chinese opera is one of the oldest art forms in the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Different parts of China have their own local opera and there are more than 300 different kinds. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Actors in Sichuan opera wear specially painted masks on their faces in many different colors. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They will suddenly change completely, and all the time, the actor is dancing beautifully with many difficult movements. Some actors can change face ten times in twenty seconds, and yet you never see their fingers touch their face.

Of course, you realize that the actor has many different masks, one on top of the other. They are made from very thin silk in bright colors. If the actor turns his back to you, you think he is changing his mask while you cannot see him doing it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Then he shakes his head suddenly and that mask has changed, like magic, into another one! You cannot believe your eyes, and yet it has happened!

To be able to change the masks without being seen is a very special skill. It takes much time to learn it perfectly. The exact method used by the actors is a closely guarded secret that is only passed on from father to son or master to apprentice（学徒）. As China's influence develops around the world Chinese culture travels too. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Spider monkeys are New World primates(灵长类). They get their names because they have very long limbs(四肢) and tails, which make them look like spiders. They are often seen with their limbs on different branches.

Spider monkeys can be in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. They are 35 to 66 centimeters long and weigh 13 to 26 pounds. They have long tails that they use to catch tree branches, kind of like a 5th hand.

Spider monkeys live in groups. One group usually has dozens of spider monkeys. They communicate with each other through screeches (尖叫声). At night, spider monkeys break off into smaller sleeping parties of about half a dozen or fewer. Unlike many other primates, males (雄性) stay together throughout their lives with the females. They leave their first groups to find another group.

When they go out to look for food, spider monkey groups take separate actions in order to avoid competition for it. They mainly eat fruit and nuts. They also eat other things like insects, honey, leaves, spiders and bird eggs. Spider monkeys actually play an important part in the spreading of seeds throughout the South American rain forests. Enemies that they need to keep an eye out for include animals like lions and crocodiles.

Spider monkeys are dying out. Woodcutting, which leads to the loss(丧失) of their natural living places, is playing a big role in their loss. These monkeys are also hunted for food, or to sell as pets. Spider monkeys are actually one of the most popular monkey pets around because of their look and their behavior. We must do something to protect them. After all, such good and interesting monkeys should live with humans for many years to come.