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When you walk into the small Australian town of Coober Pedy, you may be surprised by what you can see. It's just barren land there! So why even call it a town? There are more than 4,000 people of 48 nationalities. However, all of the people live underground! Coober Pedy was established in 1915, following the discovery of opals . The town is sometimes called the "opal capital of the world," because it is the largest opal mining area in the world. Due to a desert climate , people came to realize that while working under the ground was easy, living above it was not. The solution was to move underground, by changing old mines into homes and establishing the world's first and most likely, only underground town. As years have gone by, the homes have become bigger. There are now also some hotels for tourists. They come from all over the world just to see this unusual town. Coober Pedy is probably best known for its unique style of underground living. While the structures may be located underground, they are in no way worse than those that lie above. Not only do their walls have the color of beautiful red, but also the structures have all the modern equipment like walk-in closets, modern kitchens and televisions. And the town also has gift shops selling opal jewelry, a couple of museums and even a church! Besides, Coober Pedy is also a favourite among filmmakers. And it has appeared in a series of movies such as Pitch Black, Red Planet and Opal Dream.

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Suppose a man has a car accident. He is hurt badly and is _ , that is, he can't think, speak, or hear. His family takes him to the hospital. The doctors tell the family that his brain is dead. A machine can make him breathe . Now the patient's family must answer some difficult questions. Should they think he is dead? Should they ask the doctors to use the machine to make him breathe? Sometimes machines can make an unconscious person breathe for years. However if his brain is dead , he will never think, speak, or hear again. Then, should his family ask the doctors not to use the machine and let him die? Someone who is unconscious can't say he wants to die. Can his family say this for him? Some people think this is a good idea. Some think otherwise. Many people are hurt when machines keep a person alive. The unconscious person doesn't know it. Machines only make the family and friends hurt longer.

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Today's the day of a big test at school, and you feel awful. Your stomach hurts and you have a headache. Some people might feel their hearts beating quickly while they are waiting for the test paper. A student with really strong test _ may even feel like he or she might be sick or throw up . Sound familiar? You'll find that just about all people--adults and others--have some anxiety before a test. According to studies, proper anxiety can be helpful, keeping you sharp and focused and even helping you get good grades. But when you have so much anxiety or feel so sick that you can't do well in your studies or tests, that's bad for your studies or your body health. Of course, if you don't study for the test, you might be worried. That kind of anxiety isn't easy to deal with because even if you find a way to calm down, you still might not know what to do with it. When you are preparing for a test and you get a handle on your test, you will be able to let your knowledge work well and get good grades. For example, last Wednesday was the day of a big test at school. Jane felt awful. Her stomach hurt and she had a headache. She knew she hadn't caught a cold--but only a little nervous about the test. She really didn't know why.

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Archie is a boy with dreams. His dreams are never boring. He thinks of them all day. He always thinks out exciting ways to play. One day, he made a _ . That was one of his dreams. He got his friends in it and that made his friends happy. It really ran fast. Later, he dreamed of a big and nice park. But when he told his friends about it, his friends didn't believe in him. They said it was difficult. But Archie still thought of it. He believed in himself, so he started it. At last, Archie succeeded. His park was fun and many people liked it.

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Wang Lin's Diary Oct.8th,Sunday October 1st is our National Day.It was Sunday.In the morning,our teacher took us to the park.Oh,many people were there.We could see flags and flowers everywhere.We saw people dancing in the park everywhere.We had a good time. This morning I did some cleaning.Then I went to school.In the class,our teacher told us a very interesting story.It was about a French scientist Ampere.Once he was walking in the street when he began to work on a problem on a"blackboard"with a piece of chalk.But it was not a blackboard.It was the back of a carriage .Ampere didn't notice it at all.How hard he worked at his problem! In the evening,it became cloudy.It's going to rain tomorrow,I think.

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I'm pretty sure everyone wants to visit Europe at least once in their lifetime. Here's a list of the most amazing places to visit in Europe. Riviera Wow, this is such a beautiful place in Italy. The Cinque Terre is a very beautiful national park, which connects five beautiful villages. Walking paths connect the villages, follow the coastline and offer hikes through hills. The villages remain unaffected by tourism. Tuscany Another Italian region, Tuscany is simply attractive. The buildings there are amazing, and the culture is special. From the historical center of Florence to the Cathedral of Pisa, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Make sure you check out the nature reserves, and enjoy a few bottles of the very famous wine. Lauterbrunnen Since a school trip here, I've always wanted to revisit this city in Switzerland. The city always seems as if it's trapped in time. There are untouched fountains and springs everywhere, and a huge number of waterfalls and valleys. The area is very popular for skiing. The Greek Islands There are plenty of places to visit in Greece. But I love the Greek Islands best. White houses and beautiful churches, beaches and Aegean Sea make this a very popular place to visit. However, there is more to do here than just sunbathe. I cannot wait to go back and check out the caves and culture that make the Greek Islands one of the best places in Europe. Venice I am a big Italy lover, and Venice is another city that is not to be missed. It has its own share of history, art and attractive buildings. However, the attraction comes from the pedestrian -- only streets and rivers filled with boats.

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Most children don't enjoy doing chores. They like playing computer games rather than cleaning the rooms. But in Australia, Jim and Robert's mother, Mrs. Black, has good and proper methods to get their children to do housework. Here is an example. "Mom, have you worked out next week's chores? Let Jim and me choose the cards. I can't wait. It's fun! " When Robert shouted out, his mother had already put all the cards on their big table. On the cards, there are some words like these, "sweep the floor, clean your bedroom, help mom cook, wash vegetables, make beds, feed the fish, cut the wood, clean the bathroom" and many others, Jim and Robert chose two cards for each day from Monday to Friday. Then they would hang them on the weekday task board. Jim likes to clean the bathroom, so he picked up the card "clean the bathroom". Robert loves to make the bed so he picked up his favorite card. Jim again picked up "wash vegetables" and Robert chose "feed the fish". Soon the two boys were happy to take away all the cards. To help the children do chores, their mother thought hard and came up with this idea. Of course, the parents did the chores at weekends and left Jim and Robert two days free.

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If you want to be a better reader,what should you know about the speed of reading? Some people read very quickly,when others read very slowly. But which one is better? The quick reader may be a good reader when he reads a story-book for fun. But he may not be able to slow down to read instructions carefully. The slow reader may be a good reader. But he may spend too much time reading a story for fun. So the reader who reads everything quickly or the one who reads everything slowly isn't really a good reader. Here are four things to remember about the speed of reading. Knowing why you are reading will help you to know whether to read quickly or slowly. Some things should be read slowly _ . Examples are instructions for making or doing something. Math books,science and story-books are full of important information. You must read these things slowly to understand and remember every important idea. Some things should be read quickly throughout. Examples are stories for enjoyment,letters from friends,and some news from newspapers. In some of your reading,you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast. You will need to read some pages quickly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas.

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This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. As I searched the name, I found that there were two famous people having the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts , while the other led some kind of army across America. I looked at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice: let the coin decide. I flipped a coin and ah! Tails ! My report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver. Weeks later, I stood in front of the classroom and proudly read my homework. But things started to get strange. I looked around the room, only to find my classmates with big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes and my stone-faced teacher. I was completely lost. "What could be causing everyone to act this way?" Oh well, I dropped the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, "My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American War of Independence." The whole world became quiet! How could I know that my teacher meant that George Washington? Of course, my subject result was awful. Sad but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to the headmaster Miss Lancelot, but she said firmly: No re-dos; no new score. I felt that it was not fair, and I believed I should get a second chance. So I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, I sat in the headmaster's office again, but this time a completely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the terrible moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster told me I was good enough to skip the 6th grade and started the 7th grade next term.

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A young man once went to town and bought himself a pair of trousers. When he got home, he found that they were about two inches longer. He went to the kitchen, there his mother and two sisters were doing housework. He said to them, "The new trousers are too long. Could one of you help me to shorter them by two inches?" But they were too busy. They said nothing and were still working. After his mother finished washing all plates, she shortened the trousers by two inches. Then one of his sisters remember his trousers and shortened them by two inches. When the other sister came back home from cinema, she also remembered the new trousers. "I nearly forgot that." She thought. Then she shortened them by two inches.

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Some of the greatest problems we face today are the destruction of our environment. Brown clouds, polluted water,endangered wild animals.... these problems seem so huge. So my family does what we can. We take cloth bags to stores instead of using plastic bags. We walk where we don't have to drive... But does it do any good? When I am the only one in line at the market with cloth bags, am I doing any good? Does my walking to stores make any real difference to the world? I recently learned something about flamingos which like to get together in groups of a thousand or more. Every year, when the time comes for migration ,a few of them first take off from the lake. But none of the others seem to notice. So the small group returns. However, the next day they try again. This time a few more fly along with them, but most of them still pay no attention, so they return again. They try for several times. Every time a few more birds join in but, since thousands of the others still take no notice, the great migration plan is once more stopped. Then one day something changes. The same small group of birds once again starts flying and a small number more join in just as before. then more. Finally, they all take flight and the migration really begins. What a _ sight it must be -- thousands of flamingos taking off into the sky at once ! A few can make a difference. Even if you're the one to take the first step, and continue trying, others will someday take notice and together we will solve even our greatest problems.

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As China's influence grows, many students in the US are working hard to learn Chinese. Parents and education experts in the US think Chinese speakers may have greater chances. The number of schools that teach Chinese has grown. Ten years ago, only about 300 schools in the US had Chinese lessons. Today, about 1,600 schools teach Chinese. Lomond Elementary School in Ohio is one of them. Each week, all students in grades one through five have a one-hour Chinese class. They learn the language through songs, games and lots of talking. "We're trying to make students interested in the language," teacher James told Times for Kids. "We think it's really important that all children receive these lessons," he says. "We'd like to do even more." "Schools are looking to the future," says Nancy, a US education expert. "China is becoming a really powerful country. Young people should not only know the language but understand the culture." Students may not be thinking about the future, but they think learning Chinese language and culture is fun. "We wish we could go to China one day." said Karl and his classmate, Walt, from Miami. More than 40 million foreigners around the world are studying Chinese. About 50,000 people in the US are learning the language. Chinese has become the second most spoken foreign language in the US after Spanish.

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Tom's parents are away for 2 days. So he goes shopping in the supermarket. He makes a shopping list. There are lots of people in the supermarket. He plans to make sandwiches for his lunch. He buys bread and butter. Then he buys ham and cabbages. He also buys two kilos of apples. They are 5 yuan a kilo. The apples look good. He has everything on his shopping list. Then he goes home. ,

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Mr. Smith is thirty one .He is tall and heavy , and he has short hair . He likes children and his job .He works at school and gives the children classes from Monday to Friday .He often has much work to do , but he often plays games with his students after school .All his students like him very much .On Sunday he drives to his parents' house and stays with his father and mother .Sometimes he goes to see his friends on Sundays .He drives back to school on Monday morning .

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We all know that food makes us grow every day, but sometimes it can make us happy when we feel bad. Food such as sea fish, bananas, pumpkins and chicken can help us be happy. How can they affect our feelings? People living by the sea look much happier than other people, because the fresh sea air helps them clear their minds and they eat a lot of sea fish. Bananas have much Vitamin B6. Having more bananas can help us make a quick decision, and become more confident . Eating pumpkins can also help people get into a good feeling because it's rich in Vitamin B6 and iron . Are you in a bad mood ? If you are, don't sit alone. Go to eat such happy food with your friends. Maybe you'll feel better. ,. (5)

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The world's most popular musical, The Sound of Music is coming to China! Presented by Lunchbox Theatrical Production, we are looking for talented young performers to play the roles of the von Trapp children. This is a fantastic chance to perform with musical theater professionals. Since its first performance on Broadway 55 years ago, The Sound of Music has been singing its way into everyone's hearts with some of the most popular songs ever performed on the musical theatre stage. This June, after a tour around the world with stops including the UK, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, and New Zealand, this show will take to the stage in China. Don't miss it! We are looking for young talented performers for the roles of: Friedrich (1.55m tall, unbroken voice, playing age 14) Louisa (1.5m tall, undeveloped body, playing age 13) Kurt (1.45m tall, unbroken voice, playing age 11) Brigitta (1.4m tall, playing age 9/10) Martha (1.35m tall, playing age 7) Gretl (up to 1.2m tall, playing age 6) Interview Dates: 16-18/04/2016 Application Deadline : 13/04/2016 Interview Address: National Theatre of China Rehearsals : 5 May until performances Performances: 15 June--20 June 2016, National Center for the Performing Arts

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Invitation to a going-away party Wednesday, 17 May Dear Lucy and Jack, You are invited to a farewell for the "White family's visit to Africa". Departure Date:6 July The best part of their big adventure to Africa will be when they come face-to-face with lions, elephants, crocodiles and other African wildlife. They have always wanted to do this. Party given by: Mr. and Mrs. White, Eric and Tom Date: Saturday, 8 June. Time: 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Place: 12 Gold Street, New Town, Sydney Reply by: Thursday, 4 June Phone: 6457226 Food and drinks will be prepared at the party.

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I have many friends, and they have different favorite subjects. John's favorite subject is computer because he thinks computer can help him a lot with his study. He is a computer fan. He likes playing computer games very much, and he is good at playing it. Jack likes art best because he likes drawing pictures a lot. Mary likes Chinese because her father is Chinese. Her father teaches her Chinese at home. She loves China very much, and she wants to know more about China. Bob thinks Maths is very interesting, so he likes Maths best. David likes P. E. because he likes doing sports. He is good at playing basketball and soccer.

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On April 20th,2013, a big earthquake hit Ya'an, Sichuan. Nearly 200 people died. Many people were hurt. Why do earthquakes happen? The surface of the earth has many pieces. These pieces are always moving. When two pieces move past each other, there is an earthquake. Scientists are working hard to find out more about earthquakes. They try to predict them, but it's very hard. Do you know how to get ready for an earthquake? Do you know what to do during an earthquake? Here are some things you should know. What to do before an earthquake Make sure you have two bottles of water, a packet of biscuits, a clean towel , a few band-aids , a radio and a flashlight at home. What to do during an earthquake If you are inside: Stay where you are. Quickly move under a strong desk, or along a wall. This will protect you from falling things. Don't stand near windows. Turn off the lights. Don't get into a lift during an earthquake. If you are in a lift, get out quickly. If you are outside: Don't stand near buildings. Things may fall on you. Lie on the ground until the shaking stops.

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My grandfather is 70 years old this year. He is in good condition but he lost his hearing at the age of 65. Then it became difficult for me to communicate with him. My mother bought a hearing aid for him, but he often forgot where he had put it. So my mother advised me to communicate with him by gesture. Good idea! And then I began to use gesture. When I wanted to have an apple, firstly, I pointed to my mouth; later I made my hands form a round shape. Then he gave me an apple. When I was hungry, I pointed to my stomach. He would go into the kitchen and cook for me. When I wanted to use, the computer, I pointed to it. If he nodded , I could play computer games from 8 pm to 10 pm; if he disagreed, he always touched my head and pointed to the desk -- that meant that I should do my homework first. It was an easy way for us to communicate with each other!

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I'm Dale.I'm a green and yellow pencil ease.What's this? Oh, it's Helen, a pen.And that's Frank, a ruler.Helen is black and Frank is blue.What's this in English? It's a jacket, a white jacket.Its name is Alice.What color is the key? Oh, it's black. ,.

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These days, most people in Britain and the US do not wear formal clothes. But sometimes it is important to wear the right thing. Many British people don't think about clothes very much. When they go out to enjoy themselves, they can wear almost anything. At theatres , cinemas and concerts you can put on anything you like: from beautiful suits and dresses to jeans and sweaters. Anything goes, as long as you look clean and tidy. But in Britain, as well as in the US, men in offices usually wear suits and ties and women wear dresses or skirts (not trousers). Doctors and business people always wear quite formal clothes. And in some hotels and restaurants men have to wear ties and women have to wear tidy dresses. In many ways, Americans are less formal than British people, but they are more careful with their clothes. At home, most Americans wear informal or sports clothes. But when they go out in the evening, they like to look nice. In good hotels and restaurants, men have to wear jackets and ties, and women have to wear pretty clothes. It is difficult to say exactly what people wear in Britain and the US, because everyone is different. If you are not sure what to wear, watch what other people do and then do the same. You'll feel good if you don't look too different from everyone else.

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When you are in England, you must be more careful in the street because the traffic drives on the left. Before you cross the street, you must look to the right first and then left. In the morning and in the evening, when people go to or come from work, the streets are very busy. Traffic is the most dangerous then. When you go by bus in England, you have to be careful, too. Always remember the traffic moves on the left. So you must be more careful, have a look first or you will go wrong. In many English cities, there are big buses with two floors. You can sit on the second floor. From there you can see the city very well.

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How could we tell time if there were no watches or clocks anywhere in the world? The sun is probably the world's first "clock", except in the far north, where the Eskimos live. There, it's dark most of the winter, and light most of the summer. But in most of the world, people have used the sun as a clock. Even today, if you don't have a clock, you can still know that when the sun shines, it's day and when it's dark, it's night. The sun can also tell you if it's morning, noon, or afternoon. Some people live near the sea from the _ In the daytime, for about six hours, water rises higher and higher on the beach. And then it goes down and down for about six hours. The same thing happens again at night. There are two high tides and two low tides every 24 hours. Seamen on the ship learn how to tell time by looking at the moon and the stars. The whole sky is their clock. In some places in the world the wind comes up at about the same time every day or changes direction or stops blowing. In these places the wind can be the clock. A sand clock is an even better clock. If you had fine dry sand in a glass shaped like the one in the picture, you would have what is called an hourglass. The sand in the hourglass goes from the top part to the bottom in exactly one hour. When the hourglass is turned over, the sand will take another hour to go back again

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Full of happiness and sadness, the year 2015 is coming to an end and we invite you, the foreign friends to share your stories with our millions of readers all over the world. We will choose some of the best and give prizes to the writers. _ Foreigners with some experiences about China during the past year. You may have visited for just a few days, stayed longer here or just met with Chinese in your own countries. What to write? Anything about China or Chinese people that happened to you. It can be Chinese food, buildings, tradition or anything you think worth writing about. How to join? E-mail your writing to readers@chinadaily.com.cn. Rules: At least 200 words and one photo about your story. More words and photos are encouraged. Please write the information, such as who, what, where and when, below your photos. Prize: A mobile phone. Deadline : December 26th, 2015.

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Dear Frank, Thank you for your email. I'm very glad you are having a good trip now. Ottawa is very beautiful in May. I hope I can have a chance to go there one day. Our summer holiday will start next month. I like my summer holiday, although it's hot at that time in America. In summer holiday, I can swim in the sea and go fishing. It's so cool. And I am going to our hometown near Chicago with my sister, Linda, and my parents agree .Our uncle lives there, so Linda and I can stay with him. We are not going to take a plane. We are going there by train. I am going to fish there. And Linda likes painting. She is going to do some painting there. I'm sure we'll have a good time. Sincerely, Jack

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When was the last time you saw three men running down a forest trail in the rain wearing flip-flops ?That's what my friend Brandon, Josh and I were doing last autumn. We were looking for a waterfall .We didn't have much time to get to the waterfall and back, so we were running. We were wearing flip-flops to prevent our shoes getting dirty. It was raining, but lightly. It kept us cool as we climbed over giant stones and through a shallow stream. We followed red arrows and crossed that stream several times, walking on toward the promised waterfall. Time was not on our side, however, and we were forced to turn around. As we started back, we looked at the shallow stream we had just crossed. Where did this rushing river come from? That was when we realized a flash flood was around! In the few minutes the water rose at a fast speed. Now there were no big stones to be seen-only what looked like lumps covered with rushing water. We had no choice but to move our way back carefully in the rushing water -in flip-flops. We had crossed the stream not once or twice, but six times in search of a waterfall that we never even reached! With most of the crossings, we needed each other's help if we didn't want to be washed away by water. Wet all over, we felt relaxed after we made the last crossing. "My dad always told me to keep off a river when travelling in the rain." Josh said as we hurried back down the path. "Why didn't you tell us that earlier?" I laughed. "Would it have made a difference?" came the reply. He had a point.

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A hare was very popular with the other animals who all said they were her friends.But one day she heard the hounds getting close and hoped to escape them by the aid of her many friends.So,she went to the horse,and asked him to carry her away from the hounds on his back.But he refused,because he had important work to do for his master.He felt sure that all her other friends would come to help her. She then came to the bull,and hoped that he would _ the hounds with his horns .The bull replied,"I am very sorry,but I have an appointment with a lady;but I feel sure that our friend the goat will do what you want."The goat,however,feared that his back might do her some harm if he took her upon it.The sheep,he felt sure,was the proper friend to ask for help. So she went to the sheep and told him the situation.The sheep replied,"Another time,my dear friend.I do not like to have anything to do with it,as hounds have been known to eat sheep as well as hares." The hare then went,as a last hope,to the calf ,who regretted that he was unable to help her,as he did not like to take the responsibility upon himself.By this time the hounds were quite near,and the hare took to her heels and luckily escaped.

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Garry Golden is a futurist. Futurists are scientists who analyze the way the world is today and use that information.to predict what the world will be like in the future. Golden focuses on the study of transportation. He spends his days studying the relationships between cars, subways, and trains. But he's most excited about imagining the way these relationships will change in the future. Many public transportation supporters dislike big cities because they spend hours driving from one side of the city to the other. And there aren't enough buses and. subways. However, Golden sees a trend toward fewer cars' in the future. He explains, "Cities have a cost of car ownership, which is a challenge. All these vehicles cost the city in services, in having to repair roads and other things. "Cars also take up a lot of space. Golden points out that having so many parking spaces is wasteful. Much of the time the parking spaces sit empty. What is the solution?"I think cities will make new laws to limit the number of cars people can have ," says Golden. "Instead, people will use taxis, subways, and buses. New technology, like smartphones, can make these forms of public transportation even better. Imagine if everyone had a smartphone and used them to signal when they wanted to ride the bus. Buses could change their route to meet people's requests." How soon would these changes come? Golden admits that it will take several years. Cities can be slow to change. Also, new systems of transportation can be expensive. "But it's coming," he says. "The trend of the empowered city will be here soon. " The other trend that excites Golden is electric cars. Golden especially believes in the future of electric cars that have sensors to understand the world around them. "If we have cars that can communicate with one another, they can adjust speeds to cut down on traffic jams,"he says. Rush hour in big cities would be much less painful. One challenge is that it is hard to cheaply produce batteries that are strong enough for these cars. But Golden argues we could, also make cars out of strong plastic composites . The cars would then be much lighter and much cheaper to make. Golden remains positive about the future. "There are so many exciting developments ,"he says. "In thirty years we will live a different world. "

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During his life Dr James Naismith worked as a doctor, taught P.E and wrote several books. While he never thought it very important, Dr Naismith is today best known for one thing. He was the inventor of basketball. Dr James Naismith was born in Canada in 1861 and his first job was at a special sports school in the USA. One day the school principal told James he was having a problem with the students. Because of heavy snow, the students could not go outside. He told James that they needed a sport the boys could play indoors and gave the teacher two weeks to think of something. It was on the very last day that James came up with his idea. The "birth of basketball" is said to be on December 21, 1891, when two teams from the school played the first game. It was quite different from the basketball games of today. It had 9 players on each team and footballs were used instead of basketballs. Soon after, the game changed to 5 players on each side, using special "basketballs" through nets. Although Dr Naismith did not live to see basketball become the worldwide game it is today, in 1936, just three years before his death, basketball became an Olympic sport at the games in Berlin.

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It's not just women who wear skirts. Men can wear them, too. In Scotland, men wear a kind of skirt called a kilt. The kilt is their national dress and an important part of their tradition . A kilt is a colored skirt reaching down to the knees . It has checks on it with different colors, like red or blue. Each family in Scotland has its own colors. How did the Scots start to wear kilts? There are many stories about it. One story is that the kilt was invented in the 1720s by an English factory owner, Thomas Rawlinson. Rawlinson had a lot of Scottish workers in his factory and he thought their clothing _ their work. So he cut their long clothes into a shorter skirt. Today, most Scotsmen see kilts as formal dresses. They usually only wear them at weddings or big dinners. There are only a few men who still wear a kilt every day. Scots also wear kilts in parades when they play their traditional musical instrument : bagpipes . The army still has kilts as the dress uniform , but they no longer wear them to fight .

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Today Han Mei's classmates are having an art lesson in the park. Now they are playing near the lake. The boy in black is flying a kite. He is Li Lei. The girl in red is reading a book. Who is she? Ha, she's just Han Mei. Lucy and Lily are twins. They look the same and they are dancing under a big tree. There is a boat on the lake. Mrs. Green and Mrs. Brown are in the boat. They are their teachers. And now the children are drawing pictures on the grass near the lake. The teachers are teaching how to draw pictures. But what is Joe doing? Oh, he is looking for his pencil case.

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Rabbit Shiny and tortoise Smily were neighbours. One day they were reading a story about their great grandfathers: Shiny's and Smily's great grandfathers decided to have a race. While Shiny's great grandfather went to sleep during the race, Smily's great grandfather won the race by slowly walking towards the finish line. Smily said, "If your great grandfather didn't go to sleep, my great granddad might never win. So his win was not a real win." The next day there was a notice in the jungle newspaper. It said that there would be a race and the winner would win many prizes. The race started from the bear's house. From there, the runners had to cross the river. But most of the animals could not both run fast and swim fast. So they didn't know what to do. Shiny and Smily made a plan. Shiny ran, while smily was sitting on his back. He and other animals, like the deer, reached the river side at the same time. But they saw the swift water and stood there because they were worried. None of them liked the idea of crossing the river. Smily quickly got into the water and Shiny sat on his back. Smily started swimming. Soon they reached the other side of the river. Shiny got down from Smily's back and Smily climbed on Shiny's back again. Shiny ran fast. They reached the finish line first. "Both of them are the winners." The president of the jungle said, "Shiny and Smily helped each other during the race and they won. So let's give them a big hand."

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Bad Hobbies It's easier to walk downhill than to climb uphill. So it is easier to fall into bad habits than into good ones. Bad habits do not form suddenly. They form little by little, so you don't realize their danger. Schoolboys and schoolgirls first pick up little bad habits at school or on the streets. When they cannot do their homework, they copy from their classmates. If they see bigger boys or girls smoking, they also want to learn to smoke. If they see their friends gambling ,they want to gamble. When they get older, the habits become stronger and stronger. Then they can no longer give them up. From copying, they learn to steal; from gambling, they learn to cheat. At last, no one believes in them. It is very important to stop bad habits as soon as they begin! My son is eight years old. He is now in Grade Three. When he was five, he started school. Every evening we have homework battles. Three afternoons a week he has activities after school. By the time we get home, homework is the last thing he feels like doing. The other two afternoon, he gets home early and we argue about whether he should do his homework straight away, or if he should have some time to rest and play first. When my son finally sits down to do his homework, he seems to want me there helping him all the time. I do want to help him, but I am sure that he can do it by himself. In fact, I often end up telling him the answers to most of his homework. He has fallen into the habit of depending on me to do this. He never wants to use his own brain. My wife and I have given up all our outdoor activities. We sit with him when he does his homework. We want to train him form some good learning habits. But what should we do?

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Spring is an inviting season for outdoor activities. But be careful--the warm weather is also a hotbed for viruses and disease. This March, the influenza A(H7N9) virus hit Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It was reported that by April 11 at least 35 people had been infected with the H7N9 virus, and nine of them had died. The influenza A (H7N9) virus is one type of influenza A H7 viruses. Influenza A H7 viruses normally spread among birds. This is the first time human infections with H7N9 viruses have been reported in China. Earlier reports were about H5N1 and H1N1. All the three viruses are influenza A viruses but they are not the same. H7N9 and H5N1 are animal influenza viruses that could infect people. However, H1N1 viruses can be divided into two groups. One group can normally infect people and the other normally infects animals. Also, H1N1 can spread from human to human, but H7N9 probably can't, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Most people infected with H7N9 looked like they had the common flu. Some people had bad pneumonia . They suffered from a fever, a cough and shortness of breath. But don't be afraid - it is not easy to be infected with the virus. One of the possible reasons is close contact with sick poultry waste. People may also be infected through breath, according to National Health and Family Planning Commission. Here are some tips from the WHO that can protect you from being infected. Wash your hands with soap and running water before you eat, after you use the toilet, and after touching animals or animal waste. When coughing or sneezing cover your mouth and nose with a mask ,tissue or a sleeve. Get a good rest and do exercises, which will help make your body strong enough to stand up to the virus.

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Is bicycling hard to learn? Different people have many different answers. It is strange enough that the same person may also have a different answer as time goes by. Five years ago when I was in Junior Grade One, I got interested in bicycling because I thought my uncle was very cool when he rode his bike. He could ride a bike with only one wheel. He could also sit on the bike and keep it standing straight, without moving for a long time. I thought it was easy to learn to ride a bike, so I decided to learn from my uncle. He told me how to ride. When I fell off the bike the first time, I was afraid to try again. It was too hard for me to learn. Then my uncle helped me by holding the bike for me and not to let go. With his help, I was able to ride longer and longer. "You can do it by yourself now, young boy!" I heard his voice far behind me.

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Mitsuaki recently arrived in the United States to enter university.He wants to do well in his studies and fit the new culture.But Mitsuaki has a problem.It's not his teachers.It's not even his English ability.His problem is that he doesn't have a car.Mitsuaki has already discovered a basic fact of American culture: Driving is a way of life. There are different transportations in America.Many cities have taxis, buses and subways. But most people find it the easiest to drive, even if they do have to deal with heavy traffic. Nowadays busy families often have more than one vehicle.Many people think their car as a status symbol.But no matter what their social status are, people without wheels feel stressed. When Mitsuaki first arrived, he was amazed at how young many American drivers there were.Young people in America often get their driver's license around age 16 by passing a written test and a driving test.Before they can get their license, they have to take a driver education course, For teenagers, being able to drive is important. It's hard to find an American teenager without one. Mitsuaki finally decides that he needs a car. His host family helps him find a good used car to buy. But before he gets his license and starts driving, he has to understand the American style of driving, He also needs to learn some of the basic rules of the road that good drivers follow. Driving to Americans is what flying to birds.It's almost part of their nature.For many Americans, being behind the wheel is like their natural home.But if they don't drive carefully, they can become an endangered animal.

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Welcome to CanIHelpYou.We offer different kinds of services to people in our community. If you need any of the following services, please email us to zyyingyu@jks.net or telephone us. Education Information on primary and middle schools. Tel: 24325678 Housing Information on buying or renting houses. Tel: 24325679 Outofschool Activities Information on activities and services for children aged between 5 and 18. Tel: 24325348 Holiday Activities Different activities for families in different seasons. Tel: 24325172 Health Information on local health services, like hospitals and first aid. Tel: 24325533 Insurance Information on car insurance, life insurance, etc. Tel: 24325666 Markets Information on local supermarkets, farmers' markets and farms. Tel: 24325338 Entertainment Information on local places for fun, like cinemas and parks. Tel: 24325564 Before and After School Childcare Information on school age childcare programs. Tel: 24325555

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Mr. Grey was the manager of a small office in London. He lived in the country, and went to work by train. He liked walking from the station to his office if it wasn't raining, because it gave him some exercise. One morning he was walking along the street when a stranger stopped him and said to him, "You may not remember me, sir, but seven years ago I came to London without any money in my pockets. I stopped you in this street and asked you to lend me some money and you lent mePS5, because you said you were always ready to take a chance to give a man a start on the way to success." Mr. Grey thought for a few minutes and then said, "Yes, I remember you. Go on with your story!" "Well," answered the stranger, " _ ?"

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Do you know Marc Yu . He is very famous . He is only nine years old. He is a Chinese American. His mother is from Macao. He likes music very much and he has great musical talent . He can play forty pieces of classical music now. After hearing Mary Had a little Lamb one time at the age of three, he began playing it on the piano. Before that, he didn't learn the piano at all. He started to take the piano lessons at the age of three. His first public performance was at the age of three , too. Now he can play great music for people on the stage. He wants to be a famous musician like Lang Lang in the future. He likes LangLang very much. Lang Lang is his idol.

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Diving or Drowning A rich young man decided that he would like to do some diving in the sea, so he bought a rubber suit and all the other things that he needed, and took some lessons at a diving school. Then one day he walked into the water by himself and began to explore the bottom of the sea. He saw a lot of beautiful fish and other things, and then, after half an hour, he suddenly saw a man waving his arms and legs around wildly near the bottom of the sea. He was wearing only a bathing suit. The rich young man was very surprised to see him, so he took out a plastic notebook and a special pencil, which could write under water, and wrote, "What are you doing here?" He showed the notebook to the other man, who then took the pencil and wrote, "Drowning!"

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Dave Smith is 12. He has a sister .Her name is Jenny .She is 8. Dave has a dictionary .It is blue .The dictionary is in his black backpack .He has a computer game and he likes it .Jenny has a watch .It is red .She likes it very much. She has a good pencil case ,too .It's white . Her pencil ,ruler ,eraser and pen are in the pencil case. Her pencil case is in her yellow backpack.

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Bruce and his other two friends, Bruno and Dick lived in the same city in England. They were free in their summer holiday. So they came to a village by a large lake. 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 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."

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Many people think that water will never be used up because there are many rivers and lakes. And the rain can make us get enough fresh water. Also, we can dig wells to find fresh water under the ground. In fact, it is wrong and dangerous to think so. In some areas, people fight for fresh water. There is little rain there all year round. Let's look around us. Some factories pour dirty water into rivers. And some people drop litter into rivers. We see polluted water here and there. We must do something to help people understand about preventing water from being polluted. It's never too late if we take action right now.

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There are seven days in a week. They are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Most children go toschool from Monday to Friday. Most people don't work on Saturday orSunday and most shops are closed in England on Saturday and Sunday. But in China shops are open every day. Sunday is always a holiday.Some people go to church on that day. The time between Fridayevening and Monday morning is the weekend. It is time for rest. Wedon't work all the time. We have to rest from time to time. We rest overthe weekend.

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Building up a close relationship with friends in important in all cultures . But different cultures have different ways of socializing . The Chinese love going to restaurants . Family , friends and co - workers all go out to eat as a way of relaxing . That is why there are so many drunken drivers in China , who could face criminal punishment . Although British people socialize by going out for dinner , most people meet in pubs . They go there in the evening and sometimes during the day . Most people order wine or beer . Going out for a drink with friends or workmates after work is particulary important British tradition . But for the French , the place to socialize is in cafes . _ are a central part of daily life in France and its culture . People will go to cafes at all times during the day . In the morning , people may go there to buy a newspaper and a cup of coffee . At lunch they may go there for something to eat . Then when it's evening they may return to enjoy a glass of wine . In the US , dinner parties are a common way for friends to spend their time together . One person will host a party by cooking a large meal for a group and the guests will bring drinks or small dishes like desserts .

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"Am I my brother's keeper?" The question comes from the Bible . In the Bible, Cain kills his brother Abel. When God asks Cain where Abel is, he replies, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" by which he means, "Am I responsible for my brother--his safety and health?" The answer, of course, is "Yes, you are." This sense of responsibility for others is basic to all good societies. And also it is basic to what we call "civil society". China is now working on building a civil society and the high schools in Shanghai want students to take part in _ through volunteering. They are supposed to do sixty class hours of volunteer work before graduation. This is something new in China, but it is not new in other countries. In the Canadian province of Ontario, high school students are required to do forty hours of volunteering. In some American states, the volunteering requirement is one hundred hours. These students spend about an hour a week during the school year and summer vacations, helping the poor, the sick and the old. They also teach young children to read and help to clean up the environment. And studies have shown that this volunteering experience influences students a lot after graduation. Some of you may be thinking, "Gee, sixty class hours is a lot. How can I find the time?" In fact, if you finish it in three years, you only need to do the work about three class hours a month. And the time is well spent if it helps you realize that "being your brother's keeper" makes you a better person and makes society a better place for everyone.

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On Christmas Eve--the night before Christmas, children are very happy. They put their stockings at the end of their beds before they go to bed. They want Santa Claus to give them some presents. Mr. Green tells his children that Santa Claus is a very kind man. He comes on Christmas Eve. He lands on the top of each house and comes down the chimney into the fireplace and brings them a lot of presents. Christmas Day always begins before breakfast. The children wake up very early. They can't wait to open the presents in their stockings. Then they wake up their parents and shout "Merry Christmas!" Do you know what Christmas means? Christmas Day is the birthday of Jesus Christ. When Christ was born, many people gave him presents. So today, people still do the same thing to each other.

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If you have no special plans for your holidays, why not spend your time helping others?Don't believe those people who say that young people today often think only of themselves. It's not true at all. More and more young people in the USA volunteer to spend their school holidays working for others. And they don't do it for money. Here are some of their stories. Alice, 17 I'm going to help the Forest Center build new hiking paths in the mountains. It's going to be great fun -- I'll spend the whole summer living in a forest and breathing the clean mountain air. I'm going to sleep under the moon and stars. It will be a nice sport, and I'll be able to do something good at the same time! Jason , 18 This summer, I'm going to volunteer with Special House Program. They build good, less expensive houses and sell them to families that are not very rich. They'll teach me what to do, so I'll help people and also have a chance to learn how to build houses. Trish , 16 I'm going to teach children who have trouble in reading. I'll work for a program called Reading for Life. Every day, I'm going to help them choose and read books that they like. I want to be a teacher, and I love children and reading, so this is going to be a great experience for me.

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Today Chinese people can enjoy longer and more holidays, such as the two"Gold Week Holidays" -- the Spring Festival, National Day and Mid-autumn Festival and so on. They have more time to travel. Rising incomes also make it possible for ordinary Chinese people to travel abroad . Zhang Haitao, a middle school student in Shanghai will go to Japan with his parents during the Spring Festival. "Overseas touring has always been a dream of mine ,"Zhang Haitao said. " How will you go to Japan, by air or by ship?" I asked him. "By ship. Traveling by ship is more enjoyable than a rushed trip by air.""But a plane is much faster than a ship. ""Yes. but you can't see much during the flight while a sea trip will make you happier, because you can see waves, islands and even big fish." "Will you travel at your own expense ?" "Certainly. Though my father's job is to recycle rubbish, I'm very proud of him. He has saved lots of money in the last three years. What's more, he has made a contribution to protecting our environment."

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Last week Johnny had a very busy weekend. On Saturday morning, he cleaned his room. That made his mother very happy. In the afternoon, he did his math homework. It was not difficult, so it only took him one hour to finish the homework. And in the evening, he went to visit his aunt with his parents. They had a big dinner there. The next morning, he went swimming after getting up. Usually he goes swimming twice a week. He loves it very much. After lunch he went to school playground and played football. That exercise makes him in a good health. On Sunday evening, he watched TV for an hour at home and then put the books in his schoolbag for the next day.

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I've been working in a school for more than twenty years .Many parents often ask me ,"How can you teach your child good study skills ? How can he or she get the homework done as quickly as possible ? "Here are some tips : 1.If the child is as young as nine or ten ,ask him or her to prepare a small notebook to write down the homework given by his or her teachers .By developing this habit ,he or she will learn to be much more responsible . 2.Find a good place to study .This should be a quiet place that is free from everything but study things .No games ,radios ,or televisions .Once you have decided on a place to study ,this should be the only place where your child does his or her homework and studies .There should also be a very specific time for homework to be done .Usually ,homework should be done as soon as the child gets home from school .This also goes for the kids who take part in afterschool activities .Of course ,it is a good idea to allow the child to have a healthy snack before the work begins . 3.Also remember that it is the child's duty to do his or her homework .Some children give up easily and go to Mom and Dad for help when they have a problem .Try to let them solve it first .By doing this ,they will get a sense of success from overcoming problems .In this way we help them to help themselves .

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Many people go to school for a good education. They learn languages ,history, maths and other subjects. School education is very important and useful, yet no one can learn everything from school. No matter how much a teacher knows, he can't teach his students everything they want to know. His work is to show his students how to learn.He teaches them how to read and how to think. So, much more is to be learned outside school by the students themselves. It is always more important to know how to study by oneself. It is quite easy to learn something in language or formula ( )in maths, but it is difficult to use a formula to find the answer to a maths problem. Great inventors do not get everything from school, but they can invent many things and change the world a lot. Though Thomas Edison invented many things, he didn't have much school education. How do they do all this ? A lot of things are not taught in the classroom. They get knowledge( ) from books outside school. They work hard all their lives, and the most important thing is that they know how to use their heads.

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Mr Smith likes to be exact . One day when he is walking in the street ,a woman comes and asks him, "Excuse me, where's the nearest bookshop?" "The nearest bookshop? You have to cross a bridge and then turn to the right. When you see a post office, turn left. You can see a shop between a bank and a school on your right." "Is it far?" "No, it is not far. You can go there on foot." "Is the bridge long?" "Yes, it's about thirty metres." The woman thanks him and goes towards(, ) the bridge. Suddenly she hears someone running after her."Stop!" Mr Smith shouts."I'm sorry. I just remember the bridge is forty metres long. If you go thirty metres and then turn to the right as I told you, you will fall into the river."

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Many students in China are learning English. Some of these students are small children Others are teenagers . Many are adults . Some learn at school, others _ . A few learn English language over the radio, on television or in films. One must work hard to learn another language. Why do all these people want to learn English? _ . Many boys and girls learn English at school because it is one of their subjects. They study their own language, Maths and English. Some people learn English because it is useful for their work. Many people often learn English for their further studies, because at college or university some of their books are in English. Other people learn English because they want to read newspapers and magazines in English

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Mr. Smith works in a factory. There he drives a truck. He's tired all the time. When he comes back, he's always busy and doesn't want to do any housework. His wife is a doctor and likes to keep all the things clean. So she has to do all at home. She usually goes to work from Monday to Friday and has to do all on weekends. All her friends know about it and sometimes they come to help her. It's Saturday today. Mrs Smith tells her husband to help her do some housework, but he says he has something to do and goes out early in the morning. He leaves a lot of dirty clothes at home. Mrs Smith doesn't go to work but she doesn't feel well. So she doesn't want to do any housework. After breakfast, Jo, one of her friends, comes to see her when she's sitting on a chair. The girl finds the rooms are dirty and she asks, "Don't you clean your rooms today, Mrs Smith?" "No, I don't."says the doctor. "Why don't you wear your glasses?" "Then I will think the rooms are still clean."

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There is a famous English saying "You are what you eat", and _ means what you put in your mouth will become part of you. Many experts use it to tell people it's important to have a good eating habit. For example, too much sweet food makes a person overweight . To avoid being fat, kids are told to keep off sweet food. But, a team of American scientists have found something new about eating sweet food. "When we say some people 'sweet', we mean they are kind and friendly to us. Perhaps this word can help us learn more about people's feelings and acts." said Brian Meier, a scientist from the study team. "Taste is something we experience every day. What we have done is to find whether we can know someone's character and behavior depending on their taste." In one of their experiments , students were asked questions about their character-whether, for example, they were soft-hearted or not. Then they were asked to make a list of their favorite food. According to their answers, the scientists found that the students who liked sweet food were nicer. In their another experiment, the scientists found that people who preferred sweet food such as cookies and chocolate were more willing to help other people in need, and those who ate non-sweet food such as chips weren't. For example, people with a sweet tooth were more likely to volunteer to clean up their city, visit sick children in the hospital and so on. The result of the experiments is that people's helpfulness or being nice has something to do with their taste for sweet food. So eating sweet food is a useful way to make people nice and helpful. Next time, try some ice-cream. ,.

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Mrs Green is going to give a birthday party for Mary . Mary is her daughter . Mary will be thirteen years old . A lot of Mary's friends are going to the party . There are going to be twenty girls at the party . Mrs Green are getting ready for the party . Mrs White is helping her . " That's a pretty ( ) cake , " Mrs White says to Mrs Green . " Thank you very much ." Mrs Green is going shopping now . She's buying fruit for the party . She buys a lot of oranges ,apples and bananas . Then she goes home . It's three o'clock in the afternoon . Everything is ready . Now the first girl is arriving . The party is going to start .

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When I was five years old. I took a boat out on the river and went fishing by myself. I really wanted to catch a fish! But they were not biting. I stayed in my boat for three days, waiting. A few times, I thought I felt a fish at the end of the line. The first time I pulled in my catch, it was not a fish; it was an old bag. The second time, it was a shoe. Finally, at the end of the third day, I felt a strong pull at the end of the line. The pull was so strong they my boat raced around and around. I needed all my power just to hold onto the fishing rod. I pulled, and I pulled and I caught the biggest fish that ever swam on the Earth! It was heavier than everyone in this room put together! Then something terrible happened! After I pulled the huge fish into my boat, I saw that the boat was going under water! Water was coming into the boat from all sides! I was not a very good swimmer, so I was scared. Although it was the hardest choice I ever made. I had to let the fish go. I pushed it back over the side of the boat, and we waved good-bye to each other as it swam away.

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Plants are very important. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals can get their food by eating plants and other animals. Man gets his food by eating plants and animals, too. So animals and man need plants to live. This is why there are so many plants around us. There are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Almost all the trees around us are flowers and fruit. Non-flowering plants don't grow flowers. You can't see many non-flowering plants around you. If you look carefully at the plants around you, you'll find that there are many kinds of plants. Some plants are very big and some very small. Most of them are green. We can live on the earth because of the plants around us.

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There is a library in John's school. It's new and big. It's behind the classroom building. It has three floors. On the first floor, there are two reading rooms. There are five big desks and thirty chairs in each reading room. John comes here and does his homework after class every day. On the second floor, there are a lot of books for students and teachers. They can't take the books away. They can only read books in the library. John thinks that _ is bad. On the third floor, there is a computer room with sixty computers. Students have IT lessons here. It's John's favourite lesson.

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My brother and I often fight with each other over small things. One day our father said to us, "Tomorrow we will take part in the Ray Home Sports Day. Both of you must go with me. Perhaps you can learn something from those children." My brother laughed, "Dad, Ray is a home for physically disabled children. What can we learn from them?" "You will see," our father said. Our father works as a volunteer at Ray. The children there have problems with their hands, speech, walking or hearing. Every day, he spends hours helping them to move or exercise their legs or arms. The following day, he took us to Ray Home. When we got there, we found a nice place to sit down. Finally, the sports began. There was a 50-meter race to see who could run fastest. All the runners were physically disabled. As the race started, all the children moved as fast as they could. Just then, one of the girls fell over and hurt her leg. She began to cry at the top of her voice. All the children stopped to help the poor girl. Then they all held hands and finished the race together. My brother and I were surprised to see this: the children weren't interested in winning the race-they were more interested in helping each other to finish the race.

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Look at this. What's this in English? Ah, it's a photo. Who's that in the photo? It's Li Yan. Li Yan is my good friend. She is a nice girl. Who's that? The boy in black? It's Jim. He is an English boy. He is very cool. He is my friend, too. We are all in the same class. I like Jim and Li Yan. ,,.

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I am Alice. I like We chat. It is fast, convenient and fashionable. And you can use it for free. It can be used in my mobile phone. It has hold-to-talk voice messaging function. I am a fan of Leehom Wang. Through We chat, Leehom Wang often says something to me. It's amazing. I am David. I love Micro blog. I update my Micro blog when I am free. We can share instant messages with each other. I often look through Yao Chen's Micro blog. She has many followers. I make many friends with them. I often write something on my Micro blog, for example, "I'm in blue today. I didn't pass the exam." Then many friends comfort me. I share my birthday party, my new phone, my new coat, etc. with my friends. It is fun. I'm Lily. I don't like We chat or Micro blog. I don't believe them. There are so many crimes on We chat. Many people are cheated because they believe in other people they meet on We chat easily. It is not a real world. As to Micro blog, I don't think it is a good way to make friends. And you should write something no more than 140 words. I like keeping diaries. I don't want my secrets known by others. I am a low-key girl.

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March 5 is Lei Feng Day. Lei Feng is one of the most famous role models in China. He is known for his warm heart and kind deeds . We should learn from him. In honor of this great person, we did lots of kind deeds on March 4. Take a look! Xu Hanchi, 13: I went to a square in a local university with my classmates to do cleaning. We swept off the fallen leaves and picked up rubbish. When we finished, the ground was very clean. Though no one came up to praise us, we still felt very happy. We learned that doing good things itself could make us happy. Zhu Lingyue, 14: My group cleaned the teachers' office that day. When we got there, we were surprised that the office was not as clean as we expected. How could teachers work in such an untidy place? We started cleaning quickly. Teachers work really hard and may not have the time to clean their offices. It's great that we can do something to help make them less tired. Tom Rui, 14: We helped clean the yard in the front of a hospital, but some patients there left us a very bad impression . They were very impolite and shouted at nurses and doctors. I think nurses and doctors' work is hard. They try their best to help us. We should give them more respect and understanding.

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It's lunch time. You're hungry and want to get your favorite meal in the restaurant, but there are a lot of people waiting at the door. Don't worry-in cyberworld, )you can get your meal just on the Internet. "Shopping has never been so easy. With just a single click on your mouse, anything that you ordered online can be taken to your door quickly," said Bian Jing, a twenty-year-old girl. "I don't want to spend too much time shopping, so I like doing shopping online better than in a usual store," said a boy from a middle school. "It's easy to find the things you want online." If the shoppers buy something online, they can find lower prices and wider choices of things. But many teachers and parents are worried that shopping online is becoming too popular. "It's not a good way for middle school students to spend their money," said a teacher. "I don't want them to shop online." "It's also dangerous to lose money at online stores, because some of them just want to cheat shoppers," another teacher said. Most parents are not willing to pay the money their children spend on the Internet.

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No one wants to look silly or do the wrong thing at a new job. It is important to make the right impression from the first day. You'll face new people. You will be in a new place. It may be difficult to know what to do. Here are five tips to help you make it through the first days at a new job: 1. First impressions can last forever. Make sure you make a good one. Before your first day, find out if your new job has a dress code (rules about what you can wear to work). If so, be sure to follow it. No matter what, always be neat and clean. 2. Get to work on time. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes to make sure you arrive on time. 3. Pay attention to introductions. One of the first things that your _ may do is to introduce you to co-workers. These co-workers will be important to you. They are the ones who will answer your questions when the boss is not around. 4. Ask plenty of questions. Make sure that your supervisor has told you what is expected of you. If he or she has not told you your duties, ask for a list. Set daily and weekly goals for yourself. 5. Never be the first one to leave. Watch what your co-workers do around quitting time . It does not look good for you to be eager to leave.

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Hearing the front door open, I ran down to the kitchen and waited. I saw my dad come in, with the white envelope in his hand. I had waited all day for this, so I reached over him for it as soon as he set foot into the house. Angrily, he threw the envelope on the table and said it was nothing to get excited about, and that it was just a piece of paper. I took it and ran upstairs. I wondered why my dad did not understand how anxious I was to see my mid-year report card for my first year in middle school. I was really hurt by how he refused to consider all my hard work. I saw my class grade: No. 1. I did not believe what I was. I smiled and wanted to run downstairs to tell everyone. Then I remembered what my dad had said--it was nothing to get excited about. I wanted to share my happiness with someone, but felt lonely. I realized that I stayed away from my family we used to stay up late watching Disney movies, and my brothers, sisters and I would play tennis in the backyard all the time. I wondered when all that stopped. I just no longer took part in them. I spent all my time on my school work. While I had been busy with my study, I had also built a wall between me and my family. I was only trying to become a person everyone could be proud of. I wanted to go downstairs, say sorry for my rude behavior and for every refused movie and tennis game, and be part of my family again. I knew I had to do something--because without their support, my achievement meant nothing.

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It was a beautiful spring morning, and the sun was warm but not too hot, so Mr Green was surprised when he saw an old gentleman at the bus stop with a big, strong, black umbrella in his hand. Mr Green said to him, "Do you think we're going to have rain today!" "No," said the old gentleman, "I don't think so." "Then are you carrying the umbrella to keep the sun off you?" "No, the sun is not very hot in spring." Mr Green looked at the big umbrella again, and the gentleman said, "I am an old man, and my legs are not very strong. I really need a walking-stick. But when I carry a walking-stick, people say, 'Look at the poor old man.' I don't like that. When I carry an umbrella in fine weather, people only say, 'look at that stupid man.'"

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Reading is an activity that people enjoy a lot in their free time. Some like reading newspapers, and others enjoy novels or comic books. I like reading about the lives of great people. _ always gives me a lot of ideas on how to make my own life better. Great people are remembered not because they were handsome or beautiful, but because they did not give up when their lives were difficult. They used every opportunity to change their lives and make the world better. One good example is Orville and Wilbur Wright, the two brothers who invented the airplane. The plane has made the world into a small village. Hard work, not good luck, is the reason why the Wright Brothers could invent this convenient machine and become remarkable people. Today we still remember them when we see planes in the sky. When I feel sad, stories of great people always help me feel better. This is why I enjoy reading about great people's lives.

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Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) members met in Beijing from November 5 to 11 to discuss the future of APEC and the overall development of the Asia-Pacific area. APEC, which was set up in 1989,is a forum for 21 member countries to develop free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific area. Though Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation came to a successful close, the "APEC Blue" has become popular in Beijing, even in China. A clear blue sky in Beijing is difficult to see during the smog season, so Beijingers gave it a name: "APEC Blue". "Oh, how beautiful the autumn sky is and how fresh the air is!" This is how most Beijingers feel during APEC. "I hope the APEC Blue will remain, and I believe, through the efforts we continue to make, it will." A lot of environmentally friendly ways were taken to reduce the Beijing smog during the APEC meeting, including limiting the number of cars on the road, stopping some factories in neighboring cities and so on. Perhaps we can learn something from London, where the Great Smog killed 4,000 people :in four days in 1952. Britain then passed its first air pollution act, which required that all power plants in London should be shut down, factories must build taller chimneys, and the heating system must be improved. In order to keep "APEC Blue", Beijing plans to build air corridors to blow away pollution. Not all agree with this way. Song Guojun, a professor of _ at Renmin University, believes that this way will not solve the problem at its root, and only by controlling the source of pollution will Beijing see bluer skies.

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Danny was just tired about the way things were going. His mum came to school and talked on and on about Rick Jackson. It seemed that she would never stop talking. "Somebody's got to stop that boy!" she was shouting. "Rick's troubling everybody in the neighborhood. And he loves to pick on little boys like Danny." Mrs. Green, Danny's teacher, was concerned a lot. "I didn't know that Danny was being picked on," she said. "He's never said anything about this to me!" Mrs. Green looked at Danny. "How long had this been going on?" she asked. Danny could only shake his head and look at the floor. He knew if he said a word about this, he would have trouble at school. Danny hadn't said anything about the problem because he wanted to do things with the boys in the neighborhood. After all, most of them were nice to him. He hated to leave the _ just because of Rick. Maybe the time had come to find new friends. He felt it hard to make up his mind.

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The colour systems used by scientists and artists are completely different. An artist will mix blue and yellow paint to get a shade of green; a scientist will mix green and red light to create yellow. The printed page in a magazine is yet another system. Scientists recognize the light primaries are red, green and blue. When mixed, red and green light rays produce yellow, blue and green produce cyan, red and blue produce magenta. Red, green and blue mix to create white (light). This colour model is used in computer monitors, television sets and theatre. Most artists recognize red, yellow and blue as the three basic primary colours. These primaries are the pure colours which cannot be created by mixing any other colours. In the print industry, cyan, magenta, yellow and black are used as the primary colours. When you mix all the colours, the result is gray.

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Today there are many fires than in the past. Over 100,000 wildfires burn each year in America. Russia has 20,000 to 35,000 wildfires every year. Australia has on average 60,000 each year. These fires destroy huge areas of forests and burn hundreds of homes. Many experts believe there are several reasons for this sudden increase in fires. The first reason is climate change. Recent weather has been warmer and drier. This leads to dangerous fire conditions. When lightening strikes ,dry grass easily catches fire. Hot winds add to the problem. The wind spreads a fire quickly. In 2010, Russia had the hottest and driest summer in a century. In just one month, 500 fires destroyed over 2,000 homes. Some people lost their lives. Traditional fire-fighting practices are another reason for the increase in fires. In America, firefighters used to quickly put out every fire. They didn't allow the grass and trees to burn. As a result, today many forests have thicker vegetation .Thicker vegetation means more fuel for fires. Also, without fires from time to time, forests become overcrowded and unhealthy. Some trees are dead. The dead wood then easily catches fire. So surprisingly, America has many more fires today partly because of its past fire-fighting practices. Scientists now understand that a fire can be a natural part of a healthy forest. As a result, countries like Australia allow more fires to burn naturally. Sometimes, fire fighters even start fires to get rid of dead wood. Of course, they carefully control the fires. The fire thins out old trees. This allows sunlight to reach the ground. As a result, fires help new trees to grow. Therefore, if a fire is not a serious threat to people, firefighters may let it burn naturally.

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The earth moves round the sun, and the moon moves round the earth. When our part of the earth turns to the moon, it is night. The sun is much bigger than the moon. But sometimes the moon looks bigger than the sun, because it's much nearer to the earth. The sun is very bright. It gives a very strong light. The moon looks quite bright, too. But it doesn't give any light at all. The moon looks much bigger and brighter than the stars. But actually the stars are much bigger and brighter than the moon. They look smaller than the moon because they're much farther away from us. Read and choose the right answer

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A man often traveled around and he couldn't buy the seat tickets on the train for his most tours.But he could always find a seat to sit on. His workmates asked him how he could find the seats by accident. "The method is very simple,just your patience."smiled the man. His workmates were puzzled. One day, one of his workmates was on business with him.The train car was so crowed that they couldn't even find a place to stand on. "Let's find seats to sit on," said the man. "Find seats? Just a joke?" said his workmate."Just follow me," said the man. They pushed their way through the crowds.The workmate wanted to give up , but the man insisted . At last,in the 7thcar they found two empty seats .They sat there happily at once. The workmate asked,"How do you know there are seats here?"The man answered ,"I didn't know it at all.But I know most of the passengers are easily cheated by one or two cars of crowed phenomena . Even though they know there are seats, they don't want to crowd among the groups.They think it's not worth doing that." The method seemed not to be clever enough,but it works. For us, patience will let us have a "seat ticket"life forever. ,.

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There is an elephant and a monkey. They're friends. But one day they want to know who is stronger. One of them says, "Who can get apples over there, who is stronger." There is a river over there. The monkey says, "I can't swim." The elephant says, "I can swim. Please sit on my back." They go across the river. The apple trees are very tall. The elephant can't reach the apples. The monkey climbs up the tree and gets many apples. Now they know they should help each other.

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Have you ever had the flu ? If you have, you know how bad it can make you feel. Most kids will get the flu sometime during their school years. When you have the flu, you usually get a fever (which can be high), have a cough , feel very tired, and may have a sore throat as well. It can make you feel sick for a few days or for as long as a week. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell if you have the flu or a cold, but with the flu, you'll usually have a higher fever and feel much worse. The flu is a type of virus , which means medicine will only help the _ such as the cough and fever. For most kids, the flu comes and goes, but for some, it can be a serious illness. Most kids get the flu in winter because germs spread more easily when kids are inside in settings such as classrooms. The best way to stop from getting the flu is to wash your hands often, keep your hands to yourself, and go to your doctor for the flu shot or mist .

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What do you like? Different people like different things. Some people like loud music, other people don't. They think it is too noisy. They like soft music. Many people like sports, but they do not like the same sports. In some countries, cricket is a very popular sport. In others, it is not popular at all. No one plays it and few people watch it on TV. The World Cup is very popular. Millions of people watch the games on TV. Some people don't like doing sports. They just like to watch other people playing. Different people like different foods. Some people do not like meat. They eat most kinds of fruits and vegetables. Some people do not like potatoes and bread. They prefer rice or corn. Not everyone like the same colors. Most people have a favorite color. Some people like bright colors. Others prefer pale colors. The world is an interesting place because we all like different things.

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Lidong came on November 8 this year. It is the Chinese word for one of the 24 solar terms . It means the beginning of winter. As the weather gets colder and there is less sunlight, people are more likely to get sick. Adults in the US usually have two to four colds each year. Young children suffer from six to eight colds per year, especially in winter months, according to the American Lung Association. One of the best ways to keep healthy during winter is to stay warm. There are many ways to stay warm. A living room should be around 18-21 C, and you can also use a hot water bottle or at least 16 C. blanket to keep warm while in bed. Getting plenty of exercise is always a good idea. Take a walk on a sunny afternoon, do a long distance run or skip rope. These things keep your blood moving and your metabolism fired up. Food gives us energy and helps to warm us from the inside. High-protein foods, like fish and meat, provide a lot of energy. Add some things to your winter dishes, such as ginger, pepper and garlic. These things can make you warm. A winter coat warms you up from the outside. Add several layers of thin clothing, for example, a shirt and a thin sweater, to stay even warmer. Clothes made from wool are usually very warm. How to make winter days colorful? Is it too cold to play outside? Don't worry. Here are some tips for having fun at home. Give it a try! # Enjoy a movie with your parents. There are a lot of choices, such as Spy Kids. You can also talk about the movie with your parents after it's over. # Cook a meal with your parents. You can cook some simple dishes, such as scrambled eggs with tomato. You may need your mother's help for the first time. # Clean your bedroom. You need to sweep the floor, tidy your desk and make your bed. By doing this, you really help your mother a lot. # Read your favorite book. Reading is not only helpful for your writing ability, but can also help to build your character.

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Emma and Hannah are 13-year-old school girls from Minnesota, USA. They are good at making new things and both of them are also good at sales. They are selling charms made out of bottle caps. The girls came up with the idea last summer when they saw charms were popular with kids. They talked with their parents about the idea. Since then they have sold enough charms to buy a bike for Hannah. The girls collect bottle caps and then clean them. They find some interesting pictures on the Internet or on paper, and then glue them onto the inside of the caps. There are different kinds of pictures. "Peace signs are popular with girls, and single-letter charms are popular with boys whose names start with those letters," Emma and Hannah said. Now, charms can be found everywhere at Dakota Hills Middle School in Eagan. "Students put charms on purses, backpacks, and their lunchboxes," said Emma. Emma and Hannah also have a shop on the Internet. They hope they can sell their charms to more kids. They're thinking about selling their charms at the Eagan Market Festival next summer. Their business is not only for getting money. At their Valentine's sale, 20% of the income went to charity.

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You may feel curious about students in other countries: Do they also have so much homework? What do they do in their free time? On April 8, a report came out on the lives of high school students in China, Japan, South Korea and the US. It surveyed around 6,200 students from the four countries last year. You will find the answers to many of your questions in this report. Who studies hardest? Chinese students spend the most time studying. Nearly half of Chinese students spend more than two hours on their homework every day. That's much more than students of the US (26.4%), Japan (8.2%) and South Korea (5.2%). Who sleeps most often in class? Japanese students fall asleep in class most often. About 45% of them said they sometimes _ in class. In South Korea, it's 32%; in the US, 21%; and 5% in China. South Korean students don't like taking notes. About 70% said they write down what the teacher says in class, much fewer than in Japan (93%), China (90%) and the US (89%). Who is the most distracted ? American students are the most active in class, but also the most distracted: 64.2% said they chat with friends in class; 46.9% said they eat snacks in class; and 38.9% said they send e-mails or read unrelated books in class. What do they do after school? In their free time, most Chinese students study or surf the Internet. Most American students hang out with their friends. Most Japanese students do physical exercises. Most Korean students watch TV.

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David: I like blue. I have a clothes shop, and I find when I changed the wall's color to blue, my clothes sold better. Someone told me that blue can make people feel safe. Mary: I'm a nurse. I heard that green can make people feel energetic. Because it's the color of nature, it can also give people a feeling of hope. It's my favorite. Li Ming: I like red. In our country, red means good luck. For example, during Spring Festival, most Chinese people like wearing red clothes , because we believe it will bring us good luck in the future. Sam: I like orange because it's a warm color. When I'm sad, if I see something orange buying things that are orange ---- bags, hats, cups, anything! I live in an orange world! Linda: I think black is a powerful color . We know that the leaders of a country always wear black clothes. And, it makes people look thin.

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A driver stopped his car on a street side to have a rest. When he sat in the seat and closed his eyes, a pedestrian came up and knocked at his window to ask the time. The driver opened his eyes and looked at his watch, "It is 8 o'clock." He said. Then he went to sleep again. But soon he woke up because a second pedestrian was knocking at the window, "Sir, do you have the time?" he asked. The driver looked at his watch again and told the man it was 8:30. If it happened again, he could not have a good rest. So he wrote a short note and put it on the window for all the people to see. It said, " _ " Again the man sat in the seat and slept. A few minutes later a third pedestrian came along and began knocking at the window. "Hey, sir," she said, "It's 8:45."

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Being busy can become a way of life. Our lives are always filled with emails and text messages. They make us feel wanted and important, but in a tiring and empty way. Being busy has a dangerous allure . If you are busy all the time, it's hard to sit quietly with your thoughts or to really feel what you're feeling. Whynot let everything become a choice -- how we spend time, who we reply to and how much or little we write? Many of us are busy becauseour self-worth goes up when people make demands on our time. Whydon't we free ourselves from needing, or even wanting? Why don't we make the best use of the time and space to be productive in a way that it best serves us? That may be consciously keeping ourselves not busy. In fact many great discoverieswere made by people who built white space into their day. Imagine asking "How are you?" to one of the most successful people you know like Warren Buffet. I've never heard anyone at that level answer "busy" though most people believe they are. What are they doing differently? First, they aim to project an image that things are under control. Second, they actually have things under control. They've had excellent staff, implemented thoughtful processes and they spend time only on critical tasks that require their attention. They make high-level strategic decisions with a large effect. It's time to end the glory of being busy and spend time setting up processes that make sense, rather than simply working more hours. To do this, you need to change yourway of thinking. It's cool to say you're busy, but it's better to be busy helping someone carry a stroller up the subway stairs or busy finishing a book. How to free us from the trendof being busy? Start with small steps. For one day, be mindful of every daily activity. Consider each thing a choice and decide proactively if it's necessary or simply a habit you can get rid of or do in half the time. Next, stop saying how busy you are. Then, figure out what you want to achieve with your day and begin doing it. Put your time and energy where you want it to be.

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We are all busy talking about and using the Internet ,but how many of us know about the history of the Internet? Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s.At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn' t work well .If one computer in the network broke down ,then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers.If part of the network was not working ,information could be sent through another part.In this way the computer network system would keep on working all the time.At first,the Internet was only used by the government ,but,in the early 1970s, universities,hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still expensive and the Internet was difficult to use.By the start of the 1990s,computers become cheaper and easier to use.Scientists had also developed software that made "surfing " the Internet more convenient . Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students. The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people' s life.

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This is a picture of Mr Wang's family. The man in the middle is Mr Wang, the father. The woman is the mother. They have two daughters. One is Wang Fang. She is twelve. The other is Wang Li. She is thirteen. Wang Fang and Wang Li are in the same school, but not in the same grade. Wang Fang is in Grade One. Wang Li is in Grade Two. They are good students.

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How do you feel when your parents are not at home with you? Here is what Daniel and Laura said. Daniel: Well, I've had the experience of having to take care of my younger brother by myself. Sometimes it's scary, but there are a lot of things making being at home alone fun. My favorite thing to do is to watch television. It is like having another person to talk to. And if my brother and I are arguing, we make a deal . We play his game first, then he has to play mine, and both of us get what we want. When I get a little scared, I just remember that there is always someone to call on the phone. I can call my parents and I have my next door neighbors, too. Laura: When I started staying at home alone, I found that keeping the television or the radio on helped to make me feel easy. I also always had the phone numbers of my parents and the neighbors. When babysitting my younger brothers, I would play games with them, and leave more lights on than usual. I would also keep the phone number of the hospital nearby. .

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A study finds that not enough morning light causes teenagers not to get enough sleep at night. "As teenagers spend more time indoors, they miss necessary morning light. Day light is needed to keep the balance of the body's 24-hour biological system , which regulates body temperature and sleep styles," reports Dr. Mariana Figueiro. "These teenagers who receive little morning light are going to bed later, getting less sleep and doing badly in tests. They are more likely to fail in their exams." In the study, Dr. Figueiro asked 11 students in Grade 8 to wear special glasses to prevent blue morning light from reaching their eyes. At the end of the 5-day study she found that they fell asleep 30 minutes later than usual. Throughout her research, Dr. Figueiro has been very worried about teenagers going to bed too late. The problem is that today's schools require teenagers to be in school very early in the morning. These students are likely to miss the morning light because they often go to school before the sun is up or as it's just rising. Furthermore , the schools are not likely to provide enough electric light to keep the balance of this biological system. Our biological system is much more sensitive to blue light. Therefore, having lots of light in the classroom does not make sure that there is enough light to keep our biological system balanced.

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Mrs Brown has a big garden and she likes growing vegetables very much. There are many kinds of vegetables in Mrs Brown's garden. She looks after them and the vegetables look very nice. The vegetables grow well and Mrs Brown wants to make dinner with them one day. Today, it is sunny. Mrs Brown's son, four-year-old Johnson, is playing in the garden. Mrs Brown is cleaning the house. Suddenly ,Johnson runs in and says, "Mom, Mom! Come to the garden! Our neighbor's ducks are in the garden and they are eating our vegetables." But it is too late. The ducks eat up all the vegetables. Mrs Brown is very sad and her neighbor is very sorry. After a few days, the neighbor brings a box to Mrs Brown. There is a roast duck in the box. And there is also a piece of paper in it. Some words are on _ : I am sorry. Enjoy your vegetables.

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4-Day Beijing Culture Group Tour Are you new to Shanghai? Do you want to see more of China? If the answer is yes, how about going to Beijing for the weekend? Visit the Great Wall and other places of interest, and enjoy Beijing Roast Duck. Tour price: $590 Call us! 800-820-6222 8-Day Colorful Yunnan Group Tour If you like a spring climate and clean air, then Yunnan is the place for you! Another true highlight of the area is experiencing the cultures of minorities that live in this area. Places to visit: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang Tour price: $1,290 Call us: 800-820-8188 4-Day Beautiful Guilin Private Tour Are you tired of city life? Do you want some fresh air? Then come to Guilin and Yangshuo for a few relaxing days to enjoy the river life, or just take it easy in one of the many cafes and bars. Tour price: 1person $630 2-5persons $565 6-9persons $527 Call us: 800-810-6562 5-Day Sanya Private Tour Sanya is famous for its wonderful sunshine, white sandy beaches and clear water. Instead of a busy trip, you can relax here by walking along the beaches and enjoying the fresh air! Tour price: 1person $569 2-5persons $548 6-9persons $535 Call us! 800-810-5222

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Laura is at the airport. She waits for her plane.Her plane is to Berlin,and it is 4 hours away.Laura walks around the shops. After an hour she wants to go to the bathroom.But she doesn't find it."Where is the bathroom?"she says.She starts asking other people.Laura says to a man,"Excuse me,sir,could you please tell me where the bathroom is?"The man says,"You mean the restroom,right?"Laura says,"No,I mean the bathroom.""Well,the restroom is over there."He says and walks away. Laura doesn't understand .She asks a woman,"Excuse me,madam,could you please tell me where the bathroom is?""The restroom is over there,"the lady answers andwalks away. Laura is _ ."What's wrong? I need to use the bathroom and they tell me to rest!" Then Laura gives up .She feels tired and thinks she needs to rest. She walks to the restroom.Now she is surprised.She realizes the restroom is the name for a public bathroom!

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When you are learning English, you find it not clever to put an English sentence, word for word, into your own language. Take the sentence "How do you do?" as an example. If you look up each word in the dictionary, one at a time, what is your translation ? It must be a wrong sentence in your own language. Languages do not just have different sounds, they are different in many ways. It's important to master the rules for word order in the study of English, too. If the speaker puts words in a wrong order, the listener can't understand the speaker's sentence easily.Sometimes when the order of words in an English sentence is changed, the meaning of the sentence changes. But sometimes the order is changed, the meaning of the sentence doesn't change. Let's see the difference between the two sentences:"She only likes apples. " "Only she likes apples. " When you are learning English, you must use it as the English speaker does.

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Mickey Mouse's ears are well known all over the world, and this year will be an especially fun one for Disney. The company is celebrating 60 years since its first theme park, Disneyland, opened in California, US in 1955. Disney has opened many more parks all over the world since it made history in California. Shanghai Disneyland is expected to open in 2016, bringing Disney's popular parks here to the Chinese mainland for the first time. So why has Disneyland been so popular for 60 years? Well, it's described as "the Happiest Place on Earth" and "a place for the young and _ ". Many Americans have grown up with the parks, as ex--Disneyland president Paul Pressler said in 1995: "There is an emotional relationship that people have with this park." Disneyland was one of the first theme parks anywhere in the world that had "lands" and rides with themes. Disney's storytelling in rides like roller coasters is a big reason for their parks' success. "We tell a story in everything we do," Pressler said. Disney rides such as The seven Dwarves Mine Train and Peter Pan's Flight come from its movies. One ride from its 2013 hit movie Frozen will surely be coming soon, perhaps at the new Shanghai Disneyland. Disney's parks haven't always been popular everywhere, however. When Disneyland Paris opened in 1992, some French people felt that American culture was invading France. But still, the park stayed open and today it is a popular place for European visitors. Whatever you may think of them, you can't say that on their 60th birthday, Disney's parks aren't still going strong. How many Disney theme parks will you have visited by the time their 70th birthday comes around?

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News Place: playground Time: 5:00pm this Thursday Program : a friendly soccer game between Class 3 and Class 4 Lost Hello, everyone! Do you see a cat in the park? Its name is Molly. It is a black cat. If you see Molly, please call Mary at 820-9291. Wanted Do you play the guitar well? We need a guitar teacher to teach kids between the ages of seven and ten. The work time is from Tuesday to Saturday, 300 yuan for each day. Welcome to join us.

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How much of an addict(/) are you? Are you like any of the people? 1I dislike haircut. I seldom get a haircut. So when I get one, my hair is really short. My hair gets really long before my next haircut. --- Harry 2I hardly drink soda .I usually drink coffee. I sometimes drink eight cups a day. ---Rose 3I exercise regularly .Sometimes I spend 4 or 5 hours on it in one day. ---Sam 4I have a bar(/) of chocolate sometimes. I can't eat a lot of it, because it makes me heavy. ---Kim 5I have a TV in my living room, one is in my dining room, one is in my bedroom. I even have one in the bathroom. --- John 6I spend a lot of time shopping, but I don't spend a great deal of money. I mostly do window shopping. ---Jenny

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Mr Brown lives on Green Street now. He wants to send a postcard to his pen pal in Toronto,but he doesn't know where the post office is."Which is the way to the post office?"he asks his new neighbor Joe. "I want to send a postcard to Toronto.""The post office is quite far from here," answers Joe. "If you only want to post some letters or post cards ,you needn't go to the post office. You can put them into a mailbox down the street

middle2799.txt

The father's role in the family is important. One researcher says babies who are cared for by their fathers have greater cognitive development at one year of age than babies not cared for by their fathers. Another researcher reports that by spending time with their pre-school children, fathers can help to develop children's language ability. Researchers also point out that for school-age children, fathers are one bridge with the outside world. Fathers who value education have children who do better in school than those children whose fathers don't value education. What's more, fathers who spend quality time with their children may give their children happy memories which may last a lifetime. While each father is a _ person who educates children in his own style, good fathers have something in common. Good fathers attend their children's school activities. They also involve the children in their lives and the adult world by taking them to see the workplace, or by taking them when the car needs to be repaired, etc. Good fathers expect a great deal from their children, but also accept and support the unique individuals that their children are becoming. Good fathers prefer explanations and reasoning to force. Good fathers know their time with children is really an investment in them. Being an involved father is good for children and good for fathers. Both children and fathers have the chance for growth and development. Today's lifestyles are changing. More and more fathers are keeping a balance between their personal life, work, and family time.

middle2941.txt

Overhead bridges are found in many parts of Nanjing, especially in places where traffic is very heavy and crossing the road is very dangerous. The purpose of these bridges is to enable passengers to cross road safely. Overhead bridges are used in very much the same way as zebra crossings. They are more efficient although less convenient because people have to climb up a long flight of steps. This is inconvenient especially to old people. When passengers using _ , traffic is held up. This is why the government has built many overhead bridges to help passengers and to keep traffic moving at the same time. The government of Nanjing has spent much money in building these bridges. For their own safety, passengers should be encouraged to use. They can't risk their lives by running across the road. Old people may think that it is a little difficult to climb up and down the steps, but it is much safer than walking across the road with all the dangerous of moving traffic. Overhead bridges serve a very useful purpose. Passengers, both old and young, should make it a habit to use them. This will prevent unnecessary accidents and loss of life.

middle3487.txt

My name is Frank White. I'm fifteen years old. I was born on May 13th, 1996. Mike is my good friend. His birthday is on May 15th. He is only 13 years old now. Every year on May 14th, we have a birthday party together in our school. We often have a pop concert . I play the guitar. He plays the drum. Many friends come to our party. We are very happy.

middle5948.txt