1 . Joe and Della were a new couple. They were both interested in art--one in painting, the other in music. They lived in a small flat. They loved each other and they were happy.

But one day they found that they had spent all their money. One afternoon Della told Joe that she had found a _________ and was to give her three music lessons a week. For that she could get fifteen dollars a week. But Joe was not _________ because he didn’t want to stay at home, playing with his art while Della was at work. He wanted to earn some money too.

Every day they parted in the morning and _________ in the evening.

A week _________ , Della brought home fifteen dollars, but she looked a little _________. Joe took eighteen dollars out of his pocket. They were both _________ to have so much money at hand.

The next week, Joe _________ home another eighteen dollars but Della came home with her right hand in a bandage (绷带). Joe asked Della what was the _________. Della said, “It was because of an iron-- I mean a plate of soup spilled on my _________.”

“What do you do every day, Della? Do you __________ give music lessons?” Joe asked. “Tell me the __________!”

Della cried. She told Joe that she was working in a laundry (洗衣店), __________ shirts. A girl accidentally __________ an iron on her hand and she got a __________ burn. But Della asked Joe how he had guessed that she wasn’t giving music lessons.

Joe told Della that he worked in the engine-room of the same laundry where she worked. They both let out their __________ and laughed.

3 . When I was a primary school student, I didn’t like doing housework at all. I thought I was a little child and that I just needed to study hard to get good grades. So I didn’t do any_______at home.

One day, my mother_______back home from work. She found that I had made a mess (乱七八糟) in the house. My books and clothes were everywhere. She was annoyed (恼火) and said to me_______, “From now on, you must do some housework every day!” Hearing my mother’s _______, I felt unhappy. But I still did as she said.

Doing housework was more difficult than I had expected. I began to understand that life was not _______ for my parents. They had to do a lot of housework after they came back home_______work. So I decided to do more housework. I tidied my room and _______my clothes. I helped my_______cook meals in the evening. My parents praised _______for my changes.

Now I realize that doing housework can not only reduce our parents’ burden (负担)________also help us to learn many basic life skills.

5 . Last weekend, I said goodbye to another dear old friend. We had 12 fine years together, but our relationship was becoming dysfunctional(不正常的). Unwanted emissions and serious health problems were the final straw, leaving me with no choice but to make a trip to the knacker’s(收废汽车者的)yard.

I am now car-free for the first time in 20 years, and it feels strange. When I gave up meat, I did so mainly for environmental reasons, and I didn’t miss it at all. I would like to say the same about my car, but I can’t. It was first and foremost a financial decision: keeping the old car on the road was getting too expensive.

But doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is still doing the right thing — I now have a chance to rethink how I move myself and my family around, and can try to find a more environmentally friendly means of transport.

Going car-free is, I think, a lifestyle change that many of us are going to make over the next few years, as car ownership becomes increasingly unnecessary, expensive and socially unacceptable. However, it is easier said than done. Now my car is gone. I still need to get around. But how? I already cycle to work and use public transport when appropriate. But there are some occasions when a car seems to be the only way.

I won’t buy one: I have joined a car-share program and will use taxis more often. I will hire a car if I need to drive a long distance. But then I am still travelling in fossil-fuelled cars(燃油汽车), like when I quit meat and ended up eating more cheese. I fear I may have swapped one environmental problem for another.

I am also afraid to think about the ultimate fate of my car. I have just offloaded more than a ton of metal, plastic, rubber, fabric, electronics, oil and petrol that will end up in a landfill. There are millions of similar vehicles in the UK alone that will have to go somewhere.

Maybe I am overthinking it. According to Charlie Wilson, a climate scientist at the UK’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, getting rid of a private car is no doubt a positive step to reduce CO₂ emissions.

He points to research by the OECD’s International Transport Forum. “They showed that moving from a private vehicle fleet(车队)to a shared vehicle fleet can greatly cut the number of vehicles you need to deliver the mobility that we need and want. If that vehicle fleet is electrified, you can also bring CO₂ emissions close to zero.”

So in other words, just get rid of your car.

8 . Brightly—Raise Kids Who Love to Read

We believe reading has the power to improve kids’ lives and link members of a family by creating a space in which children and the adults in their lives can spend quality time together. But we also know how hard it can be to find the right book. That’s where Brightly comes in.

Editorial Mission

Brightly provides passionate parents, educators, and caregivers with the tools they need—such as tips and advice, book recommendations, and Brightly Storytime—to keep kids connected to books. We take pride in working with a diverse group of contributors, authors, and partners who cover a wide range of topics for readers of all ages in order to develop a love of books and reading in children.

Brightly Shop

Over the years, countless readers have come to us searching for gifts for the young bookworms in their lives. While it’s always been our mission to provide content that offers great book recommendations, your feedback has helped us realize the value of a more browsable, store-like experience.

The Brightly Shop helps to find exceptional book gifts for kids by offering a diverse collection of age-appropriate titles for kids ages 0–8. Whether you’re looking for a baby shower gift, birthday present, or just want to treat the child in your life to a great book, each title in the Shop is hand-selected by our editorial team—with more added every week—to bring you a satisfactory book buying experience.

We hope you’ll take a moment to browse our Shop and let us know what you think! Send us an email at shop@readbrightly.com.

Contact

We’d love to hear from you! Reach out by emailing hello@readbrightly.com—we’re listening!

9 . Four-Day Tour in Chongqing

You will be met upon arrival at Chongqing Airport and taken by bus for a short city tour to the Panda House in Chongqing Zoo and the Residence of the famous American General Joseph W. Stilwell if time permits. Have an expensive buffet dinner at a 4-star hotel, Holiday Inn Yangtze before boarding your luxurious 5-star cruise ship.

Enjoy the cruise sailing on the Yangtze River. You will leave the ship for the land at Fengdu, the “Ghost City” for a short trip. Late in the afternoon, the Captain’s Welcome Party presents Chinese folk dance and music performance. You can also join in if you like.

Begin the passage into the Qutang Gorge, the shortest and the grandest of the Three Gorges. Later you will pass through the Wu Gorge with its famous lofty and misty peaks. Disembark at Wushan Daning River for an excursion to the Three Little Gorges or disembark at Badong for an excursion to the Shennong Stream. Continue sailing. The cruise will dock overnight at Maoping, which is close to the Three Gorges Dam site.

After breakfast, visit the construction site of the Three Gorges Dam. Back onboard to pack up your luggage and complete check out procedures. Your local guide will meet you and see you off at the airport.

10 . Now cities are full of cars. Some families even have two or more cars. Parking (停车) is a great problem, and so is the traffic in and around the cities. Something will have to be done to change it. What will the cars of tomorrow be like?

Little cars may some day take the place of today’s big cars. If everyone drives little cars in the future (将来) there will be less pollution (污染) in the air. There will also be more space for parking cars in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. Three little cars can fit (适合) in the space now needed for one car of the usual size.

The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too. What is more, these little cars can go about 65 kilometers per (每) hour.

Little cars of the future will be fine for getting around a city, but they will not be useful for long trips. If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the slower small ones.