When Justin Tong was a child, other kids felt sorry for him. His parents always had him doing lots of housework such as carrying out the rubbish and sending newspapers. But when he grew up, he was better off than his childhood friends and lived a happier and healthier life.

This is the finding of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456 children in London. It showed that the children who had worked hard in childhood had a richer and a happier future. "Children who worked in the home or community gained competence(能力) and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society," said Daniel Brown, the psychologist(心理学家) who made the discovery. "And because they felt good about themselves, others felt good about them."

Brown's study followed these children in great detail. Interviews were repeated at ages 25, 31 and 47. Under Brown, the researchers compared the children's mental-health scores with their childhood-activity scores. Points were awarded for part-time jobs, housework, effort in school, and ability to deal with problems.

    Working at any age is important. Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility, independence, confidence and competence — the underpinnings (基础) of emotional health. They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals. The most competent adults are those who know how to do this.

    Yet work isn't everything. As Tolstoy once said, "One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work."

    Grace is my pen friend. She is a 13-year-old English girl. What's her school life like? Now let's get to know something about the school life in England.

    •Study

    Most students take the school bus to school. Some go to school by train. When they arrive at their classrooms, they put their homework in a box. Then one student will take it to the teachers' office.

    •Lunch

    Students often have lunch at school. The lunch time is usually from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. They can have free school lunch. They don't have to pay for it.

    •Uniforms

    Students often wear uniforms at school. On their uniforms, you can see the school logo(校徽). They think uniforms are important. When they go on a school trip, they all look the same. So students may not get lost. What's more, students don't need to worry about what to wear every day. Their parents don't have to buy expensive clothes for them, either.

    Lin Hong is my new friend. Her father has a shop near the factory. The {#blank#}1{#/blank#} /θIŋz/ in his shop are all nice. And his family are kind {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the workers. So they like to buy {#blank#}3{#/blank#}/'sʌmθIŋ/ there. It's Saturday today. Lin Hong doesn't go to school. She knows her father is busy, so she gets up early. She does her homework and then goes to the shop to help her father. There {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(be) many people in it. She sells(卖) bananas, apples, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (orange) and drinks to the workers. A car stops(停) in front of the shop. The {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (drive) comes in and buys some hamburgers and then goes away. Lin Hong finds his bag on the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} /flɔː(r)/. She runs out, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} she can't see his car. "I know Mr. Yang. We can take {#blank#}9{#/blank#} bag to him this evening," says Mr. Lin. It's nine and the shop is closed(关闭的). Lin Hong and her father go to Mr. Yang's home. The man and his family thank {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(they) very much.

    XBOX 360 Kinetic, RoboSapien, WiiParty, theseare just a few of the modern toys sold in recent years. But some of the most populartoys are actually quite old.

Gameshave been around for thousands of years. In 4000 B. C, Babylonians played a boardgame that was similar to chess. Yo-yos made of stone were first used in ancientGreece around 1000 B C. And kites appeared in China around the same time.

    Another famous game is Scrabble. It was inventedby an architect in the 1930s, but it didn't get popular until 1953 And since then,more than 100 million sets have been sold worldwide.

    As you can imagine, toys and games are a multi-billion-dollarindustry. Mr. Potato Head, the first toy advertised on TV, grossed more than $4million in its first year. Play-Doh made its inventor Joseph McVicker a millionaireby his 27th birthday, while Mattel sells 1. 5 million Barbie dolls each week (that'stwo dolls each second!).

    Some toys go out of fashion, but then becomepopular again, such as Rubik's Cube. Research says parents are increasingly choosingto buy toys they remember from their own childhood.

    These days, toys are not just for fun. RoboSapienis a remote-controlled robot that was launched in 2004. He can walk, turn aroundand do other poses. RoboSapien was designed by Mark Tilden, who once created robotsfor NASA space missions. He expected the toy to be used mostly by and scientists,but almost 2 million RoboSapiens have been sold worldwide since its launch as atoy?

    Fancy a game anyone?

Dear Mom,

Today is Sunday. I don't go {#blank#}1{#/blank#} school. I stay at home. So I can {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (write) to you now. Every day, I go to school {#blank#}3{#/blank#} seven thirty in the morning. We have four {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (lesson) in the morning. We read {#blank#}5{#/blank#} write in Chinese at school.

There are fifty-five students in my class. Four of {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (they) are Americans. The other students are {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (China). Chinese people are friendly. Now I have some Chinese {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (friend). My classmates {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (be) all my friends. They teach {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (I) Chinese. I can speak a little Chinese now. Please don't worry about me.

Yours,
Kate