Florida teen band The Garbage-Men is performing on the stage. The band has five members. They are Jack Berry, Ollie Gray, Harrison Paparatto, Austin Siegel and Evan Tucker. The five teens are making music from waste. The Garbage-Men band's instruments are made from recycled things. The guitars are boxes. A horn(号) is made from pipes. The keyboard is formed from old bottles.

    The band started about two years ago. Jack Berry who was in eighth grade at the time decided to make a playable, home-made guitar. After some trial-and-error(反复试验),                he ended up building it from a cereal box,  a yardstick and toothpicks. After Jack showed his creation to his friend Ollie Gray, Ollie had the idea to form a band using other home-made instruments as a way to improve recycling. “We want to show people there is more to recycling than throwing things away in the bin.” Jack, 16, told TFK. “You can actually reuse materials.”

Last year, the Garbage-Men played at local events, including festivals, farmer's markets. Typically， the teens set up on the street and performed popular songs from the 1960s， including classic Beatles and crowd favorite “Wipe Out”. They talked about recycling and offered tips for how to improve the environment. While they were performing, Jack's little brother Trent, 11, gave out leaflets about recycling and helped sell the band's CDs and other musical products.

The band donated the money from sales to charity. They have raised more than $2,500 for Heifer International. The organization gives farm animals, seeds and agricultural training to people in poor countries to help end poverty and hunger. “It's a good, sustainable-development (持续发展的)charity,” Jack says, “By donating one animal, you help the whole community.”

The band, all tenth graders, tries to play a show every week. They've also played on a Florida radio station. The teens hope to take their shows on the road by touring in other states. “Music is a really good way to get a good message across to people because it's really close.” Jack says. Their instruments may be rubbish, but their message isn't.

My mother's loving hands

    Night after night, she came to help me sleep, even long after my childhood years.

    I don't remember1it first started making me a little angry-my mum's hands pushing my hair that way. But it really made me uncomfortable, for they2rough(粗糙的)against my young skin. Finally, one night, I3her, "Don't do that anymore. Your hands are too rough！”She didn't say anything, 4she never did it again.

    Years later, I missed my mother's5and her goodnight kiss on my face. I'm not a little girl any more. My mum is6her mid-seventies, and her rough hands are still doing things for my family and me.

    Now my own children have7. It was late on Thanksgiving Eve. As I slept in my bedroom, a familiar hand ran across my8to push the hair from my head. Then a kiss, ever so softly, touched my brow(额头).

    Taking my mum's hand, I told her how9I was for that night I shouted at her. But my mum didn't know what I was talking about. She had forgotten it long ago.

    That night, I10with a new appreciation(感激)for my mother's caring hands. And the guilt(内疚)that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.

Once upon a time, there was a spider with the name Anansi. He knew that he was very clever but he also knew he wasn't wise(英明的).He didn't like this, but he did not know what to do. One day he had an idea. He went around the village with a basket and asked each person to give him some of their wisdom (智慧).The people laughed at Anansi because they knew that he needed wisdom the most. So each person put a bit in his basket and wished him good luck.

Soon his basket was full, but Anansi was worried that his neighbors might be jealous (嫉妒) of his wisdom and take it from him. He decided to hide it at the top of a tall tree. He tied the basket to the front part of his body and tried to climb the tree, but it was too difficult. He tried again and again without success.

Then his youngest son walked by. "What are you doing, Father?" he asked and Anansi told him. "Why don't you carry the basket on your back instead?" his son said.

Anansi put the basket on his back and climbed the tree easily, but he wasn't happy."I walked all over the village and collected so much wisdom that I am the wisest person ever, but my baby son is still wiser than me. Take back your wisdom!" he said. And he threw the basket of wisdom into the air and went home. And that's how wisdom went all over the world.

 One day, Mario drives(开车) from his house to his mother's house with his dog, Zoe. Because it is his mother's birthday. But his car can't work in the desert(沙漠).

"Who can help me?" Mario says. "No one can help me..."

 Zoe looks at Mario and runs away(离开). Mario is not happy about that.

 The sun is very hot and it's 40℃ every day. Mario doesn't have water or food.

"It's the last day. I will die(死). I can't meet my mother..."

"Woof! Woof!" "Here! Here! There is a man!" Frank runs to Mario.

"You have a good dog. He finds me and I find you."

"Thanks, my Zoe."