Last year I was given a chance to work in another country--England. At first, I lived a 1 life, but soon I met a new friend Mark and we were really nice.

Then something 2 happened. Mark suffered from kidney stones (肾结石), which had to 3 as soon as possible. But it was not as simple as that! Mark could not 4 the operation (手术). I didn't know how to help him because I didn't have any money, either. 5, I didn't lose hope. Instead, I tried to think of other 6 and told him not to worry.

    Before leaving the hospital, I asked the doctor to do the operation and promised to 7 the cost the next day. Well, the doctor must have believed in8I said because he agreed to do it! But how was I going to get the money?

Although it could be 9, I decided to do something. I tried to borrow money but failed. I tried 10 my things but no one wanted them. Then I had the idea of talking to my 11. I asked him if I could have my next two months' salary (工资) in advance— without even thinking on how I would live for two months with no money. He was surprised at first, but after having been told the reason he 12 agreed!

    Upon getting the money, I ran to the hospital and paid all the bills. Mark, with tears in his eyes, didn't know how to thank me. We realized the true meaning of 13.

    Friendship may not only be found at the happy moment but sometimes in the 14 time of your life! I've done a good thing15 being a supportive friend and I think it is well worth the effort.

    I was eleven years old, standing outside when I watched the house that I grew up in burn to the ground. A few minutes earlier, I was asleep in my nice, warm bed.

My grandmother's bedroom was just next to mine and my brother's. A fire had broken out there and awakened her first. While I stumbled (蹒跚) around in the smoke and darkness, my brother ran from room to room quickly, waking everyone in the house. The house, however, was over 50 years old and made of wood. Before we could do anything, the fire burned it out. Luckily, we all ran outside before the fire took hold of every room.

    I stood there, shivering while the fire burned my books, clothes, and toys. I watched helplessly while my mom cried. I wondered what was going to happen to us now that we had lost all of our things.

    As I looked around, though, I realized something for the first time: The things that matter aren't things. I saw my elder brother running to get help. I saw my grandmother and dad hugging together. I realized at that moment that we were all alive. Everything that was important survived (生存) the fire. Our lives would continue. We would survive without the things that were burning. We would all be around to love each other for many years to come. And that was all that mattered.

    I still think of that fire in the night that helped me to become who I am today. It helped me to learn that the love we share is far more important than the things we have. Love others. Help everyone. Let the fire inside of you make this world a warmer place.

On Thursday, scientists in Indonesia announced the discovery of a special frog (青蛙) that has no lungs (肺) and takes breath through its skin. Researchers believe that the little animal could provide some information about how environment can cause some animals to change so greatly over time.

The frog was found by a scientific research team in a faraway part of Indonesia last summer. And the team was led by David Bickford, a biologist at the National University of Singapore. The special animal is the world's first known lungless frog species (物种). Only a few amphibians have been found lungless. "These are about the most ancient and bizarre frog you can get on the earth." Bickford says.

Frogs' living environment has been polluted by chemicals from farming. And the team believes it's possible that the frog may have changed in order to move fast, and stay alive in the cold and oxygen-poor rivers in which it lives. The team adds that this "extreme change" was probably necessary to make the frog lose the ability to float (漂浮). That way, it could avoid being swept down the mountain rivers.

Scientists say that the new discovery has made it more important to protect the frog's river living environment. In the last few years, illegal (非法的) tree cutting and gold mining have caused the once-clean waters to turn brown with pollution.

"The gold mining is completely illegal and small size," Bickford says. "But when there are thousands of them on the river, it really has a great influence. Very soon the frog will be out of the river."

    Eating out is such a pleasure ― the food, the wine, the joy of having it all brought to you by someone else ― that it's a pity to ruin (毁掉) the experience by sharing it with other people.

    ‚Well, I do like visiting restaurants with friends. But dining out alone has its own very special advantages. For a start you can give all your attention to the food. There's nothing worse than having to show your own opinion on school league tables or Sanchez's move to Manchester United, and listen to everyone else's opinions, when all you really want is to enjoy the dinner.

    ƒA second great thing about eating out alone is the chance to connect food with one of life's other true pleasures: reading. You have to plan this carefully: Indian or Chinese restaurants are the best ― you need food you can eat with just one hand, leaving the other free to hold your reading material.

    „But perhaps the biggest advantage of a table for one is the chance it gives to people ― watching. Restaurants and the different reasons for visiting them ― first date, business meeting, night out with friends ― produce surprising and different human behavior. Will the man selling his business idea get any joy out of his possible investor (投资者)? Will the married couple think of anything to say to each other before their main courses arrive?

    …This "human zoo" part of eating out alone is one of the reasons I hate to be famous: everyone would be watching you, so you wouldn't be able to watch them. The snooker player Steve Davis says this was one of the strangest consequences (后果) of becoming well-known: he got very worried about his eating in public, almost to the level of doubting whether he was "doing it right."

    †So next time you're considering your eating out choices, remember the advice of the businessman Nubar Gulbenkian: "The best number for a dinner party is two ― myself and a super head waiter."

"Have you ever seen the scene of Los Angeles at 4:00 a.m.? I see often, because I have been starting training at that time." The words said by Kobe Bryant, one of the most famous basketball players in the world, have inspired plenty of people around the world. However, on        (一月) 26, Kobe Bryant, the 41-year-old famous NBA player, died in a terrible accident. The news of his death is especially shocking and        (广泛地) reported. Following his death, people from all works of life show their love and        (表达) their pity to the late basketball superstar--not just for his        (成功) on the court, but also his inspiration he has given to us.

In the basketball world, Kobe Bryant is among the top players of all time. He       (加入) the NBA directly from high school. He played his whole 20-year career with the Los Angeles and helped the team        (赢得) five NBA championships. He was fast with great        (力量), which earned him the nickname Black Mamba, one of the most deadly       (蛇) in the world. That's why his competitive philosophy (哲学) is known as the "Mamba Mentality".

    Off the court, Kobe Bryant was known as an excellent businessman and a        (骄傲的) father of four daughters.

    The fact that Kobe Bryant is no longer with us is sad. We'll        (绝不) see him play in another game. But the work he has done will keep inspiring us years after his death.

    The Taj Mahal (泰姬陵) is a love story, a sad and beautiful one. If it didn't exist (存在), we would        (easy) imagine that the story of its building was simply a fairy tale. Three hundred years ago, there lived        Indian emperor called Shah Jahan. His wife was a beautiful and bright woman        he loved greatly. Her title was Mumtazl Mahal: its shortened form Taj Mahal, means "pride of the palace". In the year 1630 this beloved wife of the emperor died. He was so brokenhearted        he even didn't want to be the emperor any more. To remember his wife, he decided to build        (great) tomb (坟墓) that had ever been seen for her.

    He called up the best artists and workers        India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was complete. It took more than 18 years        (build) the Taj Mahan. The building stands on a marble platform 29 meters square and 6-7 meters high.        (tower) rise from each of the four corners. The Mahal        (it) rises another 61 meters into the air. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble. Since the Taj Mahal was built, it        (become) one of the most popular places in the world. Every year, it interests thousands of tourists to visit it.

A Beautiful Moment

    When I was in high school, I worked part-time helping Dad sell fruits and vegetables at a market.        He was about eight years old, and the girl, five or six. They were looking at the fruits in front of me. I heard the kids say to their mom (in French), "They're good!" I knew it was French. Because I can speak and understand it.

           At first, I thought she was really looking at the fruits because she was facing them. But then I noticed how much she had to feel and smell each one as she picked them out. And often asked her son if it looked okay, but looked way above where his face was. Putting what I saw together, I was sure she was blind.

           The son made sure the fruits were not obviously bad, and the daughter handed them to her mom. The woman then felt each one and smiled, and the daughter would put them into their basket. The kids were smiling while helping their mom pick the fruits out.

           It was so beautiful to see such young kids so gladly help. Most kids that age would be picking out candies or toys in a store for themselves, instead of helping their mom pick out fruits as the two kids did.

    It was great to witness (见证) the moment, but not so great because I didn't tell the mom how beautiful her children were in their language.       

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Dear Jack,

    Thanks for your letter.

Yours,

Liu Yu