Me: Hello, Television Viewers! I am Aziza Bellamy, and thanks for watching. I want to especially thank you, Ms. Bertha, for agreeing to this interview on live television. It's a pleasure to meet you, the first-known trans-galactic visitor to Earth. Now, I understand that you are from a planet called Zadernol?

    Bertha: Just call me Miss Bertha or Bertha, please, but not "Ms."

    Me: Okay, sorry about that. So, you've been on Earth for about a week now. What have been your biggest disappointments or challenges so far?

    Bertha: It's not the worst planet I've ever been to. Mercury was much worse. The aliens— oops, I mean humans, have been unkind, overall. The family I'm staying with, for example, were nice at first. But now they roll their eyes whenever I open my mouth to say anything. They're not interested in any of my stories. And I think they may be trying to avoid me. Worst of all, they make me wash my own dishes and bathe myself. They're so rude.

    Me: Oh, um. . . wow. That's just.…

    Bertha: I am used to having high standards when I choose where to stay, by the way. I have stayed with royalty and presidents on other planets. And they all adored (崇拜) me and begged me not to leave. But I gave this human family a chance to host me. I mean, really, they should be grateful that I selected them, of all the people on Earth, to wash my clothes and cook my meals and entertain (款待) me.

    Me: Well, what you're saying is surprising, Bertha. Do you think it's possible that this family just wants you to pitch in a little, to be a good guest?

    Bertha: It's odd to me that you're not agreeing with me. If you were smarter, you'd agree with me. That's another thing. Everyone on Zadernol is smarter than the smartest person on Earth. Earth is below me.

    Me: You know what. Bertha? I'm starting to see why you're so unhappy here on Earth. You're just a boastful (自夸的), spoiled alien.

    Robert likes to take a walk in the park after work. One day when he was walking in the park, he heard a woman calling his name. He stopped to look around, but didn't see anything except a little snake. Shortly after Robert saw it, it was gone.

    Though Robert felt a little strange, he did not think about it too much and sat down for a rest on a bench in the park. Then he noticed the snake he had just seen climbing up the bench. Robert was too afraid to move away from the bench. Right at this moment, a woman behind him shouted, "Come here, Robert. You can't stay on the bench like that. People will be scared by you."

    In surprise, Robert turned around and said to the woman." Excuse me, but that's not a very nice thing to say, and in fact some people say I'm handsome."

    "I'm not talking to you, "said the woman." I'm telling Robert, my pet snake, to get down from the bench, not you."

    An English traveller found himself in Norway with only enough money to buy the ticket for his journey back home. As he knew that it would take him only two days to get to England, he decided that he could easily spend the time without food. So he bought a ticket and got on the ship. The man closed his ears to the sound of the lunch bell. When dinner time came, he didn't go to the dining room, saying that he was not feeling very well.

    The next morning, he still didn't have breakfast and at lunch time he again stayed in his room. But at dinner time he was so hungry that he went to the dining room and ate everything the waiter put in front of him. He got ready for the quarrel(争吵).

     “Bring me the bill,” he said. “The bill, sir?” said the waiter in surprise. “There isn't any bill. On our ship meals are included(包括)in the money for the ticket,'' said the waiter.

    My grandfather was a teacher. He was the head teacher of a school for boys between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. I know that he was a kind and gentle(温柔的)man at heart, because when I was young, he gave me presents, and sat me on his knees(膝盖), and told me stories. But I believe the boys at his school were afraid of him.

    At school, when he walked into a room full of noisy (少闹的)boys, there was silence(安静)at once. When he looked at a boy with a certain look in his eyes, that boy went red in the face, and looked down at his shoes. If a boy brought him poor, careless work, the work that was not the best that boy could do, my grandfather picked up the boy's work and threw it across the room, shouting,” Do it all again, and bring it back first thing in the morning!” If the boy was late, or if he forgot to bring the work, he had to do it again, and again, and yet again. My grandfather never forgot. He was a very different man at school, from the man I saw day by day in his own home.

    Jessie felt her life so boring one summer day. She was tired of watching TV. She read all her books, and her friends were on vacation. She wanted something different to do, Suddenly, she saw the lawn mower(草机)sitting in the yard.

“Mom,” she shouted, ”I think I will mow the lawn.” Her mom ran into the yard and said,” Oh no, you don't. You're too young to mow the lawn.

“I'm fourteen years old and know how to do it,” Jessie said. ”Besides, it would help Dad out, and he won't have to worry about it over the weekend.

    Mom thought for a while and then decided to let Jessie give it a try. After all, she was home and would keep an eye on her. Jessie already knew how to start the lawn mower from watching her dad. Jessie checked the gas(汽油)to make sure it was full, and put on her gardening gloves to protect her hands. Mom watched from the kitchen window. Jessie really did know how to mow the lawn. She was very careful around the flowers and trees. When she finished, she felt so good, but she was so hot. Mom brought her some ice tea and said, “You sure did a great job. Dad will be very surprised. ”

    Later that day, Dad came home and said to Jessie's mom,” You didn't have to mow the lawn. I was going to do it on Saturday, It looks great. Thanks. ”

    “I didn't mow it. Jessie did, ''

    “Wow, our little girl is growing up!” Dad told Jessie what a great job she had done.

    “It was fun, and I will do it again next week,” said Jessie.

    The neighbour next door came by and asked Jessie if she wanted to mow his lawn and make some money. “Sure!” said Jessie. Jessie began mowing his lawn. Two other neighbours asked so, then another three. Jessie was now mowing lawns for them all and making some money. She was no longer bored! “I won't have time to spend my money,” she laughed to herself.

    Four years ago, Chinese skater Wu Dajing introduced himself to the skating world by winning a silver medal (银牌) at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. At this year's Pyeong Chang Olympics, Wu not only returned, but also made history.

    On Feb 22th, 2018, Wu won the gold medal in the men's short-track 500-meter race. He set a new world record with a time of 39.584 seconds. He also became the first Chinese man to take home an Olympic short-track gold medal. BBC said Wu's win was "flawless" because he was much faster than all of the other skaters.

    "I didn't give them a chance and I kept my speed from the start," he told the reporter after the match.

    But China's short-track teams didn't do well in general (总体上) at the Games. Chinese skaters in the women's 500 meters, 3000-meter relay and men's 1500 meters all failed to take home the gold. Wu was China's biggest hope, which put a lot of pressure on him. But he proved (证明) himself with his great performance.

    Wu is now known as a highly talented skater. But things were not always that way. When Wu joined the national team in 2010, he was seen as almost "nothing" compared to talented skaters like Zhou Yang and Fan Kexin, as his coaches (教练) said at the time Their words made him quite upset. But Wu didn't want to give up and worked as hard as he could. He practiced skating all year round. He even didn't return to his hometown for the holidays for 10 years. "I believe in myself," he told the reporter after his match at the Olympics.

    Bruce and his other two friends, Bruno and Dick lived in the same city in England. They were free in their summer vacation. So they came to a village by a big lake(湖). They liked fishing very much. Then the next day after they got there, they got to a boat and went fishing in the lake. They boated farther and farther. They came to an out-of-way place. They were very happy because there were a lot of fish. When it was time for them to go home, Bruce said to his friends: "We'd better make a mark(作记号) here so that we will easily find the place tomorrow."

    "You're right." Bruno said happily ."Let me do that."

    "How foolish," said Bruce. "If it rains tonight, the rain water will wash the line off, and how can we find the mark tomorrow. You must cut a line with your knife."

    Dick came up to them and said angrily. " Neither of you is clever. How can we find the place if we have another boat tomorrow? We should not go back tonight."

Saturday, 14th October

    Yesterday Dr Hill put braces (牙箍) on my teeth. When she finished doing it, she walked me out to the front desk. She told Grandma I would have to come back in two weeks to have my braces checked. "Sounds like she put a washing machine in your mouth, doesn't it, Amy?" joked Grandma. Then Dr Hill gave me an appointment (预约) for 2:30 pm on 28th October. Oh, well, I guess getting out of school early to see Dr Hill will be one good thing about having braces.

    Other things aren't so good. When I woke up this morning, my mouth really hurt. I couldn't eat any bread or meat. Finally Mum mashed (捣烂) a banana and mixed it with some milk and honey, which tasted good.

    At school, my friends tried to be nice about my braces. Benny said he could hardly notice them unless I smiled. (Note to myself: Try not to smile too much.) Angel said they made me look more grown-up. And Keith thanked me for joining him. He said my braces looked nicer than his.

    Of course, Charlie had mean things to say. First he called me Brace Face, and then he called me Metal Mouth. I ignored (不理睬) him, but he kept laughing and pointing. He didn't stop until Mrs Fremont gave him one of her looks. Right now, Dr Hill's not sure how long I'll have to wear the braces. But it may be at least nine months. That seems like a long, long time.

    In many - even most - space-themed films, whenever Earth faces a disaster, the solution is always fleeing the planet in spaceships. But the latest Chinese sci-fi movie, The Wandering Earth, offers a different and more ambitious idea.

    In the film, based on a short story by Chinese sci-fi writer Liu Cixin, Earth is in danger of being destroyed by the dying sun. In response, humans around the world work together to build a giant engine system that will push Earth away from the sun. Instead of abandoning Earth again - this time we're taking it with us.

    This "ambition" didn't come from nowhere. For thousands of years, "homeland" has had a soft spot in the hearts and minds of Chinese people. One old idiom is luoyeguigen, which means returning to one's homeland in old age, like fallen leaves returning to the roots of their tree. Or look to an ancient verse: "The season called the White Dew begins tonight/Nowhere as in our native place is the moon so bright". These both show the tight bond that Chinese people have had with their homeland.This special cultural background is probably what sets The Wandering Earth apart from Hollywood-style space films.

    "What is Chinese sci-fi?" Guo Fan, the film's director, said in an interview. "A vehicle that can really express our cultural and spiritual core can be called Chinese sci-fi. Otherwise, we're just imitating others and telling the same American stories."

    And the makers of The Wandering Earth may have chosen the best time to tell its Chinese sci-fi story. The film was released on Feb 5, the first day of Chinese New Year. It was a time when many people had just made the hard journey back to their hometowns.

    So to them, there is only one possible way to tell the story: Earth goes wherever humans go, because it's our home.

    One early morning, I went into the living room to find my mother reading a thick book called Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again. My interest was aroused only by the fact that the word "Poems" appeared in big, hot pink letters.

    "Is it good?" I asked her.

    "Yeah," she answered. I leaned forward.

    "Patty Poem,'" she read the title. Who is Patty? I wondered. The poem began:

    She never puts her toys away,

    Just leaves them scattered where they lay …

The poem was just three short sections. The final one came quickly:

    When she grows and gathers poise,

    I'll miss her harum-scarum noise,

    And look in vain for scattered toys

    And I'll be sad

    A terrible sorrow (痛苦) washed over me. Whoever Patty was, she was a mean girl. Then, the shock. "It's you, honey," My mother said sadly.

    To my mother, the poem revealed a parent's feeling when her child grows up and leaves. To me, the "she" in the poem was horror. It was my mama who would be sad. It was so terrible I burst (突然) out crying.

    "What's wrong?" my mother asked.

    "Oh, Mama," I cried. "I don't want to grow up ever!"

    She smiled. "Honey, it's okay. You're not growing up anytime soon. And when you do, I'll still love you, okay?"

    "Okay," I was still weeping (流泪). My scare has gone. But I could not help thinking about that silly poem. After what seemed like a safe amount of time, I read the poem again and was confused. It all fit so well together, like a puzzle. The language was simple, so simple I could obviously understand its meaning, yet it was still beautiful. I was now fascinated (着迷) by the idea of poetry, words that had the power to make or break a person's world.

    I have since fallen in love with other poems, but "Patty Poem" remains my poem. After all, "Patty Poem" gave me my love for poetry not because it was the poem that lifted my spirits, but because it was the one that hurt me the most.