Do you know the book The Rough Patch? It is a new book by US writer Brian Lies. Kids love it because of the wonderful story and beautiful pictures in it.

    Evan, a fox, lives with his dog. They do everything together. They play, read and eat. Their favorite thing is working in Evan's garden. In the garden, plants grow big and beautiful. But friends don't always stay together forever. One day, Evan's dog dies. Evan is very sad because he loses his best friend. Every time he goes to the garden, he thinks of his dead dog. He can't stop his tears running. Feeling lost and angry, Evan destroys (摧毁) his garden.

    A good place will not stay empty for long. New plants quietly start to grow. One day, Evan finds a small pumpkin vine (南瓜藤) in his garden. He becomes happy again. He starts to look after it and taking care of the new plant gets him out of the sadness. Autumn comes and there is a very big pumpkin on the vine. It is fair (集市) week. Evan takes his big pumpkin to the fair. He meets his old friends there. He enjoys many delicious foods. Best of all, his big pumpkin wins him a prize: 10 dollars or a baby dog. What does Evan choose? You might know the answer.

    I'm Mike. Jim is my best friend. We are both 12 years old in 2017. We are at the same age. We study in the same school but in different classes.

    Jim is a kind person and he can often make friends easily. When I feel worried or unhappy, I can always go to him. He always gives me some advice and he always helps me with my problems. A famous saying goes like this, "A friend in need is a friend indeed."

    Both Jim and I like reading. So we often go to the school library after class. There are many books and magazines. The school library also offers good service. For example, the air conditioner(空调) is always on and you can drink free drinks there, We really like reading books there.

    During the Reading Week, we always ask our friends to read interesting books. Every year, we have two long holidays. When we're on holidays, we usually go to different places.

    In a word, it's lucky to have such a friend sharing interesting things together.

When Chandra went into Books ‘n' More, she noticed that there was no one else in the bookstore. The last four or five times she had stopped in here, she had also been the only customer. 

That night, Chandra told her family about the situation at the bookstore. Her brother Pete said, "The bookstore needs more people. How about starting a book club? People could meet in the store to discuss a book they've all read. If they buy it at the store, they'll receive a discount. "

"That's great!" Chandra said excitedly. "How about having some writers come and do a book signing? I even have an idea for the first writer. Mr. Fletcher, my math teacher, writes children's books. I'm sure he would be willing to help. I could put up fliers about the event at my school. "

The next day, Chandra shared her thoughts with Mrs. Lee, the bookstore owner. Mrs. Lee seemed unsure at first, but by the time Chandra finished, she was smiling. "I'll try your ideas, but I need some help. Someone will have to lead the book club discussions. Also, I'll need help advertising these events because I've never been good at such things. "

Chandra promised that she would help. She asked Mr. Fletcher if he would read and sign some of his books at Books ‘n' More, and he happily agreed. A date was chosen, and Chandra threw herself into the preparations. She personally invited all her friends, the other teachers, and even the school headmaster. 

Finally, everything was ready for the big night. Mrs. Lee opened the event. "Before I introduce tonight's writer, I must thank a young lady named Chandra Phillips. This exciting evening was mostly managed by her. If she were a little older, I would have her as my advertising director, " said Mrs. Lee. The crowd laughed and clapped. As Mr. Fletcher began to read from his latest book, Mrs. Lee took a seat next to Chandra. 

"Could I really work here someday?" Chandra asked. Mrs. Lee nodded with a smile. Chandra tried to listen to Mr. Fletcher, but her mind swam with even more ways to help Books ‘n' More be successful. After all, she had to protect her future job!

Mooncakes are an essential(重要的)part of the Mid-Autumn Festival.Each year, bakers create millions of these desserts so people can share them with friends and family. But where did this tradition come from?

About 650 years ago,the Mongols ruled(统治)over China.The Han people wanted to get back control.However,they did not want the Mongols to catch them.So,they began passing secret messages inside of mooncakes,saying that they were going to fight the Mongols on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.When the evening arrived,the Han people fought hard and were successful.

Each year after that,people celebrated the victory by eating mooncakes.It is a good way to remember the history.The practice spread quickly throughout China.Gradually, eating mooncakes became a cultural tradition.It is also a good chance for Chinese families to get together for family reunion(团聚).

Today,people can buy all different types of mooncakes.They come with different fillings and in different prices.People enjoy filling up with these tasty treats,but many of them don't know the history of the simple mooncakes.

Dear Jessica, 

It's nice to hear from you. It's good to know that you want to take {#blank#}1{#/blank#} trip to China. Now I'd like to give you some {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(advise). 

Wuhan is a good place to visit {#blank#}3{#/blank#} spring. It's neither too cold nor too hot. You can enjoy the famous hot-dry noodles. The best time {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(visit) Yunnan is in summer. It is {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(cool) than many other cities. Remember {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (bring) your camera so {#blank#}7{#/blank#} you can take photos of the beautiful views. In Sanya, the weather is fine all year round. {#blank#}8{#/blank#} you can visit it any time you like! It's a good idea to go swimming{#blank#}9{#/blank#} you can also enjoy the beaches there. 

After you come to China, you will {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(probable) fall in love with (爱上) the country. I hope that you can enjoy yourself in China. 

Yours, 

Lingling