学进去

Li Ming has got a good friend. His name is Peter. He is from the US. Li Ming and Peter are in the same class. They go to school together from Monday to Friday. Peter likes China and Chinese food. He likes rice very much. They often play football after school.

Li Ming and Peter like making things. Now they are making a kite. They like flying kites on Sunday morning. Peter can speak English and a little Chinese. Li Ming can speak Chinese and English very well. They teach each other.

When we send a letter or a postcard, we have to put stamps on the envelope or on the card. When did people first begin to use stamps? Who was the first to think of this idea? Here is some information (信息) about it.

In the early nineteenth century (19世纪), people did not use stamps. They had to pay (付款) for the letters or postcards they received (收到). People didn' t like it. First, it was not convenient (方便). Second, sometimes they had to pay for the letters they didn't want to receive at all, such as advertisements (广告). Third, the postage (邮资) was high at that time. And it was difficult for postmen to collect the postage.

Then one person thought out an idea to solve this problem. He was Rolland Hill, a schoolmaster (校长) in England. He was the first to put forward a proposal (建议) to use stamps in 1850s. He thought it would be much more convenient for people. They could go to a nearby post office to buy stamps and put them on the envelopes before they sent letters. The post office could simply put seals (密封) on the stamps to prevent (预防) them from being used again. That was a good idea and it was accepted by tile government finally.

China made its first stamps in 1878. The first stamps were of a very big dragon. Behind the dragon, there were clouds and waves. People all over the world love to collect stamps from China. Chinese stamps are famous because there are beautiful. They also show China that history, people, places and animals. Many stamps in China are children’s paintings. People love these stamps. The paintings show that China and the children’s works are very good.

Singing songs is my hobby. I started to listen to music many years ago. I often lean to sing by watching TV or listening to the radio. I have two teachers，my mother and my music teacher. My mother teaches me when I am at home on Sundays. My music teacher teaches me in her classes.

I am busy with my study，but I still sing songs every day. I'll sing forever（永远）.

America is the fourth largest country in the world. It is smaller than Russia, Canada and China. Washington D.C. is its capital. But it is a quiet city. New York is the biggest city in America and it's one of the biggest cities in the world. It is in the east of the US and at the mouth of the Hudson River. A large part of the city is on Manhattan Island, a big island in the river. New York has a larger population than Washington D.C. In New York we can see the famous statue, the Statue of Liberty.