It was winter. Everything in Happy Valley was under snow. Kids at different ages were making a snowman in the park. They were ______ and always had fun together. Julia brought her dad’s hat for the snowman. Robert got a ______ for the nose. Laura used two shiny little stones to be the eyes. Peter found two sticks to be the arms. The Smith brothers made two snowballs to form the head and body. With the work of ______, a cute snowman appeared.

Julia said the snowman should have a ______. The kids couldn’t decide on a good one, for everyone wanted to make the decision. “I should be the one to give him a name. ______ the sticks I picked, the snowman would have no arms,” shouted Peter. “But I got the carrot for his nose. How ugly he would look if he doesn’t have a nose!” said Robert. Soon the conversation turned into a big ______. The kids didn’t complete their work, and walked away _____ with what they had brought. With no eyes, nose or arms, the snowman was nothing but a terrible memory.

Days passed, the laughter disappeared in the park. The kids felt bored and lonely. The parents got ______. They met and made a plan about ______ to bring the kids together again. The next day, all the kids got a message, telling them there was ______ special at the park.

They hurried to ______ what it was, but they didn’t talk to each other on the way because of the snowman. When they arrived, the kids found a note on the snowman which read, “Dear kids, my heart ______ when Happy Valley isn’t what it was like. Although I’m sad and have no name, I would like to see my happy kids.”

The note melted the ice in all kids’ hearts. They felt sorry because of what they had done and began to ______ the snowman again. Finally, a much cuter snowman stood there. They all agreed to call him “Mr. Warm heart” ______ he was made of snow. They became better friends and felt ______ in the cold winter. Happy Valley got cheerful laughter back.

How do you usually sleep, on the back or on your side? Here are some interesting sleeping positions.

	Starfish Starfish is when you lie on your back and sleep with your arms lifted up near your head. According to studies, only 5% of people sleep like this. It often causes lower back pain. You can place something soft under your knees if you have lower back pain. You will feel more comfortable this way.
	Soldier Position This sleeping position is kind of strange, but very common. It’s when you sleep on your back with your arms down and very close to your body. Studies have shown that people who sleep like this may be quieter when they are sleeping. It is actually a good sleeping position, as it helps keep your spine in a straight line.
	Sleeping on Your Belly Do you like to sleep on your belly, but often experience problems? Although many people like to sleep in this way, it’s unhealthy to sleep in this position for a long time. It can make your neck uncomfortable. But if this is how you like to sleep, you might think of using a very soft cooling pillow to keep your neck comfortable.
	Freefall If this sleeping position is not familiar to you, you should know that at least 7% of the world’s population sleep that way. In this position, you have your hands on or around your pillow, with your head turned to one side. But it may create a twist in the neck. Some studies suggest that generally you’re an active person if you like to sleep in this position.

Most of us learn how to ride a bike when we were kids. But as we grow older, many of us stop riding and put away those once-beloved bikes somewhere. Years later, when we get on the bikes, we can still ride very well, just like we never stopped biking.

It’s surprising, right? Our memories let us down at many other moments, such as remembering the name of a person who we once knew. So why can we ride a bike when we haven’t practised for so many years? There are two kinds of long-time memories in our brains: declarative and procedural.

Declarative memories is the memory about facts and experience. It includes things like remembering difficult words and long phone number. Its extraction often need the help of consciousness. Take this for an example, when being asked about your travelling experiences of the last summer vacation, you need to put in a lot of mental effort to recall the details of the trip.

Declarative memory is what schools try to teach students. It’s easy to put it into words. Also, it’s natural to forget it without practicing from time to time. Scientists make good use of them when doing researches.

Procedural memory, on the other hand, is about how to perform skills. It’s mostly unconscious—that is, we can do   it without putting in much attention. Playing the piano and swimming are both examples of it. When we perform a skill over and over again, it becomes part of us.

Procedural memory, different from declarative memory, is often difficult to explain. If someone asked you how you drive a car, you might not be able to say it clearly and completely. However, if they asked you about the way to your house, you would probably be able to say it out quickly and easily.

The police officer Otchumyelov was walking across the market square. Suddenly, a shouting broke the silence. “So you bit me, you stupid brute. Biting is not allowed today!”

Otchumyelov looked towards where the sound came from and saw a workman holding a dog and showing a bleeding finger to others. Soon many people came.

“What is it all about?” Otchumyelov asked “why are you showing us your finger?”

“I was walking along here, your honour.” The workman began. “Suddenly this low brute for no reason bit my finger...I am a working man. I shall not be able to use this finger for a week or more...”

“Hmm, a sad story...” said Otchumyelov seriously. “Whose dog is it? I won’t let this pass!”

“I guess it’s General’s.” said someone.

“General’s? Hmm...Let me take off my coat...it’s too hot!” Otchumyelov questioned, “But there’s one thing I still can’t understand. How this little dog came to bite your finger?”

“The workman put a cigarette in the dog’s face, sir. I guess she bit him because she hurt a lot.”A fisherman shouted.

“That’s a lie! Sir Otchumyelov is a wise gentleman, and he will see who is telling lies.” said the workman.

“Don’t argue!”

“No, that’s not the General’s dog.” a voice came from the people around, feeling like very sure.

“I know it, too! Our General has valuable dogs, but it is just a low brute. We won’t let this thing pass!” said Otchumyelov.

“But maybe she is General’s,” the voice came again, “I saw one like her the other day around General’s house.”

“Hmm...help me on with my overcoat. Oh, yeah, she is really a valuable dog! Look how lovely she is! I am sure she will not bite people for no reason...”

“Here comes General’s cook, ask him. Hi! Is she one of General’s dogs?”

“What an idea! General has never had one like that!”

“No more talking now.” said Otchumyelov. “This is clearly a homeless dog! It must be killed right now!”

“She is not our dog,” The cook went on, “but she is General’s brother’s, who arrived yesterday.” “His Excellency’s brother is here?” asked Otchumyelov, and he showed the biggest smile. “Well, will he come for a visit?”

“Yes.”

“So...This is His Honour’s dog? Glad to hear it.. I mean...Such a lively, oh, you little pretty doggy.” said the officer, “A super lovely pet snap your finger? Hey, that’s something to be proud of, man! Rrr...Rrr...Wow! He is getting angry! Everybody, watch out!”

The crowd laughed at the workman.