A wise man was on his long journey with a young man. Night was falling, so they decided to find a place _________. They searched for a long time and at last found a tiny old house. A poor family lived in it. They gave the two visitors a warm welcome and prepared a simple meal _________ them including fresh milk and cheese.

After the meal, the wise man asked how they made a living in such a poor place. In a low voice the husband replied, “We have _________ cow. We sell her milk to our neighbors and keep some for _________ own needs—make some cheese and cream.”

The next morning, the two visitors continued their journey. _________ they walked a few miles, the wise man said to the young man, “Go back and push the cow off the cliff (悬崖).” “Why? Without the cow, they _________ nothing.” The wise man repeated his order, “Go back and _________ the cow.”

The young man was _________ about the future of the family. _________finally he returned to the old house and did as the wise man told him.

A few years later, the young man _________ on the same road. He decided to visit the family again. To his _________, he saw a large house with a beautiful garden there.

He knocked on the door and a well-dressed man answered it. He was the son of the family. The man invited him to enter the house and told him _________ their life changed. “You know, we had _________ but a cow to keep us alive years ago. But one day she fell off the cliff and died. We had to come up with new ways of _________ a living. You see, we are much _________ than before.” At his words, the young man smiled.

A young man went for a job interview in a big company. The manager found that the young man’s college grades were excellent. Then he asked the young man who paid for his _________. The young man told the manager that his parents did and they _________ as laundry (洗衣店) workers.

The manager noticed that the young man’s hands were smooth(光滑的) and _________. He asked, “Have you ever helped your parents wash clothes?”

“No. My parents always make me _________. Besides, they wash clothes faster than I do.”

The manager asked the young man to go back home and wash his parents’ _________. When he got home, he told his parents that he wanted to wash their hands. His parents felt surprised but _________. Then the young man began to wash their hands slowly.

He was in tears. He _________ his parents’ hands were so rough and pale because of washing a lot of clothes in the cold water. There were also many injuries (伤口) in their hands. After washing his parents’ hands, the young man quietly washed all the _________ clothes.

The next morning, the young man went to the manager’s office. The manager noticed the young man’s _________ hands. He told the young man that he was _________.

When Claire Vlases of Montana was in Grade 7, she learned about plans to modernize her middle school. Claire asked the school board (董事会) to add solar panels (太阳能电池板) to the project because, she explained, clean energy would be helpful to a really modern school.

The board liked the idea but said it could offer just $ 25,000—one-fifth of the cost. So Claire organized a group of kids and grown-ups who set to work raising the rest. They sold their second-hand books, put on talent shows and asked for donations (捐赠), even going door-to-door for them. One donated more than half the cost!

After two years of hard work, the group paid for the solar panels, which now provide one-fourth of the school’s electricity needs—saving the neighbourhood thousands of dollars. “My favourite part about this project was that one person could start something small and then the project could grow and have a big influence on the community,” Claire said. “There are always going to be hard parts. When there’s a challenge presented to you, you can use it as a chance to learn from it.”

Yang Hongwei, born in 1966, is an inheritor (传承人) of the Weifang kite-making technique (技艺). Born into a kite-making family, Yang often saw kites with bright colours and different shapes in her grandfather’s workshop.

Yang learned the technique from her grandfather at the age of 16. After practising the technique for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992.

“Many places around the world have a tradition of flying kites,” Yang said. “But I think the cultural background behind our kites is unique.”

On Yang’s kites, people can see not only common designs like butterflies and birds, but also some prints telling Chinese myths and history. For example, she once made a kite showing a phoenix (凤凰) that was lined with portraits (肖像) of 50 famous women from Chinese history on each side.

Yang said that each woman is different in look, clothes and make-up style. To create their portraits, she made lots of effort to check historical records and talk about details with professionals.

“It took me a lot of time,” Yang said, “but when I explain the stories of the kites to foreign people, I feel a great sense of achievement.”

In her free time, she travels to different countries including Germany, Australia, the United States and New Zealand to tell people stories of Chinese kites and the traditional ways they are made. “It is an important job of mine to spread our heritage (遗产) around the world and onto the next generation,” she said.

Have you ever heard the saying “Home, sweet home”? This is just another way of saying that it’s nice to be home! A lot of the people and things we love are at home.

What do you like about being at home?

What do you like best about being at home?     41     Maybe you enjoy staying with your mum and dad. Maybe you have a pet you like to play with. Spending time with your family is one thing that makes being at home special.

    42     Your toys, your books, and your favourite things are in your bedroom. Consider what you like best about your room. Is it how it looks? Is it your comfortable bed that you sleep on? Maybe you like to have a quiet place to read a book or to think about your day.

Mealtime can be a special time at home.     43     It’s a time to share interesting stories about your day.

How do you help at home?

There are a lot of things to do to make home a special place. Who does the housework like cleaning, cooking, and yardwork (庭院劳动) at your house?

    44     Maybe you can help lay the dinner table or clean the plates. Maybe you can pull weeds (草) out of the flower garden. Maybe you can water the vegetable garden or the house plants.     45