What do you do when you begin to read an English newspaper？

    You'd better know what sections are there．Usually, there is international news, business, science and technology, entertainment or lifestyle, sports and cartoons．You can choose your favorite section to read carefully．Then, you come to the article itself．If you don't have time to read the whole article, the headline and the photo give you a general idea of the story．

    A news article includes body text and a photo with a short piece of text under it．It usually puts the most important information at the very beginning．If you don't have much time to read the story, just have a look at the first paragraph．A feature article is an in-depth report on an event or person．It usually has an interesting opening．You get to know the idea of the article as you read．Another kind of article is an opinion article．Usually, some famous people give their own opinions about an important issue in a fun way．Opinion is different from news stories that are all facts．

    My best friend and I are in the same school. Her name is Alice. We first met each other two years ago. We were all new in the school then. She is beautiful. She has long black hair, round black eyes and a small nose. She doesn't like to dress up, so I usually see her wearing jeans and a T-shirt or sweater.

    Alice and I are always talking or laughing about something. She has a wonderful sense of humor (幽默感). When I am not happy, I like talking to her. And she always tries her best to make me happy.

    We have the same interests. We both enjoy playing the guitar and singing. We like going to the movies. Sometimes in summer, I go with her and her family to their summer house by the lake. We usually spend most of the afternoon swimming. In the evenings we walk into town or stay at home and watch TV. It's always fun to be with her.

    Though our lives get busy, we still have time to see each other. I am better in math and science and she is better in English, so we often help each other with our homework.

    I am lucky to have a friend like her.

    What are most 14-year-old boys doing? Going to school, playing sports with friends and doing their homework. But life is much more colorful for the TFBOYS members.

    TFBOYS is a singers' group started in 2013. Its full name is The Fighting Boys. It has three members, Wang Junkai, Wang Yuan and Yi Yangqianxi. Wang Junkai, the group leader, is 15 years old. The other two boys are both 14 years old. When most boys at their age are spending their whole day in the classroom, the three young singers present（展示）themselves to thousands of people. They had made three albums（唱片）and won two singing awards（奖）. Now the three boys are among the most popular singers in our country.

    Many students are interested in TFBOYS, because they are friendly and good at singing. They are still junior high school students. During the week they study at school with their classmates. On the weekends and holidays they have singing class, dancing class and other training. Most of their fans are teenagers. “We are of similar age,” some fans said, “TFBOYS feel like friends to us and we love their songs.”

    Eleven countries are building a great wall of trees across Africa. It is called the Great Green Wall. The aim is to bring life to the dry lands and help to fight the bad environment.

    The wall is 8, 000 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide. It covers from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, on the south of the Sahara Desert (撒哈拉沙漠). So far, Senegal has made the best progress by planting about 11,000,000 trees.

    Many years ago, there were few trees in that area and the winds used to be very strong. It was harmful to the fields. Also, there was little rain, so few plants could grow and many people went hungry. Since the tree planting project started, the trees have provided food for the local people and increased the wetness (湿度) of the air. Little by little, there appeared green fields for people to grow plant.

    The project which began in 2007 is supposed to cost a total of 8, 000, 000, 000 dollars. Many countries are trying their best to help to continue the planting. So we will be able to see the whole green wall across Africa in the near future!

    This teenager can be a good boy and his mum's very happy with him

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} He goes to school, does his homework, meets his friends and enjoys playing sports. But between 5: 30 and 6: 30 from Monday to Friday, Tom does something different. He cooks dinner for all the family: mum, dad, younger brother Joe and elder sister Emma.

    "{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Maths and English are important, of course, but they need other skill to help them in today's world. First I taught Tom how to cook easy meals like pizza or egg and chips. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Yesterday he made vegetable soup. It was good!

    We all liked it very much. "Toms mum says

    "I love cooking and I think I'm really good at it.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} I don't know why, it isn't difficult and it's great fun! "Tom says

    In the past, Tom didn't help out at home and his mum wasn't pleased with him.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A few days ago, I ran into a stranger as he passed by. I said sorry to him and he said, "Excuse me, too, I wasn't even watching for you." We were very polite this stranger and I. Then we went on our way after saying goodbye.

    Later in the kitchen at home, as I cooked our meal, my daughter Betty walked up to me, very quietly. When I turned around. I nearly knocked her down. "Get out of the way!" I shouted angrily. She ran away, crying.

    That night, when I lay in bed, my husband said to me, "You were so rude to Betty. Go and look around on the kitchen floor, and you'll find some flowers there. Betty brought those for you. She picked them herself - pink, yellow, and your favourite blue."

    When I heard this, I thought deeply: While meeting with a stranger, I was calm and polite; but with my daughter, I was not patient. I felt sad and tears began to fall.

    I quietly went to Betty's bed, "Wake up, my dear," I said, "Are these the flowers you picked for me?" She smiled, "I found them by the tree. I knew you'd like them, especially the blue." I said, "I am so sorry that I treated（对待）you that way today." And she whispered（悄声说）, "Mommy, that's okay - I still love you anyway." I kissed her and said, "I love you too and I do love the flowers."

    That day Betty gave me a lesson on how to get along with each other in the family. I spent much time on work before and didn't realize how important family life was. I decided to change myself in the future.