2 . Once there was a famine(饥荒). A rich cook sent for twenty of the poorest children in the town and said to them, “In this basket there is a piece of bread for each of you. Take it and come back to me every day at this hour for more.”

In a hurry, the hungry children got together around the basket, and fought over the bread because each wanted the largest piece. At last they went away without even thanking the good cook. Mary, a poorly-dressed girl, did not fight with the other children, but stood quietly in the distance. When the badly-behaved children had left, Mary took the smallest piece, which was all left in the basket. She kissed the cook’s hand and went home.

The next day, the children were as badly-behaved as before. Mary got a piece of bread almost half the size of the one she got on the first day. When she came home, her mother cut the bread open. Many new, shining pieces of silver fell out of it.

Her mother was very worried, and said. “Take the money back to the cook at once. The silver must have fallen into the dough(面团) by accident. Hurry up, Mary.”

When the little girl told the rich man her mother’s message, he said, “It has no mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest bread for you as a prize. Always be as satisfied, peaceable and thankful as you now are. Go home now, and tell your mother that the money is yours.”

Qomolangma is the world's highest mountain. You may have learned from your textbooks that its height is 8,844.43 meters. But not all sides are in agreement on this. Different researchers have given different results. In addition, the height of the mountain can change over time.

That's why a Chinese survey team with over 30 members set out to reach the peak of Qomolangma to re­measure its height on May 6, 2020. They were equipped (配备) with the latest technology.

It is not an easy task. The average air temperature on the mountain is ­-29℃, and powerful winds blow all the time. In such bad conditions, surveying drones (无人机) cannot work at the peak of the mountain. That's why it's still necessary to send human experts to the peak to get exact results.

But does a difference of a few meters really matter when it comes to a high mountain?

In fact, measuring the height of Qomolangma is about more than just getting one exact number. Mount Qomolangma is at the point where the Eurasian plate (欧亚板块) meets the Indian plate. It formed 38 million years ago as the two plates hit each other. Changes in the peak's height can show whether the two plates are heading toward or away from each other. This can help us understand the movement of the earth's crust (地壳).

The survey team will also get first­hand information about environmental conditions at the top of the mountain. This will help us understand how climate change has affected the Qinghai­Tibet Plateau (高原).

4 . Many people think the dinosaurs were the biggest animals that ever lived. They are wrong. The world's biggest animal is still living and it lives in the ocean. It is called the blue whale（鲸鱼）. Blue whales can be as long as 30 meters and weigh as much as 1,000 kilos. The largest dinosaurs weighed only 500 kilos.

The whale is not only the world's biggest animal, it is also one of the smartest. We know that whales can communicate with each other, although we do not know what they are saying. Perhaps one day we will learn how to communicate with whales, and then they will be able to tell us about themselves.

Although they live in the ocean, whales don't lay eggs like fish do. They are mammals（哺乳动物）. They give birth to babies and produce milk inside their own bodies to feed them. Humans are also mammals.

There are lots of stories about whales, but perhaps the most famous story is Moby Dick, which was written by an American writer named Herman Melville. In this book, a sailor named Captain Ahab spends a lot of time trying to find and kill an enormous white whale named Moby Dick.

Sadly, there are not many kinds of whales left. People have killed them for food and other things for thousands of years. However, there are now laws to stop people killing most kinds of whales. So perhaps there will be more of them in years to come.

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5 . Running is becoming popular these days. Many of us run for our health. Doctors say many of the health problems come from these bad habits: eating too much, drinking too much, smoking and not taking enough exercise. Doctors tell us, “Eat and drink less, don't smoke, and exercise more.”

Running is a good form of exercise because it helps build a strong heart. It also helps most people lose weight. One 68-year-old woman runs three times a week. She runs to lose weight. “I love to eat," she says.

Running is good for health in other ways, too. Many runners say running keeps colds and other small health problems away. “Running is my doctor,” says one man.

Running can also help people to relax. So today men and women of all ages enjoy running.

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Welcome to Monkey Island Welcome to Monkey Island at Xincun Town, Lingshui County, Hainan Island. You can have a great time here. Ticket: 163yuan Opening time: 8 am-4:50 pm How to get here: There are buses from Sanya to Lingshui every day. After arriving at Lingshui, take a bus to Xincun and get off at the end stop. Then walk 300m to Monkey Island. Travel tips: 1. Don’t make fun of monkeys with food and don’t look at them for a long time. Those are unfriendly actions (行 为) and monkeys may hurt you. 2. Don’t carry plastic (塑料的)bags. Monkeys may think there is food in them and come to snatch(抢 夺)them. To know more information, click(点、击) the website below. www.visitourchina. com/sanya/attraction/monkey-island

7 . I’m not the kind of mother who often brushes her daughter’s hair, and my daughter has never liked sitting quietly long enough for me to do it.

But today, I took a chair outside and let my daughter Kitty sit on it. She was sitting high with her eyes closed, skin still wet from the shower and her messy hair behind her back. I realized she was taking in every touch from my hands. Today we would send Kitty away for a week of a summer camp. This was all my idea.

She's nearly 12, and I notice that I'm with my child nearly 24 hours a day. Living on the farm without neighbors, Kitty has become increasingly dependent(依赖的) on me.

After lunch, we drove to the camp place. After we got out of the car, we were introduced to the other children. Kitty followed me closely, holding my hand all the time. "I need you for a few more minutes” she said to me, horror in her eyes.

I pulled away and walked up to a camp worker. “Excuse me," I said loudly, “I’d like to introduce you to my daughter. Maybe you could help her meet a few of these kids.” He came over to talk to Kitty and I kissed   on her face. Then we all disappeared before Kitty realized we had left.

On my way home, I felt a piece of my soul(灵魂) had been taken away from my body. I began to shake.

Tears came down my face. When I arrived home, I calmed down and reminded myself why I chose this path. “I want Kitty to have a chance to find herself, out of my shadow (影子) . If I don’t set her free, I'm afraid she won't be independent (独立的) forever.” I said to myself.

8 . Would you like to live in a city where buildings turn the lights off for you, and self-driving cars will find the nearest parking space themselves? Although it might sound a little far from you, living in a "smart" city like this could happen sooner than you think.

Great changes have taken place in towns that we have lived in for centuries, while completely new cities are being built. One such place is the city of Songdo. Every home there will have a telepresence system (远程遥控系统) allowing users to control the heating and locks, take part in video meetings, and receive education, health care and government services. Around the city, escalators ( 自动扶梯 ) will only move when someone is on them, and offices and schools will all be connected to the system.

The great mind behind Songdo is from the company Cisco. In fact, technology companies around the world such as IBM, Siemens and Microsoft are already in the business.

About 75% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, so cities will need to be more modern to deal with the coming problems. Making cities smarter is one way out, and I think this will in turn make cities greener, said Dan Hill, head of a research company.

9 . A yearbook is a tradition of high school life in the United States. The book contains (包含) the name, photo, and signature (签名) of each student in your final year, so that you can remember who you went to school with. A 15-year-old girl Catherine Cook and her brother David wanted more than this. They thought, "Why not have a yearbook online? You could learn about people's                    music tastes, the movies they like, and so on."

Catherine thought of the name—myYearbook.com, and the logo (图标). To advertise the site. Catherine and David wore T-shirts with the site logo to school and soon hundreds of their schoolmates became users of the site. She spent many evenings talking on the phone to programmers in India, and collecting ideas from her schoolmates. Then her older brother Geoff came up with the money to start up the website.

My Yearbook users can join in the fun by sending messages and "collecting" friends. They can watch the same videos from films and TV programs, and share music, photos, homework and study guides. Some teens feel they can't make friends more easily online. Chatting online helps some shy people not to feel left out.

Users can also make "Lunch Money" by doing activities on the site. They can then spend their Lunch Money on gifts, or donate (捐赠) it to charities. They have saved 0.3 km²of rainforest, cleaned up million kg of CO₂, sent 22,000 books to Africa, and bought 20,000 kg of rice for people without enough food.

Running the website did not stop Catherine and David from finishing their schoolwork successfully, and going on to university where they still spent 50 hours a week on the site.

10 . It might be fun to use your smartphone, but be careful. Too much screen time may be harmful to your health.

First, it is bad for your eyes. A researcher called Sarah Hinkley says the problem comes from the blue light that the screen gives out. Looking at a smartphone for a long time can cause eye strain（劳损）, headaches and dry eyes. So it is a good idea to take a break every 15 minutes when you are working at a computer or using a smartphone.

Second, screen use can do harm to children’s brains. A new study shows that using screens too much can affect（影响） how children’s brains grow. If children use screens for more than one hour a day, they might have lower levels of white matter in their brains. White matter is a key to the development of language and reading skills. So it is wise to cut down the time of children using all kinds of screens.

Third, using screens too much will affect your sleep. According to a study, about 95% of the people between the ages of 13 and 64 use electronics before bed, especially the young people under 20. Doctors say that the light from those electronics at night may make you excited before you go to bed. Then it’s hard for you to get enough sleep. So you’d better turn off smartphones, TVs, and all other screens an hour before your bedtime.

To keep healthy, doctors and researchers strongly advise that you shouldn’t use screens for long hours.