阅读下面短文，并用英语回答问题（请注意每小题后面的词数要求）．

    There was once an old and deep well．People got water by dropping a bucket（木桶） tied to a rope．The rope passed over a wheel just above the well．On the other side of the rope was another bucket．

    A strong pull brought one bucket to the top while the other down to the water．They always passed each other on the way up and down，but never had time to speak．

    At last，the rope became worn．So a new rope had to be put in its place．While this was being done，the two buckets were left standing together near the well．

    "What a boring life we have!"said one bucket to the other．"I am quite tired of it．No matter how full we come up，we are always sent down empty．"

    But the other bucket laughed and said，"What a funny way you have of looking at things!Don't you see that whenever we are sent down empty，we always come up full？'

    Boys and girls sometimes talk like these two buckets．You may hear one of them say，"Just as we are having a good game，we are made to stop and go to work again．""Yes，"the other will reply，"but as soon as work is over，we always get to go out and have fun again．"

    There are two ways of looking at things．If you want to be happy，look at the bright side．

    Four years ago when I was a boy of 11，I got into the biggest trouble as a kid．It was a Saturday morning．Both my parents were out，leaving me and my 10—month—old sister alone．Anyway，my sister was still asleep in her room．In fact I had the house to myself．I decided to do some drawing．Soon I gave up．Nothing was on TV，so I felt bored and touched the candles on the shelf．I had an idea! What would happen if I set fire to some kitchen paper? Well，of course it went on fire，but it wasn't the tiny flame (火苗)．I'd expected，and I couldn't blow it out．I threw it on the floor, and then luckily got my dad's boots (靴子) and．Stamped it out ．

    I thought I was safe until there was a hole in my room．When my mum came home later, she smelt the smoke immediately．She dropped the shopping bag，luckily for me，over the hole．I thought this meant she would never see it．However，after running round the house checking for a fire，she of course picked up the bag and saw the hole．Next I was grounded (关禁闭) and in trouble for months．Even though，the hole was still there，reminding me of what I did．

The kites in Weifang never disappoint. Every year the Weifang International Kite Festival amazes visitors with creative kites, as "paper birds" of varied designs keep appearing in the sky.

Kites in China can originate from the Warring States Period when Mozi made the first "wooden kite". Kites didn't actually become popular until the Ming Dynasty. By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, artists who were good at kite making began to appear in Weifang. In 1984, the first Weifang International Kite Festival was held.

Kites were used in China during the wars at the very beginning. For example, they can be used to record wind readings, similar to ship flags at sea. Over time, kites became connected with relaxing activities, and were often flown during festivals and holidays.

Today, kite-flying is a popular activity in China, and the Weifang International Kite Festival is one of the largest kite festivals in the world. In 2024, 622 kite artists from 59 countries and areas took part in the event. Zhang Xiaodong,74, has attended all the festivals. In the early days, he only brought traditional kites to take part in the competitions, but this time, he used sound and light to make the story of Chang'e flying to the moon come "alive".

The festival is a great platform to share kite-making skills. It also brings the people of China and other countries closer. As one citizen put it, "No matter how far away kite lovers go, there is always a 'thread' in their heart that can pull them together."

Most of us spend all day at school or work. After a long and busy day, all we want to do is to return to a comfortable home. Smart technology can turn any home into a nicer place to live in.

Smart homes have been around for some time. A company called Pico Electronics invented a type of technology called X10 in 1975. As the curliest smart home technology, it allows household devices (家用设备)，such as lights and alarms, to communicate with each other by using radio waves.

Of course, 5G network connectivity has made smart homes much more complicated (复杂的) than X10. Perhaps the most popular smart home technology is the voice-activated assistant. Users are allowed to communicate with almost any device in their homes simply by speaking a few words. This is especially convenient for children and people with disabilities, as the devices can help them finish tasks that would normally be too difficult.

Common household devices can become "smart as well. For example, smart fridges can create dinner recipes with the vegetables that are being kept inside.

But smart homes are not just about convenience. They are also good for the environment. By regularly checking your energy use and automatically (自动地) turning off lights and other devices that you' re using, smart homes can lower much electricity you use. Using less energy means that we use fewer natural resources (自然资源)，which is good for the environment.

I can't remember whether I was nine or ten years old. I remember that it was the last day of my 4-H camp. I was looking in the mirror and checking my face for bruises（瘀伤）. The day before, for some silly reason, I had a fight with another boy. My head was still sore. We hadn't talked since the fight, but only stared（盯） coldly at each other. 

Still, I was in a good mood（心情） in the morning because I knew my mom was bringing some of her homemade pizzas as a treat for my brother, me, and our friends. Soon, I saw her walking towards our room. She had been bringing these pizzas to us every 4-H camp for years. I saw her smile as my brother and his friends all picked up the big pieces. She saved the last two pieces for me. I thanked her with a smile and started to eat when I saw that boy standing off to the side by himself. At that moment, something moved my heart. I walked over to him and gave him one of the pieces. We talked, laughed and ate. And for some reason that I didn't understand at the time, the pizza tasted better than ever before. 

I can see now what moved my heart: A little miracle（奇迹） was working inside me. It was moving me to forgive（原谅）, to give, and to love. And I'm so happy that I followed that guidance. 

May you forgive, give, and love. And may your pizzas always taste delicious. 

Skiing(滑雪） is one of the most popular sports in the world especially in Norway (挪威). It is the best way to have fun in winter. Almost everyone can ski. Children learn to ski after they learn to walk. Long long ago in Norway, there were no buses, trains or cars. People had to find a way to walk over the deep snow. Skis were the right answer!

Although they love winter, the people of Norway are also happy to see summer come. They enjoy the outdoor activities at any time of the year. In summer they swim and sunbathe near the beach. 

Some people go cycling and go mountain climbing. Sail-boating is also very popular during the warm sunny summer months. 

The Norwegians (挪威人), like people everywhere, find many indoor ways to have a good time. During the long winter they also enjoy movies. They like to read books from the libraries in all seasons. Family life is very important to the people of Norway.