[1]Once, when there was a famine（饥荒）, a rich baker sent for twenty of the poorest children in the town, and said to them, “In this basket there is a loaf（面包）for each of you. Take it, and come back to me every day at this hour for more.”

    [2]The hungry children gathered eagerly about the basket, and fought over the bread because each wanted the largest loaf. At last they went away without even ______ the good baker.

    [3]Gretchen, a poorly dressed little girl, did not fight or struggle with the other children, but stood quietly in the distance（远处）, When the badly behaved children had left. Gretchen took the smallest loaf, which was all that was left in the basket. She kissed the baker's hand and went home.

    [4]第二天，孩子们表现得像以前一样糟糕。Gretchen got a loaf almost half the size of the one she got the first day. When she came home, her mother cut the loaf open. Many new shining pieces of silver fell out of it.

    [5]Her mother was very worried and said, “Take the money back to the baker at once. The silver must have fallen into the dough by accident. By quick, Gretchen!”

    [6]When the little girl gave the rich man her mother's message, he said, “It was no mistake, I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf to reward（奖赏）you. Always be as content（满足）,peaceable, and thankful as you now are. Go home now, and tell your mother that the money is yours to keep.”

    New rules and behaviour standards(行为规范) for middle school students came out in March. Middle schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. The best students won't only have high grades. The following are some of the new rules.

    Tell the truth. Have you ever cheated(作弊) in an exam? Don't do it again! That's not something honest students should do.

    Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird loving Month in China．Is your school doing anything to celebrate it? You should join! In that way，you can learn more about animals and how to protect them.

    Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought people could live on the moon? Maybe you'll find another earth in space in the future. Everyone's new ideas are important.

    Protect yourself. Has a thief ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know.

    Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your study. But some things on the Internet aren't for kids, so try to look at the good web pages. You can use the web pages for fun or homework.

    Life is full of difficulties, from birth to death. When we face with problems, we often feel, "I am the only one having such problems." Or, we exaggerate (放大) our problems and regard them as most painful. But if we look around us, we will find other people may be in much worse conditions.

    Life is not always full of smiles and flowers. Every person has his own difficulties no matter who and where he is. So it's very important to have a correct attitude in your life. Only with the correct attitude can you face up all of your difficulties and finally overcome (战胜) them. First, you have to believe in yourself. That's the secret of success. Second don't blame others when you have difficulties, because it can neither help you avoid difficulties nor help you solve them. And the most important thing is that don't run away or give up. Use your ability to clear the difficulties that appear in your life. Third, remember how you overcome the difficulty because it may help you avoid similar trouble next time. Just take it easy, and enjoy the life even it's full of difficulties.

Information Card

A. If you are really interested in painting, you should tell your parents about it. You can tell them you will do much better in painting because "Interest is the best teacher".

B. I think you should eat less meat but more fruit and vegetables. And you should do exercise every day. It can help you lose weight and keep you healthy.

C. It is not easy to make a friend, and it is even harder to keep friendship. You should know that it is normal（正常的）for friends to argue with each other. I think you could have a talk with your friend and find out what's going wrong.

D. Why not try your best to take more exercise? It's good for your health. If you are strong enough, the illness will be away from you.

E. A good way to remember English words is to use them often. For example, you can read English stories every day. If you do this, you can remember English words much easier.

    How to be the world's best guest？

    Do you want to be a popular guest who gets invited back？Read our five top tips（建议）for being a good guest.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴If you are in a formal（正式的）situation, dress smartly: a suit and a tie for men, a long dress for women.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵If you are going to stay in someone's house, don't arrive empty-handed. Bring a small present if you are staying for a short time, a bigger one for longer periods. Expensive chocolate works in most situations.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶To shake hands or to kiss? Wait to see what your host does.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷Always accept it when offered, whether it looks terrible or delicious. Try to cat all of it and say it tastes good. Most people are proud of their cooking even if they shouldn't be. Don't hurt their feelings.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸The most important tip for being a good guest is to know when to say goodbye. The secret is to leave while the host is still enjoying your company and wants you to stay longer.