When she looked around her house, Betty Margaret saw lots of electronics. Along with the usual things like her laptop and smart phone, there were all of her kids’ electronic devices: cell phones, video game devices and more! There seemed to be more than enough ways for her and her three children to be online all day, every day.

Ms Margaret worried that her kids were becoming too dependent on the Internet and electronics. Then she began to reread one of her favorite books, Henry Thoreau’s Walden, which gave Ms Margaret an idea. Thoreau spent 2 years in a simple cabin without running such luxuries as computers and electronic devices for a while.

Ms Margaret talked with her kids and explained that she wanted the family to try living for 6 months without Internet, cell phones, TV, and video games. Ms Margaret writes articles for a newspaper in Australia, and had written several books as well. She told her children that if they agreed, she would write a book about their experience and they could go on a trip abroad with the money from sales of the book. Her three children agreed, and “the experiment” as Ms Margaret called, began.

Over the course of the experiment, the Margaret’s children had different reactions to life without electronics. Before the experiment began, Anni, the eldest of the children, read books more than her younger brother and sister. She therefore had a relatively easy adjustment to the family’s new lifestyle. Anni could also use the library’s computer for her homework. Bill, who loved to play video games before the experiment began, had to find a way to spend all of his new free time. He started to spend more time practicing his saxophone (萨克斯管). Susan, the youngest child in the family, had the hardest time adjusting to life without electronics. She felt restless for the first weeks and later, influenced by her elder sister, gradually began to find interest in the novel experiences brought by various books.

Upon having their daily family gathering after dinner, Ms Margaret, wearing a mysterious smiles, announced the big news that they had come to the end of “the experiment”.

The vivid description of their true and funny experience toward the new lifestyle undeniably contributed to the hit of the book.

I’ve been working part-time as a babysitter in the past several weeks because I want to get a new cellphone. So far I’ve saved about 180 dollars. Yesterday afternoon, my eight- year-old sister Lily came to me while I was doing my homework in my room. “Jenny, can I borrow 10 dollars from you?” she asked. “No,” I said, thinking I myself needed more money for a new cell-phone.

Lily looked disappointed and left my room. About half an hour later, my friend Lisa called me and asked if I wanted to go skating with her. Since I had finished my home- work and had no plans for the rest of the day, I said I would go. Before I left, I got changed and put a $20 bill on my desk. Then I walked out of my room. In the sitting room I saw Lily watching TV on the couch.

“Are you going out?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m going skating with my friend Lisa. I’m coming back in about two hours,” I answered and hurriedly went out. I had great fun skating with Lisa and her two friends Mary and Anna. After we finished skating, Lisa suggested that we should have supper at a restaurant together. But I refused because I didn’t take any money with me. Besides, I wanted to save every coin for a new cellphone.

Lisa didn’t insist. She went to eat with Mary and Anna while I returned home. When I entered the house, I saw nobody there. I went to my room to get some clothes for a shower. However, after I entered my room, I noticed that the $20 bill on my desk was gone. I searched everywhere for it but in vain. I suddenly remembered that Lily had asked me for 10 dollars. And I didn’t give her the money.

So I thought she must have taken the $20 bill away. I became angry, rushed out of my room and looked for her everywhere in the house, but I couldn’t find her.

Suddenly, the door opened and Lily entered the house, with a box in her hand.

Just then, my mother came in looking at both of us in surprise.

I was moving as fast as I could, stepping cautiously from rock to rock along the uneven jetty(栈桥). Far ahead, I could see the back of my brother’s sandy hair and the bright orange of his shorts.

“Too slow, sister!” I heard Sam yell as he hopped with ease.

“I’ll show him,” I thought, and attempted a double jump. What a mistake! My left foot came down hard between the edges of two gray rocks. scraping my ankle. “Ouch!” I yelled. I tried to wiggle(扭动) my foot out, but my shoe was stuck. I bent closer to the rock and that’ s when I saw it: a shiny, square shaped stone the color of water, attached to a glittery gold chain. It was just lying there on the wet sand, and a few seconds later it was in my pocket.

“Ryan wasted her allowance on salt and pepper shakers from the yard sale!” They were antique little pig and cost only 50 cents.

My family calls me their “little collector. Some mean kids at school call me “trash girl”.