People are often free on weekends. But Mike had a busy weekend last week. On Saturday morning, he went to visit his uncle with his parents. His uncle lives on a farm. There Mike helped his uncle feed the chickens. There are many animals on the farm. After lunch, Mike went to mountains with his cousins. Mike was happy to see the trees and flowers. In the evening, they saw an interesting movie. Song Dandan was in the movie. All of them laughed all the time. On Sunday morning, Mike wanted to play soccer, but it rained very hard. So he had to stay home. He did some reading and watched TV. In the afternoon, Mike helped his mother do the housework. In the evening, he played computer games. Then it was time to go to bed.

    Different countries have different ideas about how to be polite. In Britain, table manners are important. But how do you show good table manners in Britain? Here is some advice:

    How to sit: You should sit up straight in your chair. When you eat, don't pick up the bowl. This is called very bad manners.

    Noises at the table: It is never a good idea to make a noise at the table. 

Using your fingers: Usually we don't pick food up with our fingers when we are eating main dishes. But there are some foods such as pizza, sandwiches, chips and fruit we can eat with fingers.

Passing things: If someone asks you to pass something like the salt, only get it if you are the closest person to it. Never lean (倾斜, 倾倒) across someone else's food. It's more polite not to use it yourself first — pass it directly to the person who asked, and then use it later. It's best to taste your food before you put salt in it.

    Your mouth: It is not polite to talk with your mouth full of food, nor to eat with your mouth open.

    How much to eat: It is polite to eat up the food that you have been offered, so a clear plate is a good plate. It shows that you enjoy the food. If you can't finish everything and you can leave a little, that is okay. You could say something like “That was very nice, thank you.”

    Ever since Greg was a little boy, he had watched his grandfather carve(雕刻) small wooden figures(木偶). In a short time, his grandfather could change a piece of wood into a wonderful work of art. Greg often wished that he could create wonderful little wooden figures as his grandfather did.

    One day, Greg's grandfather called the boy into his room. “Today is the day that you begin to learn the lost art of carving.” Greg couldn't believe his ears. He sat beside his grandfather. The smell of the wood filled his nose, and he loved that. Grandfather told him the names of the different tools he used to create the figures.

    After the introduction to the tools was over, Greg picked up a piece of wood and started to carve. He worked for hours that day, trying to learn his grandfather's skill. Although his small wooden figure was far from perfect, both Greg and his grandfather were quite proud of the work Greg had done. “I will put it on my desk,” Greg's grandfather told him. Greg's eyes shone with joy. He knew that it would take him many years to become as skillful as his grandfather, but Greg was going to enjoy every minute of it!

Dear Jack,

    My town is very small. Only a few hundred people live here. It has a river with an old bridge across it. There is a church and a school along the river. They are next to each other. Across from our school is a park. It was built last year. I always go there to have fun with my friends. On Main Street there is a hotel, a supermarket, a gas station, a bakery, a butcher's shop and a grocery store.

    We don't have a hospital or a police station, but we do have a doctor and a police officer. They live on opposite sides of the river.

    We don't have a movie theater. If we want to go to a movie, we have to go to the next town. It is a 30-minute bus ride away. The bus stop is outside my house I usually go to the movies with my mom every Saturday.

    Please write soon and tell me something about your place.

    Best wishes

Bruce

    Mr. Johnson lives outside of the town. His wife is often ill and his six children are studying at school. He works hard but he is often short of money. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One afternoon, on Mr. Johnson's way home, it suddenly began to rain. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} His wife washed the clothes and shoes for him and aired them outside. Before she went to bed, she brought the clothes into the room but forgot the shoes.

    The next morning Mr. Johnson couldn't find his shoes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Then he went to the police station and told the policemen about it.

   "I paid ten dollars for my shoes, sir," said the man." Look! I have to wear such a pair of worn-out shoes now!"

    Several days later, the police caught a thief and found the shoes. They were worn-out, too.

    "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}" said a policeman." The shopkeeper told me a pair of new shoes like them costs only seven dollars!"

    "You're right, sir," said Mr. Johnson." I've had them for five years and I had them fixed six times. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}"