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    Today is Children's Day. There is a show in the zoo. Many children are in the zoo. Look at the animals. They are so cute. The birds are flying and singing in the sky. The tigers are running. The pandas are climbing trees. They are good climbers. The kangaroos are jumping. Look at the mother elephant and the baby elephant. The mother elephant is eating bananas and the baby elephant is drinking water with its trunk. Look，what are those? They are two lions. They are playing with a ball. And the monkeys are swinging.

    John went to spend his summer holiday in China with his parents last year. They visited some famous cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Kunming and Shanghai. In Beijing he visited the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square and the Palace Museum. They also went to the zoos and the parks. The weather was fine and cool. They had a good time in the parks. They also took lots of photos there. In Guangzhou, they visited some museums. They were very interesting but kind of crowded. In Kunming the weather is never too hot in summer. They visited the Stone Forest, the Golden Temple and EXPO Garden. They climbed the Xishan Mountain. In Shanghai they went to the beach and had great fun playing in the water.

    “It's very interesting to visit China and I learned a lot about Chinese history,” John said. “If I have another chance, I'll come back to China again.”

    A father and his son went to a kite-flying festival. The son was full of joy when he saw the sky filled with colorful kites. He wanted to fly a kite, too. The father then bought a kite for him.

    The son started to fly the kite. Soon, his kite was high up in the sky. After a while, he said, "Father, it seems that the string (线) is stopping the kite from flying higher. If we cut it, the kite will be free and fly even higher. Can we cut it?" The father cut the string. The kite started to go higher. This made the little boy happy.

    But then, slowly, the kite started to come down. And finally it fell to the ground. The son was surprised to see this. He asked his father, "I thought that after cutting the string, the kite would fly higher. Why did it fall down?"

    The father explained, "The string was not stopping the kite from going higher, but was helping it stay in the sky. You helped the kite go up in the right direction using the string. But when you cut the string, it could no longer support the kite."

    Sometimes, we may feel like there are certain things that are holding us back (阻碍) and stopping us growing. But in fact, these might be the things that support us the most.

    The English writer, Richard Savage, once lived a very poor life in London. In order to make a little money, he wrote the story of his life. But the book did not sell well in the shops. Savage was living from hand to mouth. Because he didn't have enough food to eat, he became very ill. Luckily, a doctor came and looked after him. A few days later, after taking some medicine, he got well again.

    After a week or two, the doctor sent a bill to Savage for his visits, but poor Savage didn't have any money and couldn't pay it. The doctor waited for another month and sent the bill again. But still no money came. After several weeks, he sent it to him again asking for his money. In the end he came to Savage's house and asked him for the payment, saying to Savage, "You know I saved your life and I'm waiting for something from you."

    "I agree," said Savage," that you saved me, and to prove that I don't forget anything work. I will give my life to you. With these words, he handed him one of his books. The life of Richard Savage.

    To travel around the world is the dream of many adventurous people. But very few people can afford a global tour because hotels, food and airplane tickets are too expensive. Some people, however, have thought of some ways to realise their dreams.

    Laura Cody and Tanbay Theune, a couple from Britain, decided to travel around the world. They have found a good way to pay for their trips. They look after pets for rich house owners. In exchange, they can stay in the houses for free. They have looked after horses, cows, cats, dogs and fish. In two years, the couple has been to Australia, Germany, Spain and Italy. They have stayed in big cities and small villages. The home owners are usually very generous and give them food, wine and day trips.

    Another person who tries to realise her travel dream is photographer Rhiannon Taylor. She travels around the world to visit, review and take photos of the best hotels. She shares the places she stays in and the food she eats on the Internet with tens of thousands of followers.

    With these ways of making money, travelling around the world is no longer a dream. More and more young people are thinking creatively to make their dreams come true.

    I once knew a man who was rich in his love for birds, and in their love for him. He lived in a grove full of all kinds of trees. He had no wife or children in his home. He was an old man with blue and kind eyes, and a voice that the birds loved.

    While he was at work in the grove, the birds came close to pick up the worms(蠕虫) in the fresh earth he dug up. At first, they kept their distance from him, but they soon found he was a kind man, and would not hurt them, but liked to have them near him.

    They knew this by his kind eyes and voice, which tell what is in the heart. So, day by day their faith in his love grew in them.

    All the birds of the grove were soon his fast friends. They were on the watch for him, and would fly down from the green tree tops to greet

him with their chirp(叽叽喳喳叫).

    When he had no work to do, he took bread with him, and dropped the pieces on the ground. Down they would dart(俯冲) on his head and feet to catch them as they fell from his hand.

    He showed me how they loved him. He put a piece of bread in his mouth, with one end of it out of his lips. Down they came like bees at a flower, and flew off with it piece by piece.

    When they thought he slept too long in the morning, they would fly in and _______.

    They went with him to church, and while he sang his hymns in it, they sat in the trees, and sang their praises.

    So the love and trust of birds were a joy to the old man all his life long.