Ray was thought to be a strange boy. One day when he was flying his kite, he said to himself," Did anybody ever try to fly a kite at night? I think it must be very fun. But the kite can't be seen in the dark. What if I tie a light to it? That would be really good. I {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(try) it tonight."

As soon as it was dark, he {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(take) his kite and lantern, and went to a large field about a mile from his home. He tied the lantern to the tail of his kite. The lantern {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(make) of paper. The kite flew higher and higher. He tied the string (线)to a tree, and then he stood there, staring at his kite. It floated (飘) high up into the air. How wonderful! While Ray {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(enjoy) his special kite, some people in the village also saw it.

"Look! A light{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (fly) in the sky," one person said. "It can't be a light," said a man.

"Perhaps it's a big firefly (萤火虫) ,"said another,

"Maybe it's a comet (彗星),"said another man.

"How strange!" said a boy.

"Let's find out what this strange light{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (be)," the last one said. Then they went to the field.

Ray, who had gotten tired of standing, was sitting behind a tree. He{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (see) the men as they came, but they didn't see him. When they reached under the light, and saw what it was, they looked at each other and said, "There is nothing unusual {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(happen)! This is just a trick of some naughty boys, but it {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (fool) us all.

Let's keep the secret. "Then they laughed and went back to the village. When the men had gone, Ray thought it was time for him {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(go), so he went home, too. When his mother heard what he had done, she hardly knew whether to laugh or scold (责备), but just told him to go to bed.

Smart, Social Animals

Recently, researchers have found that dolphins know their own names much like people. Dolphins talk to one another with whistles (口哨) and calls. Scientists have known that the animals also use unusual whistles to name each other. They had thought that dolphins only heard each other's voices. However, the scientists didn't know that dolphins listen for their names too. 

To test this idea, the researchers caught 14 dolphins and recorded their name calls. The scientists then copied each dolphin's voice. When the changed recordings were played, the dolphins replied strongly to the names of their relatives and close group members. They paid no attention to the names of dolphins they did not know. 

Dolphins live in large groups that grow and change. Each dolphin's unusual whistle helps it quickly find a friend or a family member, or call for help. Understanding their calls requires learning. It's a skill that's seen in very few animals, which include humans, elephants and bats. 

Elephants, for example, communicate with sounds. Their sounds can be heard by other elephants miles away. Dolphins, too, communicate with each other by making sounds like this. 

Elephants also communicate by moving their head, feet and trunk. In much the same way, dolphins communicate through their movements. They often touch each other to express friendship. 

Unlike dolphins, elephants also communicate through their great sense of smell. They can recognize other elephants through the smells they have. 

Why do dolphins and elephants share the gift of communication? Scientists think it may be because they are social and smart animals. Both have strong family relationship. Now, whether they also have nicknames is another question! 

Hello, everyone. I come from Zhejiang. I live in a beautiful town here. Would you like to learn something about my hometown? The name of my hometown is Wuzhen. It has a history of about 7,000 years. Wuzhen is Well-known（出名的）for its history and culture. And it is one of the most popular water towns in China. The old stone bridge, stone roads and houses make the town look very beautiful. The old canal（运河）runs through it. You can see some shops and restaurants along the canal. There are many tourist attractions（旅游景点）in the town. Xizha and Dongzha are two beautiful places in Wuzhen. Many people feel relaxed when they come here. In Xizha, some houses are hundreds of years old. But many people still live in some of them now. The colors of many old houses are grey and white. There are free buses and boats running between Dongzha and Xizha. And it only takes about 10 minutes if you want to walk between the two places. There are all kinds of historical sites（历史遗迹）, workshops, and relaxing places in Wuzhen. Come to my hometown and I believe you'll love it. 

Martin Strel is a swimmer, who is best known for swimming the big rivers. Martin holds Guinness World Records for swimming the Danube River, the Mississippi River, the Yangtze River and the Amazon River. 

Of all his achievements (成就), the greatest is his Amazon River swim: The Amazon is one of the largest and most dangerous rivers in the world. Many swimmers failed to swim it. Martin decided to make history and show the world that people could achieve their dreams with hard work and perseverance (毅力). 

On 8th April 2007, Martin completed his Amazon River swim all the way. He spent 67 days swimming about 3, 274 miles in total. His hard work and perseverance at last bore fruit. He became a big shot as well as a worldwide hero. 

Many people still cannot believe what he has done so far and they describe him as"the Craziest Man in the World". In 2009, American filmmakers produced a documentary called Big River Man. And the book, The Man Who Swam the Amazon, has been sold in many countries. The story of Martin's perseverance and hard work has encouraged many people. 

Does Martin swim for money? That's not the truth. Instead, he wants to teach people about the importance of keeping water clean. Martin has always been looking for the challenges of the impossible. What is his next?

There are four seasons in a year in the city. 

Spring is from March to May. The weather is sunny and warm. The temperature is from 5 to 18 {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Everything begins to grow. It's a good time to go on a field trip. 

Summer is {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the hottest but wettest. In the southeast, there are many showers. And sometimes, in the morning the sun shines, but in the afternoon, it might {#blank#}3{#/blank#} cloudy and rainy. There are storms sometimes. So, people often take an umbrella. But in the northwest, it's dry and hot. 

Autumn comes in September. Best of all, the weather is not too cold or too hot. It's the best time to travel.

I like winter best compared to the other seasons. I'm not {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. I like it because it's snowy. I can make a snowman,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} and ski. It's also pleasant(令人愉快的) for me to take photos of snow with my new phone. 

 Love is everywhere. In February, 2024, Wang Yang and his family in Guazhou, Gansu, did something {#blank#}1{#/blank#}( well).

 On {#blank#}2{#/blank#} evening of 17th February, many people got stranded (被困) in Guazhou because of the heavy snow. Wang and his family wanted {#blank#}3{#/blank#}( help) those in need.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}( one), Wang and his family welcomed three people from Xu Weiming's family.   They were from Hubei {#blank#}5{#/blank#} they wanted to go to Xinjiang. Next, they welcomed Pei Jing' s family from Xinjiang. There {#blank#}6{#/blank#}( be) four people. Then, they welcomed four people from Huo Ningning's family. One of {#blank#}7{#/blank#}( they) was only seven months old.

 At 3 p. m. on 18th February, the three {#blank#}8{#/blank#}( family) said goodbye to Wang's family. And they thanked them {#blank#}9{#/blank#} their help. "It is not easy being outside. As long as I can help, I will do it. It is like {#blank#}10{#/blank#}( have) some relatives during the Spring Festival," said Wang.