Years ago I worked at a factory in a small county. Every day I got up very early and often did much extra work at night.  I was so tired and exhausted. My whole life was hopeless. Then one day I read the following article from a magazine:

   “A woman went to live with her husband in camp on the Mojave Desert during the war. She simply hated the place: the heat was almost unbearable, 125 degrees in the shade, the wind blew incessantly, and there was sand--sand everywhere. Finally, in desperation(不顾一切地)she wrote her parents in Ohio that she couldnˈt stand it another minute and was coming home.

 Quickly came the reply by airmail from her father--just two lines:

  ‘Two men looked out  from prison bars. One saw the mud, the other saw stars.’

  The daughter did some real thinking, not only with the intellect (思维)but also with her heart. She decided to stick to her post. She made friends with the natives,  learned to love the country, and eventually wrote a book about it. The desert hadnˈt changed, but her attitude had. Because she listened with her heart to the words her  father sent, a whole new world opened up to her.”

   A change of attitude could change everything.

   After reading the article, I was deep in thought（陷入沉思）…

Friendship is something that everyone needs. Success is nothing without friends. You share life, happiness and sadness. A friend is someone you can depend on in a time of need and that can trust you with every secret he or she has.

   So what happens when a friendship of eight years is broken over something out of their control? Does that mean it was never a true friendship to begin with?

   My friend and I met in high school and have known each other for nearly eight years. What happened recently broke our lifelong friendship.

   This makes me think about what friendship really means. I always thought my friend and I could get through any argument, fight, or the sadness of life. We promised each other we'd always be friends, through thick and thin. We even joked about how we would sit in a circle and laugh at some jokes when we had grandchildren. We always laughed at every little thing.

   But then her grandfather passed away and suddenly our friendship was nothing. It happened so suddenly that I never found out about it until I discovered a note she had written on the interact. I was sad and hurt that she would post what I told her for other people to see. I understand that she was sad and wanted to vent (发泄) her sadness, but I wish she'd kept everything between us.

   I don't understand why she broke our friendship, and I don't think I ever will. I think friendship means we'll always forgive each other for our mistakes. I hope that finally I'll find that a true friend who will always be there for me, I there for her.

The teacher stood before his class of 30 students and hand out the final exam papers. “I know how hard you have all worked to prepare for this test.” he said, “And because I know you are all able to understand this material, I am ready to offer a “B” to anyone who would prefer not to take the test.”

   A number of students jumped up to thank the teacher and left the classroom. The teacher looked at the remaining students and said, “Does anyone else want to get a “B”? This is your last chance.” Two more students decided to go.

   Seven students stayed. The teacher then handed out the papers. There were only three sentences which were written on the paper：Congratulations! You have received an “A”. Keep believing in yourself.

   I never had a teacher who gave a test like that, but I think that it is a test that any teacher could and should give. Students who do not have confidence in what they have learned are “B” students at most.

   The same is true for students in real life. The “A” students are those who believe in what they are doing because they have learned from both success and failures. They have learned life’s lessons, whether from formal education or from events in their lives, and have become better people. Scientists say that by the age of eight, 80% of what we believe about ourselves has already been formed. You are a big kid now, and you realize that you have some limits. However, there is nothing you can’t do. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma said, “We do not conquer the mountain, but ourselves.”

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One day the son came to his father.”Dad, I can’t do this anymore. Those lessons only make me tired, and the result doesn’t change. It must be not suitable for me to play football and my dream will never come true.” said the son.

The father looked at his son with loving eyes.Here is what the father said.”You know son, every person in life has a dream, a goal of his life.They are the ones that make us do what we are doing because they are what we should do. We have to fight for what we believe in. The easiest way is to quit everything and not to go until the end because the path is difficult. We want everything to be easy.But the wishes are just wishes! This is how our dream dies, and the goal becomes unreachable.

But you only need to remember one thing: never give up, and fight for it.It doesn’t matter that you have lost one battle(战役)and even dozens of battles.Life goes on! Your biggest enemies are hiding in you---laziness,fear, doubt. Be warrior(勇士)of your dream, your goal and your wishes!

A group of graduates（毕业生） got together to visit their old university professor(教授).

The conversation soon turned into the stress(压力) in work and life. To offer his guests coffee, the professor went to the kichen and returned a large pot of coffee and all kinds of cups---porcelain(瓷器)，plastic, glass，some normal-looking, some expensive and some very nice---telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in their hands, the professor said,“As you have seen, all the nice-looking or expensive cups have been used, leaving behind the normal and cheap ones. Though it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the reason of your problems and stress.”

“What you really want is the coffee, not the cups, but you went for the best cups. And then you begin to compare each other’s cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and positions are the cups. Sometimes , we only pay attention to the cups and fail to enjoy the coffee. Taste the coffee, not the cups! Don’t let the cups control you. Enjoy the coffee instead.”

On my first day in America,I was excited, but nervous as well. My dear neighbor Susan helped me get used to my new life. She visited my new home with a home-made apple pie. She hugged me and said with a big smile,“Alice, I am sure you have never tasted a home-made apple pie before! You are going to love it so much!”To be honest, I was greatly surprised by this welcome from a stranger. And the apple pie made me feel at home.

Susan was very helpful to me. When I was thinking about what to wear on Halloween, she suggested I dress up like a traditional Chinese girl.“I happen to have a traditional Chinese dress and I think I am a great make-up artist!”she said. After an hour of hard work, she pushed me to the mirror to examine our work.The clothes were so beautiful and suited me fine! I was sure that I would stand out among so many people at Halloween. I thanked Susan for her help.

My first Thanksgiving was another highlight. On the festival morning, I was surprised to find a gift box in my front yard. There was a note on it:“Hello Alice, I am the Thanksgiving bunny! Enjoy your gift!”I looked around and caught Susan looking at me from the porch. Susan is such a lovely person.

I saw that the spirit of the Chinese saying, that“Neighbors carry more weight than distant relatives,”is alive and well in America. Susan filled my heart with warmth and joy, just as angels(天使) do.

With the development of technology, WiFi is becoming more and more popular and important in people’s daily life.But have you ever experienced it? Just imagine what life will be like if there is no Internet.Maybe you won’t be able to talk with friends, play video games or search for information for your homework on the Internet.But in fact,only one third of the world’s population are able to get information on the Internet.The rest are too poor to buy WiFi access(使用    权) or they live in remote areas.As a result, they live without the Internet.

  Google and Facebook, two world-famous technology companies, have decided to do something about it.Google’s Project Loon will try to send balloons which are 15 meters wide into our Earth’s stratosphere(平流层) in 2015.The balloons are made of a special material that is three times thicker than the plastic bag we use every day.Each balloon will carry a minicomputer and a WiFi radio.The WiFi radio will send the Internet over the areas it is floating over.Then people can get up-to-date information on weather or news.

Learning about the environment is very important. There are many good books that will help you learn. To get started, ask your teacher or a librarian for some suggestions. You can also look at some good websites(网站) with information about the environment and climate change. Climate change may be a big problem, but there are many little things we can do to make a difference.

Driving a car or using electricity is not wrong. We just have to be smart about it. Some people use less energy by carpooling. For example, four people can ride together in one car instead of driving four cars to work. Whenever we use electricity, we put greenhouse gases into the air. By turning off lights, the television and the computer when they aren’t needed, you can help a lot.

Don’t buy products that use too much energy. Some products, like certain cars, are made specially to save energy. These don’t pollute as much, either. Products like computers, TVs, and VCRs with the ENERGY STAR label(标签)R are made to save energy. Buying products with these labels will help protect the environment.

Buy recyclable products instead of (代替) non-recyclable ones. Recyclable products are usually made out of things that have already been used. It usually takes less energy to make recyclable products than to make new ones. So when you go shopping, look for the recycle mark on the package—three arrows that make a circle.The less energy we use, the better.

根据短文内容，选择正确答案。

  Many people like to travel by plane, but I don’t like it because an airport is usually far from the city. You have to get there early and wait for hours for the plane to take off and it is often late. On the plane you can’t open the windows or choose (选择) the food. Planes are fast, but it usually takes people hours to go out of the airport and into the city.

   I like traveling by train. I think trains are safe. Railway stations are usually in cities. When you are late for a train, you can catch another one. You can walk around in the train and open the windows. You can see many interesting things on your way. I know it takes a little more time.

   I also like cars. You can start your journey (旅行) whenever you want to, and you needn’t get to a railway station or a bus stop. Also you can carry many things with you in a car. But sometimes there are too many cars at rush hours (高峰期) on the road and you have to move very slowly.