1 . Think of space! What comes to your mind? No. I’m not talking about planets or aliens. I’m talking about the space we live in! The world is full of different space. We can think about space in three different ways: public space, private (私人的) space and personal space.

PUBLIC SPACE

Public space is the social space for everyone to get together. It belongs to everyone. But wait! Before you camp in your local park or throw a party at a library, remember that there are rules.The rules are set down to keep the space clean and safe.

PRIVATE SPACE

The private space is for our own. We all need private space like homes, where we can relax and stay alone. We are not allowed to enter private space freely.

PERSONAL SPACE

This is the space where we sit and stand. Everyone has different feelings about their personal space. People may feel uncomfortable or even get annoyed when someone they don’t know gets to close.

We should respect (尊重) all kinds of space. We should respect public space. We can’t leave a mess (乱七八糟) or take away anything that doesn’t belong to us. It’s important to leave no trace (痕迹) in public place.

We should respect private space by asking for permission (允许) before entering. And we should respect personal space by finding out how much space a friend or classmate needs to feel comfortable.

Respecting all space helps make us be better people. It also helps keep our community safe and fun.

2 .

Last Sunday, I went to a shoe repairer (修理者). I asked him to polish my shoes, and he told me I had to pay $2. When he finished polishing, I gave him $3. He took only $2 and told me that was enough (足够), and also learned a big lesson. Now many people want to get much, but he only wants to get what he needs to get.

With the $1, I went and bought a flower from a seller. She was an old woman. I bought the flower just to make her happy for the evening. I thought I was her first buyer that night. I wanted to help her sell out her flowers.

Walking away, I thought about how we all lived in the world. If we want to live happily, we need to love others and help others. Loving others is loving ourselves. Helping others is helping ourselves.

4 . Flora and her dad are moving to a new house soon. Next week, workers will build a car park in the yard of the old house. The yard is full of beautiful flowers grown by Flora and Dad.

“My poor flowers,” Flora looks at the bright purple blooms (花朵) sadly. She sits outside, selling things she doesn’t want to take to the new house. Beside her hangs a sign with Yard Sale on it. Several of her neighbours come to have a look.

Dad comes out, holding some snacks in his hands. “Here’s a snack for everyone.” Flora’s dad loves sharing things.

Occasionally (偶然地), Flora feels the soft earth move under her heels (鞋后跟), and she knows what to do.

She whispers her plan to Dad. He nods with a smile. Flora takes out some flowerpots (花盆) happily. Carefully she digs up the flowers with some earth and puts them into the pots.

She lines up the pots near her sign. Now she is ready to be a generous person, just like her Dad.

“What’s the price of a pot?” asks Anna from next door.

“Zero cent!” she smiles, “Pick any pot you like!”

5 . Hello! We’re in 2042 now. Let’s share our beautiful life together!

Bai Yi: I had a serious illness at the age of 7. From then on, I expected to be a doctor. Now I work in a hospital as a doctor. There are modern medical instruments and services. I can treat patients even when they’re far from me. This is because the Internet is faster now.

Wen Hua: Through years of studying hard, I’m teaching Chinese in a middle school. Some of my students come from other countries. Since they like Chinese history and culture, they carefully listen to me explain Chinese poems and novels. They spread (传播) Chinese history and culture around the world.

Lan Tian: When I was young, I dreamed of being an astronaut (宇航员) and flying into the space. Nowadays, my dream has come true. Traveling to the moon has got popular. People between the ages of 18 to 60 are able to travel to the moon. I’m going to travel to the Mars (火星) soon. I’m so excited!

7 . Buffy, Debby, Jamie, Albert and Matt are talking something together in a group on WeChat. Here is what they say.

8 . Do you want to be a volunteer? Maybe you need some ideas. Here is some advice.

Help kids learn and grow. Be a big brother or sister at an after-school care centre. You can help little kids to learn or play with them.

Give back during the holidays. Serve dinner to the homeless, volunteer at an old people’s home, or give out toys to kids.

Help at an animal shelter (庇护所). Most shelters need volunteers to keep the cats and dogs happy and take them to exercise. And when you’re walking dogs you get some exercise, too.

Protect the environment. Take part in a park “clean up day”. Plant a tree. Join a group to work together to protect a river.

Help sick people. Helping others can make you feel good. When you make sick people happy, you also feel happy. If you have some hobbies, find a way to do them all. For example, if you love kids and are good at painting and dancing, visit a children’s hospital and teach them these interesting things.

10 . The Yellow River is one of the most famous rivers in China. It plays an important role in Chinese culture. It is important for trade and farming.

The Yellow River is the second longest river in China. A lot of famous long rivers in Asia are in China or go through China. In Asia, the longest river is the Yangtze River and it is the third longest river in the world.

The Yellow River is about 5,464 kilometers long. It flows all the way through nine provinces and autonomous regions (自治区). Because it covers a lot of areas, it has always supplied water to many people. It provides a key source of life for the north of China. It is a source of water for around 15% of China’s farmland.

It is called the Yellow River because of all yellow silt (淤泥) that it picks up along its course. It carries more silt than any other river in the world.

Although the Yellow River has been the source of life in China, it has also caused floods. It’s said that the worst flood happened during the Qing Dynasty. This flood killed a large number of people and was one of the worst natural disasters in Chinese history.