Benjamin Banneker was born a few months before another great American—George Washington. Benjamin was black, but he was not a slave (奴隶). He and his mother and his grandmother were free. Benjamin's grandmother came from England. In America she got a job and worked for many years to pay for her boat trip across the ocean. After working many years, she saved enough money to buy a farm. Benjamin lived with her for a while. She taught him to read, write and do arithmetic (算术).

    Benjamin's neighbours knew that he was clever. They were not surprised when he built a large wooden clock. He made each piece after studying a small pocket watch. The clock made him famous, for it was one of the first clocks built in America. People from other places began to send hard problems of all kinds to Benjamin to settle.

    Thomas Jefferson heard of Benjamin Banneker's ability to settle hard problems. He asked Banneker to help build the city that was to be the capital of the United States—Washington, D.C. Banneker worked hard on the plans for the city. He marked where the streets and buildings—the Capitol (美国国会大厦), the White House, and many other places should be built.

    Later, L' Enfant, the Frenchman who had designed the new city, had a quarrel, and went back to France in anger. He took all of the plans away. The workmen couldn't build without any plans to follow.

    For a while it seemed that the plans for the capital might have to be changed, but Benjamin Banneker remembered the plans he had helped draw. He drew each again as he had built each piece of his clock.

    If it weren't for Benjamin Banneker, Washington,

    D.C might look very different from the way it does today.

There are some wonderful camps for kids from lower- income (低收入) families in Florida. Below are a few of these.

How to have good friends? Here are some tips for you.

Choosing Friends

Before you make friends, you have to decide who you want to be your friends. Most people like to have friends with the same interests. But that doesn't mean you have to be like each other. It's OK if you enjoy some of the same things.

Making Friends

●The quickest way to make friends is to smile. Remember that most people hate an angry face

●One easy way to star a conversation with someone is to say something nice. For example, you could talk about a great answer to a teacher's question,a good catch at the ball field and so on.

●Ask your new friends questions about themselves." Who's their favorite singer? Where do they live? What do they do after school?" are all good questions

●Be a friend. If you show an interest in other kids and are kind and friendly, you can make good friends.

Having Activities

It's always fun to play your favorite activities with you friends together. For example, inviting a friend to your house is a great way to make your friendship closer. Make sure the activities can be done together. You may both love playing computer games, but if one person is playing and the other has nothing to do but watch, it's not fun.

Friendship is an important part in our life, because friends make us happy and support us through hard times. If you are still waiting for your" friends", start with the tips above.

Disney's new film，Wish《星愿》，came out in Chinese mainland（大陆） cinemas on November 24，2023. It is a computer—animated（动画） musical film. It was produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film is written by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore and directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn. It celebrates the Disney company's 100th birthday. 

Wish is about a girl and the wishing star. In the film，17-year-old Asha makes a wish to the sky. Star answers her and gives her magic power. Together，Asha and Star must overcome the evil（邪恶）uprisings in Rosas. They fight for a better future for the people of Rosas. They try their best to save the country and make all people's dreams come true. 

Wish brings the idea of wishes from other Disney classics（经典作品） into one. The power of wishes and themes like hope touch audiences（观众） of all ages. Everyone has a wish in his or her heart，but in fact，stars can't make your wishes come true in real life. You have to do it yourself. Only the person himself or herself can really make something come true.