If you visit the animal shelter in Salinas, California, you'll see huge wood cutouts(剪下的图形) of a dog and a cat. These signs were placed in front of the building to catch people's attention. The supersized cut outs make people curious and encourage them to visit the shelter— and maybe even adopt(收养) a pet. Each year, the Salinas shelter takes in around 2,000 dogs and 2,000 cats. The animals are either strays or are dropped off by people who couldn't take care of them. Of the 4,000 animals, some of them are finally adopted into new homes. Some animals are moved to other shelters. And, unluckily, some cannot be saved because they are too sick or are considered dangerous.   

   Animal shelters provide food, medicine, and a safe place for animals to sleep. But they are not ideal homes. The shelters are loud, and the animals stay in small cages. The people who work at shelters do their best to care for the animals, but the animals do not always get the attention or exercise they need.  

   To prevent so many animals from becoming homeless, pet owners should take care of their pets. One of the best ways to care for pets is to spray or neuter them. This surgery prevents cats and dogs from having more babies. And that reduces the number of homeless animals that end up in shelters.

    Carrots (胡萝卜) are grown on farms and in small family gardens all over the world. They are easy to plant and easy to harvest (收获). They have a good taste.

    When people think about carrots, a picture of a long, thin, orange-colored vegetable usually comes into their minds. But carrots come in many different sizes and shapes. And not all carrots are orange.

Carrots should be grown in sandy soil that does not hold water for a long time. The earth also should not be too hard. To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the earth and turn it over (翻土).

    Weather, soil, condition and time affect (影响) the taste of carrots. Warm days and cool nights are the best time to grow great delicious carrots.

    The best way to decide if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color. Usually, the brighter the color is, the better the taste is.

    Most people do not know that carrots can be grown during the winter months. If the winter is not cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow and harvest carrots the same way as you do during the summer months.

Carrots are prepared and eaten in many different ways. They ate cut into thin pieces and cooked with other vegetables or meat. They are also washed and eaten just as they come out of the ground.

A man made his living by collecting coconuts in the countryside.One day，he went to a small village that he had never been before.

Towards the end of the day，his wagon was filled with coconuts.He decided to head home，because it was getting late.He wished to know how long it would take to get back to his village.

He saw an old man along the roadside and stopped to ask for directions.

"Excuse me，" he said， "Could you please tell me how long will it take to get to Carson from this village？When will I get to my home？"

The old man showed him the right direction and said， "If you go slowly，it will take only a short while for you to get home.But if you go quickly

The man could not understand the answer.He didn't believe the old man's suggestion was friendly.He gave the man an angry look and hit his horse to make it hurry.The horse began to run quickly.But soon，coconuts began to fall from the wagon.Each time，the man got off to collect the fallen coconuts and put them back into his wagon.

The faster he went，the more coconuts fell from his wagon，and the more time he had to take to pick them up.So he went home very late at last.However，△ ，and the man would have arrived home much earlier.

And so，as the old man said ，go slowly and it will take only a short while.

My name is Amy. I am 12 years old. I come from America. I am in Beijing with my parents now. They are drivers. 

My name is Li Daming. I am 14 years old. I am Chinese. My father teaches Chinese in my school, and my mother is a nurse. 

I am Mike Smith. I am 13 years old. And I'm an English boy. My father is a farmer. My mother is an English teacher. She likes her job. 

I am Chen Lingling. I am a student. My father is a doctor. My mother is a nurse. I have a sister. She is 11. We are in the same school. 

Do you know how to start a club at school? Here are some helpful ideas for you:

A TV show—Chinese Poetry Competition (中国诗词大会) has become popular with many people. Now let's interview some students from our school and listen to what they said.