Dick was born in a poor family. His father had a small boat and went fishing in the morning and sold the fish in the market in the afternoon. Then he bought some food for his family. When winter came, they were often hungry. One morning the hungry man fell into the river and wasn't found. Dick's mother left her three-year-old son without saying good-bye. His aunt had to look after him.

    Twenty years passed. Dick became a tall, strong man. He found work on a farm. He worked hard and wanted to get more money. He often went to see his aunt with some nice presents. The woman was very happy but one day she died in a traffic accident. The young man was very sad. After he buried her, he decided to buy a beautiful tombstone (墓碑)for her. He went to town and came in a shop, but all the tombstones were too expensive. He asked, "Do you sell an old tombstone, sir?" "Yes, we do, sir," answered the shopkeeper. "Is it as expensive as the new one?''

    "No, it's much cheaper," said the man. "But another name was engraved(刻) on it." "It doesn't matter," said Dick. "My aunt couldn't read."

Doing housework is a key part of family life. It helps improve the relationship among family members. However, lots of Chinese parents are unaware of the importance of doing housework and they think it is a waste of time.

In order to know how often middle school students do housework at home, we did a survey among 1,200 students from Grade 7 to Grade 9 in a middle school. The following bar chart shows the result of our survey.

From the bar chart, we find that only a small number of students usually do housework. Nearly half of the students in Grade 9 never do housework. The result makes us worried.

After all, doing housework is good for students. It can teach students many important skills, like planning, timing, solving problems and so on. Doing housework can also teach students what responsibility is. Everyone should do something for the family. What's more, doing housework can help students relax themselves and keep a balance between study and life.

Therefore, we suggest that parents should encourage their children to do housework. They must learn one or two life skills every year so that they can be better prepared for an independent life in the future.

Public squares are for everyone and they may be small or large, but there are many squares all over the world that have become famous landmarks (地标). 

Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy

Romes Piazza Navona is a center for locals and tourists to come together. It's especially famous for its three beautiful fountains (喷泉). With places to enjoysome ice cream, and many street artists, it is one of the most popular places in the city. Piazza Navona is about 29, 150 square meters and people built it in 86 AD(公元). 

Red Square, Moscow, Russia

Red Square dates from the 15th century. Itc overs 800, 000 square feet(a square foot is about 0. 0929 square meters). Red Square has been a place for kinds of activities, such as speeches, music concerts so on. 

Tian'anmen Square, Beijing, China

Tian'anmen Square is a public square in the center of the city of Beijing, China. At about 440, 000 square meters. it is the largest public square in the world. Ancient Chinese people built it in 1417. To the north of the square is the Gate of Heavenly Peace. 

Different people may have different hobbies. I think hobbies can help us relax and learn more things. I have four good friends. They all have their hobbies. 

I want to learn English well. I believe that communicating with others is the best way to learn English. So I went to a language school in the UK. I also got a job as a saleswoman because I thought learning English in a language school was not enough. I needed to meet people outside to improve my speaking and listening. 

My first work week was very difficult. For example, when a customer asked me about a specific type of chocolate, I had no idea. After the customer left, the manager said to me, "It doesn't matter. No pain, no gain. " The manager's words encouraged me and I tried to learn how to communicate with customers in English. 

Three years ago, I only knew how to introduce myself in English. But right now, I know many different kinds of medicines and other things in English. I will never forget all my experiences in the UK about learning English.