It was a cold night. The taxi driver didn't take even one passenger all day. When he went by the train station, he saw a young man coming out with two bags in his hands. So he drove to him and asked, “Where are you going, sir?”

    “To the MP Hotel,” the young man answered. When the taxi driver heard this, he didn't feel happy any more. The young man would give him only three dollars because the hotel was near the train station. But suddenly, he had an idea. He took the young man through many streets of the big city. After a long time, they arrived at the hotel. “Here we are! You should pay me seventeen dollars, please,” the taxi driver said to the young man. “What? Seventeen dollars! Do you think I'm a fool? Only last week, I took a taxi from the train station to this hotel and I only gave the driver fifteen dollars. I know how much I have to pay for the trip.”

    When I was a little child, I dreamed to be a rich man who could fly around the world and take the first class (头等舱) on the plane. After I grew up, when I first took the first class, I felt like part of the rich group. I was filled with a sense of pride when sitting with those important people.

    Once I was on the plane, I noticed that the stewardess (空姐) was working all the time to make sure that first class passengers felt comfortable. I thought she must love her job very much, because she gave everyone a big smile. When the stewardess walked past my seat, I looked up at her and said, "Thank you and I hope you have a great night." She stopped with a look of surprise on her face, and said, "Excuse me?" I said my words again. It seemed that I asked a question that she did not know how to answer.

    A little later, when I was getting off the plane, the stewardess said to me, "Thank you very much, sir." Then she said, "You are the only passenger who has thanked me or said anything nice to me all night." The pride of being part of rich group disappeared as soon as I heard these words. Then I came to understand that taking the first class didn't mean you were a real "first class" person.

    Winter is very cold in many countries. It's easy for you and me to keep warm. If we are cold, we can just buy a warm coat or use a heater and we will feel better. But what about animals? How do they keep warm in winter?

    Some animals migrate(迁徙). This means they travel to places where the weather is warmer. Many birds leave before the winter starts. They fly in groups. If they fly together, the trip will be safer. They like to migrate to the same place every year. Do you know how they can find the same place？Scientists say that birds use the sun, the moon and stars to help them. Other animals like moose(麋鹿) also migrate. Fish and whales swim to warmer water.

    Some animals don't have to leave their homes. They hibernate(冬眠) in winter. They fall into a very deep sleep. The animals' temperature drops and their breathing slows down. Before the winter, these animals must eat much food. If they don't eat enough, they may die while they are hibernating.

    Jason Queally is one of the fastest men in the world on bicycle. But do you really call the thing in the picture a bicycle? Well, yes, Jason's human-powered machine. With its two wheels, is, of course, a bicycle.

Every year, a very important human powered bicycle is held in Nevada, USA. The speed of a bike is measured (测定) for only 200-metres, but players take more than a kilometer to get their bikes going fast. Jason Queally's fastest speed for the 200metre race was 103.5 kilometers an hour.

    At this year's race, Jason failed to reach the finishing line. He was speeding along at about 70 kilometers an hour when he began to lose control of his bike. When he tried to slow down, it began to smoke. Soon the inside of his bike was filled with smoke. He couldn't see, and he couldn't breathe. At 70 kilometers an hour, a crash could be very serious. Jason was frightened, but he managed to stop the bike safely. He would repair his bicycle and try again another time to be the world's fastest man on a bike. Better luck next time, Jason.

    Maybe you're surprised that these bikes go so quickly, but is it useful? It could be. Cars are becoming more and more popular, and they are very safe, comfortable and easy to drive, but they also pollute the air in our cities. Scientists and engineers are learning from fast racing bikes how to make human-powered vehicles that might be useful for daily travel.

    It's my schoolbag!

    It's 5: 10 in the afternoon. A policeman(警察)stands near No. 2 Middle School. He talks(谈话)with some students.

    "①这是你的书包吗?" asks he.

    "No, it isn't, "says Eric.

    "It looks like(看起来像)John's, "says Mike.

    "No, it is not his schoolbag, "says Tom." His schoolbag is red, but it's green. "

    Mary comes and says, "②Peter can't find his schoolbag. It's his, I think(认为). "

    "It isn't his, "says Harry." His schoolbag is ③      , but it's small."

    "Where is your schoolbag, Jim?" asks Mike.

    "Oh, dear! It's my schoolbag! Thank you! "

    Winston Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." These are certainly words that millions of volunteers around the world could agree with.

    In the US, April is National Volunteer Month, to praise and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, and support to what they care about.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} People who volunteer spend their time doing things they feel strongly about. For example, animal lovers may volunteer at an animal centre to help improve the treatment of animals.

    Volunteering allows volunteers to meet new people, try out new skills and explore career choices. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Take Andrew Makhoul, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, as an example. Andrew didn't spend his last spring break relaxing. Instead, the 19-year-old boy decided to do something for people who were less lucky than himself. He travelled to an orphanage (孤儿院) in Guatemala in Central America. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And it depends on volunteers to stay open.

    Andrew doesn't speak much Spanish, but he found communication wasn't a problem, "You communicated with love," according to an article on his university's website. And what he gave out, he got back, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}" Andrew's first time as a volunteer only lasted a week, but by the end of that week, he knew he'd be back soon — because he saw love and hope.

    US author Sherry Anderson once wrote, "{#blank#}5{#/blank#}" And this is perhaps why volunteers all around the world keep doing what they do — their work is "priceless".
 

A. It is in one of the poorest parts of the country.

B. You could see love when you looked in their eyes.

C. Volunteering means choosing to work without being paid.

D. It's a chance for poor children to get better care and support.

E. Life will be difficult, but I have the confidence to live a happy, full life.

F. For young adults, valuable lessons may also be learned through volunteering.

G. Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless.