Winter holiday is coming, time to read something just for fun. You might soon find yourself holding your breath as you turn the pages of a frightening story, or browsing (浏览) the latest novel on your new e-reader. For those of you who want to try some reading in English, but have no idea of what to choose from thousands of choices, we'd like to offer the following books to help you out.

    The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet By Reif Larsen

    T.S. Spivet is a smart 12-year-old boy who maps everything, including faces, the dinner table and the geography of his home state of Montana (US). After seeing his work, a famous scientific organization invites Spivet to be a speaker at an important event, without knowing the boy's age.

    The Housekeeper and the Professor By Yoko Ogawa

    Because of an accident, the math professor's short-term memory lasts only 80 minutes, so his house keeper must reintroduce herself each morning when she arrives. With the help of numbers, finally the two are able to develop a relationship across the 80-minute time.

    Escape to America By Tetsuo Fukuyama

    Fukuyama decided to leave his homeland and experiment with a completely different lifestyle: living in New York City. This story of how the writer's courage and determination helped him survive in difficult conditions will encourage readers to find their own happiness.

    Talk to the Hand By Lynne Tru

    When did the world get to be so rude? When did society become so inconsiderate (不为他人着想的)? Being rude has become a point of pride for some. Talk to the Hand is a call for politeness.

    Oct.15th was International White Cane Safety Day. You may have never heard of it, but it was a day to remember for Peng Baier, 17, of Nanjing Foreign Language School. After school that day, he visited his local Disabled Persons' Federation (残疾人联合会). He wanted to know about the sales and feedback (反馈) of his newly published book, How to Help a Disabled Person.

    Since he lives with his disabled grandparents, he understands that life can be hard for this group of people. Peng decided to write the book because he wanted to create a better life for disabled people in China.

    “Crossing the street is a big problem for them,” Peng said. “Speeding cars, people walking in a hurry, bikes on the sidewalk for the blind - accidents can happen everywhere. That's why we hardly ever see disabled people on the street, even though there are millions of disabled people in China.”

    Peng's book with pictures is easy to understand. It is a guide to the right and wrong ways to treat disabled people. The left-hand pages show the reader the right way; the right-hand pages point out mistakes that are commonly made.

    The teenager had 2,000 copies of his book printed. With the help of the Disabled Persons' Federation, he gave them to the disabled community.

    “The book is bilingual, so foreigners can also use it,” said Peng.

    Peng put great effort into the book. For example, he interviewed many disabled people to get first hand materials. He also studied textbooks from different schools for the disabled. Peng finally completed his handbook, but he still had the problem of getting it printed.

    How does a high school student raise money needed for that?

    With a smile, Peng said how he went about it. “I visited three local companies, dressed up in a suit and tie. I was lucky. The companies were warm-hearted and willing to give me a hand.”

    Never before have Chinese Internet users so openly liked and supported a Japanese athlete as they have loved table tennis star Ai Fukuhara (福原爱), better known by her Japanese nickname “Ai-Chan”.

    But they may now feel heartbroken, as the 29-year-old said on Oct.21 that she would retire (退役) from the sport. I've found the answers within myself that I have been searching for. From the standpoint ( 立场) of an athlete, I'm drawing the line here," Fukuhara wrote on her blog.

    After she started playing table tennis at 3 years old, Fukuhara was seen as a child gifted at the sport. Being trained in China at a very young age, Fukuhara can speak fluent Mandarin, with a northeastern accent.

    If her deep-rooted connection with China is one thing that has won the hearts of Chinese fans, her character is another. She always shows her real self to the public without hiding her feelings. She laughs in games when she wins, and cries when she loses. The fact that she often cries when she gets upset has earned her the nickname “Crybaby Ai-Chan” in China.

    Although she was beaten by a long line of Chinese players, Fukuhara always tries her best when playing her favorite sport. Yet, she also knows that now is the best time to close the curtain on her successful career. It's hard to say goodbye to a long journey but as Fukuhara once said on a reality TV show, “Life is not all about table tennis. Instead, it is just part of life.”

    As for her future plans, Fukuhara wrote that she would like to help more people around the world get to know the beauty of the sport.

    US Space Agency Returns to Mars with InSight Lander

    The American space agency's lander InSight is to arrive on Mars at the end of November, 2018. Unlike NASA's Curiosity rover, InSight will not move across the planet's surface. Instead it will become the first spacecraft (航天器) used only for exploring underground. It will study the geography of Mars, searching for signs of Martian (火星的) quakes.

    InSight is a project of U.S. and Europe. It is 6 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. It weighs 360kilograms. InSight's 1 .8 -meter robotic arm will put two experiments in place. Both are designed toexplore underground of Mars to learn about the inside.

    Bruce Banerdt is the lead scientist for InSight. He viewed the spacecraft as a robot that can take care of itself. "It's got its own brain. It's got an arm. It can listen and feel things. It pulls its own power out of the sun," he noted.

    Thomas Zurbuchen, one of the heads in NASA, said the results of the InSight project could "change the way we think about the inside of our earth." But, first, InSight will have to land on Mars undamaged. Since Mars exploration started in the 1960s, only about 40 percent of the explorations have succeeded.

    Tom Hoffman is InSight's project manager. He said earlier successes do not lessen the concerns for each new exploration. "That we ve done it before doesn't mean we're not nervous and excited about doing it again," he said.

    InSight will enter the Martian atmosphere (大气层) traveling at 19,800 kilometers an hour. It will slow for landing on a wide flat area on Mars. If all goes well, InSight could carry out its experiments in about 10 weeks. The InSight project is expected to continue for one Martian year, about two years on Earth.

    Staying focused (专注) can help you complete studying for a test or your work an hour early. There are various practical steps to help you focus better.

          Whether you're doing work in your office or studying at home, having a clean spacecan help you focus and get your work done with more attention. Remove what can attract you from your work or the task.

    Make a to-do list. If you list all the things to do, however small, you will feel more successful when you check those items off your list.      

    Give yourself a certain time for each task. Managing your time goes hand in hand with your to do list. Write down how long it'll take you to finish each task on the list. For example, you could write: "Go over the notes: 30 minutes. Do the homework: 2 hours.       "Then, try to complete each task within each given time.

    Make time for breaks during the day. You should take at least a 5-10 minute break for every hour of work, or a 3-5 minute break for every half an hour of work.       Take breaks in a .place where you won't be troubled, so that you can relax your mind.       Sometimes you can also look out of the window, take a short walk outside, or just walk up a few stairs. These short breaks will make you more energetic to return to your work.

A. Setting a goal will do good to you.

B. Organize your workspace.

C. It's not easy to get yourself better focused.

D. Prepare for the new lesson: 25 minutes.

E. You may regularly get up during your breaks.

F. This will also keep you focused on one task at a time.

G A break will prepare your mind for the next task ahead.

    Five years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington DC. I saw many 1 nation treasures, and I also saw many poor 2like beggars and homeless folks. Standing outside the museum, I heard a3behind me, “Can you help me?” When I 4around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hands extended (伸着). I 5into my pocket, took out the 6and placed them in her hand without even looking 7her. I hated being troubled by a beggar when I was8 seeing people and things around. But to my 9 ， the blind woman smiled and said,“ I don't need your money. I just need your 10 to find the post office. I soon realized I had11another person for what I thought she had to be.

    This experience made me feel bad about myself.12, in my own life, I have also 13many acts of prejudice (偏见). When I worked as a busboy at the age of 17, I heard a father tell his son that he would14like me if he didn't work harder. I should have15the treatment and known what it is like. But now living a good life as a network engineer, it's too easy to forget my16 , to forget who I am and where I have been, and to ignore 17I want to go. The blind woman cured me of my18 . She made me realize that I should always stay humble (谦卑的) and keep my eyes and heart19.

    By the way, I helped that lady to get to the post office. I20 hope to thank her for the priceless lesson she gave me.

I am very             your help.

             , they sent him a troop of their best soldiers.

Once she has              her mind, nothing can change it.

There is no             the boxes were then put on a train.

They can understand each other             they don't speak the same language,

1）学习计划:巩固复习、完成作业、阅读名著；

2）其它活动:分担家务、走亲访友、志愿服务。

注意：

1）词数100词左右；

2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3）开头已为你写好。

Dear Peter,

    I'm glad that you're interested in my plan for the coming winter vacation.

Yours,

Li Hua