My grandmother is over eighty years old. She always complains about how greatly things have changed, and she often says that life used to be better.

    Families aren't families the way they used to be. If a husband and wife are having problem with their marriage, they don't stay together any more. They choose to divorce. Mothers used to stay at home and take care of their children, but now everyone is busy working; no one has time to look after children at home.

    And the cars! No one walk any more; people get richer and richer, and more and more people buy cars and drive. We used to walk five miles to school every day, even in winter. But now children don't.

    And in school, children don't have to think any more. When I was at school, I used to add, subtract, multiply and divide using my head in math class, but now, children use calculators instead.

    Most families have computers and TVs now. In the past we didn't have computers or TVs, we spent a lot of time talking with our family members. But now, people are too busy to talk to each other. If they have time, they'd watch TV or surf the Internet rather than talk to family members. They are even too busy to eat and think.

    Life used to be simple, but it isn't any more.

Information Card

    The way we spend our time can be. divided into three groups，or jars(罐子).These would be the necessary tasks jar, the voluntary tasks jar and the happiness jar.

    Every day，we spend time filling the necessary tasks jar. We fill this jar with useful things，like making money，doing housework，buying food and paying bills. We then fill another jar with voluntary tasks like taking children to activities and cooking family meals. Those jars are very important，but we may not enjoy them. If we don't fill them each day，our family won't run properly.

    However, we often forget to fill the third jar—the happiness jar. This is the jar that we fill with activities that make us happy. Is your happiness jar sometimes empty at the end of the day? We all have days like that. Between doing all the necessary, and voluntary tasks，time flies by on some days，and before we know it，it is time for bed.

    That is why each day we try to fill our happiness jar. Most days，I fill mine by going to the ballroom dance(社交舞)class. Playing music is another way that I fill my happiness jar. This week，I was happy to take part in an orchestra(管弦乐队)practice at my church(教堂).At the end of the evening, my happiness jar was full.

    Consider how your time is spent. Try to find ways to achieve a balance. At the end of the day，hopefully we've done all we can to make sure that our happiness jar is filled.

    In China, learning some safety knowledge(知识) is becoming more and more important now. How should you keep yourself safe？

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    At school：

    When students around you begin to push, try to hold onto something, or stay in a safer corner. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    On your way home or to school：

    Wait for the green traffic light. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Wear clothes in bright colors, so the drivers can see you easily.

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    Stay calm and leave quickly. To keep clear of smoke (烟雾),use a piece of wet cloth to cover your mouth and nose.

    For riding on the escalator（自动扶梯）：

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You should hold onto handrails（扶手） and stand on the right side of the escalator, because right arms are stronger.

    Libraries give kids a quiet and safe place to read and learn. For over 100 years, libraries have played an important role in Americans' education. But how are these book—filled buildings changing with the times? You may be surprised to find out.

    Benjamin Franklin famously founded(创建)America's first lending library in 1731. But the public library system got its biggest development in the American history in the late 1800's. Businessman Andrew Carnegie donated millions of dollars to help build free public libraries across the country. Between 1886 and 1919, Carnegie's donations helped build 1,679 new libraries.

    Carnegie believed that libraries could offer the chances to Americans, young and old. He knew that the more libraries there were, the more people would have opportunities to read and use books, speeches and news.

    If you can easily find a public library in your community(社区), you'll get more chances. After all, the United States has 9,225 public libraries. Today, libraries keep growing. Seven tenths of the libraries have free Internet. It provides much more information and opportunities to ask for jobs online.

    Libraries are also teaching kids about the fun of reading. The new program Read! Build! Play! adds reading into playtime. As kids listen to a book that is being read aloud, they use Legos(乐高积木)to build images(图像)from the story happily. Today's libraries are always looking for creative programs to bring people into the library.

    Benjamin Franklin once said, "The doors of wisdom(智慧)are never shut." As long as the doors of public libraries are open, what he said is most certainly correct!

    Mr Jones was ninety, so it was difficult for him to remember things. But he still liked travelling very much, so he and his wife went to Spain for a holiday every year. (One summer when they were there, they went to visit some friends. One of them had two daughters.

    One afternoon Mr Jones was talking with one of the girls in the garden after lunch. "You and your sister were badly ill when my wife and I were here last year, weren't you?" He said to her.

    "Yes, we were," answered the girl. "We were badly ill." The old man said nothing for a moment, because he was thinking. Then at last he said, "Oh, yes, I remember now! One of you died. Which one of you was it, you or your sister?"

    The girl answered, "It was me."

    "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said the old man.

    Mr Jones was too {#blank#}1{#/blank#} to remember things. He and his wife went to Spain to {#blank#}2{#/blank#} a holiday. When they were in Spain, they {#blank#}3{#/blank#}some of their friends. One afternoon when Mr Jones was {#blank#}4{#/blank#}with one of his friend's daughters, he remembered that the girl and her sister were badly ill last year. But he couldn't remember who died. The girl played a {#blank#}5{#/blank#}on him and told him that she died last year.

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