Hello, my name is Annie. I like giraffes. They are tall and friendly. They don't hurt (伤害) people. So we don't need to be afraid of them. Giraffes can live to be about thirty years old.         

    My name is Tina. I'm a Chinese girl. Pandas are my favorite animals. They have black eyes and fat bodies (身体). They are quiet and funny. There are only about l, 600 pandas in the wild (野外). They are in danger and they need our help.       

    My name is Sophia. I don't like big animals. I like cats. I have a pet cat. Her name is Cici. She is lazy and sleeps all day. Sometimes, she likes and playing with balls. We are good friends.         

    Hi, I'm Peter. I live near the sea. Dolphins (海豚) are my favorite animals. They are smart and interesting. They like to live together. The baby dolphin usually lives for a long time with its family. I often watch dolphin shows with my parents on weekends.         

    How can you get happiness? Most people may say that happiness means a nice house, a car, a big bank balance and a high paying job.

    Here in India where I live now, I have travelled through villages where people seemed to earn enough to make ends meet(收支平衡). I can see happiness. I have seen smiling faces and smiling eyes. They were very happy and made my journey easier.

    I also worked on Wall Street in 1997, in a big Investment Bank. I have seen some people with a lot of money but still unhappy because they pay more attention to their material life. I am not saying that all rich are unhappy. In fact, some rich people look angry or ill, but some poor people look happy.

    Happiness is not a thing of how much you have. Happiness is a life full of hope and good emotions. You can feel happy by listening to a good song; you can feel happy watching a beautiful sunrise; you can feel happy in lots of ways that don't need any possessions(财富) at all.

Information Card

    Playgrounds offer kids fresh air, friends, and exercise. However, each year, more than 200,000 kids go to hospital because they are hurt in one way or another when playing on the playground. So what can we do to improve the situation(状况)?

    We should make sure the playground is safe for the children. It should be soft and thick enough, so when the children fall, they won't hurt too much. Things like water, rocks or broken glass might cause danger to the kids. Cleaners should check the playground from time to time and clear away these dangerous things. In fact, children themselves also need to help keep the playground clean and safe. That means each time after playing they should pick up the rubbish they've produced. If someone finds there is something wrong with the equipment(设施), he should report to the keeper of the playground, so people will come to fix it.

    Teaching kids how to play safely is also very important. Kids should know the rules of the playground, so they won't get hurt easily. For example, they should never push when others are on seesaws or swings. If someone is going to jump off some equipment, he should first look down to make sure no other kids are in the way. Of course, wearing right clothes may also help to keep safe. Clothes with strings (绳) can get caught on equipment which may hurt the kid badly.

    In short, our kids can both enjoy themselves and be safe if we are working together to improve the situation.

    One day, my father and I were in line to buy tickets for the circus(马戏表演). And a family was standing in front of us. The family had eight children. Their clothes were not expensive were but clean. The children talked about the clowns(小丑),elephants, monkeys and other things excitedly. It was their first time to go to the circus.

    The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He answered, "I want eight children's tickets and two adults' tickets, so I can take my family to the circus."

    The ticket lady told him the price. The man's wife lowered her head and there was no smile on the man's face. He quietly asked, "How much did you say?"

    The ticket lady said the price again. The man didn't have enough money. How could he tell his eight kids the bad news? My dad put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a $20 bill and dropped(使......落下)it on the ground. (In fact, we were not rich!) Then my dad said, "Excuse me, Sir, this dropped out of your pocket."

    The man knew what was happening. He looked into my dad's eyes, held(握住)my dad's hand in his, and took the $20 bill. "Thank you, Sir, thank you. This really means a lot to me and my family."

    My father and I went back home. We didn't go to see the circus that night, but we didn't care.