It's March, 2050. Frank and Mary Smith wake up in their comfortable house in the morning and turn on the bedroom computer to get the latest news. They get used to reading The Times over the years. The only difference is that they changed to electronic newspapers many years ago.

    After breakfast, as they watch the screen, Mary orders the household robot to make coffee for them. Frank is a computer engineer, working for several companies. He goes into the study to take part in a video conference with his partners around the world.

    Mary takes a quick look at the shopping channels at home before beginning the video call to talk to her assistant. She also has a job and she is doing medical researches.

    Frank and Mary have one daughter, Louise, who also has her own work station at home. She goes to school only one day a week, mainly to play with other students. Louise is studying Chinese at present. Chinese has become an important language in the world.

    According to the family doctor, Louise will live to at least 130 years old. Her wish is to work for a few decades(十年)and then spend her time on music and painting.

An old farmer lived with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was always up early to read. One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! What good does reading do?"

Grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out(漏出) before he got back home. Grandpa laughed, "You'll have to move a little faster next time." This time the boy ran faster, but again the same took place. It was an impossible task.

The old man said, "You're just not trying hard enough." So the boy tried a third time and failed. He said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless? Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had turned from a dirty coal basket into a clean one inside and outside.

"You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read, you will be changed, inside and outside."

My name is Frank. I'm going to have a yard sale(庭院旧货出售) this Sunday. Are there any old clothes, books or other things in your room? lf you don't know what to do with them, you can have a yard sale like me. 

To make a yard sale, I need to plan it very well. Here is my plan. I'm going to group(分类) the old things first. And next I'm going to put them in some boxes. I think it's important to put the price tag(价格标签) on each thing. And I also want to ask my mum and sister to help me. I'm sure they are happy to do that. 

Welcome to my yard sale! 

It was our school's yearly dancing show. I  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) excited that the teacher chose me this time although I didn't have any experience of dancing for a show. I would dance in front of all the students and  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(teacher). It made me very proud(感到自豪的).

However, I was a bit sad  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}my father had no time to watch me dance. He had a business meeting that day. I knew that my father would surely come to my show if he could.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (lucky), my mother and my elder sister came to watch the show. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}the start of the day, I was very nervous. After putting on the dress and getting my make-up done, I felt much  {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(calm). Then I went on to the stage bravely. I was very glad to see my mother and sister sitting in  {#blank#}7{#/blank#}second row. Just before the lights turned dark, I saw my father rush into the hall and take the seat beside my mother.

 {#blank#}8{#/blank#}a pleasant surprise it was! The sight of my father made  {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(I) smile.

I began  {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(dance) confidently. I was so happy and lucky to have my family's support.

Art class was over,but Sarah sat glued to her chair.She didn't draw anything.Sarah's teacher looked at the blank paper.

"Ah! A polar bear in a snowstorm,"she said.

"Very funny!"said Sarah."I just CAN'T draw!"

Her teacher smiled."Just draw something and see where it takes you."

Sarah grabbed a marker and gave the paper a good,strongjab(戳)."There!"

Her teacher then studied the paper carefully."Hmmm."She pushed the paper toward Sarah and said,"Now  sign(签名)it."

Sarah thought for a moment."Well,maybe I can't draw,but I CAN sign my name."

The next week,when Sarah walked into art class,she was surprised to see what was hanging above her teacher's desk.It was the little dot she had drawn-HER DOT!All framed (装裱)in gold!

"Hmmph!I can make a better dot than THAT!"She opened her never-before-used set of watercolors and set to work.

She painted and painted.

A yellow dot.

A green dot.

A red dot

A blue dot

The blue mixed with the red.She found out that she could make a purple dot.Sarah kept experimenting,creating lots of little dots in many colors.

"If I can make little dots,I can make big dots,too!"Sarah splashed her colors with a bigger brush on bigger paper to make bigger dots.

At the school art show a few weeks later,people loved Sarah's many dots.She found a little boy gazing up at her

"You are really a great artist.I wish I could draw,"he said.

"I bet you can,"said Sarah.

 "ME?No,not me.I can't draw a straight(直的)line with a ruler."

Sarah smiled.She handed the boy a blank sheet of paper."Show me."The boy's pencil shook (发抖)as he drew his line.

Sarah stared at the boy's squiggle(波浪线).And then she said…"Please,sign it."

 Hi, I'm Tom. I have a pencil box. It's my good friend. It's from my mom. What's in the pencil box? My ruler is in it. It's blue and red. That is a pencil. It is black and white. It's not my pencil. It's Cindy's. She likes black and white. You can see a green pen and an eraser in it, too. The pen isn't mine. I found it in the classroom this morning. It's Tim's. His name is on it. He isn't at school now. The nice eraser is my sister Linda's.