My good friend

    Today,roller skating (滑旱冰)is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1743, peoplenever tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named John JosephMerlin. Merlin's work was making instruments. In his free time he liked to playthe violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called hima dreamer.

    One dayMerlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleasedand a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think.He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin hadan idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skateinto the room.

    Merlintried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put twowheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin wasvery proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into theroom while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be verysurprised.

    On thenight of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyonewas really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no wayto stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with alleyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke intomany pieces with a very loud noise. But nobody forgot Merlin's wonderfulentrance after that.

Do you always care about studying and getting "A" grades in school? But in the United States, you might be considered (被认为) a bookworm if you cannot socialize (交际). Socializing is as important as your grade. If you just study all the time and don't socialize, your life won't be wonderful. So, how does one socialize with students in the US?

Lots of high schools often have soccer games during the autumn term. I didn't know anything about soccer, but I joined some of the soccer games in order to have fun with my friends. I thought I could learn the rules from others. However, to my surprise, some American students don't even know the rules but still go to the games in order to socialize. They cheer for the soccer players and have fun together.

The other common way to socialize is to join after-school clubs. You can choose clubs that you are interested in and make a lot of new friends. For example, one of my friends started a sketch (素描) club. I was interested in sketching. So I joined it. We soon became friends with each other.

Socializing is an important thing in the US. But grades are still important, too. An excellent student should have the ability to balance (平衡) his or her studying and socializing.

Nowadays, protecting our environment has become an important topic for us. All of us live in one world. We are making waste every minute. When we finish reading a newspaper, the paper will become waste. When TV sets or computers are broken, they will become waste, too. Among all the waste we make, plastic(塑料的) bags and rubber（橡胶） stand out and catch people's attention. 

Plastic bags are often used in our everyday life. The number of used plastic bags is going up day by day. We like to use them because they are convenient (便利的). When we get home, we throw the plastic bags away as waste. These are called "white pollution" as most plastics are white. Rubber  is also common (常见的) in our daily life. Many things we use are made of rubber, just like the bottom part of our shoes. However, it also brings us some trouble. The rubber waste pollutes the environment very badly because it can't break down easily in nature - it will not change for a long time.

To solve the problems above, we should take action at once. For example, when we go shopping, we can bring cloth bags but not plastic ones. And we should do something to recycle (循环使用) rubber. Our small actions can make a difference and lead to a better future.

Niger, in central Africa, is a country with very little rain. 80% of people have no running water at home. So water is very important in {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (people) life, but sometimes it means that kids don't do {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (good) at school.

Children often have to travel far to find water {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the family. Sani, 11, gets water in the morning and {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (be) usually late for school. "Some of the other children are {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (luck)," he says. "They don't have to get water. So they learn {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (quickly) than me." One girl, Badjeba, says, "Yesterday, I got up at 4:30 to get water. Then I took it home and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (walk) to school. I was really tired, so I fell asleep in the lessons."

In one classroom, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} old teacher asks: "How many of you were late today {#blank#}9{#/blank#} you had to get water?" And about 90% of the kids put their hand up. {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (They) families send them to get water-school is important, but water is life.

Some kids love computer games and spend too much time on them. They often hear Mom or Dad shout at them, "Enough! Turn off the computer and find some other things to do!"

Their parents are right. Why? If you' re always playing computer games, you won't get enough exercise, so you may become fat. And if you spend too much time playing computer games, you'll have less time to make friends or do your homework. What's more, if you play computer games often, you may get angry easily and fight with others often.

But here's the good news: Playing computer games for a short time can be OK. Just choose(选择) some good games and spend no more than one hour a day. Play the games for your age. You can play with your mom, dad or even your grandma together. It's a good way to relax.