I am a student of a middle school. My class teacher is Mrs. Green. She is more than 30 years old. She is our English and History teacher. She is strict(严格) and at the same time she is very kind.

    In our school, there is a playground. We do morning exercises, play basketball and volleyball there. Our PE teacher, Mr. Jackson teaches us to do ball games. He was once a successful sportsman. He is our hero. Our school also has a swimming pool. We take swimming lessons there.

    Our school building is very large and the school hall is on the ground floor. Every year, we have a prize—giving ceremony(颁奖典礼)in the hall.

    Scientists are trying to make the deserts into good land again. They want to bring water to the deserts, so people can live and grow food. They are learning a lot about the deserts. But more and more of the earth is becoming deserts all the time. Scientists may not be able to change the deserts. People are doing bad things to the earth.

    Some places on the earth don't get much rain. But they still don't become deserts. This is because some green plants are growing there. Small green plants and grass are very helpful to dry places. Plants don't let the hot sun make the earth even drier. Plants don't let the wind blow the earth away. When a little bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water. Without the plants, the land can become a desert much more easily.

Eddie loves playing football. It's his favourite sport. But there's a small problem. His shoes are very 1 . When he plays football at school, some of his classmates laugh (嘲笑) at his shoes," Your shoes look so old. Can you even 2 in them?"

 After school, Eddie goes back home and cries 3 . He doesn't want to play football anymore. He talks about his 4 to his grandpa," My shoes are too old!" His grandpa listens carefully and has a good 5 . He wants to make Eddie happier and tells him,"I'm6 to hear that, but I can help you. Bring those shoes to my room. Let me give you a7 ."

 His grandpa begins to color the shoes in black and red. Slowly, the old shoes start to look new. When his grandpa 8 , he says with a smile," You have cool shoes now, but you should always 9 , it's not just the shoes on the boy. It's the boy in the shoes that really matters!" Eddie 10 his shoes and goes to school happily. From that day on, Eddie has fun playing his best in the playground.

Shashiyu was once a poor village in Hebei Province, but now it has changed into a rich and livable place. 

In the 1940s, villagers in Shashiyu had little food and few clothes, but they had a strong wish for a better life. The Party secretary of Shashiyu encouraged his villagers to do their best to pull themselves out of this poor living condition. "In the ancient Chinese story, Yu Gong could move mountains with his strong will and hard work, why can't we? Nobody was born to be poor. " Hearing his words, the villagers decided to make a difference. 

Led by the Communist Party of China, the villagers carried water and soil to their village from faraway places to improve their land. From 1966 to1971, they reclaimed(开垦) lots of land and greatly improved their lives. 

However, the village faced a new problem 20 years later as the environment became heavily polluted by chemical plants and mine refineries(精炼厂) built in 1990s. The polluting factories were shut down in 2004, and villagers started grape planting, which soon became a main industry in Shashiyu. 

In 2009, the city- level government invested(投资) over 1 million yuan to change the village's exhibition hall into a museum in memory of development efforts made by earlier generations. 

After 10 years, the village was called"National Forest Village". 

The Party secretary said that the village has started a yearly tourism festival since 2015 to attract travellers to pick grapes. "The grapes could be sold at a better price once Shashiyu becomes famous through this festival. Our villagers can then live a even better life, " he said. 

I've been making shawls (披肩) for a few years and giving them away as gifts. I didn't know who would 1 it when I started a new one.

"Did you hear about Susan?" my workmate Lori asked me one day. "She'll have an operation (手术) immediately," Lori said.

"What a 2 time it is for her to get through!" "Maybe the 3 could be given to Susan," I thought to myself with 4 . But I only saw her in meetings, and we'd never had a private 5 . Wouldn't she think it 6 to receive something personal from an unfamiliar workmate?

Anyway, I asked Lori about the 7 of the hospital where Susan was having her operation. And I learned that Susan was well 8 . Friends and family were giving her best wishes. I put the shawl in a box, and sent it with a note, " I hope this brings you 9 ." I signed my name, unsure if Susan would even10 it.

I didn't mention it to anyone else at the office. Not even Lori. I was 11 to learn that Susan had told Lori about the shawl.

"She 12 it even when she went in for the operation," Lori said. "She didn't even let her husband touch it."

"I never expect she 13 my work so much," I said.

"It was not just about your handicraft (手工艺品). It was your message that cheered 14 up." Lori said smilingly. Then I realized my shawl 15 served a higher purpose.