Martin Murray is a 1 boy. He used to be a "problem child", but a 2 conversation with his mother changed his life. He 3 give his mother many problems. However, after his father's death a few years ago, Martin's life became 4difficult. His mother 5 to pay for her child's education. To do this, she had to work, and so was often not at home.
His mother looked after him 6 she could. Unfortunately Martin still caused problems for himself and his family. He was not interested in studying and he often got into trouble 7 the police. Luckily, his mother was very patient and didn't give up trying to help him. In the end, she made a difficult decision: to send him to 8 boarding school, Martin hated it and used to cause a lot of trouble. One day, he told his teacher he wanted to leave the school. Even the teacher agreed that Martin was wasting his time.
The head teacher said 9 was necessary for Martin to talk with his mother. Martin called his mother, but to his surprise, this phone call changed his life. "It was exactly what I needed," he said., " my mother helped me to understand 10 she had given me. She also told me that even though my father 11 with us, he was watching me and would always 12 everything good I do. That's when I decided to change. I realize that since my father 13, I have been afraid of being alone, and have tried to make my mother pay more attention to me.
Now Martin has really changed. He has been working hard and is now one of the 14 students in his class. How was he able to change? His mother's love helped him to feel good about himself, and 15 Martin himself says, "It's very important for parents to be there for their children."
A
Name | Country | Date | How to celebrate |
Remembrance Day | England | November 11th | People wear red flowers to remember people who died in the two World Wars. |
Easter Day | America | March or April | This festival is a symbol of new life. People eat Easter eggs and chickens, and wear new clothes. Children often look for Easter eggs in the grass. |
Bank Holiday | England | May | Workers in banks will have a holiday. They can spend their free time with their families and friends. They can do some shopping have a trip and enjoy themselves. |
Girls' Day | Japan | March 3rd | People put dolls into a boat and let the boat down the river to the sea. People also eat a special food — sweet rice cakes. |
B
Language students often think they have memory problems. They worry because they can't remember words. In fact, the problem usually isn't with their memory. The problem is with how they study.
To remember words better, you need to understand how memory works. There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. When you see, hear, or read something, it goes first into short-term memory. But short-term memory lasts for only a few seconds. You will only remember something longer if it goes into long-term memory. Your long-term memory is like a very big library with many, many books. And like a library, it's organized (有条理的). When you put away a book – or memory – you can't just leave it anywhere. You have to choose a place where you can find it again.
How can you do this with vocabulary? The answer is to work with the word and think about the word in new ways. You can do this by writing new sentences that include it. Even better, you can invent a little story about the word, with people or places that you know. Another way is to make a picture in your mind with the word. For example, if the word is height, you can think of the tallest person you know and try to guess his or her height. All of these activities are good ways to think about words. They make the meaning of words stronger in your long-term memory. And they give a way to find a word when you need it.
C
Do you like traditional Chinese paper-cutting? Ding Xiang, a student at Nongsishi Middle School in Xinjiang, is really good at it. At the eighth National Excellent Talents Competition last month in Beijing, the 15-year-old girl got the gold award（金奖） for her paper-cutting skills.
At the competition, Ding cut a piece: Millennium Dream（千年梦想）. The piece has two papers. One shows an ancient cave painting(壁画) and the other a Chinese-made spaceship. The two papers form a sharp contrast（对比）. Ding said she wanted to show three things with the piece: China's long history, China's rapid development, and her hope for the future of paper-cutting. This piece helped Ding walk away with the gold award.
"I was very surprised to get the award." Ding said in an interview with Yili Daily, a Xingjiang newspaper. "I should thank paper-cutting for bringing me the award."
All the hard work has paid off. In two years, Ding's skills have improved a lot, and she has the gold award to prove(证明) it.
Ding said she has learned a lot from paper-cutting. "I have learned to observe things carefully," Ding told Yili Daily. "I have become more confident, too. It is a great help in my studies. Also, I have learned a lot of history from the art."
D
"My dear lady," says Holmes. "You're shivering. Are you cold? Do you want a cup of hot tea?"
"I'm not cold," the woman replies, "I fear for my life!"
"We are here to help you. Don't worry about anything. I don't know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also ride to the train station on a horse-drawn wagon(马车)."
"Why, yes. You're right. But how do you know these things?"
"I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem."
"My name is Helen Stoner," she states, "My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother's money for expenses(开支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages."
Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen's story. He hears every detail(细节).
Helen continues. "My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him."
"He has no friends at all?" asks Holmes.
"No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now."
"Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?"
"My dear Mr Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room."
punish beside polite complete influence |
Winter is around the corner, and most plants are losing their （叶子）. However, bamboo doesn't. (相反), bamboo stands straight and grow fast. Chinese people say that this is bamboo's (精神). It is (勇敢) enough to overcome difficulties.
Because of this , the Chinese really love bamboo. They call bamboo, along with the pine tree and the plum blossom, the "three cold-resistant (朋友) of winter.
Bamboo is a common plant all around China. It has many uses in our (日常的) life. Chinese people learned to use bamboo to make (筷子) ,baskets and even furniture a long time ago. Bamboo is (使用) to cook all kinds of food. Bamboo is also the main food of the giant pandas.
Bamboo is also very useful in art. Because bamboo is hollow inside, it's a good choice for people to (制作) different things. It's clever to make （音乐的） instruments. There are many kinds of bamboo flutes all over the world.
The first robots were invented in the1920s. Since then robots (appear) in many American films. In some films, they are stronger, faster and cleverer people.
In real life, robots are (main) used in factories. They do some dangerous and difficult jobs for humans.
Robots also help disabled(残疾的) people, for example, blind people. Today many blind people have a guide dog (help) them. In the future, guide dogs might be robot dog.
One kind of robot guide dog has (wheel). It moves in front of the owner. It is very clever. It knows the speed of its owner's walk. The owner (wear) a special belt(带子). This belt sends instructions the owner from the dog, such as "Stop here", "Turn left" or "Turn right".
In the United States, another kind of robot helps disabled people to take care of (them) in their daily life. The robot hears the sound of its owner's voice. It follows instructions such as "Turn the page" or "Make a cup of coffee".
Robots are also used in American hospitals. They can do simple jobs. At one hospital, for example, a robot takes meals from the kitchen to patient's rooms. It gets lost because this robot has a map of the hospital in its computer memory.
robots can help people in many ways, they will never take the place of humans.
①Charles works in the city center and wants to take up a sport that he can often do during his lunch break. He enjoys a game in which he can play with his workmate on the desk to relax.
②Isabel, aged 17, is a Chinese girl who studies in the US now. She never misses any matches played by Houston Rockets. She hopes to follow in Yao Ming's steps.
③Alex likes water sports very much. He is good at showing different styles, such as butterflies, frogs and so on. Believe it or not, he can dive under water for 2. 5 minutes.
④Tara comes from America. Now she teaches English in a middle school in Beijing. In her free time, she would like to go in for a traditional sport so that she can learn more about China.
⑤Toby is a student in charge of PE lesson in Riverside Middle School. These days he is training hard for the coming sports meeting. He wants very much to break the school record of 175cm.
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内容要点:
过去 | 现在 |
1).旧房 | 1).高楼 |
2).河水肮脏 | 2).河水清澈(clean and clear). |
3).步行、骑自行车上班 | 3).乘公交车、小汽车上班 |
4).道路狭窄(narrow). | 4).街道宽阔(wide)，干净整洁 |
5).居住条件（living conditions）差 | 5).生活越来越好，环境（environment）越来越舒适。 |
你的感想 ……（写两到三句） | |
Changes in Our Hometown
In the past ten years, great changes have taken place in our hometown.……
