Sometimes the easiest way to get somewhere is on the back of a bike.

More and more people are using cars in many places in Africa today. However, things are     18     in Malawi. Bikes are the most popular in this African country.

Bike riding is a way of life in Malawi. People use them to carry heavy things. They also use bikes to carry people,     19     tourists. These years, taking a “bicycle taxi” to travel around Malawi has become quite popular among tourists from all over the world.

If you go to Malawi, you will find a lot of bike taxis waiting on the     20     of the roads.

The riders make the bikes comfortable for passengers to sit on. You can jump on a bike taxi and     21     at a very low cost.

Alice is a 21-year-old student from Canada. She enjoys the special bike riding a lot. I really like the bike taxi, she says. It’s easy and     22    . Alice usually pays just $1 for going shopping in town.

Prana was a beautiful dog whose name means“breath of life”. Although he died several years ago. I can still remember the days we spent together and what he taught me.

I have two apple trees in the garden. Prana loved apples. When he went outside, he’d catch an apple and take it into the house to eat later. The apples had been on the ground and were often dirty so I wasn’t always happy that Prana had brought them into the house.

It was an autumn day in Britain. but it was very cold.A big snow fell and we had not done anything for its coming.On that special day, Prana went outside and I watched him through the window. I noticed that he was madly digging holes and bringing the apples to the ground so they could be seen above the snow. I did not know why he was doing this. He seemed to want to do something special.

When I called him back, he had his usual one apple in his mouth. About five minutes later, I looked outside. The garden was completely covered with birds. Prana had dug up all those apples for his bird friends to eat. He knew that they wouldn’t have stored enough food for the coming winter!

My little brother Bobby falls in love with cartoons these days. When he’s watching his favourite cartoon shows, it becomes really ________ to move him from his seat. After watching his favourite shows, he tells the characters (角色) and stories to me. He ________ asks me to watch them with him. When watching cartoon, he doesn’t cry or ask for anything, because he concentrates on them. ________ do kids love cartoons so much? Let us find out.

First, most of the cartoon shows become quite popular ________ they help children to learn many things. They can bring funny and interesting things to kids. Second, the color, voice, and the story of their favourite characters can attract the children’s interest. The sound effects (音效) of the cartoon play an important role. Kids can always sing the songs of their favourite cartoon shows. Third, cartoons create (创造) a ________ for kids. These have nothing to do with the problems of real life. Children love the super powers that the cartoon characters have. Also, the main cartoon characters can always ________ all problems and the good people can beat the bad ones. Most of the stories always have a happy ending.

Maybe you are an average (普通的) student. You may think you will never be a t    48     student.

However, anyone can become a better student, here’s how:

1. Plan your time c    49    . When you plan your week, you should make a list of things that you have to do. First, your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Don’t forget to set aside (留出) enough time for entertainment. A weekly timetable may not work out all your problems, but it will make you know what is happening to your time.

2. Find a good p    50     to study. Look around the house for a good study area. No games, radios, or television! When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

3. Make good use of your time in class. Listen to everything the teacher says in class. Really listening in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you r    51     what the teacher says.

4. Develop a good attitude (态度) about tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you command your new knowledge. The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test, so don’t be too s    52    .

5. You may find many other ways a    53     you have tried these.

A cactus (仙人掌) stood all alone in the desert. It sighed,“I can’t offer shade or juicy fruit to any passing travelers. I can’t see that I have any use for others. I wish I could do something useful.”

By day, birds circled high over its head.

“What can I do for you?” the cactus called. The birds flew away.

At night, the moon moved in the sky, looking at it coldly.

A lizard (蜥蜴) passed by, leaving a little trail (痕迹) in the sand with its tail.

What can I do for you? the cactus called.

“You?” the lizard laughed. “You can’t do anything! The birds circle overhead, leaving beautiful forms for us all to admire. The moon hangs high like a lantern at night, so we can see our way home. Even I have something to do. I decorate the desert with these beautiful trails as I pull my tail along. But you can do nothing.”

As time went on, the cactus grew old, and it knew that its time was short. It cried out, “Forgive me! I have tried, but I failed to find something to do.”

But just then, a beautiful flower opened from the cactus’ head like a crown.

The desert had never seen such a flower before. It brought a happiness to all those who passed by. The butterflies stopped to admire its beauty, and that night even the moon smiled when it rose to find such a beautiful flower.

With tears in its eyes. the cactus said to itself: ________.