初二上册英语课文（初中英语初二下学期课文）

1单元 3a 6分26Read the passage. Do you think it comes from a newspaper or a book? How do you know?，下面我们就来聊聊关于初二上册英语课文?接下来我们就一起去了解一下吧!

初二上册英语课文

1单元 3a 6分26

Read the passage. Do you think it comes from a newspaper or a book? How do you know?

Bus Driver and Passengers Save an Old Man

At 9:00 a.m. yesterday, bus No.26 was going along Zhonghua Road when the driver saw an old man lying on the side of the road. A woman next to him was shouting for help.

The bus driver, 24 year-old Wang Ping, stopped the bus without thinking twice。 He got off and asked the woman what happened. She said that the man had a heart problem and should go to the hospital. Mr. Wang knew he had to act quickly. He told the passengers that he must take the man to the hospital. He expected most or all of the passengers to get off and wait for the next bus. But to his surprise, they all agreed to go with him. Some passengers helped Mr. Wang to move the man onto the bus.

Thanks to Mr. Wang and the passengers, the man was saved by the doctors in time. "It's sad that many people don't want to help others because they don't want any trouble," says one passenger."But the driver didn't think about himself. He only thought about saving a life."

1单元 2b 2分15

Read the passage and underline the words you don't know. Then look up the words in a dictionary and write down their meanings.

He Lost His Arm . But Is Still Climbing

Aron Ralston is an American man who is interested in mountain climbing。As a mountain climber, Aron is used to taking risks. This is one of the exciting things about doing dangerous sports. There were many times when Aron almost lost his life because of accidents. On April 26, 2003, he found himself in a very dangerous situation when climbing in Utah.

On that day, Aron's arm was caught under a 360-kilo rock that fell on him when he was climbing by himself in the mountains. Because he could not free his arm, he stayed there for five days and hoped that someone would find him. But when his water ran out, he knew that he would have to do something to save his own life. He was not ready to die that day. So he used his knife to cut off half his right arm. Then, with his left arm, he bandaged himself so that he would not lose too much blood. After that, he climbed down the mountain to find help.

After losing his arm, he wrote a book called《Between a Rock and a Hard Place》《山穷水尽》. This means being in a difficult situation that you cannot seem to get out of . In this book, Aron tells of the importance of making good decisions, and of being in control of one's life. His love for mountain climbing is so great that he kept on climbing mountains even after this experience（一哥斯碧伦斯）。他对爬山的热爱使他在这次经历后仍然坚持爬山。

Do we have the same spirit（斯啤掠车） as Aron? Let's think about it before we find ourselves“between a rock and a hard place进退两难", and before we have to make a decision（滴斯选） that could mean life or death.

2单元 3a 3分30

Read the article. What do Mario and Mary volunteer（哇论踢儿） to do?.。。自愿做什么

Students Who Volunteer

Mario Green and Mary Brown from Riverside High School give up several（赛V肉） hours each week to help others.

Mario loves animals and wants to be an animal doctor. He volunteers at an animal hospital every Saturday morning. Mario believes it can help him to get his future dream job. "It's hard work," he says,“but I want to learn more about how to care for animals. I get such a strong feeling of satisfactionwhen I see the animals get better and the look of joy（囧已） on their owners ' faces."

Mary is a book lover. She could read by herself at the age of four. Last year, she decided to try out参加选拔for a volunteer after-school reading program.

She still works there once a week to help kids learn to read."The kids are sitting in the library, but you can see in their eyes that they're going on a different journey (囧你)with each new book. Volunteering here is a dream come true for me. I can do what I love to do and help others at the same time"

2单元 2b 2分10

Read the letter and answer the questions.

Dear Miss Li,

I'd like to thank you for giving money to AnimalHelpers动物助手.I'm sure you know that this group was set up to help disabled残疾 people like me. You helped to make it possible for me to have Lucky, Lucky makes a big difference to my life. Let me tell you my story.

What would it be like to be blind（B兰的）瞎 or deaf（嘚伏）聋? Or imagine you can't walk or use your hands easily 。Most people would never think about this, but many people have these difficulties. I can't use my arms or legs well, so normal things like answering the telephone, opening and closing doors, or carrying things are diffcult for me. Then one day last year, a friend of mine helped me out. She talked to Animal Helpers about getting me a special trained（唇恩车） dog. She also thought a dog might cheer（去儿）使高兴me up. I love animals and I was excited about the idea of having a dog. After six months of training with a dog at Animal Helpers, I was able能 to bring him home.

My dog's name is Lucky - a good name for him because I feel very lucky to have him. You see, I'm only（我之所以能有… ）able to have a "dog helper" because of（只因为你的） your kindness! Lucky is very clever聪明 and understands many English words. He can understand me when I give him orders. For example, I say, "Lucky! Get my book," and he does it at once.

Lucky is a fantastic（凡太斯提）难于置信的好/神奇dog. I'll send you a photo of him if you like, and I could show you how he helps me. Thank you again for changing my life.

Best wishes,

Ben Smith

3单元 3a 3分35

Read the story and answer the questions.

Last month, our dog welcomed me when I came home from school. He wanted a walk, but I was too tired. I threw down my bag and went to the living room. The minute I sat down in front of the TV，my mom came over.“Could you please take the dog for a walk?" she asked.

“Could I watch one show first?" I asked.

“No!" she replied angrily . "You watch TV all the time and never help out（帮某人摆脱困境）around the house从来不在家里帮忙! I can't work all day and do housework all evening.我不能整天工作还做家务"

“Well, I work all day at school, too! I'm just as tired as you are!" I shouted back.

My mom did not say anything and walked away走开. For one week整整一星期, she did not do any housework and neither did I. Finally, I could not find a clean dish or a clean shirt.

The next day, my mom came home from work to find the house clean and tidy.

“What happened?" she asked in surprise.

“I'm so sorry, Mom. I finally understand that we need to share the housework to have a clean and comfortable舒适 home," I replied.

3单元 2b 2分12

The Sunday Mail magazine invited parents to write about whether they think young pepole should do chores(琼哦斯)杂务at home. Read the following以下的，后面的 letters. Which one agrees and which one disagrees?

Dear Sir,

I do not understand why some parents make their kids help with housework and chores at home. Kids these days already have enough stress压力 from school. They do not have time to study and do housework, too. Housework is a waste of their time. Could we just let them do their job as students? They should spend their time on schoolwork in order to get good grades（鬼瑞子）and get into a good university. Also, when they get older, they will have to do housework so there is no need for them to do it now. It is the parents' job to provide（泼外的）a clean and comfortable舒适的 environment at home for their children. And anyway, I think doing chores is not so difficult. I do not mind doing them.

Ms. Miller

Dear Sir,

I think it is important for children to learn how to do chores and help their parents with housework.It is not enough to just get good grades at school. Children these days depend依赖/信任 on their parents too much. They are always asking,“Could you get this for me?" or "Could you help me with that?"

Doing chores helps to develop（滴喂了P）培养children's independence独立 and teaches them how to look after themselves. It also这也 helps them to understand the idea of fairness公平. Since they live in one house with their parents,they should know that everyone should do their part 尽他们的职责in keeping it clean and tidy.

Our neighbors' son got into a god college神学院 butduring his first year,he had no idea how to take care of himself . As a result , he often fell ill and his grades dropped . The earlier kids learn to be independent ,the better it is for their future .

Mr. Smith

4单元 3a 3分48

Look at this letter to a magazine and the reply from Robert Hunt, a school counselor顾问. Complete the chart.

Dear Mr. Hunt,

My problem is that I can't get on with和睦相处my family. Relations关系 between my parents have become dificult. They fight a lot, and I really don't like it, It's the only communication they have. I don't know if I should say anything to them about this. when they argue（阿giu）争吵, it' like a big, black cloud hanging悬挂over our home . Also, my elder(奥的) brother is not very nice to me. He always refusesto let me watch my favorite TV show. Instead（音斯忒）相反he watches whatever he wants他想看啥就看啥 until late at night. I don't think this is fair公平. At home I always feel lonely and nervous（了喂斯）焦虑/紧张. Is that normal正常? What can I do? Sad and Thirteen

Dear Sad and Thirteen,

It's not easy being your age, and it's normal to havethese feelings. Why don't you talk about these feelings with your family? If your parents are having problems, you should offer主动提供to help . Maybe you could do more jobs around the house so that they have more time for proper适当的communication.

Secondly, why don't you sit down and communicate with your brother? You should explain that you don't mind him watching TV all the time. However, he should let you watch your favorite show. I hope things will be better for you soon. Robert Hunt

4单元 2b 2分15

Read the article and answer the questions.

1. what is the common problem for Chinese and American families?

2. Who gives their opinions见解about the problem?

Maybe You Should Learn to Relax!

These days, Chinese children are sometimes busier（piu斯儿）on weekends than weekdays because they have to take so many after-school classes. Many of them are learning exam skills so that they can get into a good high school and later a good university. Others are practicing sports so that they can compete and win. However, this doesn't only happen in China.

The Taylors are a typical American family. Life for Cathy Taylor's three children is very busy. "On most days after school," Cathy says, "I take one of my two boys to basketball practice and my daughter to football training. Then I have to take my other son to piano（皮爱喽） lessons. Maybe I could cut out a few of their activities, but I believe these activities are important for my children's future. I really want them to be successful." However, the tired疲惫的children don't get home until after 7:00 p.m. They have a quick dinner, and then it's time for homework.

Linda Miller, a mother of three, knows all about such stress. “In some families, competition竞争starts very young and continues until the kids get older " she says. "Mothers send their small kids to all kinds of classes. And they are always comparing比较them with other children. It's crazy. I don't think that's fair. Why don't they just let their kids be kids? People shouldn't push逼迫/鞭策their kids so hard."

Doctors say too much pressure压力is not good for a child's development（滴喂肉门车）. Dr.Alie Green says all these activities can cause造成/致使 a lot of stress for children."Kids should have time to relax and think for themselves, too。Although it's normal to want successful children, It's even more important to have happy children"虽然想要孩子成功的很正常，但是更重要的是孩子的快乐。

5单元 3a 4分15

Read the passage短文and answer the questions.

1. What was the weather like before the heavy rain started?

暴雨前的天气怎么样

2. What was the neighborhood like after the storm暴风雨?

暴雨后的周围怎么样

The Storm Brought促使People Closer亲密Together

Ben could hear strong winds outside his home in Alabama. Black clouds were making the sky very dark. With no light outside , it felt like midnight. The news on TV reported that a heavy rainstorm暴风雨was in the area地区.

Everyone in the neighborhood was busy. Ben's dad was putting pieces of wood over the windows while his mom was making sure the flashlights and radio were working。She also put some candles and matches火柴on the table.

Ben was helping his mom make dinner when the rain began to beat heavily against对着the windows. After dinner, they tried to play a card game, but it was hard to have fun with a serious storm happening outside。但是外面正下着暴雨，很难玩的开心。

Ben could not sleep at first. He finally fell asleep when the wind was dying down逐渐变小 at around附近/左右 3:00 a.m.

When he woke up the sun was rising(乱爱镇)升起, He went outside with his family and found the neighborhood in a mess混乱. Fallen倒下的trees,broken windows and rubbish were everywhere. They joined the neighbors to help clean up the neighborhood together. Although the storm broke many things apart分离 , it brought families and neighbors closer together.

5单元 2b 2分40

Read the passage and answer the questions.

1. What are the two events事件 in the passage?

2. When did they happen?

Reading the Title and first sentences ，The title can be helpful for you to understand a text . It is also a good idea to read the first sentence of each paragraph(帕掠哥乱伏)段落before you read the whole全部/整个text.

Do You Remember What You Were Doing?

People often remember what they were doing when they heard the news of important events in history In America, for example, many people remember what they were doing on April 4, 1968. This was an important event in American history。on this day ,DrMartin luther king was killed . Although some people may not remember who killed him, they remember what they were doing when they heard the news.

Robert Allen is now over 50, but he was a school pupil（pjupl）at that time. "I was at home with my parents," Robert remembers. "We were eating dinner in the kitchen when we heard the news on the radio. The news reporter said , Dr. King died just 10 minutes ago. My parents were completely(肯批你提)彻底的/完全的shocked受惊 ! My parents did not talk after that; and we finished the rest其余of our dinner in silence。

More recently, most Americans remember what they were doing when the World Trade Center in New York was taken down拆除 by terrorists恐怖分子. Even the date - September 11, 2001 - has meaning to most Americans.

This was a day Kate Smith will never forget. She remembers working in her office near the two towers塔. "My friend shouted that a plane just hit the World Trade Center ! I didn't believe him at first, but then I looked out of the window and realized that it was true. I was so scared that I could hardly think clearly after that."

6单元 3a 4分10

Read the passage and answer the questions.

1. Which book is talked about? 谈的是哪本书

2. Who is the main character(凯掠特)? 主角是谁？

3. What is he like? 他是什么样的人？

In November 1979, pupils in England were able to watch a new TV program called Monkey. Most ofthem were hearing this story for the first time。However, this story is not new to Chinese children. The Monkey King or Sun Wukong is the main character(凯掠特) in the traditional Chinese book 《Journey to the West》.

The Monkey King is not just any normal monkey. In fact, he sometimes does not even look like a monkey! This is because he can make 72 changes to his shape and size, turning himself into different animals and objects物体/对象. But unless除非 he can hide his tail尾巴, he cannot turn himself into a man. To fight bad people, the Monkey King uses a magic(买具哥)魔法stick. Sometimes he can make the stick so small that he can keep it in his ear. At other times, he is able to make it big and long.

The Monkey King has excited the children of China for many years.

And as soon as the TV program came out more than 30 years ago, Western children became interested in reading this story because the clever Monkey King keeps fighting to help the weak弱小的 and never gives up放弃.

6 单元 2b 2分50

Read the first paragraph(帕掠哥乱伏) of Hansel and Gretel. Think about how the fairy（非瑞）妖精/仙女/幻想中的 tale 故事/传说 will continue. Then read the rest of其余部分 the story.

Finding Out the Text Type

Before you read, decide what kind of text it is，Is it a letter, a play , a short story or something else?

Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel lived near a forest森林with their father and stepmother. One year, the weather was so dry that no food would grow. The wife told her husband that unless he left the children to die in the forest, the whole family would die. Gretel heard this, and Hansel made a plan to save himself and his sister.

SCENE ONE:

Gretel: Did you hear our stepmother planning to kill us?

Hansel: Don't worry! I have a plan to save us.

Gretel: How can you save us?

Hansel: Be quiet! I'm going outside to get something in the moonlight.

Now, go to sleep.

SCENE TWO:

Wife: Get up, lazy children!

Husband : Yes, dears. You must come with me to the forest to get wood木材.

Wife : Here's some bread. Don't eat it until you get to the forest.

SCENE THREE:

Gretel : Hansel, what are you doing?

Hansel : I'm dropping white stones along the way.Unless I do, we'll be lost. Tonight, when the moon is shining(帅宁) bright, we'll be able to see the stones.

SCENE FOUR:

Wife : You bad children! What a long time you slept in the forest!

Husband : We thought you were never coming back.

Wife : Now, go to bed. As soon as (一…就)you wake up, you must go to the forest with your father.

Hanscl : What, again? I want to go out to look at the moon.

Wife : No. You can't go out now.

SCENE FIVE:

Gretel: What can we do? You have no more stones.

Hansel: I'll drop pieces of bread . As soon as the moon rises, we can follow them instead替代.

SCENE SIX:

Gretel: I can't see any bread on the ground。Maybe it was the birds.

Hansel: Never mind! Just keep walking 。Unless we do， we won't find our way out

SCENE SEVEN:

Gretel: Hansel . we're really lost!

Hansel: Listen! That bird's song is so beautiful that we should follow it.

Gretel: Look ! It's leading us to that wonderful house made of bread. cake and candy

Hansel: Let's eat part of the house !

Then they hear an old woman's voice from inside the house.

Voice: Who is that? Who is brave勇气enough to eat my house?

7 单元 3a 4分40

Read the article and match each paragraph with the main ideas. Paragraph(帕掠哥乱伏)段落1 Spirit of climbers

Paragraph(帕掠哥乱伏)段落2 Achievements(阿吃伏门车)成就of climbers

Paragraph (帕掠哥乱伏)段落3 Facts and dangers

Qomolangma - the Most Dangerous Mountain in the World?

One of the world's most dangerous sports is mountain climbing, and one of the most popular places for this is the Himalayas. The Himalayas run along the southwestern part of China. Of all the mountains, Qomolangma rises隆起the highest and is the most famous . It is 8,844.43 meters high and so is very dangerous to climb. Thick厚 clouds cover the top and snow can fall下very hard.

Even more serious difficulties include(英酷的)包括freezing极冷的 weather conditions状况/条件 and heavy(嗨为) storms风暴 . It is also very hard to take in air as you get near the top.

The first people to reach the top were Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953. The first Chinese team did so in 1960, while the first woman to succeed was junko Tabei from Japan in 1975.

Why do so many climbers risk their lives ? One of the main reasons is because people want to challenge themselves in the face of difficulties. The spirit of these climbers shows us that we should never give up trying to achieve（额去伏）实现 our dreams. It also shows that humans can sometimes be stronger than the forces力量of nature.

7单元 2b 2分15

Scan细看/粗略看/审视/扫描 the article to find out what these numbers mean: 10, 12， 200 , 2000 。

It is 8:30 a.m at the Chengdu Research Base. Li Wei and the other panda keepers are preparing milk for the baby pandas'breakfast.

At 9:00 a.m , they find that most of the babies are already awake and hungry . When the babies see the keepers ,they run over to them with excitement and some of them even walk into their friends and fall over绊倒!

“They're so cute and lovely. I take care of them like they're my own babies . I wash, feed and play with them every day .They're very special to me .”

Li Wei loves her job , but it is a difficult one .

Pandas do not have many babies, maybe only one every two years.(熊猫生的宝宝不多，可能每两年才生1个) The babies often die from illnesses and do not live very long. Adult(额斗车)成年pandas spend more than 12 hours a day eating about 10 kilos of bamboo竹子。

Many years ago, there were a lot more bamboo forests and pandas in China, but then之后humans started to cut down these forests. Scientists say there are now fewer than 2,000 pandas living in theremaining剩余的forests . Another 200 or so live in zoos or research centers in China and other countries.

An education program in Chengdu teaches children in cities about pandas and other endangered濒危的animals. They send people to schools to tell children about the importance of saving these animals.

The children sing songs or make artwork about pandas and other wild animals . Teaching children is one way to help save pandas .

The Chinese government is also planting more bamboo tress so there will be more forests for pandas to live in .

We all hope that in the future there will be a lot more pandas than now.

8 单元 3a 4分0

Read the passage based蓝本/基础on Robinson Crusoe. Then answer the questions.

1. What does Robinson Crusoe wait for?

2. Why does Robinson Crusoe call the man Friday?

When I first arrived on this island , I had nothing .

But I've found the ship and made a small boat.I've brought back many things l can use - food and drink, tools, knives and guns .

Although I have lost everything, I have not lost my life. So I will not give up and I will wait for anothership . I have already cut down trees and built a house.I go out with my gun almost every day to kill animalsand birds for food . I'm even learning to grow fruit and vegetables.

A few weeks ago, I found the marks迹象of another man's feet on the sand. Who else is on my island? How long have they been here ? Not long after that不久之后, I saw some cannibals trying to kill two men from a broken ship . One of them died but the other ran towards吵，向，对着 my house . I helped him kill the cannibals. This man now lives with me and helps me. I named him Friday because that was the day I met him. He is smart and I have already taught him some English.

8 单元 2b 2分30

Read the passage and complete the fact sheet on page 63.

A Country Music Song Changed Her Life Forever

When Sarah was a teenager, she used to fight over almost everything with her family. But five years ago, while she was studying abroad在/到国外in England, she heard a song full of feelings about returning homeon the radio. It made Sarah think about her family and friends back in the US. She came to realize how much she actually missed all of them. Ever since then从那时起, she has been a fan粉丝 of American country music.

Country is a traditional kind of music from the southern states of America. Nashville纳什维尔, Tennessee田纳西州is the home of country music. Many songs these days are just about modern life in the US, such as the importance of money and success, but not about belonging to a group.

However, country music brings us back to the "good old days" when people were kind to each other and trusted one another. It reminds提醒us that the best things in life are free自由 - laughter, friends, family, and the beauty of nature and the countryside.

Sarah hasn't been to Nashville yet, but it is her dream to go there one day. She has already read a lot about the place and done some research on it. She knows that there is a Country Music Hall of Fame Museum乡村音乐名人堂博物in Nashville. There are also always a lot of great country music concerts with famous musicians音乐家and singers歌手, like Garth Brooks. Sarah has already listened to most of his songs. "Garth is one of the most successful musicians in American history. He's sold more than 120 milionrecords唱片. I hope to see him sing live现场演唱one day!"

9单元 3a 5分18

Three students talk about the most interesting museums they have ever been to. Read the magazine杂志article文章and answer the questions.

1. Which three museums do the students talk about?

2. What do you think is the most interesting thing about each museum?

Ken: The most interesting museum I've ever been to is the American Computer Museum. They have information about different computers and who invented them. The old computers were much bigger .It's unbelievable that technology has progressed in such a rapid way ! I've also leaned that there was a special computer，It could play chess even better than humans. I wonder how much more computers will be able to do in the future.

Amy: I've recently been to a very unusual museum in India, the International Museum of Toilets. I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw so many different kinds of toilets there. The museum teaches people about the history and development of toilets. It also encourages govemments and social(收手儿)groups to think about ways to improve toilets in the future.

Linlin: Last year I went to the Hangzhou NationalTea Museum. It's a relaxing and peaceful place near a lake. The tea art performances 茶艺表演show how to make a perfect cup of tea with beautiful tea sets茶具. Watching the tea preparation准备/泡制 is just as enjoyable as drinking the tea itself. I've finallyrealized why my grandpa loves drinking tea and collecting收集tea sets.

9单元 2b 2分35

Read the article. How many reasons can you find for visiting Singapore?

Singapore - A Place You Will Never Forget!

Have you ever been to Singapore? For thousands of tourists(图瑞斯车) from China, this small island in Southeast Asia is a wonderful and safe place to take a holiday. On the one hand, more than three quarters of the population are Chinese, so you can simply speak Putonghua a lot of the time. On the other hand, Singspore is an English -speaking country, so it's also a good place to practice your English!

Have you ever tried Chinese food outside of China? Maybe you fear that you won't be able to find anything good to eat when you travel. In Singapore, however, you'll find a lot of food from China; you won't have any problem getting rice, noodles or dumplings. Singapore is also an excellent极好/绝佳place to try new food. Whether you like Indian food, Western food or Japanese food, you'll find it all in Singapore!

Most large cities have zoos, but have you ever been to a zoo at night? Singapore has a Night Safari(搜发瑞)夜间动物园. It might seem strange to go to a zoo when it's dark. However, if you go to see lions, tigersor foxes during the daytime, they'll probably be asleep! A lot of animals only wake up at night, so this is the best time to watch them. At the Night Safari, you can watch these animals in a more natural environment than in a normal zoo.

One great thing about Singapore is that the temperature is almost the same all year round. This is because the island is so close to the equator赤道. So you can choose to go whenever you like - spring, summer, autumn or winter. And, of course, it's not too far from China!

10 单元 3a 4分10

Read the article written by a father for a newspaper.What is his family going to sell at the yardsale?

My children are growing up fast. My daughter is 16 and my boy is already in junior high school初中. As they get bigger, our house seems to get smaller . So we want to sell some of our things in a yard sale and give the money to a children's home.

We have already cleared out a lot of things from our bedrooms. We have decided to each sell five things that we no longer use. My son was quite sad at first，Although he has not played with his old toys for a long time，he still wanted to keep them.

For example, he has owned a train and railway set since his fourth birthday, and he played with it almost every week until he was about seven. And he did not want to lose his toy monkey, either. He slept next to the monkey every night when he was a child.

My daughter was more understanding, although she also felt sad to part with放弃; 交出（尤指不舍得的东西） certain某种; 某事; 某人toys.

As for me至于我, I did not want to give up my football shirts, but, to be honest说实在, I have not played for a while now. I am getting older, too!

10 单元 2b 2分18

Answer the questions before you read. Then read the passage to find out if your answers are the same as in the passage.

1.Why do millions of Chinese leave the countryside every year?

2. How often do you think these people visit their hometowns?

3. What new buldig does the government usually buid in town and villages?

Hometown Feelings

Some people still live in their hometown. However, others may only see it once or twice a year. Nowadays , millions of Chinese leave the countryside to search for work in the cities. Among these is Zhong Wei, a 46-year- old husband and father. He has lived in Wenzhou for the last 13 years. With a hard job in a crayon（K掠昂）factory , he doesn' t find much time to visit his hometown. "I used to return home at least最小限度 once a year, but I haven't been back for almost three years now. It's a shame, but I just don't have the time," he says.

Many people like Zhong Wei regard with great interest how their hometowns have changed. Perhaps large hospitals and new roads have appeared. In many places, the govermment has also built new schools and sent teachers from the cities to help.

“I noticed that's true of my hometown," adds Zhong Wei. “Children have learned to read and count at my old primary school since the mid-20th century. But now the buildings are really old . I hear they're going to build a new school there." Zhong Wei thinks such developments [di,velepment] are good, and he also knows that his hometown cannot always stay the same.

According to Zhong Wei, however, some things will never change."In my hometown, there was a big old tree opposite the school. It is stll there and has become quite a symbol of the place. Most of the children in my time liked to play together under that big tree, especially during the summer holidays.

It was such a happy childhood. Our hometown has left many soft and sweet memories(妹莫瑞斯) in our hearts.”