B

    An old man went to live with his son, his daughter-in-law, and a four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was very poor, and he couldn't walk steadily(平稳地). The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and

    failing sight made eating rather difficult. Rice often dropped on the floor.

    The son and the daughter-in-law became angry with the old man, so they put a small table in the corner. There, the grandfather ate alone, while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the table. Since the grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

    The four-year-old son watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with a piece of wood on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" The boy answered, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old son smiled and went back to work. The words struck the parents so that they were in silence. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks(脍颊). Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.

B

    Chris and Jessica live in Miami，Florida.They are packing(收拾行李)now.They're going away for a three-­week vacation tomorrow.They're going to rent(租)a house near a small lake about 100 miles north of the city.

    Chris is a carpenter(木匠)and he works hard.He often works ten hours a day，and he makes good money.He helps to build and repair houses.He likes his job and Miami.

    Jessica spends a lot of time working in her office and taking people to see houses.Her job and her family keep her busy.She gets little time to read and relax during the year.

    Chris and Jessica enjoy the quiet of the country.Chris loves fishing.He is going to rent a boat and he will go fishing on the lake for four or five hours every day during the vacation.

    Jessica doesn't like fishing，but she's an excellent swimmer.She is going swimming every afternoon during the vacation.After that，she will sit in the yard and read for a few hours.She especially likes to read novels.

Both Chris and Jessica believe that they will have a great time there!

    Hayao Miyazaki(宫崎骏) was born in Tokyo on January 5, 1941. As a boy, he liked to read and draw cartoons. After graduating from university in 1963, Miyazaki joined the Toei Animation(动画片制作) Company. At Toei, he worked on many animated movies, like the famous Puss in Boots. In 1984, he made Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (《风之谷》), which was based on a comic book he wrote. Because this movie was so successful, Miyazaki was able to start his own animation company, Studio Ghibli.

    One of Miyazaki's most loved movies is My Neighbour Totoro(《龙猫》), made in 1988. It is a children's movie, but many teenagers and adults like it too. The movie is about two sisters who become friends with a big supernatural (神奇的) animal named Totoro. It is a very warm-hearted story, with many strange and interesting characters such as Cat Bus, a cat which is also a bus. Miyazaki's 2001 movie, Spirited Away, was even more popular than My Neighbour Totoro.

    All of Miyazaki's movies have strange but charming people and creatures. Many of his stories happen in worlds that are different from ours. However, they still show his ideas about real life. He often points out how humans hurt the natural world. He thinks people should change the ways.

    Mr. and Mrs. Scott want to buy some new chairs for their new house. They come into a shop and see some very good chairs on the floor. They like the colour and want to know how much they are. They see a price tag (标签) on one chair. It says (上面写着) "￥100". They like the chair but they are too dear (贵) for them. The Scotts don't think they can buy them now. They leave this shop and go to other shops. Mr. Scott thinks they can find some cheap chairs.

    Mary is an American schoolgirl. She is now in Beijing with her parents. She doesn't know Chinese, but she is trying (努力) to study and speak it. She often tries to speak Chinese to her Chinese friends. Sometimes they don't understand (理解) her, because she can't speak Chinese well.

    It's Saturday morning. Mary goes out. She is on her way to the park. She is going there to see a flower show (展览). But she doesn't know how to get there. She asks a Chinese boy. The boy can't understand her. Then she takes out a pen and some paper. She draws flowers on it, gives the picture to the boy and says something about it. The boy smiles and then shows (指给) Mary the way to the park.

    Calvin needs to go to New York for a meeting this Saturday. It's sunny. It's his first time to go to New York, so he doesn't know his way(路) around New York. The meeting is in Peterson Building on 34th Street and it starts at ten o'clock. He wants to get there on time, so he asks two American boys for help.

    "Excuse me, could you tell me where 34th Street is?" asks Calvin.

    "Sure," answers one of the boys." It's not far from here. And you can just walk along this street and turn left at the first crossing. Then you can see it on your right."

    "No. Don't listen to him. He is not telling you the right place. You can just take the No.7 bus and get off at the third stop," says the other boy.

    Then the first boy says, "OK. But the third stop is not 34th Street. It's 35th Street."

    At this time, Calvin finds that there's only five minutes left(剩下). Then he gets into a taxi(出租车) and leaves. After that, Calvin thinks he should ask a policeman for help next time.