As Zoe and her brother, Joe, walked to school, Zoe stopped to pick up a feather, and a few minutes later, a leaf from an oak tree.

“What are you doing, Zoe?” Joe asked.

“I’m collecting ______ to create a collage,” Zoe explained.

“What’s a collage?” Joe asked.

“Collage is a kind of ______ in which you arrange (排列) a lot of different kinds of objects on a piece of paper or cardboard, and then you ______ them together using glue,” Zoe explained.

“That sounds like fun. Can I make a collage too?” Joe asked.

“Sure. We can work on it together ______ we finish our homework tonight,” answered Zoe.

During the rest of the walk to school, Joe looked for objects he could use to create his collage, and he ______ to look for more things as he walked home that afternoon.

He found a piece of string, some shiny, colourful paper, and even some bark from a tree.

Zoe laughed as she watched him. “You’re ______ about this project, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah! I have lots of ideas about how I want my collage to look.” Joe said.

The children arrived at home and first did their homework. Then they gathered the art supplies (用品) they would need to make the collage, ______ scissors, glue, markers, and some old magazines and newspapers. After a few hours, they had joined ______ together and set the collages aside for the glue to dry. The next morning, they went to ______ on their completed projects.

Joe looked at his sister and smiled. “You’re the art instructor of our family. ______ will tomorrow’s art project be?” he asked. She laughed and ruffled (弄皱) his hair.

Around the world more and more people are taking part in dangerous sports and activities. Of course, there have always been people who have looked for adventures—those who have climbed the highest mountains, travelled into unknown parts of the world or sailed in small boats across the greatest oceans (海洋). Now, however, there are more people who look for an excitement from a risky activity which may only last a few minutes or even seconds.

I would think bungee jumping to be a good example of such an activity. You jump from a high place (perhaps a bridge or a hot-air balloon) 200 metres above the ground with an elastic (有弹性的) rope tied to your ankles(脚踝). You fall at up to 150 kilometres an hour until the rope stops you from hitting the ground. It is said that about 2 million people around the world have now tried bungee jumping. Other risky activities include jumping from tall buildings and diving (跳水) into the water from the top of high places.

Why do people take part in such activities as these? Some psychologists suggest that it is because life in modern world has become safe and boring. Not very long ago, people’s lives were often in danger. They had to go out and hunt for food, diseases could not easily be cured, and life was harder than that of the present days.

Nowadays, to many people, life offers little excitement. They live and work in safe conditions; they buy food in shops; and there are doctors and hospitals to look after them if they become ill. The answer for some of these people is to look for danger in activities such as bungee jumping.

The youths looked into the well (井) and thought of their father. They were afraid to go home.

Hours passed. “Where are those boys?” shouted the father angrily. “They are probably playing a game and have forgotten about the water. I wish they were all turned into ravens (渡鸦)!” And when he looked up, he saw seven black birds flying away. The father was shocked. “What have I done?” he thought. But it was too late. He could not take back his words.

In time, the girl grew up and discovered she had brothers. The story of their bad luck influenced her deeply, and she decided to find them. For years, she searched and did not stop. She decided to find them. Finally, she found their home. To enter, she needed a special key made from a chicken bone, which she did not have.

The girl thought for a moment, and then took out a knife and cut off one of her fingers. With it, she opened the front door and went inside. On a table, there were seven plates and seven cups. She ate and drank a little from each of them. In the last cup, she accidentally (意外地) dropped a ring that her parents had given her.

Finally, the ravens returned for their meal. The girl hid behind the door and watched. When the seventh raven drank from his cup, something hit his mouth. The raven recognized (认出) it at once—it was his parents’ ring. “I wish our sister were here,” he said, “and then we could be free.” At that moment, their sister ran to them, and suddenly the ravens were human again. The brothers kissed their sister, and all eight of them went home together happily.