—Thank you.

she friend?

—___. I have to study for tomorrow's test.

Humans should    animals.

    Pictures are falling off the wall. Lights are waving. Bed is shaking. Everything is moving. What's going on? It's an earthquake.

    Earthquakes are horrible disasters (灾难) and some of them are destructive (毁灭性的). The top layer of the earth is made up of huge pieces of rock. They move past each other all the time along fault lines (裂纹线). But sometimes two pieces get stuck together. When they finally move away from each other, they move suddenly. And this makes the land above them shake. This is the most common cause of earthquakes.

    During a small earthquake, you will feel a little shaking. But during a strong one, you will be thrown about. A strong earthquake is very horrible. Cracks will appear on the ground and windows and doors will break. Buildings will even fall down. So watch out! If an earthquake happens at sea, it can make big waves called "tsunamis" (海啸). When these waves reach land, they can destroy villages.

    Earthquakes are measured (测量) on a scale (等级) of 0-9. It is called the Richter scale. A size 9 earthquake is the strongest and most dangerous. Since 1900, more than two million people have died in earthquakes. In 1976, a size 7.8 earthquake hit Tangshan, China. It killed more than 240,000 people!

    Many earthquakes happened in China, so it is important for us to know what to do when an earthquake hits. Here are some tips on how to stay safe in an earthquake.

    Indoors

    Hide under a desk or bed. Stay away from windows and anything that could fall on you.

    Do not get into a lift during an earthquake! When an earthquake has ended, stay under the desk until it is really safe to get up.

    Open a window and get out of the building quickly if the gas line in your house is broke.

    Outdoors

    Move away from buildings and street lights.

    Do not run outside if you are in a shop and far from the door.

    Make sure you wear shoes after an earthquake. There may be broken glass on the ground.

My mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body was. When I was young, I thought  was very important to us humans, so I said, "My ears, Mommy." She said, "No. Many people are deaf. You can keep  about it, and I will ask you again.

Several years , and she asked me again. This time I told her, "Mommy, sight is very important to  so I'm sure it must be our eyes." She looked at me and told me, "You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct, because there are many people who are ."

Over the years, mom asked me some more times and her answer was, "No, but you are getting smarter every year, my child."

Then last year, my grandpa died. Everybody was crying. My mom looked at me when it was our turn to say goodbye to Grandpa. She asked me, "Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?"

I was shocked when she asked me. I always thought it was a game between her and me. She said, "This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived  life." I saw her eyes were filled with tears. She said, "My dear, the most important body part is your ."

I asked, "Is it because it holds up our head?" She replied, "No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one  he cries. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends. Then you will have a shoulder to cry on when you need it."

A: Hello! My name is Lisa.

B: Hi! I'm Gina. Nice to meet you!

A: Nice to meet you, too!

B: I'm 13. What about you?

A: I'm 13, too.

B:

A: On May 2nd. And yours?

B: My birthday is on October 19th.

A: Oh, it's October 19th today.

B: Thank you, I want to have a birthday party tonight.

A: Sure!

B: At 7:30.