Book Review by Patricia Ann Turner

    It is school holiday time and Mitch Morrow's family have just moved to a new home in a new place. Mitch can't stop worrying about what his new school is going to be like. He  is not even sure about the neighbours. Next door live the Bull family and they have two children, Di and Bruce.  

    The older of the two,  Bruce,  is a large boy,  about Mitch's age. Mitch. Watches him carry big rocks. He looks really strong and unkind. Mitch gives him the name Bruiser（彪形大汉） because he has a black eye. Did he get it in a fight? Mitch imagines all the worst possible things about Bruiser. He is probably the class bully (恶霸). In his mind Mitch thinks of him as the enemy.

    Things seem to get more worring for Mitch. He finds out he will be in the same class as Bruiser. Then on the first day of school he learns that Bruiser is his buddy for the day.

    This is a lovely story for young readers to read or listen to. It has a wonderful message for all children about facing their fears —real and imagined.

    The pictures in the book catch the worry Mitch feels and make Bruiser rcally look like a bad guy.

    My only complaint is the colour of the printing of the text. Why there are pages of different coloured print I cannot tell. They may create problems for children with poor eyesight.

    I give it four stars.

    I was coming back home late at night in a ”Sharing” minivan. In Hyderabad, India, it is a cheap and quick means of transport. The van drivers ply (揽客) as many as 13 people at times in a vehicle which is designed for the transport of 8 people．Our van was crowded as well. People were getting off and on at many places.

    On the journey, one girl waved her hand to ask the driver to stop. While getting down, she tripped and fell．None of us notice it，as it was dark. The driver was waiting for her to pay. It was then that we saw the girl was on her knees by the side of the road. Another passenger and l got down and held her up．

    Even in pain, the girl held up a note and asked us to pay the driver．The other passenger took the note and paid the driver．My stop was a few hundred meters away. I decided to stay with her till she was fine. I paid the driver for myself and he took off with the other passengers.

    I neither knew her nor did I know what to do, but I was there, saying some comforting words to a stranger in pain. I asked her to stand still for a few minutes. We then looked for a place for her to sit. From out of nowhere, her friend joined us.

    We made her sit in a nearby grassland and her friend rushed to get a taxi. In the meantime, she examined her leg and her ankle had swollen up (肿胀). It looked like a sprain (扭伤). Once her friend came back, they took the taxi and rushed to a hospital. Before they left, the girl thanked me and said they could manage as it was only a small sprain.

    I do not know if I did enough. But I feel I gave some comfort to her in a small way.

⑴{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The WWF is working hard to save pandas—the symbol of animals in danger.

⑵{#blank#}2{#/blank#}A journey by train is more relaxing than by bus, but it costs more money.

⑶{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It was a small village 30 years ago, but now it has more tall buildings.

⑷{#blank#}4{#/blank#}You need to listen for key words and main ideas, just the same as reading.

⑸{#blank#}5{#/blank#}The match was difficult and no one could score at all. It was really boring.

    No one wakes up feeling happy every day. Very happy people are not different. They never stop trying to be happy. Here are some of the habits of happy people.

    ◆They slow down.

    Sometimes we think too much. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Happy people know how to enjoy the taste of their meal, enjoy the world's colors, even just step outside to enjoy fresh air.

    ◆{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Getting your body moving for as little as 10minutes can make you happy. Happy people exercise regularly and follow through on it because they know it will help them get in good mood (情绪) and stay in good mood.

    ◆They spend money on other people.

    Research shows that spending money on others makes you much happier than spending it on yourself. This is especially true of small things that show effort, such as going out of your way to buy your friend a book that you know he or she will like.

    ◆They get enough sleep.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Your energy, attention and memory all go down when you don't sleep well. Happy people make sleep a first thing of all.

    ◆They have deep conversations.

    Happy people know that happiness and depth go hand-in-hand. They avoid saying mean things about people. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They talk with others on a deeper level, because they know doing it feels good and is an interesting way to learn.

    Once upon a time, in the forest there lived a baby elephant, who had no friends. ________________ of the animals wanted to be his friend because he was too large.

    One day, a wild fire happened in the forest. The animals ran to safer places. The dry trees caught fire and the fire was sure to go all around the forest. The baby elephant ran to the nearest river, collected much water in his trunk (象鼻) and rushed to the burning trees. He sprayed (喷) the water on the fire. Finally, he put out the fire.

    Later, while he was resting after the hard job, all the animals and birds came to him and expressed their thanks for his kind help in time. They were now ready to have him as their good friend and their hero. They said, "A friend in need is a friend indeed."

    The baby elephant was happy to get so many friends and played games with them. He walked through the forest, carrying several small animals and birds on his back.