We have a two-day holiday every week. We don't have any lessons on Saturdays or Sundays, so every weekend I have a good time.

    On weekends, I like taking a trip. I sometimes go to the country with my classmates by bus to breathe(呼吸) the fresh air, watch the green hills and the blue sea, and walk in the beauty of the countryside. Sometimes I go for a picnic in the open air with my friends by bike. There we draw many pictures and take photos. Sometimes I go to visit a place of interest with my parents by car.

    Sometimes on Saturdays, I take a long trip with my parents. We don't go home at night and make a fire on the hill. We sit around it, singing and dancing happily. If we feel tired, we get together, look at the stars and chat for a long time. And then sleep for a few hours.

    My weekends are always full of interest and happiness.

    Today is Saturday．It's also the Teachers' Day, Lily and Tom's mother's festival．They get up early in the morning and want to help their mother do the housework．They first clean the room and then wash the clothes．And then they make breakfast for their mother Lisa．

    It takes Lily and Tom a long time to make the breakfast．They make a chicken hamburger and some salad．These are Lisa's favourite food．They also prepare(准备) a glass of milk．They think it's healthy for their mother．Then they go to their parents' room with the food and drink.

    Dad sits on the sofa and reads a newspaper to Lisa．There is much interesting news(新闻) in it．Lisa also thinks it is fun．They seem very happy．“Good morning, Mum and Dad,” say Lily and Tom．Then they walk to their mother and say: “Mum, Happy Teachers' Day!”

Lisa looks at the children and the breakfast．“Thank you so much!” Lisa feels very warm now.

    Here is a famous story about the Great Wall of China. The story happened in the Qin Dynasty.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Do you want to know more about the love story?

    One day, the emperor, Qin Shi Huang, ordered his soldiers(士兵) to capture(俘虏) some young men. He sent the young men to build the Great Wall of China.

    A young man named Fan Xiliang didn't want to get captured. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}He had nowhere to go and didn't know where to hide. When he heard the soldiers coming towards him, he was terrified.

    At that time, a woman named Lady Meng Jiang was passing by Fan Xiliang. She saw the poor man and saved him. Fan Xiliang said thanks to Lady Meng Jiang.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Later on they got married.

    Unfortunately, Fan Xiliang was found and captured. He was sent to the Great Wall and worked there.

    Lady Meng Jiang waited for her husband day and night. Winter came, but Fan Xiliang failed to return. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} She took the warm clothes to the Great Wall, but she didn't find Fan Xiliang.

    Someone told her that Fan Xiliang had died and that he was buried in the Great Wall.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    She cried so sadly that a part of the Great Wall collapsed(倒塌) and she finally found Fan Xiliang's body.

    I did not grow up in a family with books.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}My process of being a reader seemed amazing. I got lost in one book that opened up my world and changed my life. My primary school teacher always gave her pupils time to read for pleasure in school. She believed it would improve reading greatly. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It was a biography(传记) of actress Greta Garbo. I picked it up and began to read from cover to cover. The words I read attracted(吸引) me and I was excited. I realized that there were other women like Greta who had made great efforts and changed their lives. I recognized(认识) myself in her. 

    From then on, my teacher had a hard time keeping me supplied(提供) with books. She dug up all the biographies of women that she could find.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    It has been a long road. I am now a physics professor in a university. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Recently, someone gave me Justice Sonia Sotomayor's autobiography. Once again, I am encouraged and am imagining new possibilities for my life. 

    When I was a child, my parents always told me that I never talk to strangers. This was part of a whole list of things I should never do: Never accept food or candy from strangers, never get in car with strangers, and so on.

    But if we didn't start conversation with strangers, we'd never make new friends. We would never get a job. ①We may miss the joy that comes from talking with strangers. And the more people you know, the more chances you can find.

    The following passage offers you some advice on how to ②break the ice.

    Don't just stare at your shoes. Go and say "Hi" to that new guy. It will be easier to break the ice if you know more about different cultures.

    British: Beautiful day, isn't it?

    The weather in Britain is changeable. So, it's one of the topics the British care most about. And there's a simple rule: Say "Yes" whether you agree with the person's idea on the weather or not. ③That's because the British start a conversation using the weather so that they can continue their talk.

    French: Where did you go on holiday?

    To talk with a French person, the safest way is to ask about his or her last holiday. French students enjoy a 10-to-15-dayholiday every two months. French employees(雇员 )get more than six weeks of holidays per year.

    American: So, where are you from?

    The US is so big and people move so often that location is always source(来源) of talk. You can try to find connection with the place they're from. For example, if someone is from Los Angeles, you could say, "Oh. I have friend who studied there."