13．After-school Activities in Johnson Height

14．　　Once upon a time, there was a man named Anansi. He knew that he was very clever but he also knew he wasn't wise. He didn't like this, but he did not know what to do. One day he had an idea. He went around the village with a basket and asked each person to give him some of their wisdom (智慧) The people laughed at Anansi because they knew that he needed wisdom the most. So each person put a bit in his basket and wished him good luck.
　　Soon his basket was full, but Anansi was worried that his neighbors might be jealous (嫉妒)of his wisdom and take it from him. He decided to hide it at the top of a tall tree. When he had tied the basket to the front part of his body, he tried to climb the tree, but it was too difficult. He tried again and again without success.
　　Then his youngest son walked by. "What are you doing, father?" he asked and Anansi told him. " Why don't you carry the basket on your back instead?" his son said.
　　Anansi put the basket on his back and climbed the tree easily, but he wasn't happy. I walked all over the village and collected so much wisdom that I am the wisest person ever, but my baby son is still wiser than me. Take back your wisdom!" he said. And he threw the basket of wisdom into the air and went home. And that's how wisdom went all over the world.

15．　　The computer makes doing schoolwork easier for me than it was for my mom and dad. For example, when writing book reports and storing. I use Microsoft Word instead of a pen and paper, That way, after my teacher edits (编辑) my work. I can go back and make revisions without having to rewrite the whole thing. And Microsoft Word has a spell check!I use it all the time.
　　For English class, we're reading The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton. As a pre-reading task, my teacher asked us to research teenage groups on the Internet. I tried Google, Encarta, and Yahoo first, and finally found an article on Time. com.
　　For a geography task on the United States, I used Encarta to learn about the Misissippi River. I needed to find out how deep the river is, how its widths and depths are different, what states it runs through, and what kind of fish live in it I used the information to show how the geography of a country influences its economy (经济). For example, the river s trade paths, the number of fish caught in it, and the tourists it attracts directly influence Southerners' jobs and incomes (收入).
　　I never go to the library to do research. It takes loo much time. Since I live in New York City and both my parents work, getting to the library isn't always easy. For a big assignment or research project, I used to stay at the library to read, or sign out whatever books or magazines I needed. Now being able to find the information in my own living mom makes everything a lot simpler. Online dictionaries and encyclopaedia (百科全书)also save time.
　　Sometimes, I think the computer spoils young people because it's so easy — at least physically. But computers a not like television, which does the thinking for you. You still have to use your mind. I prefer using a computer. Easy, fun, and fast.

16．　　When you were at school, the last thing you probably wanted to do was spend your weekends going to work. There was homework to do, sport to play and fin to he hart But our parents probably advise us to find a job to make some pocket money and get some life experience. When I was a teenager I had a paper round:delivering newspapers to people's homes. I then turned to a Saturday job in a supermarket:putting the things on the shelves in order and working at the checkout.
　　Today in the UK you are allowed to work from the age of 13, and many children take up part-time jobs. It's a taste of independence. Teenagers agree that it teaches valuable lessons about working with adults and about managing your money. So, that's no bad thing!
　　Some research has shown that not taking on a Saturday or holiday job could be detrimental to a person later. A 2015 study by the UK Commission on Employment and Skills found that employer's (雇主) organizations criticized young adults because they were ill﹣prepared for full time work. And they were proved not having taken part﹣time work at school age. However, a recent report has shown that the number of school children in the UK with a part-time job has fallen by 20% in the past five years.
　　So, does this mean that British teenagers are now more afraid of hard work?
　　Probably not. Some experts feel that young people think going out to work will influence their performance at school, and they are under more pressure now to study hard and get good exam results and a good job in the long term. However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told BBC News that "Proper part﹣time work is a good way to help young people learn skills that they will need in their working lives. " I's all about getting the right balance between doing part﹣time work and having enough time to study and rest.
　　Many young people actually want to work because it gives them a sense of freedom. One 13﹣year﹣ old girl called Rachel, who has a Saturday job in a shop, told the BBC that "I enjoy my job because I'm making money and it helps my confidence speaking to people and socializing with people I work with. " That seems like something worth getting up for on a Saturday morning. Did you do a part﹣time job when you were at school?

17．　　The Silk Road is the name of different roads that connected Europe, Africa and Asia long ago. It was named by F. von Richthofen who was a famous German geographer. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3, 000 years ago. People reached these different places along these roads. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world the Silk Road covered almost 7.000 kilometers. It went from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.
　　Businessmen travelled along the Silk Road to carry silk. of course. They also carried and traded other things like spices (香料), cloth, jewels and gold .
　　Along and around these ancient paths (小路), have come many fascinating and mysterious stories.
　　It is said that Roman soldiers who lost a war travelled through central Asia. They decided to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese villages. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the stories of the blond-haired, blue-eyed tribes of China was started.
　　Some historians believe that the people of Kashmir were taken away from their country Israel. They were prisoners (俘虏)of war almost 2, 800 years ago. People say that these people travelled along the Silk Road. They kept their Jewish way of life for a long time.
　　During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable things and new ideas. It included people and trading goods from different areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road, and they shared goods, stories, languages and cultures.
　　In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35, 000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.

18．假如你是班长李华, 你准备组织学生去"红星社区"(Red Star Community)参加以"爱护家园, 保护环境"为主题的志愿者活动．你打算邀请交换生Peter 参加请用英语写一封邮件, 告诉他活动的时间, 活动的主要内容, 以及意义．
提示问题:
●When and where are you going to volunteer?
●What are you going to do?
●Why do you organize the activity?
Dear Peter,
　　How is it going?
　　I am writing to invite you to volunteer with my class. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
　　I 'm looking forward to your early reply.
Yours,
Li Hua

19．假如你是李华, 在你的生活中一定有人给予你无私的爱和帮助. 某英文网站正在开展题为"The person I want to thank " 征文比赛. 请你用英语写一篇短文投稿,
内容包括:谁是你想要感谢的人?为什么你要感谢他(她)?你从他/身上学到了
什么?
提示词语: mother, busy, take care of, cook, encourage , help, love, hard
提示问题: (1)Who do you want to thank?
(2)Why do you want to thank him/her?
(3)What do you learn from him/her?
The person I want to thank