Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One time ______ the middle of the night, an old lady took my taxi. She gave me ______ address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown (市中心)?”

“It’s not the ______ way,” I answered. “Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice (临终关怀医院). I ______ by the doctor a few days ago that I didn’t have very long.”

I quietly shut off the meter (里程表). For the next two hours, we drove through the city. As we passed a building, she said she used ______ there. She also showed me ______ she and her husband lived. ______ the sun was rising, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.” I drove in silence to the address she had given me. There ______ people waiting for her and they put her in a wheelchair.

“______?” she asked. “Nothing,” I said. Almost without thinking, I gave her a hug. “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”

I ______ into the fine morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

Henry is going through a very hard time. His wife just ______ . He feels that life without her is meaningless. For months, he has just sat around the house, doing ______ .

Henry’s neighbor, an old woman named Lisa, sees him one day. She asks him to come over to the fence（篱笆）between their homes. “Hello, Henry! Just look at this fence. It is falling apart. You are a ______ man. Can you help me fix this fence?” Lisa asks.

Henry is angry inside. He is the one who needs help right now. He thinks the old lady is being kind of impolite. ______ she is too old to fix the fence herself, so he agrees. Henry works on the fence for days. Lisa brings him lemonade（柠檬水）while he works. When he ______, she thanks him. Henry smiles for the first time in ______ .

“What a wonderful job! Could you please paint it for me?” Lisa asks. Henry cannot ______ she is asking for more help. But because he respects（尊敬）her, he agrees again. He works hard, ______ the fence in the hot sun, but Lisa’s lemonade and encouragement are helpful. As their neighbors pass by, they all tell Henry what a beautiful job he has done. Henry feels ______ of his job.

Henry no longer feels that life is meaningless. He ______ realizes that Lisa wasn’t being impolite. He helped her, but she truly saved him.

Mike is graduating(毕业) from Concord Academy High School and Rowan Kabbalah Community College at the same time. And he is only 12. At his high school science fair, he introduced his newest invention HORIZON OS.

Mike showed great learning ability and interest in the “how” and “why” behind things at a very young age. He began to study computer programming at age 5. He taught himself on the Internet and put his learning into practice. He has learned 10 languages.

Also, he is improving another skill: written communication. “My idea is no use to anyone if I can’t express it,” he explained.

“Mike does well in all subjects,” his mother said. “When he has difficulties, he will try to find a way out.” His father was satisfied with Mike’s non-academic(非学业的) achievements. “They mean much more,” his father said.

Mike has started two technology companies. And he has a bigger dream for the future. “I really want to make things easier for people, especially the old,” Mike explained. “The next, maybe a health care robot.”

Scientists in Britain and the United States have made a new kind of enzyme(酵素) that eats plastics (塑料). With its help, plastics can be turned into smaller parts and go away quickly. Scientists believe that, in the future, it could solve the problem of plastic pollution.

The enzyme is able to break down PET, a form of plastic. PET was first made in the 1940s and is now widely used to make plastic bottles. It can remain in the environment for many years and pollute large areas of land and water. So it has always been a headache to deal with the waste from PET and other plastics.

The researchers made the discovery while examining the structure(结构) of a natural enzyme in Japan. They found that the natural enzyme was helping to break down PET plastics. So, they decided to make small changes to the enzyme by adding some amino acids(氨基酸). It made the natural enzyme’s plastic-eating abilities work faster and better.

John McGeehan, one of the lead researchers, said, “We’ve made an improved enzyme. It’s better than the natural one. And we are trying to make more improvements to it.” He went on, “The enzyme is not harmful to humans or animals, and it is friendly to the environment. So we are considering putting it into wider use.”

The team is now trying to make the enzyme break down PET in large quantities(大量的). “We’ll see that the plastic pollution may be stopped with this technology. However, there is still a long way to go,” John McGeehan added.

Are you planning to visit a relative’s or a friend’s place? Then do you know how to behave well? If you don’t know, please don’t be afraid. Here’s some advice for you to be a great guest.

If you are planning to visit the hosts, call them up instead of writing an e-mail. Before your visit, set the exact time period for which you will stay. It is important that you reach their house on time. They will be happy to have a guest who plans his visit and follows the plan as well.

It will be nice for you to bring a small gift for your hosts. It will be better to get something which is a specialty(特产) of the city you live in.

As the saying said, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Every family has its own set of rules, so you’d better follow them. For example, don’t offer their children junk food, play loud music or play ball at their house.

While at the dinner table, you should be happy to eat whatever the host gives you because it’s impolite if you refuse. If you want to eat something special, you should cook it for everyone. Remember to help clean the dishes after the meal.

Don’t leave without thanking them for their good treat. Don’t forget to mention how much you enjoy your stay. When you go back, send the hosts some flowers along with a thank. Thank them once again for being so nice to you. Don’t forget to invite the hosts to your place so that you can return the hospitality(好客) and kindness. This will make them feel very nice.

The dragon is a great animal in Chinese culture.     31     It is said that every year on the second day of the second lunar（阴历的）month, the dragon wakes up from its winter sleep and raises its head. Because of this, the day is called “Dragon Head-raising Day” （Longtaitou）. This year, it falls on March 4.

Old people believed that after Longtaitou, there would be more rain. And rain is very necessary to farming.     32    

People have many ways to celebrate the Longtaitou festival.     33     Many believe that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to your uncles—mainly your mother’s brothers. They hope getting a haircut on Longtaitou keeps them away from bad luck.

    34     During the Longtaitou festival, people eat food named after dragons. Noodles are called dragon’s beard （longxu）. Dumplings are dragon’s ears （long’er）. And spring rolls（春卷）are dragon’s scales（鳞片）（longlin）.

    35     In some places in Shandong province, people make dragon lanterns too. Small reed（芦苇）boats go down the rivers and carry the lanterns, which stand for people’s best wishes and good luck.