XBOX 360 Kinetic, RoboSapien, WiiParty, theseare just a few of the modern toys sold in recent years. But some of the most populartoys are actually quite old.

Gameshave been around for thousands of years. In 4000 B. C, Babylonians played a boardgame that was similar to chess. Yo-yos made of stone were first used in ancientGreece around 1000 B C. And kites appeared in China around the same time.

    Another famous game is Scrabble. It was inventedby an architect in the 1930s, but it didn't get popular until 1953 And since then,more than 100 million sets have been sold worldwide.

    As you can imagine, toys and games are a multi-billion-dollarindustry. Mr. Potato Head, the first toy advertised on TV, grossed more than $4million in its first year. Play-Doh made its inventor Joseph McVicker a millionaireby his 27th birthday, while Mattel sells 1. 5 million Barbie dolls each week (that'stwo dolls each second!).

    Some toys go out of fashion, but then becomepopular again, such as Rubik's Cube. Research says parents are increasingly choosingto buy toys they remember from their own childhood.

    These days, toys are not just for fun. RoboSapienis a remote-controlled robot that was launched in 2004. He can walk, turn aroundand do other poses. RoboSapien was designed by Mark Tilden, who once created robotsfor NASA space missions. He expected the toy to be used mostly by and scientists,but almost 2 million RoboSapiens have been sold worldwide since its launch as atoy?

    Fancy a game anyone?

Dear sister,

I've been happy here in New York. But when holidays are coming near, I really feel "There's no place like home", just like the English proverb says, "East, west, home is the b{#blank#}1{#/blank#}."

You must be doing well in English class. The letter you sent to me was written in good English.

Well, I want to i{#blank#}2{#/blank#} my friend Diana to our home. I dare not tell Mama directly. If Dad and Mum say that will be all right, please write to me as soon as possible.

Diana is a poor girl whose parents died last month in a terrible accident. She has to spend the holidays alone. She wants to see China and try e{#blank#}3{#/blank#} that we Chinese do. She p{#blank#}4{#/blank#} speaking Chinese for two years and can speak a little now. She has great curiosity about our family life and will ask you many questions about it. Isn't it a good chance to u{#blank#}5{#/blank#} each other? I'm sure you'll learn many things from her.

Please give my love to our father and mother!

Your sister,

Mei

①A tree has roots(根). People have roots too. If you get to the root of a problem, you will solve it. It's the same thing with words.

②As readers, especially those reading in a second language, we need to deal with the text as if we were detectives(侦探)looking for information to discover the unknown. Like any good detective arriving on the crime scene, the first thing to do when meeting a new and difficult word is to look at everything that is known and see if it helps us to

understand what it means.

③As you know, prefixes (前 缀) and suffixes(后缀) can be added to the beginning or end of words to change the meaning. Know them, and you will be able to build the word. But root words are the key. Take time to learn a few of these and remember them, and you will become good at guessing the meaning of words.

④Let's look at one common root word used in English. "Alter"from the Latin word means "other". When you meet this root word, you know that the bigger word has something to do with "other". Examine the word "alternate".Can you find the Latin root in it?

⑤Learn as many root words as possible in the language you are studying. Then use your "rooting for words"skills, Like any new skill, practice and hard work are always paid back.

Alex set his lunch tray on the table near his friend Leo. "Trade you some fries for some pretzels" Alex said. 

"Deal," said Leo, taking his bag of pretzels out of bis lunchbox. 

Alex noticed a folded piece of paper at the bottom of Leo's lunchbox. 

"What's that?" asked Daniel, another boy in their class. 

Before Leo could answer, Daniel grabbed the paper. He unfolded it and read in a loud voice: "Dear Leo, I hope you have a great day. Love. Mom."

Daniel snorted. "Your mom puts notes in your lunchbox?"

"Yes," Leo said. 

Daniel read the note again, to himself. It almost looked as if he wanted to keep it.

"Give it back to Leo," said Alex. 

"Well, who wants a note anyway?" Daniel said. 

"I do," said Leo. 

Alex liked getting notes too. 

Daniel tossed the note and it fell to the floor. 

Alex picked it up. He handed it back to Leo, who put it into his pocket. 

On the bus that afternoon, Alex thought about what had happened. 

Alex's older brother, Mateo, arrived home just after Alex did. "How was your day, little dude?" Mateo asked. 

"A boy in my class was mean to Leo," Alex said. He explained the way Daniel had acted. 

Mateo shook his head. "How would Daniel like it if people picked on him for getting a note?"

"Daniel never gets notes," Alex said. Suddenly, he had an idea. "That's it! I know how to help Leo and Daniel."

Alex explained his idea to Mateo. Mateo agreed to help, and they worked on the plan all afternoon. 

At lunchtime the next day, Alex hurried to the cafeteria. He set out 23 folded pieces of paper on a table by the entrance. Each piece of paper had the name of a classmate on it. 

"What are these?" asked Mira. 

"We all have notes," said Sabrina. 

Alex watched as Daniel picked up the note with his name on it. Alex knew that the note said Daniel,  ▲  Have a great day.

Alex saw Daniel smile as he put the note into his pocket. 

"Great idea, Alex," said Leo. 

"Now everyone knows how it feels to get a lunch note," Alex said.

Holidays are very popular with students. They expect to relax and do something they like. However，what do holidays really mean to them？Usually，teachers will give them some homework and parents will ask them to read books，do extra exercises or take a lot of lessons. A junior high school did a survey among their students. It shows that a lot of students end up busier during the holiday. That is not only because they have many things to do，but also because they don't plan their time well. Instead of relaxing and enjoying their break，they often stay up late to finish their homework. And they find it the most painful experience. 

The following charts show some of their findings. Chart I shows different bedtimes of students during holidays. Many junior high school students go to bed late during holidays. They may forget that enough sleep is important for their health and better performance in learning. Chart II shows that more than 80% of the students read during their holidays，and 60% take extra lessons. Reading and learning remain an important part of holiday life，while doing housework and sports are not. 

During holidays，teachers should give homework which students are able to do and interested in. On one hand，teachers need to make sure students practise the key skills and knowledge when they are out of school. While on the other hand，it's important to make sure that students have enough time for something they like or want to explore. 

Parents should help their children make good plans for their holidays. Give reasonable advice and encourage them to read widely and take part in different activities. Finding a balance between having fun and improving themselves is the key to enjoying a good holiday. 

Today, the teacher took us to the science and technology museum. What impressed me most was the Optical Astronomy Hall. 

After entering the Optical Astronomy Hall, the narrator(讲解员) turned on the light. We looked up and saw millions of lights flashing(闪耀) overhead. They looked like the stars in the sky. Then the narrator told us about constellations(星座). She said that the constellation refers to a group of stars in the sky that we see close to each other. And she told us how the stars and planets change places throughout(贯穿) the night. 

 ▲   The sky was lit up with millions of stars. The narrator pointed to one group of stars called the Big Dipper(北斗七星). The Big Dipper goes around the North Star. The North Star always points to the north if you can find it, you will always know where you are. 

I've learned more about space today.