Chris and I laughed as we got off the Tilt ‘n’ Spin ride and wandered into the crowd at the fair. We felt like we were still spinning (旋转).We inched along with the crowd, one small step at a time. In front of me, all I could see was the back of someone’s T-shirt.

“Three tickets each, please," said a man right in front of us. Bodies pushed against us. “Wait,” Chris said. “We’re in a line? What for?”

“Ferris wheel (摩天轮),” said the man. “Step right up and sit right down.”

Before I knew it, I was sitting on a small seat that was hung in what seemed like outer space. As we reached the top, Chris was excited. He was totally attracted by the amazing view, but I was rather nervous with my hands holding a bar for dear life.

“There’s a place that sells chocolate-covered bananas,” Chris said. “Keep talking,” I thought. “So you don’t notice that I’m totally terrified (极度惊恐的).” Every time Chris moved,our seat rocked. I tried to pretend I was playing on the swings in my backyard, and hoped I wouldn’t cry. “How many turns will this make before it’s over?” I managed to say. Luckily, my voice sounded normal. “Five or six, probably, Chris replied. “ We have tons of time. Look, a hot-air balloon!” He pointed and the seat shook. I cried. Chris looked at me. It seemed he’d realized something.

On our fifth time around, the wheel suddenly stopped, and we were hung in midair at the highest point possible. I cried, again. I couldn’t help myself. “Hey, Jared,” said Chris, “are you OK?” I nodded and tried to smile like I was having fun. Chris patted (轻拍) my shoulder and said we would be back on the ground soon.

“Attention!” called a voice over the loudspeaker. “Due to mechanical difficulties, the Ferris wheel is stuck. We’ll get it turning again as soon as possible.”

I was so terrified that I couldn’t hold back my tears.

We finally started heading back down.

6 . How to make friends at a new school

Have you entered a new school?     1     There are tons of different ways to connect with your classmates, as long as you’re willing to take a leap of faith. We’ve put together some tips and suggestions to help you along the way.

·Use social media to your advantage.

Social media makes it easier to build connections with your schoolmates. A quick comment (评论), retweet (转发), or message can be enough to start a new friendship.     2     Comment and let him know you love his technique. By putting yourself out there and being friendly, you,might make new friends.

·    3    

That person might be in the same boat as you are. Instead of joining a crowded table or finding an empty area for yourself, look for someone sitting by themselves. This is an easy way to start a conversation with someone new. In the cafe, you might ask “Is this seat taken?” or “Can I sit with you?” before sitting down.

·Lend a hand.

    4     You might help someone pick up his dropped textbooks and notebooks, or lend a pencil to a classmate in need. Being kind and considerate is a great way to separate yourself from the rest of the crowd. You might offer part of your lunch to someone who forgot their lunch money, or offer to deliver homework to a student who missed class.

·Make eye contact and smile.

You’ll seem more approachable to your new classmates if you look friendly. When you walk in the halls, hold your head up high and make eye contact with a few other people.     5     If they smile back at you, try saying hi so you can get to know them.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The alarm sounded sharply. Seven-thirty. Too early for a Saturday! And much earlier for her birthday! Rosa thought about her birthdays in hometown, when her grandmother, Abuelita, would make a cake for her, humming (哼) old songs in the kitchen.

“Rosa! Hrry!”

“Yes, Mama,” Rosa called. She wanted to stay in bed, but ever since she had turned fourteen, Saturdays here meant helping Mama at hair salon (发廊). “Where is papa?” Rosa asked. “He left an hour ago. We must go, too,” said Mama.

Rosa and Mama hurried to the bus stop. Sharing the umbrella made them hit into each other. Mama laughed. Rosa didn’t think it was funny. “I don’t like here,” she said. “I miss everything about hometown, especially Abuelita!” “I miss her too,” Mama said. “But there is more work here. We are able to send money to Abuelita.” Rosa nodded. Still, it was hard.

As Rosa arrived, the salon was already full of people. “Hello,” said Morena, Rosa’s cousin.

Rosa took the towels from a basket and started to fold (叠) them. She took a deep breath of their clean fresh smell, and was reminded again of the flowers of Abuelita. “I kept thinking about Abuelita. I miss her so much, especially today!” Rosa said. “Me, too,” Morena smiled. “But that won’t get this work done.”

Rosa carried the towels to the sinks (水池). All the chairs were filled with waiting customers. Rosa hurried over. Mama was shampooing (给…用洗发水) an old lady with a towel across her face. “Here we are. Rosa has brought you another towel.” Mama gently lifted the lady’s head and placed the towel at the base of her neck. “Better?” The woman’s face was still covered, and she didn’t speak, but she waved her hand as if to say yes.

As Mama continued, the lady hummed an old song softly.

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Abuelita reached her hand into a basket and took out a homemade cake.

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It’s eight o’clock on Christmas morning, and my dad says he wants to listen to the news. My 11-year-old self is wondering why on Earth grown-ups would be interested in the news when there are important things to be done, such as handing out presents. And then, while I am only half-listening, something strange happens: the newsreader begins talking about a Christmas message. Hadn’t we heard that report earlier?

My older brother, Colin, figures out what’s happening. “Pete, Pete, it’s a tape recorder! We’ve got our tape recorder!”

It finally dawns on me: my dad recorded the news and is playing it back now.

Colin and I had both been blind from birth. At the special school that Colin and I attended, a recorder of your own was the height of desire. However, realistic about family finances, we had no real expectations of getting one.

The tape recorder my dad bought us would have cost more than four times his weekly wage. He could only afford it by borrowing the money. I know my mum and dad would have thought long and hard before being in the debt.

The new toy controlled the rest of the Christmas holidays. Once we had mastered the controls, we recorded anything and everything: each other, our parents, the milkman, the dog... and we very quickly learned how much fun we could have with it.

It wasn’t the first time I had been attracted by a tape recorder. I vividly remember walking into a room when I was four and hearing a child’s tuneless singing. I stopped dead. “It’s you,” Dad said.

It turned out that he had borrowed a tape recorder. So for the first time, in the same way that a sighted child might react to seeing themselves in a mirror, I got the sense of myself as a separate person who existed outside my head and was experienced by other people.