Mark Twain liked to play jokes on others. But once a joke was played on him. One day Mark met one of his friends, Tom. Tom said that he had an uncle. And his uncle never laughed or smiled, and that nobody was able to make his uncle laugh or smile. “You bring your uncle to my talk tonight, I’m sure I can make him laugh.” said Mark Twain.

That evening Tom and his uncle sat in the front. Mark Twain began to tell several funny stories. This made people in the room laugh except Tom’s uncle. He never smiled. Mark Twain told more stories, but the old man was still quiet. Finally, Mark Twain stopped. He was tired and disappointed.

Some days later, Mark Twain told another friend of his about what had happened.“Oh,” said his friend, “That man was deaf.”

Parents always want the best for their kids. But everyone has their own way of parenting(养育). Here are some popular parenting styles. Which one do you like best?

In a small village, there used to be two friends. The name of the younger boy was Jonny. And the other was John. John was much bigger and stronger than Jonny.

One day they ran into the forest and played hide-and-seek (捉迷藏) there. Suddenly John fell into a pit. John started shouting for help. Jonny ran to John at once. Without wasting a minute, he got a rope and gave one end to John and asked him to hold onto it. Jonny tried very hard and finally pulled John out from the pit. They cried, smiled, and then walked towards home.

Since Jonny and John were away for a long time, their parents got worried. All the villagers started to help search for the children. When Jonny and John finally arrived back in the village, everyone was excited. Their parents hugged them and asked where they had gone.

Jonny and John told everyone what had happened in the forest. However, almost no one believed them. One person asked Jonny, “How can you help a person who is much bigger and stronger than you?”

Then Jonny replied, “I used a rope.” Everyone laughed, and Jonny’s father said, “Don’t tell stories to us.” Among the people was a wise old man. He said that everything the boys said was true.

A woman asked, “Jonny is only five years old. How was he able to do that?” The old man replied, “That’s because there was no one there to tell Jonny ‘You can’t do it.’”

In recent years, Spring Festival has become increasingly popular.     41     About one-fifth of people around the world celebrate it in different ways.

    42     The cleaning of the home is thought to sweep away bad luck. On New Year’s Eve, the family members get together and have a big meal.At midnight, fireworks (烟花) are let off to welcome the Lunar New Year—the first day of the first lunar month. Red is everywhere during the Spring Festival. People decorate (装饰) their homes with pieces of red paper, such as couplets (对联), paper cuttings, and lanterns. People wear red, too.     43    

Spring Festival lasts for 15 days.     44     Gifts are exchanged. Children receive red envelopes filled with money from their elders, often called “hongbao”.     45     It is the Lantern Festival. Another big festival in China.

56. 劳动（labor）是辛勤的，劳动更是光荣的。美好的生活需要劳动来创造。劳动教育是青少年全面发展的重要组成部分。因此，我们青少年应该主动参加各类劳动，如社区服务、学校劳动和日常家务等。请结合自身经历，以“Taking Part in Labor Activities Makes Me ______”为题写一篇英语短文，谈谈你经常参加的几项劳动活动或某一次劳动经历以及你的感受。

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