Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book

This book based on Greg Hefley’s own “diary” lets kids express themselves in an exciting way. In the book, kids will be asked: What is the best dream you have ever had? The worst thing you have ever eaten? The best secret you have ever heard? This book is unique and special because it has blank pages for readers to write their own stories and keep their own diaries.

Author: Jeff Kinney

List Price: $10.95

Price: $6.57 Buy it on Amazon. com.

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Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories

This volume (卷) of beloved Chinese stories contains a delightful selection from the store of Chinese legend (传说). Discover many delightful animal characters as well as Chang’e and Guan Yin. Retold for an international audience, the stories with beautiful pictures will give children aged six to ten in other countries a chance to learn about both the tradition and culture of China.

Author: Mingmei Yip

List Price: $18.95

Price: $12.89 Buy it on Amazon. com.

You save: $6.06 (32%)

The Way Science Works

The perfect introduction to show how science explains the world around us! Eye-opening experiments and extraordinary photography bring science to life. It explains everyday facts to the theories behind the technology in today’s fast-moving world. Full of facts about famous scientists, technology news and more.

Author: Robin Kerrod

List Price: $24.99

Price: $ 16.49 Buy it on Amazon.com.

You save: $8.50 (34%)

My name is Sara, When I was little, I played the drums. I also had a guitar. In fourth grade, I started playing the trombone(长号). I practiced about four hours a week. All of this might not seem like a big deal for a lot of kids, but there’s something about me that makes me a bit different from others. I was born without hands. Since I was about one year old, I’ve worn prosthetics(假手).

This year, I got an invitation to join the high school marching band(行进管乐队). I told my mom I wanted to do it. But I had an instructor who thought I would not be able to march in the band—not because it is a high school band and I’m only in seventh grade, but probably because my body is different. All I wanted was to show that I, could do it, so I joined the band. And it paid off!

Music gives me energy. That happens sometimes. One time I was so down and I didn’t even want to get out of bed. Then I hit my MP3 player by accident. A song came on, and I got up and started dancing. It helped me say to myself, “OK, I can get through today.”

Around my musician friends, we all share the same problems, like working out how many beats(拍) there are to a measure(节). I have a hard time counting the beats, but so do a lot of the other kids. It’s a normal problem that we musicians share. When I’m with the band, I don’t feel as different as I do in other situations. It’s just another way that music makes me want to go on, and not to just sit down by myself and not care about life.

Different weather makes people feel different. It influences health, intelligence and feelings.

In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in these states have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.

The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 2018 report by scientists, IQs of a group of students were very high when a very strong wind came; but after the strong wind, their IQs were 10% below. The wind can help people have more intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can make it lower. Students in many schools of the United States often get worse on exams in the hot months of the year (July and August).

Weather also has a strong influence on people’s feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel unhappy during cold weather. But fat people may have a hard time in hot summer. At about 18℃, people become stronger.

Low air pressure (气压) may make people forgetful. People leave more bags on buses and in shops on low — pressure days. There is “good weather” for work and health. People feel best at a temperature of about 18℃.

Are you feeling sad, tired, forgetful, or unhappy today? It may be the problem of weather.

If you have to attend a party or other social events where a lot of people will be present, do you feel confident that you will impress others?     16     In any case, you should increase your confidence at social events.

Whenever you are meeting new people at any social event, you should wear proper clothes.     17     If everyone else is wearing business clothes, you should, too. You should wear informal clothes so that you can fit in, if the event is informal.

If you are going to meet people from a certain business or profession, try looking through a few professional magazines or checking on the Internet ahead of time to get some conversation ideas that are related to their fields of interest.     18    

When you are at the event, don’t worry about whether or not other people you are talking with like you. Instead, try your best to find reasons to like them. When you are holding a conversation with people, be sure to keep good eye contact, and make your facial expression soft.     19     Let your face and body relax so that you can make natural gestures.

After the event is over, take a bit of time to think of your social performance and the conversation you had with people.     20     For example, perhaps you made a big effort to really listen to the people you were talking with, or you may have asked-several people some good questions that really got them talking. By doing so, your conversation confidence will gradually improve.

I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention. Finally, the driver, a man about 60, looked up from behind the wheel and apologized, “I’m sorry, but I was reading a letter,” He sounded as     36     he had a cold or a cough. I told him the     37     (intend) of my coming to the city was to attend a sports competition and said I should go all out       38     (win) the competition.

I asked him to finish his letter. He shook his head, explaining that he had already read it several times and could almost     39     (memory) it. Feeling so curious, I asked who it came from. He answered that he wrote it to a friend of his, who always had     40     (creativity) ideas. “Old Ed and I grew up together. We had no trouble     41     (communicate) with each other,” he said.

“A couple of weeks ago, Ed died. I should have kept     42     contact with him more.” He repeated this, more to himself than to me. I said sometimes we just didn’t seem to find the time. “But we used to find the time,” he said. “Take a look.” He handed the letter over to me.

The first sentence “I’ve been meaning to write for some time, but I’ve always delayed (耽搁) it” reminded me of myself. The letter went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said “Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I’m not good at saying things like that”, I found myself nodding in agreement. Then I read the last paragraph: “So I thought you’d like to know, that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”.

I said, “I thought your friend’s name, was Ed,” because he     43     (refer) to it in his letter, “I’m Tom,” he explained. “Actually, it’s a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he’d died. I never put it in the mailbox. I am feeling pretty sorry for him,     44     (particular) during this period. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief. The experience has made     45     impression on me.