You don't have to be bored on a rainy day. Here are some new ideas:

    Tell stories. You might tell stories you have heard before, or you might make up some wonderful stories.

    ①___________. You can learn to cook a pizza or maybe some cookies. Give your friend a chance to help in the kitchen and make something tasty.

    ②___________. You might write stories on your own and then read them aloud to others, or you might write a story together.

    ③____________. Think of some scenes and then play a game. Act as teachers, doctors, nurses or policemen. You can dress up in whatever you may have.

    ④____________. Pick out some music and dance around in the room. You can also sing while others are dancing.

So on the next rainy day, try some of these ideas for a day full of fun!

    Personal planes which can take off noiselessly from the back garden will be possible within two years.

    Lilium Aviation is inventing an electric two-seater airplane which  takes just 20 hours to learn to fly and can travel at speeds of  250mph.More importantly, the small plane, which weighs just 25kg, can take off vertically which means it does not need to fly from an airport, but could be parked outside a house or in a garden. The company says the design will “open the door to a new class of simpler, quieter and environmentally friendly planes” and will be possible from 2018.

    “Our goal is to develop an airplane for use in everyday life,” said Daniel, CEO and one of the company's four founders. "We are going for a plane that can take off and land vertically and does not need the difficult and expensive infrastructure of an airport.

    Although helicopters offer a choice, they are very noisy and difficult to fly and require expensive licenses. They also have no backup if the rotor fails, making them costly to build and keep. While firstly limited to airfields, the Lilium airplane will eventually take off vertically from almost anywhere – even from back gardens – it needs only an open flat area of 50 ft. by 50ft (15 m x 15m).

    The plane is classed as a Light Sport Aircraft for two users, with the pilot's license requiring 20 hours' minimum training – almost like taking a driving license. It is intended for fun flying during daylight, in good weather conditions and in least crowded airspace up to 3 km altitude. The airplane would have to follow the same flight laws as helicopters.

    One of the hottest places on the earth is Death Valley. It's a desert valley in North America. The animals in Death Valley don't use technology to keep cool. They have special abilities that help them live there.

    The kangaroo rat is one animal that lives in Death Valley. During the day in Death Valley, it gets hotter than 100°F. The kangaroo rat rests all day in a hole in the ground. It covers the hole with grass to keep out the heat. The kangaroo rat comes out at night when it is cooler. This little rat is also very good at conserving (节约) water. It gets all the water it needs from the food it eats. Some kangaroo rats never take a drink of water in their whole lives!

    The sun makes the desert sand very hot. Animals, like snakes, get too hot if they lie on the hot sand too long. One snake, called the sidewinder, can solve this problem. When it travels, the sidewinder bends (使弯曲) its body into a“W”shape. Then it uses the bottom (底部的) parts of the“W”like legs and walks sideways (向一侧). That way it touches only a little of the sand at a time, so the hot sand doesn't burn the snake. This strange way of moving is how the sidewinder got its name.

    A lot of water in the desert is too salty for most animals to drink. All water has some salt in it. As the desert heat dries up pools of water, the salt is left behind. The remaining water in these pools can be much saltier than the ocean. One kind of fish, the desert pupfish, can live in these salty pools because it can drink the salt water.