Once upon a time there was a boy who liked drawing, but he was too poor to buy a brush. One night he said to himself,"If only I had a brush, I could draw pictures for the poor people in my village."

 Suddenly an old man with a long white beard(胡须）appeared. He said, "Here is a brush for you. But you must only draw prictures for poor people with it."

 Ma Liang began to draw a hen, and as he did so, it changed into a real hen. "Wow!"he said, "this brush must be magic!" Then he drew an axe（斧头) for a poor woman and it changed into a real one.

Soon the king heard about Ma Liang's magic brush. He asked Ma Liang to draw him a tree with gold coins hanging on it, but Ma Liang refused. The king was so angry that he threw Ma Liang in prison（监牢）."If I had a key, I could unlock the door,"Ma Liang said. So he drew a key and it changed into a real key. He opened the door quietly and escaped(逃跑). When the king got on his horse and chased him with his guards, Ma Liang drew a horse and it changed into a real horse. He rode the horse and ran away.

 Judge the following sentences true(T) or false (F) according to what you read.

    How can you get happiness? Most people may say that happiness means a nice house, a car, a big bank balance and a high paying job.

    Here in India where I live now, I have travelled through villages where people seemed to earn enough to make ends meet(收支平衡). I can see happiness. I have seen smiling faces and smiling eyes. They were very happy and made my journey easier.

    I also worked on Wall Street in 1997, in a big Investment Bank. I have seen some people with a lot of money but still unhappy because they pay more attention to their material life. I am not saying that all rich are unhappy. In fact, some rich people look angry or ill, but some poor people look happy.

    Happiness is not a thing of how much you have. Happiness is a life full of hope and good emotions. You can feel happy by listening to a good song; you can feel happy watching a beautiful sunrise; you can feel happy in lots of ways that don't need any possessions(财富) at all.

Information Card

Money VS Family

    Rama's family is very big. He has three kids, two sons and a daughter.

    He works for more than 16 hours a day. The kids cannot see him as he leaves home early in the morning before they wake up, and he reaches home around midnight when kids have slept every day. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Though Rama's family is one of the richest families in the city, he still works so hard. One day, Rama's family went to their beach house to spend their vacation. His daughter asked, "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}"

    Rama replied, "Yes, my dear, tomorrow for sure, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}I'm tired of work and need refreshment!"

    The whole family became very happy.

    Unfortunately, the next day, none in Rama's family were alive as they were washed out in the tsunami(海啸)!

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When he tried to reach his beach house, he saw sea and water everywhere and screamed for his family. He could not even find the dead bodies of his family.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}He remembered his wife's words, "Why are you running for money? We can be happy with what we have now."

    Rock climbing is a popular hobby that many people enjoy doing. You can do it indoors on special walls or outdoors on real mountains. There are many advantages of rock climbing—it is fun and it also helps people forget worries.

    The most important equipment(设备)to have is good shoes .They need to be half a size smaller than your usual size. The next thing you need is a harness(保护带)．This allows you to move freely, but will hold you up if you fall .It's important to know how to use your equipment .If you are a beginner, it's best to have lessons. A climber with experience can help you a lot in the beginning.

    Rock climbing is very exciting for people of different ages. Climbers, however, must be careful not to pollute the environment .Sometimes rock climbers leave rubbish on the mountains where they climb. They should take it with them and throw it away. This will allow future climbers to enjoy a clean environment.

    It may be difficult to start high school. Thinking about making new friends might make you feel nervous. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You are going to school with a group of students of your age. Here are several suggestions for you to follow.

    Forget your fear and just talk to someone.

    It's easier said than done. But try to take a deep breath and find your voice. Don't be afraid to approach (接近) people. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Sit in the middle of the classroom with as many new friends around you as possible.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Take part in after-class activities that interest you. Try to make friends in the clubs. If you don't join anything, you will be just going to class and then going home. Being in a club makes you more social.

    Stay clean.

    No one likes a bad smell that could knock someone over. Shower everyday, brush your teeth and wash your hair. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Be respectful (尊重的) of people's differences.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And everyone believes in different things. It is a good thing to have different friends with different opinions because you can each share your own.

    Look at this boy. He is an English boy. His first name is Alan. His last name is Brown. This is his school. His school ID card is three six eight seven two three six eight. His teacher is Miss Black. She is a nice teacher. Look! What's that? It's a bag(包). It's blue. It's Alan's bag. His red jacket is in it. Where is his pen? Oh,

    Alan lost(丢失)it this morning.