Do you believe that animals can be good friends with each other? For me, the answer is “yes”! I’ve had my dog, Buster, lot four years now. My neighbors gave him to me when they moved house. Then, last January. I bought a parrot named Tweety. Since then, they have been very good friends. They never fight. Tweety even likes to ride around on Buster’s back!

And have you heard the story of the tiger and the dolphin? I’ll tell you.

Shilpa is a tiger. She’s only six months old, and she was born at a zoo in San Francisco in the USA. One day, the zoo keepers were taking her around the zoo when they went past a special swimming pool. It’s a very large pool with glass walls around it, and it’s the place where the dolphins live and play. Well, they were walking past when Shilpa saw a strange animal with a long nose on the other side of the glass. Shilpa was excited, so the zoo keepers decided to introduce her to the young animal in the pool.

The animal’s name is Maverick, and he’s a dolphin. He’s only 14 months old, and he has lived in the zoo all his life. Maverick saw Shilpa and came up to the side of the glass to look at the young tiger. Shilpa sat there for a long time - just watching. Maverick put his nose against the side of the pool, and began to press against the glass. He was probably saying hello in dolphin language!

They got on really well, and now Shilpa visits Maverick every day. They have been friends since the first day they met. When Shilpa gets to the pool, Maverick is already waiting for the little tiger! In fact Maverick is sad if she’s late.

Tigers are different from normal cats. They like water, and they can swim very well. Perhaps one day they will let Shilpa swim with Maverick!

It might not be a surprise when you hear that children can get a discount(折扣) at barbershops(理发店) because of their age. However, you might be surprised to know about one creative way that they can get a lower price in some American barbershops. That is, kids can get their haircuts at a discount if they read their barbers a book.

Ryan Griffin, a barber in a town in the U. S., introduced the idea at his barbershop: The price for a haircut would be two dollars lower for the kids who read a book out loud to their barbers. In this way, he encouraged his young customers to pick up a book and read while waiting for their turn and while having their hair cut.

Griffin’s barbershop received many different kinds of books from people nearby. He also tried to add more books to the collection that kids would enjoy, as more and more young kids came to his shop.

What Griffin did in his barbershop turned his out-loud reading activity into an unexpected reading program. Among all the reading programs in the U. S., the one in Griffin’s barbershop stood out. In his program, kids did more than reading out loud. They also had to answer some questions from their barbers about the story they read.

The reading program at Griffin’s barbershop was embraced by parents and teachers. A father said the reading program in Griffin’s barbershop not only saved him some money, but also made it possible for his child’s future success. Teachers appreciated Griffin’s effort as well, saying kids gradually understood how important reading could be in leading them toward a brighter future.

Everyone knows The Voice! It’s a talent show for people who want to become famous singers. All of the singers on the show are good and some of them are excellent! There are lots of other talent shows around the world as well. In many countries, talent shows are the most popular shows on TV.

There are shows like Got Talent for musicians, people doing magic, singers... and lots more. There’s a show for dancers, too. It’s called Strictly Come Dancing. Every year there are new ideas for talent shows. There are even some national talent shows for robots and singing dogs!

Yes, most of the talent shows on TV are live. It’s also possible to go to the TV station and watch a talent show live on stage.

I’m sure you know the answer to this one. Usually, the people watching the show on TV and in the theatre vote (投票) for who (or what!) they like best. Sometimes famous people are the judges(评委) as well. On Masterchef, only the professional chefs choose the winner.

In a competition there is always a winner. The winner of the final usually gets a prize and sometimes becomes a star. On some shows the runner-up gets a prize too and a few of them become stars. On a few shows, the winner gets nothing—but they often become famous!

Most of the time, the people on the shows can say, sing or do what they want to. Sometimes, the show tells them the words to say, so they are a bit like actors or performers. But this doesn’t happen on all the shows.

Deserts can be dangerous places. Most deserts are very ________ , with no rivers for water, making it impossible for anything to ________, and very difficult for people to live. What do you think you would do if you were lost in a desert by yourself and couldn’t make a ________?

In March 2017, this happened to 24-year-old Amber. She was ________ through the Arizona desert in the USA, when one evening, the ________ on her phone told her to turn off the main road and go down a road that wasn’t there. Soon, her phone lost connection so the map no longer worked and she couldn’t make a phone call. She was lost and ________. Finally, her car stopped ________ it didn’t have enough petrol(汽油).

She ________ that night in her car and then in the morning she looked for help, but she couldn’t find anyone. ________ Amber knew what she had to do to stay alive. ________, she made a large sign that said   “HELP”. Next, she looked at the food and water she had. This helped her ________ how long she could stay there. For the next five days, she ate nuts and fruit and used the heat from the ________ to cook noodles. After five days, Amber left her ________. She wanted to find somewhere that she could use her phone to call for help. She walked for 11 miles ________ her phone started working again and then called the police. Only 40 minutes later, a helicopter (直升机) ________ Amber and took her to hospital, tired, thirsty, but very happy to be alive.

Parkour(跑酷) is my favorite outdoor sport. I love using my body to move freely and to jump objects in public     36     (place) with only my body and my skill. I also climb and run. Parkour can be     37     hobby, an extreme sport, or an art.

In Parkour, you use your body to get     38     one point to another without stopping. Parkour is an excellent exercise because it helps you to keep     39     (health) and fit. It also     40     (make) you brave and confident. Another good thing about Parkour is that it’s very cheap. You     41     (suppose) to be in good physical condition, and you need a good pair of running shoes. And that’s all!

However, Parkour can be dangerous. If you’re new to Parkour, you need to know and understand the different basic moves. You also need to train a lot so you don’t get hurt     42     (easy).

It can take a long time     43     (become) good at Parkour and you can sometimes hurt yourself,     44     I think it is a perfect way to exercise and discover     45     (you) body’s potential(潜能). Try it! You feel as if you are flying.