We each have a memory(记忆力). That’s why we can still remember things after a long time. Some people have very good memories and they can easily learn many things by heart(心), but some people can only remember things when they say or do them again and again. Many of the great men of the world have got surprising memories.

A good memory is a great help in learning a language（语言）. Everybody learns his mother language when he is a small child. He hears the sounds, remembers them and then he learns to speak. Some children are living with their parents in foreign（外国的）countries. They can learn two languages as easily as one because they hear, remember and speak two languages every day. In school it is not so easy to learn a foreign language because the pupils（学生）have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too.

But your memory will become better and better when you do more and more exercises.

Once upon a time，there lived a good woodcutter. He was a man who cared for his parents with all of his heart. But he was poor. He used to go to the forest to cut down trees.

One day, while he was looking for a tree to cut down, he decided to cut down a tree that was near a lake. While he was cutting down a tree, his old axe(斧头) fell into the lake by mistake. He said to himself, “Oh my God. If I donˈt have my axe, I canˈt cut down trees and then I will not be able to make any money. How will I take care of my parents?”  He felt very sad because he lost his only axe.

At that time, the god of the mountains appeared from the Lake and asked "Why are you sad?”    “I am a woodcutter, and when I was cutting down the tree, my axe fell into the lake. If I donˈt have my axe, I won’t be able to make any money” he answered.

"I am willing to bring you your axe.” said the god of the mountains. The god of the mountains disappeared. The god soon appeared with a gold axe. He asked,  “Is this gold axe yours?” “No it isnˈt.” he answered.

The god disappeared again. He came back with a silver(银色的）axe.

He asked, “Is this silver axe yours?”

The woodcutter answered, “No it isnˈt.”

He asked, “Then is this old metal(金属） axe yours?”

The woodcutter answered, ”Yes. Itˈs mine.”

The God of the mountains said with a smile, “ I can see that you are telling the truth. Iˈll give you the gold axe and the silver axe besides your own one. The God gave him all three axes. The woodcutter and his parents lived happily ever after.

We can enjoy a two-day weekend every week. Maybe two days are too short, but we can try to plan the time well. Here are some ideas.

★Get up early.

The weekend is not only a time to sleep in. Some of us get up for lunch! That’s too bad. You can have more free time if you get up early.

★Do the homework early.

We have to spend much time on our homework. You can feel better if you do your homework early. You can do homework on Saturday morning. And then you can play well. I often do my homework on Saturday morning, so I don’t have to worry about it on Saturdays or Sundays.

★Go out for fun.

Think about what you like to do. Plan a sports activity like playing football in the park. You can also visit a museum, a zoo or a park.

We have some helpful people in our community centre. Please look at the information about them below.

Peter was an English boy. His hobby was collecting stamps. He had stamps from many countries. Peter’s favorite stamp came from France. He had every French edition (版本) from 1960 to 2004 except a 1974 special edition stamp. It was very hard to find. He looked for it everywhere even in stores, at street markets and on the Internet. He asked his friends and relatives to help him. But nobody could find the stamp. It made Peter very sad.

“Don’t worry. Please have patience (耐心),” his father said to him. “You’ll find it someday.”

“I hope so,” Peter said.

Peter also liked making friends. He had a pen friend named Victor who was in France. They wrote to each other every month. Victor knew Peter liked collecting stamps. One day Victor’s mother Laura gave him an old French stamp. It was a big, green one. He used it to post a letter to Peter.

As soon as Peter received the letter, he looked carefully at the stamp. He was very amazed to see that it was the 1974 special edition stamp.

Peter was too happy! He told the good news to his sister and his parents.

“You see,” his father said, “you did find your stamp in the end. So you know, it’s good to have two things in life.”

“What are they?” Peter asked.

“Friends and patience,” his father answered.

Do you know about the following great ladies? They not only make great achievements in different fields but also make a difference to the world. Girls, if you are looking for role models, these great ladies may encourage you in some ways.

The giant panda

Population    in the wild: about 1,600

Appearance   Weigh at birth: about 100—200 grams

             Adult weight: about 100—150 kilograms

             Colour: black and white

   A giant panda is a kind of bear. It has a white face with black patches around its eyes. It also has black ears, shoulders and legs. The rest of its body is white.

   Pandas live high up in the mountains of Central and Western China. They live in the bamboo. In zoos, their menu includes bamboo, apples and carrots. A giant panda can eat as much as 30 kilograms of bamboo a day.

   Pandas like to live on their own. They need to eat a lot stay healthy, so they spend more than 12 hours a day eating. Although they are big and heavy, it is not difficult for them to climb trees. They are strong enough to protect themselves.

   Pandas live for about 20 years in the wild, but in zoos they can live for up to 35 years.

   People are cutting down forests, so the pandas are losing their homes. Some people are killing them for their fur. It is cruel of them to do so. There are not many pandas in the world now. It is important for us to protect them.

①Pandas are killed by some cruel people.

②pandas can’t protect themselves

③Some people damage the forests.

④pandas only live for about 20 years

Have you ever heard of e-waste(电子垃圾), which can be produced every day? How do you deal with your computers, MP4 players and mobile phones when they’re broken or you want a new one?

Most people just throw them away. With the development of electronic industry(电子产业), e-waste pollution has become a serious problem. According to the United Nations, in2014, people around the world produced 41.8million tons(吨) of e-waste and only recycled 6.5 millions tons. The US the biggest waster, producing 7.1 million tons. China came second, with 6 million tons.

   It’s important to pay attention to e-waste. It can either be valuable or harmful, depending on how we deal with it. E-waste is a valuable urban mine(城市矿藏). The value of the metals, like gold and silver in the waste around the world, is surprising. And the metals can be reused. But if people throw them away, the toxic chemicals（有毒化学物质）can get into the earth or air, affecting  the environment and people’s health.

Apple, for example, now recycle people’s used products in China when they are buying new ones. The company will test and repair the used ones and sell them at lower prices. To help reduce e-waste, we can buy longer lasting electronic products. If you have unwanted electronics, find a new home for them. You can also take computers and phones to see if companies offer recycling programs.