Plans for the holidays

    The summer holiday is coming. Students are going to enjoy it this month.

 Tom is going to his family party."I can't wait to go home and go to the family party. I also plan to go to New York to see some friends. A lot of friends and I are going to dance at my house," he says.

    Tom's friend—Jack is going to spend the holiday with his aunt. "I really want to go to England to meet my family. I want to have a good time with them. But now I can't. I am going to look after my aunt because she is ill," Jack says.

    Mike is Tom's friend too. "I want to spend my summer holiday with Jim. We plan to travel around the world. We think we are going to enjoy ourselves," he says.

    A young man entered the last interview of a company. The director learnt that the young man's academic (学业的) grades were very good. "Did you get any scholarships (奖学金) in school?" the director asked. "None." The young man answered. "Did your father pay for your school fees?" the director asked. "My father died when I was one year old, so my mother paid my school fees." The young man answered.

    "Where did your mother work?" the director asked. "My mother washed clothes." The young man said. The director looked at the young man's hands. He had a pair of smooth and perfect hands.

    "Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" the director asked. "Never." The young man answered. "I have a request," the director said. When you go back today, wash your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning."

    The young man felt that his chance of getting the job was high. When he went back. He happily asked his mother to let him wash her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings. She showed her hands to the kid. The young man washed his mother's hands slowly. His tears fell when he did that. It was the first time he had noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled (有皱纹的).He realized it was this pair of hands that helped him pay the fees.

    The next morning, the young man went to the director's office. "I washed my mother's hands, and I know that without my mother, I would not be the person I am today." He said.

    "This is what I am looking for," the director said. "I want a person who can appreciate (感激) the help of others to get things done. You will be a member of our company.

    Good morning! My name is Mary and my last name is White. I live with my parents and my brother in China now. I am a student. I study in Xinghua Middle School. My telephone number is 5574782. My school ID number is 888098. Tom is my best friend. His last name is Miller. He is in my school, too. His telephone number is 5570895. His school ID number is 8702223. We often go to school together in the morning and help each other with homework after school. At weekends, we like to play together with in the park near my home.

Information Card

    This is a home of the future, a smart home, where technology can do almost everything. Imagine we are in the year 2050; ①the computer wakes Tom up in the morning as usual. In front of him is a to-do list of the important events for the day, and it is provided by the computer， too. According to Tom's request, the computer serves a list of possible dishes. All the dishes are nice.

    As Tom eats breakfast, the computer reminds him to reply to Lucy. Before Tom finishes his next bite, Lucy's computer receives the message. Then Tom goes to the supermarket. The store's system checks his car when he drives to the pickup area and greets him. "Good morning, Tom! Your order is in Case 4. Thank you for shopping." When Tom removes his order from Case 4, the trade is completed automatically(自动地) over the information superhighway. That is, the money is electronically paid into the bank. Soon after arriving at the office, Tom reads another message from Lucy, telling him that she will go to have dinner with him.

    The smart home can also do many other things:

    Find things like keys and mobile phones.

    ②        (打开或关闭) machines and lights with your voice.

    Clean your home from clothes to buildings automatically.

    Record everything and everyone entering and leaving the house.

    Take care of each member of the family, young or old.

    ③With the development of technology, the smart home will come true in the future. It is sure to play an important part in our life.

    Country music is very popular in America. It is a traditional kind of music from the southern states of America. At first, people played country music only at family parties. When people in the countryside moved to towns and cities to look for jobs, they took their music with them. With country music continuing to change, it became popular throughout America. John Denver was one of the most famous country singers in America 50 years ago. His song Take Me Home, Country Roads is well-known and people still play in today.

    Pop music is another kind of musical style. Pop music can make people feel happy and comfortable. Pop music has been popular since the 1950s. In China, Jay Chou is liked by a large number of fans of all ages. He sang many songs about the world we live in. One of them is Dao Xiang, which encourages people not to give up even when life is difficult.