Music is an international language. Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets. Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It has stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music. Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music, such as the symphonies (交响乐) of Beethoven.
You speak, write a letter, and make a telephone call. Your words carry a message. People communicate (交流，交际) with words. But do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy and friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you raise your hand in class, the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions. You shake your head, and people know you are saying "No." You nod and people know you are saying "Yes." Other things can also carry message. For example, a sign at the bus helps you to know which bus to take. A sign at the door tells you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed that lots of signs around you and you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many other ways. An artist can use his drawing to tell about beautiful mountains, about the blue sea and many other things. Books are written to tell about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas. Books, magazines, TV, radio and films all help us communicate with others. They all help us to know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about.
Paper is one of the most important products ever invented by man. The invention of paper meant that more people could be educated because more books could be printed. Paper provided an important way to communicate with knowledge.
Paper was first made in China about 2,000 years ago. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400. Paper was not made in southern Europe until about the year 1100. After that, the forestry countries of Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States became the most important in paper-making. Today Finland makes the best paper in the world. And it has the biggest paper industry in the world.
When we think of paper, we think of newspapers, books, letters, envelopes, and writing paper. So paper plays an important role in our lives.
Paper is very good for keeping you warm. Houses are often insulated (隔热) with paper. You have perhaps seen homeless men sleep on a large number of newspapers. They are insulating themselves from the cold. In Finland, in winter it is sometimes 40 degrees below zero. The farmers wear paper boots in the snow. Nothing could be warmer.
Fifteen is such an awful（糟糕）age, I should know. I really wish l were eighteen. If you are an adult, you can be your own boss. People like my parents and my teachers are always telling me what to do. You know what I mean. "It is time for bed, Sandy." Or "Sandy, you've watched too much TV for one night." "Sandy, stand up straight." "Sandy, you must improve your handwriting. "Sandy this Sandy that. No one tells adults when they go to bed or not to watch TV. Besides, adults get to wear what they like... Now it is going to be great to be an adult. Don't you agree? I'm Sandy's mother. Having a fifteen-year-old daughter isn't always easy. Right now, we've got a problem. Our neighbour, Mrs. White, wants Sandy to look after her pet dog for one week. Sandy really wants to do it, but (I'm ________ ).She's too young and inexperienced. Well, 1 will never be able to relax knowing she is all alone with a dog. I've tried to explain my feelings to her, but she won't listen. She keeps telling me that the Whites live very near, so she can ask for help. She insists that Mrs. White won't ask her to look after her pet dog if she doesn't think Sandy is old enough. She says I am "babying" her and I hate to see her mad at me. What should I do?
Dear Editor,
I'm an overweight（超重的）girl. People always make fun of me. At school, I don't spend much time with other students and don't like to join in activities that I enjoy because I'm afraid people might laugh at me. ① What should I do? Please tell me.
Lily
Dear Lily,
②No matter what you weigh, you should be treated with kindness. People who make fun of you are making a mistake. They should accept you for who you are.
My advice for you is to pay no attention to your classmates' comments and all the rude things they may say about you.③ Don't let them upset you, or you will have a bad time all day.
At the same time, you shouldn't④ distance yourself from them. Instead, find someone you trust（信任）and develop a friendship with him or her. Then you'll feel happier and safer. And don't be afraid to take part in any activities you like. Remember:⑤ People are more interested in your behavior than your weight.
If you feel that your weight is really becoming a problem, then you can start doing things that ⑥________(让你感觉好一些）. You could take up exercise such as running, swimming or jumping rope. Also, you could eat less junk food but something healthier.
Editor
(B)猜猜文中④处画线部分distance的汉语意思：.
Failure is what often happens. It is everywhere in our life. Students may fail in exams, scientists may fail in their research work, and players may fail in their research work, and players may fail in competitions. (A) Although failure happens to everyone, but different people's attitudes（态度）towards failure are different.
Some people don't think that their failure is an important thing at all. So they pay no attention to it. As a result, they will have the (B)________ failure later. Some people think they themselves are fools and. lose their hearts in everything after they get a failure. Then they (C)________ their time and energy on useless things. At last, they may really be fools as they have thought.
(D) Other people are quite different from these two kinds of people mentioned above. Instead of being hopeless and lost, they draw a lesson from every failure and become more experienced. (E) they, after, will, hard, in, work, be, the, successful, end. So we should draw a lesson from every failure and become more experienced.
(B) (C)
