A funny thing happened to Arthur when he was on the way to work one day. As he walked along Park Avenue near the First National Bank, he heard the sound of someone trying to start a car. He tried again and again but couldn’t get the car moving. Arthur turned and looked inside at the face of a young man who looked worried.

Arthur stopped and said, “It looks like you’ve got a problem.”

“I’m afraid so. I’m in a big hurry but I can’t start my car.”

“Is there something I can do to help?” Arthur asked. The young man looked at the two suitcases in the back seat and then said, “Thanks. If you’re sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble, you could help me get these suitcases into a taxi.”

“No trouble at all. I’d be glad to help.”

The young man got out and took one of the suitcases from the back seat. After placing it on the ground, he turned to get the other one. Just as Arthur picked up the first suitcase and started walking, he heard the long loud noise of an alarm.

It was from the bank. There had been a robbery (抢劫)!

Park Avenue had been quiet a moment before. Now the air was filled with the sound of the alarm and the shouts of people running from all directions. Cars stopped and the passengers joined the crowd in front of the bank. People asked each other, “What happened?” But everyone had a different answer.

Arthur still carrying the suitcase, turned to look at the bank and walked right into a young woman in front of him.

She looked at the suitcase and then at him. Arthur was surprised. “Why is she looking at me like that?” he thought. “The suitcase! She thinks I’m the bank thief!”

Arthur looked around at the crowd of people. He became frightened, and without another thought, he started to run.

As he was running, Arthur heard the young man shouting behind, “Stop! Stop!” _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The taxi stopped in front of the police station. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 . Whether you’re after a quiet beach holiday or an adventure-packed trip, with over 700 islands and 30 territories, the Caribbean offers many choices. Here we will provide practical tips to help you plan your dream Caribbean vacation.

Choosing the Best Time to Visit

Generally speaking, the Caribbean has a tropical climate with hot and humid weather year-round. Hurricanes are common during the summer months, so it’s advised to avoid travel during this season if possible. The best time to visit typically starts in November and runs through April. Be sure to check local weather forecasts before your trip.

Experiencing the Local Culture

The Caribbean is home to a variety of cultures. The local culture is a key part of the Caribbean experience, so make sure to soak up as much as you can. Visit museums and historical sites to get a deeper understanding of the local heritage, or explore local festivals for a display of music, dance, and art. Moreover, the people of the Caribbean are well known for their friendliness, so don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation.

Planning Your Activities

Whether you’re into diving, hiking, shopping, or simply lying on the beach, you will be able to pick between endless activities. Besides, you can try your hand at deep-sea fishing, horseback riding, or even bungee jumping. If you’re looking for something more laid back, take a guided tour of the island’s botanical gardens or explorer its national parks. Whatever you decide to do, be sure to review safety guidelines and pack all the necessary equipment before your adventure.

In conclusion, the Caribbean offers a diverse travel experience that caters to different preferences and budgets. With careful planning and a bit of research, you can plan a vacation that is truly unforgettable. So don’t wait — start planning your dream Caribbean trip today!

5 . Teenagers’ fitness is now a major concern, to which physical exercise is very important. It reduces stress and improves fitness. Exercise makes your body strong, and helps you to keep the right body weight. Sports scientist Dr.Helen Lopez offers the following advice to teenagers: “Firstly, you need to find out your present level of fitness. Then you can design a programme that will help you become healthier.”

Dr Lopez suggests that there are three levels of fitness that need a change of lifestyle. “Overweight” means that the person gets very little exercise and often has a serious weight problem. “Inactive” means that the person does not join in many physical activities, but is not seriously overweight. “Active” refers to people who take part in sports and other physical activities, but do not have a high fitness level.

According to Dr Lopez, overweight teenagers should keep active to keep healthy. Ride a bike, play volleyball or basketball for a while, and go for a twenty-minute walk each day. All these will help to burn up calories. Inactive teenagers should do similar activities, but add some bending and stretching exercises, such as push-ups and sit-ups, starting with twenty of each a day. “Inactive people can take a little more exercise than overweight people because their bodies are stronger,” said Dr Lopez. The same principle applies to active teenagers.

Dr Lopez suggests one hour a week or more on running and other forms of intensive exercise, together with fifteen minutes a day spent on stretching and bending activities. “These are really important in order to prevent injuries,” Dr Lopez said. Some weight-training and other body-strengthening exercises could also be planned in the programme in order to increase the personˈs strength.

7 . About 20 years ago, while on the way to a student’s house, Zhang Guimei, then a rural teacher in Huaping county, Lijiang, Yunnan province, noticed a girl sitting on the hillside. The girl, 13, told Zhang she was about to get married though she wanted to go to school. It was arranged by her parents.

Zhang went to her house and tried to persuade her parents to let the girl return to school and promised to pay for her tuition herself. However, they didn’t agree. Zhang felt sorry for not being able to help. “We always say that each child should stand on the same starting line, but these girls didn’t even have a chance to get on the track,” Zhang said.

It persuaded Zhang to build a free high school for girls with the objective of helping break the cycle that saw women drop out of education, marry early and spend their whole life in the remote mountain. Zhang had spent years trying to raise funds, and in 2008, Huaping High School for Girls, a free public high school, was founded, where Zhang is the principal. Over the decades, Zhang has walked thousands of kilometers, visiting students’ families in the deep mountain, talking to villagers, and persuading girls to go back to school. It has been worth it. More than 1,800 graduates have been admitted to college. It is regarded as a “miracle” in the remote area, as most students didn’t perform well in academic study before the school was established.

Though lacking full health, Zhang insists on a daily routine—get up around 5 a.m. to call students to get up with a loudspeaker, accompany students to classes and sleep after senior students’ study ends at midnight. Zhang’s husband died in the 1990s. She doesn’t have children or a house, so she lives at the student dormitory. Besides girls in her school, Zhang also donates all her income to help rural education and poor people.

In early December, she was given the honor of the country’s “role model for teachers” and “outstanding woman”. Her commitment to her education career inspires thousands of people.

One morning, I was about     1     (go) the bus stop, worried about being late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop, some of     2     looked very anxious and     3    (disappoint). When the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next     4     the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike     5     (catch) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused     6    (stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept     7    (cycle). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked, “    8     anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?” A woman on the bus shouted, “Oh, dear! It’s     9     (I)”. She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase    10    (thankful), Five others on the bus began talking about what the boy had done and the crowd of strangers suddenly became friendly to one another.

9 . The future home is something that people have talked about for decades. Because the future home idea inspires our imagination, scientists and engineers have been working hard to develop different systems to make houses “smarter”.

The video camera at the entrance recognize visitors using facial recognition. The facial recognition software of the future home will not only recognize friends, but strangers as well. And the software in the future home will run the strangers faces against a database of criminals.

The future home will also have smart application appliances (家电) as well. There will be a vast networking system connecting them. Ovens, microwaves and refrigerators will be controlled automatically, so remote cooking will be a possibility and meals are prepared for your arrival.

There will also be a green systems in place such as saving and reusing washing water and bathwater. Plants and people may receive pure or mineralized (含矿的) drinking water.

If you think this future home idea is pie in the sky or science fiction, then think again. Most of the systems described here are either in development or already out in the market. Future homes may not be standard yet for the middle class but this is not as far ahead as many people would think.