Once upon a time there was a writer who liked to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the beach. As he looked down the beach, he saw someone moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that a young man was reaching down to the shore, picking something up and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

    As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

    The young man stopped, looked up and answered, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

    "I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

    "The sun is up, and the tide(潮汐) is going out, and if I don't throw them in, they'll die."

    "But, young man, don't you see that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish all along it? You can't possibly make a difference!"

    The young man listened politely, then picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one." And he kept throwing starfish.

    There is something very special in each and every one of us. All of us can make a difference in life. If we know that, we have the power to shape the future.

Cake with friends

    On the first day of July, 2019, everyone was amazed. Our teacher held a birthday party for 23 students. Most of the students' birthdays are in July. Our teacher gave them birthday cards. The cards' covers were printed with a group photos of our class. The teacher wrote birthday wishes to the students on the back. It was really sweet!

    Then, we sang a birthday song for the birthday kids. In addition (另外), all of us got to share cream（奶油） cakes, even if our birthdays weren't in July. I thought this was nice. I watched everyone eat their cake together and have some fun talks. It's nice to have good friendships(友谊) like this.

    Then, something funny happened! We started throwing the cake to each other. Some of us drew pictures on the birthday kids' faces. It was a really fun time.

    I was happy to be at school on that day. I watched all of my friends have fun together. I felt like it was one of the happiest times I've ever had in junior high school. I wished that I could stop time or make the best time lest just a few minutes longer. This isn't possible of course. But I do hope that all of my friends can cherish(珍惜) their friendships forever and enjoy friendships, just like I am now.

    I'm looking forward to the future. I hope I can make more good friends in high school.

Mark is my good friend. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But he is in the UK with his parents for three years. 

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}So he gets up early and does morning exercises ( 锻 炼 ) , like running and playing basketball. He thinks playing basketball is really cool. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}After exercise, he has breakfast. For breakfast, he usually has eggs, milk and bread. At about 7:30, he goes to school. 

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}His favorite subjects are Chinese and history. He is busy every day. 

Every year, Mark and his parents go back to America on December 25th. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You know it's the day of Christmas(圣诞节). 

Last year a rainstorm came to a small village. Many houses were broken. Several people were badly hurt and taken to hospital. 

A student, Kate, said, "It was terrible. I was helping my mother make breakfast when the rain started to beat heavily against the windows. 

"I was eating with my family," a housewife, Jenny said. "I heard a loud noise. A few minutes later, our house fell down. We tried our best to get out. We were very afraid but safe."

Mr Green, an engineer (工程师), said that he was drinking coffee and reading a newspaper in the office when he felt that the building began to shake. He had to stay in the office. "There was no electricity (电) and I couldn't contact (联系) my family members," he said. "I was very worried about them at that time."

Volunteers were helping the people out of the village and giving food and clothes to them. They felt very tired but it was meaningful. 

My friends have different interests. Lily has a {#blank#}1{#/blank#} voice. Singing has become her hobby. She often sings Karaoke and {#blank#}2{#/blank#} many music videos every day. John likes watching {#blank#}3{#/blank#} in nature. He also reads books about them. Many people are interested in {#blank#}4{#/blank#} model planes. Bobby is one of them. He thinks it is fun and relaxing. All in all, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} can make our life colourful and bring us knowledge.