I'm not much of a crier most of the time. But {#blank#}1{#/blank#} when I was reading a book on a plane, I started crying. Of course, it came as a big surprise when tears came up, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't {#blank#}2{#/blank#} myself.

    Oh no, not this now. I thought to myself. But even as the thought entered my brain. I felt the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} hot drop of salty water coming down my face. I put my head down, hoping that I could go on reading.

    In fact, the harder I tried, the more tears pushed their way out of my eyes. You could guess how surprised the man next to me looked.

    My head {#blank#}4{#/blank#} in shame. He must think I was crazy. Maybe I could turn towards him, hold up the cover of the book and say in my crying voice. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just a really good book!" But I didn't, say anything. Instead, I just put my head back against the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} and let the tears run. Do you know what decision I made while I was crying? My decision was that it was OK if he thought I was crazy. I preferred to be crazy instead of being the kind of person who wouldn't cry when the situation called for it, or who wouldn't let {#blank#}6{#/blank#} feel anything at all.

    I've been that girl who has spent so much time trying to make sure people didn't think f was crazy. But now I don't want to be that girl any more —that bored and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} girl. I'd rather {#blank#}8{#/blank#} this girl who is able to forgive (原谅), love and act, even if it means being disappointed or being hurt again and again.

Every Saturday evening, many people come to an open square in a small town in Xi' an. They want to watch Chen Kun and his friends put on a play. During the play, the audience （观众） can hear them, but they can not see them. That is because they are putting on a shadow puppet play （皮影戏）.

Shadow puppets are made of hard leather （皮革）. The leather is cut out in the shape of a person, an animal or an object. Each puppet is painted in bright colours and put on a stick. Some puppets have movable arms and legs.

During a shadow puppet play, Chen stands behind a white screen with lights behind it. The audience sit in front of the screen. Chen and his friends hold the puppets very close to the screen so the audience can see the puppets' shadows clearly. Then they move the puppets around and do the voices of the different characters.

Shadow puppet plays are a traditional Chinese art. Now with TV and films, shadow puppet plays are not as popular as before. To encourage more young people to learn the skills of shadow puppet plays, Chen provides training courses for students to teach them how to make shadow puppets.

Chen and his friends often work very hard for little money, but they do not mind. They want to keep this traditional art form alive.

Suggested questions:(1) When will you have your birthday party?(2) Who will you invite to your birthday party?(3) What will you do at your birthday party?(4) Where will you have it?

Do you know Kate Smith? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} She is English. Her family are in China now.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Her mother is an English teacher in that school, too. Her brother David is a student in our school. He is learning Chinese. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They like China. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In this photo, her parents are on the sofa. David is in his room.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} She is in her room.

The population of the world continues to increase, but in some areas the population is falling. 

This is true in Europe and especially in Eastern Europe. In Russia, the population is going down by about 100 people every hour!

One of the main reasons is a change of lifestyle (生活方式). Most young people, especially educated women, have a different idea on children compared with their parents. "I have one child and she is enough for me," said Linda, a doctor from Russia. "My husband and I both work full- time. We can't imagine having more than one child." Many women decide to have children later in life or not to have children at all. "I don't want to have any children until I have worked for at least 10 years," said Sally from England. Her opinion is typical (典型的) in Europe. 

In Poland, the population is going down for a different reason. A lot of young people are leaving the country to work abroad. Poland joined the European Union in 2004 and since then more than half a million people have moved to Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy. Even so, the population of those four countries and many other countries in West Europe is also going down. 

Many governments are now encouraging people to have larger families. In France, women can receive nearly $1,000 a month for a year if they have a third child. Austrian women receive about $700 a month for three years when they have their first child. 

How do you feel when you have to make a speech in front of class? What about when you go to a birthday party? Do you get really shy?

Shyness means feeling worried or afraid when you're around other people. Experts (专家) have found that more than 80 percent of middle school students feel afraid to be the center of attention (注意). Some kids are born shy. Some become shy later because of their life experiences (经历).

It's OK if it takes you a minute to feel yourself again when you go to a new place or meet new people. In fact, everybody gets a little shy sometimes. It's just a problem of how much.

Most people have red faces and talk in broken language when they get shy. But some become so shy that they won't go to a restaurant because they are too nervous to order and pay for their food. Some are afraid of meeting new people, so they hardly go outside. This kind of shyness can be bad for a person.

If shyness doesn't stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn't a very big problem. Some experts say shy people are cleverer because they think more and talk less. Shy people are also good at working with others because they think more for other people. Some great people in history were shy, too.

You see, being shy isn't all bad. But remember not to let good chances pass by just because of it! If you have to sing a song at a birthday party or practice your spoken English in front of others, just do it! There's nothing to be afraid of.