Martin is a fifteen-year-old boy. He used to be a "problem child", but a recent 1 with his mother changed his life. He didn't use to give his mother many problems. 2 , after his father's death a few years ago, Martin's life became 3 more difficult. His mother couldn't afford to pay for her child's education. To do this, she 4 work, and so she was often not at home. His mother looked after him as 5 as she could. Unfortunately, Martin still caused problems. He was not 6 in studying and he often got into trouble. Luckily, his mother was very 7 and didn't give up trying to help him. In the end, she 8 a difficult decision: to send him to a boys' boarding school. Martin hated it and used to cause a lot of trouble. One day, he told his teacher he wanted to leave the school. The teacher said it was necessary for Martin to 9 with his mother. Martin called his mother, but to his 10 , this phone call changed his life. "It was exactly 11 I needed," he said. "My mother helped me to understand how much she had given me. She also told me that even though my father was no longer with us, he was 12 me and would always take pride in everything good I do. That's when I decided to change. I realize that 13 my father died, I have been afraid of being alone, and have tried to make my mother pay more attention to me." Now Martin has 14 changed. He has been working hard and is now one of the best students in his class. How was he able to change? His mother's 15 helped him to feel good about himself.

    In 1933 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the filmmaker Walt Disney. He had an unusual voice and he wanted to work on Disney's cartoon (动画片) film for children. When Walt Disney heard Nash's voice, he said “Stop! That's our duck!”

    The duck was the now famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in 1934 in the film The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat (水上住家) and wore his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year, he became a star after an eight­-minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audience liked him because he was lazy and greedy (贪婪的), and because he lost his temper (发脾气) very quickly. And they loved his voice when he became angry with Mickey's eight nephews (侄子). Soon Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse himself, probably because he wasn't a goody-­goody like Mickey.

    In the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto made hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational films about the place of the USA in the world, and safety in the home. Then in 1966, Donald Duck and his voice disappeared — there were no more new cartoons.

    Clarence Nash died in February, 1985.But today's children can still see the old cartoons on television and hear that famous voice.

    Wendy has a busy day every day. She gets up at six o'clock in the morning and has her breakfast at home. She leaves home at five to seven. It takes her fifteen minutes to walk to school. She has a little rest after lunch, but she works hard in class all day. She plays basketball after school, and then walks home. On her way home she sees a lot of buses, cars and bicycles. She sees flowers and green grass. She sees some children playing happily. She is also very happy. After she gets home, she has a short rest and a glass of water. After that she helps her parents clean the house. After dinner, she watches TV for half an hour. Then she starts her homework. She finishes it at nine o'clock. She goes to bed at nine thirty.

    Papercutting is a kind of the traditional folk art in China. Papercutting has a long history of about 1,500 years. Let's learn something about papercutting.

    Wonderful meanings

    Papercutting has some wonderful meanings. Some papercutting means happiness and good luck. In the Spring Festival, people paste(粘贴) "Fu" on doors or windows. At a wedding, people paste "Xi".

    The largest Chinese papercutting

    The largest papercutting was made by Gao Xiaodong. It has an area of about 456 square meters. It is as large as a basketball court.

    Why is it red?

    In the old times of China, people think highly of the sun. Red was the color of the sun. They always regarded red as the symbol of hope and life. Now, we can also see red everywhere in China. The walls of old palaces are red. Lanterns are red. Weddings are always full of red things, too.

    Black papercutting in Shanzhou

    Much of the papercutting is red. But papercutting in Shanzhou, Henan Province is black. Black is the best color there. Shanzhou is a dry place. People make black papercutting and wish for rain.

    Twenty years ago, my father, John, wanted to be a businessman. He wanted to be rich. So he worked very hard and every day he went home very late.

    One night when he came home from work, a robber stopped him and wanted to take his money. My father was very afraid. He didn't want to lose his money. But he didn't know what to do. Luckily a policeman came and caught the robber. My father thanked the policeman politely.

    Now my father is a policeman. He wants to help other people.

Wonderful Park has finally reopened after nearly three months of repair! Since my sister Julia's birthday is coming. yesterday my parents took us to the park to have some fun. Julia was very excited as she had never been to Wonderful Park before.

We arrived at the park early in the morning. While we were buying tickets at the ticket office, Julia was told that she could enjoy free admission during her birthday month. She could also get some pin s and stickers for free. Julia was over the moon with her birthday presents. After buying our tickets, Julia wanted to ride the Ferris wheel. However, Mum suggested going to the King's Theatre first as a musical was about to begin.

We were attracted by the delicious smell of popcorn while we were on the way to the King's Theatre. We bought two bags of chocolate popcorn and it tasted good. Before we entered the theatre, there were two cartoon characters standing at the entrance. They were lovable so Julia and I took some photos with them. The show began at ten forty- five. Though I am not a big fan of musicals, it was really great. All the performers sang and danced well. There was a huge round of applause(掌声) when the show ended. Then, we went to the ride. It was the last stop and also the most enjoyable part of our trip.

Here are the photos we took. The first one shows the chocolate popcorn. It was yummy! Next are the photos we took at the entrance of the King's Theatre. The cartoon characters are giving me and Julia a big hug! Here comes the photo that I like best. We took this after we ro de on the Ferris wheel. Dad is putting his arm around Mum's shoulders. Julia is making a V sign with her fingers and I am making a silly face. It is a nice family photo. We all look forward to visiting the park again!