When I was eight years old, my mother told me to put my coat on because we were going to go somewhere1. Usually, that meant we were going to see someone important. I would at least get a new toy. I asked which one it would be that day, and she told me that I would get something 2than a toy. She said I would get "access（通道）to a world of toys." I had no real idea what she meant. Did that mean we were buying a toy 3?

    But we did not end up at any toy store. Neither did we finally see anyone we knew.

    4, mother pulled her car into a parking lot in front of a building that looked like something out of the past. It didn't have a modern5at all.

    We took stone steps up to the entrance. Only then I found out what this place was, because there was a sign that 6"Marcy Public Library". We pushed the door open, and my mother led me to the front desk. "I'd like to get my daughter a library card", she told the man7the desk. He asked her to fill out a form. "What kind of books do you like to read?" he asked. I was too shy to 8. I only smiled. "Well, you'll find it out in time," he said. I do not remember9I picked out that day, but I know that in the years that followed I read through books on history, books of poetry, and books about art. The library opened up a world that I 10knew that day.

    So my mother was right. Getting a library card was like getting the access to a world of toys.

    When I was five, I had cancer ( 癌 症). My family learned about an organization that provided photography (摄影) classes to kids 1   cancer. I took the classes and learned how to 2a camera and how to take photos in different lighting situations. Taking photos made me 3about being sick for a while.

    At first, most of my photos were of4little dog, Charlie. I took pictures of him sleeping or playing. I also took pictures of 5 like flowers, trees and rivers. I 6 took photos of a little mouse once.

    Last year, I got invited to be a photographer on the red carpet (地毯) of  a big show in Los Angeles. I was so excited 7I could take photos of famous people. It was my first time to get close to them! It felt 8.

    Being a photographer and taking photos makes me feel happy. Now I want to 9what I have learned with other kids. I can't wait to pass on everything I've learned about photography and make other 10feel great, too.

    A new report showswhat life might be like in 100 years from now. Experts on space and architecture(建筑),and city planners gave their ideas on life in 2116. Twenty－fiveyears ago, we could not imagine how greatly the Internet would change our lives.Now the Internet hasrevolutionized the way we communicate and learn. Theysaid the changes in the next century would be even more unbelievable.

    The way we live,work and play will be totally different from today. There will be many tall buildings,underwater cities, and holidays in space. People will work at home and have virtual(虚拟的)work meetings. People will have 3D printers to "print"everything they need at home, such as food, clothes and so on. There will also beless need for doctors. Our home health robot will tell us what the problem is andgive us treatment. We will also go into space for holidays and get resources thatwe have used up on the Earth. Researchers interviewed 2，000adults about the predictions, and most of them thought they were most likely tohappen!

Christie lives far from her high school. She travels 50 minutes on the train to get there from her house. Christie has many ways to pass the time when she is on the train to and from her school. She can do one of the following:

◆Read 25 pages in a novel.   ◆Do 2m ath exercises.

◆Write a letter to a friend. ◆Sleep for 50 minutes.

Christie never sleeps on the train on Friday mornings, because she has tests that day, and she likes to study on the train. She often writes to three different friends. She sends them each letters about twice a month. If Christie reads a novel on the way to school, she won't read it on the way home.

Have you ever been to Xitang Water Town?

Xitang Water Town is a small ancient town on water. It is in Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province, China. Xitang is famous for its bridges. alleys(小巷) and sheltered corridors(廊). 

Nine rivers run through Xitang, dividing it into eight parts, with stone bridges, quiet streets, and corridors. The bridges of Xitang date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

Through a bird's-eye view of the whole town, green waves are everywhere and every family lives near water. In the morning, water

runs under bridges; thin mist(薄雾) is like silk: pink walls on both banks stand tall and houses are reflected(反射) in the water. In the evening, the setting sun shines softly and songs come from fishing boats. The whole old town is like a poem and a picture. It is hard to know that it's people in the picture or the picture in the heart of people. 

 ▲ 

Xitang enjoys convenient transportation. Visitors who travel to Xitang usually need to go to Shanghai or Hangzhou first, then go to Xitang from there. 

From Shanghai: Traveller s may take direct buses from Shanghai South Long- distance Bus Station or Shanghai Tour Bus Centre to get there. 

From Hangzhou: You may take direct buses from Hangzhou Jiubao Bus Centre Station to get there. 

It is recommended to spend a whole day to visit the water town.

My brother Claudio is one of the people I love most. He is wise and always {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(help), taking care of our younger sister Sarah and me. The day when he left home to go to college, I was taught the {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(important) of being a man. 

It was a rainy Saturday morning in August. We were woken up by Sarah who enjoyed{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(play) the piano in the morning. In the kitchen, there was {#blank#}4{#/blank#} surprise for Claudio — his favourite pancakes. 

Mum gave us a big smile and told us{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(sit) down for breakfast. 

While we were eating breakfast, Claudio went upstairs to collect his things. I {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(sudden) heard him calling me. When I walked{#blank#}7{#/blank#} the room we shared, I found Claudio sitting at my bedside. "It's time, brother, " he said. I thought he was saying that it was time for him to leave,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} in fact he told me that I should take on a bigger role in the family from then on. He said I should be more {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (use) to Mum than before after he left. 

I thought about his words very{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (careful) and then understood many things. That day I learnt about family, love and duty.