Book reading week held at our school

One time, the teachers at a school wanted to teach the students about airplanes. While all airplanes can fly, some are able to fly farther than others. This is because not all airplanes are built the same. For example, a fighter plane looks very different from a plane that people fly in when they want to go on a holiday. The teachers wondered how they could make students understand this.

Then, the science teacher, Mr. Moose, decided that the school should have a paper airplane contest. Every student would design a paper airplane. They would stand in a line in the playground behind the school. The students would take turns throwing their airplanes. The student whose airplane went the farthest would win.

When Mr. Moose announced the paper airplane contest to the students, they were very excited. A student named Paul, who was on the school sports team, said to everyone else that his airplane would win. “I am the strongest,” Paul said. “So I will be able to throw my airplane the farthest.”

However, while Paul was saying this, another student, Brian, was thinking how he could win. Brian did not play any sports and was not very strong. But he loved airplanes and really wanted to win the contest.

Brian realized what he had to do. He went to the store and bought a big stack (叠) of paper. When he got home, he took the paper into his backyard. He took a piece of paper and folded an airplane. It didn’t go very far, so Brian took another piece and folded another airplane and threw it. This airplane went a little farther. Brian kept folding different kinds of airplanes and throwing them. Some went very far and some did not. Finally, when Brian had used all the paper, he walked up to the airplane that had flown the farthest and picked it up.

The next day was the contest. All the students lined up. Everyone took turns. After a while, everyone had thrown except Paul and Brian. Paul went first. With a loud yell, he threw the airplane into the sky. It went farther than every other airplane. Everyone cheered.

Finally, it was Brian’s turn.

Brian won because he tried out many solutions to the problem of how to make an airplane fly very far.

Last Christmas my older sister Jane got a unicycle (独轮脚踏车) she had requested. I thought it kind of strange, wondering why she would want something like that. She did ride and practice for a while, but eventually stopped.

Curious, I tried it, finding it very hard and thinking it impossible for a weak girl like me to learn. Since our dining room of our old house had low beams (屋梁), I used them like monkey bars to practice riding, which helped a lot. Because I thought it was really fun, I practiced every spare moment I had, teaching myself to go forwards, backwards and to turn. Practicing was something I loved to do in my spare time, but it did get discouraging when I fell. After months of practicing, I finally made it.

One morning, our teacher Maria excitedly announced that a school talent show was to be held to raise money for charity. She encouraged my classmates to sign up for it. I’m not always best in front of a crowd, which was why I was very nervous when I meant to put on my performance by doing a hula hoop (圈) and riding a unicycle on stage. But I overcame my fear and entered myself for the talent show, for which I practiced a lot in case I should mess up.

My routine (整套动作) was to do the hula hoop from my neck, down to my stomach, then to my knees. After that, I was to ride my unicycle forwards and backwards on stage. Lastly I would do the hula hoop while riding the unicycle. I was to do all this accompanied by my carefully selected music. I wondered what people from my seventh grade would think of my performance. With my friends inspiring me, I built up my confidence. On the night of the show, many people found out there was going to be a unicycle performance, so more came, even the headmaster.

Para. 1: I was both nervous and excited when it was my turn.

Para. 2: When I got home, I couldn’t wait to check my mobile phone left at home.

When Ryan first turned up for Ms. Rose’s class, he was kind of nervous because he'd heard Ms. Rose could be a real monster sometimes. But as Ms. Rose started with an overview of what they'd be doing during the year in a pleasant voice, she looked nice enough. Then with a more serious tone, she warned the students that she'd be giving them homework assignments, which were not to be handed in late, and they were to be completed fully. "No excuses! No extensions!”

That day she assigned the class its first homework. They had to do a sheet of math problems and read a short story. It wasn’t due until Thursday, but she suggested they do it immediately that night. "Homework has a way of piling up, "she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. But today was only Monday! There was plenty of time, Ryan thought.

So when school was over, Ryan and his friends ran off to play baseball. Exhausted after the game, he entertained himself with his favorite TV show, leaving his homework aside on his desk. Days passed quickly. Ryan was free of worries most of the time, while Ms. Rose just occasionally reminded them of the deadline, and that she wouldn't tolerate anyone not having done it.

Wednesday, after dinner, he suddenly realized that his homework was due next day. He raced to his desk and was greeted with the most curious thing. The pile of homework really had grown taller. Oh no! What was he going to do? It looked as if the papers had towered over him, almost soaring up to the ceiling.

He really needed to get started. He did a lite bit here and there, but he kept getting distracted by other work waiting for him. Finally, he couldn't even locate the homework he'd started with. Frustrated, he gave up and went to bed.   Ryan tossed and turned all night and had bad dreams of paper mountains burying him alive.

The next morning, when Ryan entered the classroom, he found Ms. Rose waiting, her faced dark with rage.   Obviously, Ryan wasn't the only one who suffered from the mysteriously growing assignments.

Failing to meet the deadline, the students had to watch as Ms. Rose transformed into the real monster.

With a satisfied smile, Ms. Rose finally released everyone, but assigned the class some extra homework.