The former(前任的)US president Barack Obama's wife,Michelle,made lots of changes after she became First Lady in 2009.One of1was the White House garden.She2it by herself.The garden has many kinds of fruit and3. The fresh fruit and vegetables are used in the White House garden.The garden is also a 4for US children because they would like treat healthy food and live a healthy life by knowing about the garden.
"My husband will tell you that one of the most common questions she gets5 other people is.How is your wife's garden?"Michelle said."And over the years this little garden has influenced (影响)lots of people across this country to start their 6 . "
The former First Lady was worried that the new president wouldn't7the garden any more.
But she doesn't have to 8 .The National Park Foundation(基金会)has raised$2.5 million.It will 9the garden growing for at least 17 years.
"This garden has taught us that10we have the courage(勇气)to plant something,"Michelle said."we can water it and invite friends to help us take care of it.We never know what might grow."
Dragon Boat Festival is 1. It is a holiday 2 a long history. We all have a 3 during Dragon Boat Festival. Because Dragon Boat Festival is a(n) 4 and interesting festival in China. It comes in the 5 lunar (农历) month around the middle June.
People celebrate it 6 many ways. One of them is to have dragon boat races. Dragon boats are 7 and special. More than ten people 8 on a boat. They often get everything ready 9 the race comes. They practice more because they want to have 10 results. Lots of people come to 11 and enjoy the race.
In some cities, it is a festival for the 12. Children 13red and yellow strings (线). With these, they think they will get away from the ghosts. Parents buy sweets and other delicious food 14 their children. They usually get together to 15 a big dinner on that day.
Mr. Black has a big shop in the city center. He tells all his employees (雇员) to be 1 to the buyers and he gets a lot of money.
One day an old woman went to the shop to buy a silk blouse. When she came 2of the shop with the blouse, she left her wallet in it. A girl3and found there were nearly five hundred dollars in it. She looked around and 4 saw it. She put it into her pocket 5. Soon the old woman came back to look for it, of course she 6 . That evening Mr. Black was told about it. He was very angry and sent the girl away. Then he decided to employ7 honest man to take her place. Several young 8 came, but none of them could satisfy him.
This morning a young man came into9 office. He asked, “Do you smoke, sir?”
“No, sir,” answered the young man.
“Do you drink?”
“No, sir.”
Mr. Black asked him the other questions, and the young man's answers satisfied him.10 he employed him, he asked him the last question, “You have no shortcoming(缺点), do you?”
“No, I don't, sir,” said the young man. “I only like telling lies (撒谎)”.
B
I'm Henry, from America. This is my first time in Japan. One day some new colleagues (同事) invited me to 1. At first, I was quite happy and learned to use chopsticks with them, but later 2 started.
That day, I had a 3. I felt uncomfortable with my nose, so I turned away from the table and blew (擤) my nose. My colleagues looked at me 4. They explained to me that in Japan, people don't blow their noses in public — especially at table.
When I was trying to stick my 5 in my bowl of rice, one of my colleagues said, “Don't do that. Just leave them on the table.” Later, I found that leaving your chopsticks in your rice means death 6 Japanese culture!
The next time I needed to blow my nose, I left the table and went to the toilet. 7 I returned, it was nearly time to leave. I noticed there were some small bowls with water in them on the table. It smelt good and I started 8 it before it got cold. Then I saw some of my colleagues cover their mouths. They were trying not to 9. “What's the matter?” I asked the colleague next to me.“It's for washing 10 fingers,” he said. For a moment, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Once a gentleman was traveling in a train. He felt 1 and got down at a station to look for some water. But when he got to the water tap, the train had started. He ran back but 2 the train.
It was getting late and he decided to spend the night at the station. The next morning he asked about the next 3. He came to know that the next train was on the other day. So he decided to find a place for a day's stay. It was getting 4 and he could not find a place near the station.
At last he reached a small village. He asked a villager 5 he could stay in his house for a night. The villager agreed. The villager cooked him food and 6 him a room to stay. But he did not ask for anything in return.
At seven in the evening, the gentleman heard a knock at the door. The villager opened the door. It was a7 man in black. He asked the man to pay his debts (债务).
The next morning, the gentleman 8 some money on the bed. When the villager found the money, he also found a note. It said: "You 9 me but didn't want any pay from me.
Yesterday I heard the conversation between you and the rich man. I knew that you were in need of 7 10. This is what you need."
It was a hot afternoon and Tom was feeling sleepy in his English class. It was a grammar lesson. He 1grammar. He wanted to leave school and work. Tom looked out of the 2. He looked at the trees and flowers. Then he started daydreaming.
After ten minutes the teacher stopped 3. He asked the students to do some grammar exercises. The students took 4their exercise books and pencils, and started writing. The teacher looked at Tom. He saw that he wasn't writing, so he said, "Why aren't you 5, Tom?"
"What, sir?" Tom said.
"6, don't have a daydream, Tom!" the teacher said, "Why aren't you writing?"
Tom thought for a moment and replied, "I aren't got a pencil."
The teacher looked at Tom and said, "You aren't got a pencil? You mean you don't 7a pencil?"
Tom didn't understand the English teacher, 8he said, "Sorry, sir."
The teacher said in a(n) 9voice, "I don't have a pencil. He doesn't have a pencil. She doesn't have a pencil. We don't have pencils. They don't have pencils. Tom, do you understand?"
Tom thought for a while and he said, "My goodness! What happened to all the 10, sir?"
One day, when Confucius(孔子) and his students were walking through a large forest, they 1 an old man standing under a tree, catching cicadas(蝉) with a bamboo stick. Confucius was 2and asked. "How could you catch the cicadas so easily? Do you have any special3 ?"
"Yes." the old man answered. "There are many cicadas in this forest. But it is difficult to catch them. The cicada is a4little insect. If they hear the noise of the leaves in the wind, they will fly away5Therefore, people who want to catch cicadas must 6their hands to hold a bamboo stick without shaking. If you can7three pellets (弹珠) on the top of the bamboo stick without falling off, catching cicadas is as8as picking a ball up from the ground. At the same time, I have to say one can 9make it without practicing again and again. "
He then added, "But that is not enough. People must be good at 10 themselves. Right now, I am standing under a tree like half of a tree stump(树桩), with my 11reaching out like part of a withered twig(枯萎的树枝). Last, one must be attentive(专注).12 I am catching cicadas, I only see the cicada's wings. No matter what happens, 13 will distract(使…分心) me."
Hearing this, Confucius 14 his students and said, "No matter what you do, you can only succeed if you love what you're doing and 15 it. This is what this old man has taught us. "
The Black family like to do things together. Each Saturday they1each other with the work.
Today Peter and Jean cleaned their2. They made the bed, swept the floor, cleaned the windows and took out the3. Then Jean put some beautiful flowers on the table. Dad went to the store to4food for next week. He knew about everyone's5food in the family. He was6he would make everyone glad. Mom washed the clothes of all the family. That made her tired,7happy. Then Jean helped Mom water the flowers in the8. Peter helped Dad fix his bike. Soon they finished9the work.
"Now we can have some fun," said Dad. "What will we do or10will we go?"
Everyone had an idea. They decided to ride bikes to the seaside. It is wonderful that the family like to work and play together.

I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch (牧场).He has let me use his ranch to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he told me his story. When he was young, his family is too 1 to have a house to live in. When he was in high school, he was asked to write a paper about 2 he wanted to be and do when he grew up. That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday 3 a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great 4 and he even drew a picture to show a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch. The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, "See me after class." Roberts went to see the teacher and asked, "Why did I receive an F?" His teacher said, "This is a(an) 5 dream for a young boy like you. Having a horse ranch requires a lot of money. There's no way you could ever do it." Then the teacher added, "If you will rewrite this paper with a more possible goal, I will reconsider your 6."
The boy went home and thought about it for a 7 and hard time. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, "Look, son, you have to 8 your own mind on this." Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no 9 at all. He told his teacher," You could keep the F and I will 10 keep my dream."
Monty tells me this story because I am sitting in his 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of his 200-acre horse ranch. He said kids' dreams can be stolen. Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.
I stood there listening to my father shout at top of his voice," 1one of you did this?" We all stared down at the step. There was child's handwriting in chalk there. Would he guess it was me? I was so 2. When he asked me, I lied, "Not me, Dad." The others denied (否认) it as well. Of course, we all knew that one of us 3 have done it. But as the youngest and smallest of the three, I just couldn't find the courage to tell the 4 .
To find out who had written on the 5 , Father gave us each a piece of paper and a pencil. "I want 6of you to write exactly what you see on the step." I tried my best to write the words 7 . I didn't want Dad to be able to tell it was me. He gathered up our pieces of paper and looked at them. "Since none of you will admit (承认) to have done it, then I will 8 you all." I stood there and said nothing. "I did it." My sister stepped forward and said she had done 9 she hadn't. She was grounded (被罚不准出门) for a month. I didn't tell my dad it was really me 10 many years later. I always felt sorry because of it. That was the last time I let anyone take the blame (承担责任) for me.
Four women lived in the same building and all of them were going to a party. They were 1about what dresses they would wear. They final decided to choose a dress that matched the hair colour of their own 2.
The first woman said, "I will go in red 3 my husband coloured his hair red."
4 this, the second woman said, "Well, I will5 black because the colour of my husband's hair is black."
The third woman also had a(n) 6, "Yes, then I would love to go in a 7 dress because my husband has yellow and blonde(金色的)hair!"
They all turned to the 8 woman, but she stayed quiet. So they asked her 9 she would wear." I am thinking very hard, but I can't 10 a right dress. It seems that I can't wear any dress. I use my husband is bald(秃头的)!" said the woman.
Hello, my friends! I'm back from my vacation. I went to a 1 with my parents. We 2 two weeks there. We lived in a hotel. Our room faced (面向) the sea, so we could see the sea at 3 time of day! There was a shopping street and many restaurants around. We bought many things and enjoyed lots of seafood (海味). I 4 something special for all of you.
The 5 in the hotel were nice. They always answered our questions 6 a smile (微笑). They were very friendly. We had many kinds of food and drinks for 7. They were 8, so I ate a lot every morning. The Happy Hour was waiting for us after we 9 from the beach! Everything was perfect (完美的). 10 I go to the beach next time, I will stay at that hotel again!
At Friday, my students and I went to a talk on health at health club. We went there by bus.
We listened to the 1 for more than two hours. There, the students learned how to eat and exercise. Everyone 2 they learned a lot. At about twelve, we had some delicious food in the restaurant of the 3. After lunch, it started to rain. We had to get on the 4. On our way back to school, I asked the students about their exercise and 5 habits. Here are the results.
Only twenty percent of students usually 6, and eighty percent like staying at home and watching TV. The answers 7 the questions about eating habits were also interesting. Most of them 8 eat. vegetables.(Good!) All the students always eat junk food. (Bad!) But 9 students drink coffee. (Great!)
Now they 10 to exercise more and eat more healthily. Now, after the talk, they all know some of their habits aren't good for their health.
The house was shaking. Mrs White felt as if(似乎) she was in a storm at the sea. She tried to go 1 to get the baby, but the house broke in two, so she could not 2 her baby. At that important moment , their dog jumped through the window into the baby's bed, carefully grabbed(抢夺) the baby in his 3 and jumped out of the bed quickly to the corner of the room. Seconds later, the bed fell down and crashed(碰撞) to the first floor ,but the dog with the baby was safe leaning( 倚靠) against the walls. Mrs White was very frightened. She 4 the police immediately. Half an hour later, the police arrived. They 5 to the second floor with a ladder(梯子) and got the baby and the dog down. Mrs White was very thankful to her dog because it saved her baby. It is 6 that a dog is man's best friend.
Carl was an old carpenter(木匠). He was known for using wood and other materials to make furniture, even houses. But he was tired of his job. He thought he was too old to work and ready to retire(退休). His boss was1 to see the good worker go. He asked the carpenter 2 he could build just one more house. The carpenter said yes, 3 his mind was not on his work at all.
He used poor materials and worked on the house 4.When the carpenter finished his work, the boss 5 the front-door key to him, "This is your house," he said, "A 6 for you."
What a 7! What a shame! If he had known he was building his 8house, he would have done it differently. Now he had to live in the house he had poorly built.
9it is with us. We do many things in an absent minded way, reacting rather than acting, willing to finish them less than the best. Sometimes at important points we do not try our best to build our 10 .Then with a shame we look at the situation we have 11 . We find that we are now living in the house we have poorly built. If we had realized it, we should have done it with our whole heart. But we don't have a 12to make it all over again.
Think of 13 as the carpenter. Think about your life. Build it 14 It is the only life you will ever build because life is a do-it-yourself project.
Your life today is the 15 of your attitudes and choices you made in the past. Your life tomorrow will be that of your attitudes and choices you make today.
My friends and I joined a two-day survival (生存) training course in the mountains. The first day was really1—there was so much to do! Arriving at the campsite, we were divided into groups and given a tent, some food, a2and a compass (指南针). Standing next to a small river, Fanny 3camping in the grassy area nearby. However, our instructor, Mr. Lee, pointed out that it might flood (淹没) if it rained. In the end, we found a4area. Putting up the tent was very hard.5Mr. Lee helped us a lot.
By the time we had put up the tent,6was really hungry. "We wouldn't have got this hungry if we had brought some snacks." Peter said. We all told him to7complaining(抱怨) and help us start a fire to cook our food8. Realizing we were having trouble making the fire, he finally 9.
The next day started early. Woken by a strange noise. Peter went to see what was 10." Some cows have eaten our breakfast!" he shouted. "That's all because you didn't11the food properly last night." said Mr. Lee.
Worried that Mr. Lee was angry with us, we tried very hard on our next12-using the map and compass to find a secret location. We made it to the location13the other groups did. We all felt very proud of 14.
The survival training course was a great15. Now I feel I could survive anywhere!
Einstein often 1 invitations to explain his theories(学说) at different universities. On these trips, his driver Hans often said to him, "It's a pleasure to drive a genius like you, Dr Einstein."
One evening, on their way to a university, Einstein said, "I'm so 2. I wish I could avoid(避免) giving my lecture tonight, Hans, but I don't want to let my audience 3."
"I know what to do," said Hans. "I can give the lecture for you. You can 4 me. I've listened to your lecture so many times that I've learnt it by heart. 5 knows you at this university, so they won't find out."
So, they changed places. At the university, Hans was 6 the front of the hall. Einstein took a seat, listened to Hans give his lecture without difficulty, and joined in the applause at the end.
7, before Hans left, a man shouted, "I'd like to ask you a question." He then asked a question so 8 that Hans had no idea what he was talking about.
Einstein turned pale. "Oh no!" he thought. "Now we're in trouble." But Hans just9 and said, "That's such an easy question that even my driver can answer it. Hans, please…"
Einstein stood up and answered the question perfectly.
They left the university, with Einstein driving. A little later, Hans offered to drive. "No," laughed Einstein. "It's a pleasure to drive a 10 like you, Hans."
I shared with many of my friends about the story happened to me.
Twenty years ago, I drove a 1 for a living. One night I went to 2 up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived there, I walked to the door and knocked.
"Just a minute,"3 a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. An 4 man in his eighties stood before me. By his side was a small suitcase.
When we got into the taxi, he gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through the downtown?"
"It's not the5 way," I answered quickly.
"Oh, I'm in no hurry," he said. "I'm 6 my way to a hospice (晚期病人护理所). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long.”
I 7 reached over and shut off the meter (计时器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. He showed me the 8 where he had once worked and the building where his friends had worked.
Sometimes he'd ask me 9in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, without saying anything.
In the early morning, he suddenly said, "I'm 10. Let's go now." We drove 11 to the address he had given me.
"How much do I pay you?" he asked.
"12 . It's just like my short tour of downtown." I said. " 13 you have to make a living," he answered.
"Oh, there are other 14 ," I answered.
Almost without thinking, I gave him a hug. He held on to me and said, "You gave an old man a little moment of 15 ."