"What's the matter, Mom?" As soon as I enter the door, I find that my mother is1, It's unusual. She usually opens the door and welcomes me with a smile. "She's dying, "Mom says sadly. I2what she says. The tulip (郁金香), mother's3is dying. A month ago, we moved into our new house and Mom bought a very beautiful tulip.
Mom liked it very much. When she was free, she would sit in her armchair beside the tulip and enjoyed its beautiful color4sweet smell. She treated it like a baby and looked after it5.She put the tulip by the6so that it can get enough sunshine. The first thing she did when she got up every morning was to7the tulip. Mom also fertilized（施肥）it many times. She hoped that with great care, the tulip would become beautiful and8.But the tulip was dying9too much sunshine, water and fertilizer.
It's true that mother loved the tulip, But this kind of love10be harmful because love can sometimes kill what you love.
Welcome to the zoo!
Come and meet the Indian（印度的） elephants and the new tigers from America. The bears are waiting to meet you, and the monkeys from China are waiting to throw things at you. The lovely dogs from Australia are waiting to laugh at you. The giraffes from Zambia are waiting to look down on you.
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Tickets |
Opening time |
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Adults:$16.00 Children:$11.00 Under 12:Free |
9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m.—3:00 p. m.（Friday only） |
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Keep the zoo clean! Do not touch, give food to or go near the animals. |
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Here are three famous cities in the world, You will find the most famous landmarks which are symbols for a city and maybe even for the country.
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| Venice This beautiful city in northeastern Italy is built on about 120 small islands. The city has no roads. Instead, people use boats to travel along the canals (运河). Flat—bottomed boats called gondolas were once the main means of transportation. You should see St. Mark's Square—the center of activity in this city. It has wonderful buildings. |
| | Chicago This American city is the main business and cultural center of the Midwest. It is famous for its music. opera and theaters. It also has excellent museums. When shopping in this city, you can visit a long row of fashionable stores on North Michigan Avenue, One of the world's tallest buildings, the John Hancock Center, is also on this avenue. |
| | Rio de Janeiro Travelers use many words to describe this South American city: beautiful, sunny, friendly and exciting. It is the city of the Carnival（嘉年华）, where everyone dances the samba in the streets. Tourists also love to visit its wonderful beaches and mountains. You should not miss the National Park of Tijuca—one of the largest city parks in the world. |
Many years ago, I was a shy boy and lived a very peaceful life. I liked school but I felt bored.
And then I started the fourth grade. My teacher, Mrs. Chen, was a young woman who was good at writing, art and music. Her class was very interesting. With her help, I started Fun Club with some boys in my class and achieved great success. I also wrote a book called Through the Forest. And lots of my classmates liked it. I can always feel the joy in her eyes when she looked at me and it made me more confident (自信的) .
However, I was surprised when fifty years later I got a letter about a reunion (聚会) . A few days later. we had the reunion at Mrs. Chens home. Reconnecting with Mrs. Chen was a journey back in time. Fifty years have passed, but my teacher still remembers every student. She even doesn't forget the class bully (恶棍) —a boy used to hit me with snow balls on my way to school. Lots of teachers thought bullying was nothing serious at that time, but Mrs. Chen didn't agree. She put a stop to it at once when she found out about it, But on that special day, she didn't look down upon him because she knew that everyone deserves (应得) a second chance.
Now, in my mid—fifties, I appreciate the gifts Mrs. Chen has given me even more. I can still learn from her. It's never too late to say thanks to this fantastic teacher. I hope you are lucky enough to have one teacher like Mrs. Chen.
There is one language used in every country in the world. It is everybody's second language. It is easy to understand, although you can't hear it. It is sign language.
For example, when you wave to a friend who is across the street, you are using sign language. When you smile at someone, you are saying, "I want to be friendly", but you are not using speech. You are using sign language. When you raise your hand in class, you are saying, "Please ask me. I think I know the correct answer." A policeman is using sign language when he holds up his hands to stop traffic. Even a baby can use sign language when she points at things that she wants.
Many years ago, a French priest (牧师) called Charles Michel invented a finger alphabet (字母表) for deaf people. It is still in use. People can make the sign for letters and spell words with their hands, and deaf people can read and understand them. Soon there were schools for the deaf in many countries. The only university for the deaf is Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
Today, in the US, there are special TV news programs for deaf people. The newsreader tells the news in sign language. At the same time. the words appear on the TV screen.
The actors in the National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) don't spell every word. Sometimes they use hand signs. When they put one hand above and the other below, empty in the middle, it means sandwich. They can make a roof with their hands when they want to show a house. One finger in front of an actor's mouth can mean quiet. You can talk to people behind closed windows. And when you go swimming with your friends, you can have conversations under water.
B . 
C . 
One morning, I was driving my father—in— law to the airport when a plane flew silently over the road like a big bird, about to arrive at the airport.
"It's magic, "my father—in—law said. I looked at him, without knowing what was happening.
He was a doctor who gave speeches at colleges and had visited more than 100 countries. He understood better than me why a plane can fly in the sky. It, really, wasn't magic.
But now, I realize he was at least right in some way.
Though flying might not be magic, it's certainly magical. What it brings to our lives is something found in our dreams.
But too often, we, especially I forget. I read a sentence a few months ago. It said, "You know you're growing up when you no longer want a window seat."
Too often in recent years, I've asked for a seat near the exit row, forgetting the wonders of traveling fast. But sometimes, when the Wi—Fi's not working or my computer has no power, I remember to look outside.
I think of one time when I was on a family vacation. Minutes after take—off, I started working. But a passenger behind me wouldn't stop talking. "The clouds!" he kept saying, "Look at the clouds!"
I turned around, and saw two men, one who appeared to be in his seventies and the other much younger. The conversation continued for 20 minutes until, not patiently (有耐心地) , I raised my eyes from my computer screen and looked out of the window.
The clouds!
He was right. We were flying through big soft balls of cotton (棉花) , each in different shapes. They seemed close enough to touch. The afternoon sun provided all kinds of colors, all against a blue sky. It is magic! I put away my computer and appreciated (欣赏) them for the rest of the flight.
I don't remember the work I felt like I had to complete that afternoon. I've never forgotten those clouds.
Many people say that they are working too many hours. They don't have enough time with their families. They can't take care of things at home. They don't have time to relax.
In France, people spend about 1, 646 hours a year at work. In Japan, however, people work about 2, 159 hours a year. That means a Japanese employee (员工) works 513 more hours a year than a French one. That is more than 12 weeks, or three months, of extra (额外的) work!
Some people work extra hours because they want to make more money, However, many companies don't pay overtime. Their employees don't get extra pay for extra work. These people work extra hours because they think it's their duty. Some people are afraid they will lose their jobs if they don't work extra hours.
In France, people get five weeks of paid vacation. In Germany, they get from four to six weeks. In the United States, two weeks of vacation is the average (平均) . In one study in Great Britain, fewer than half of the workers ran out of all their vacation days.If that is true, there will be a lot of dull (无聊的) people in the world.
A. And in English, people say, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
B. Work hours are different from one country to another.
C. Many people say that their vacations are too short.
D. Vocation is a time for people to relax themselves.
E. Why do people work so many hours?
"Dining out", or" eating out", is a phrase people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or a pub. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than it has ever been. In 2006. for the first time ever, British people spent more eating out in restaurants and pubs than cooking for themselves. It seems that many British people are becoming interested in how good their food tastes and how quickly they can get their food.
However, eating out can also be expensive. Restaurants are even more expensive than pubs because pubs always provide less comfortable environment and serve simpler food, though just as delicious, As British people do not dine out every night of the week, eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion (场合) . When going on a first date or celebrating (庆祝) an anniversary (周年纪念) or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant to eat. People often eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theatre.
Naturally, restaurants are greatly different in quality and price. However, almost all British cities have many kinds of food to choose from including traditional British food, and all from the very cheap to the very expensive—French. Italian, Indian, Greek, Thai, Japanese and many, many more. In fact, when asked what their favorite food is, more British people say an Indian curry than any other dish!
As well as dining in a restaurant, when people are too tired to cook after work, they often get a" take—away". This means that they order from a take—away restaurant by phone, and then go to collect it and take it home to eat. And you can normally find a take—away restaurant for almost any cuisine. The most popular are Italian. Indian and Chinese—and all you have to do is open the door, pay and eat!
The world is not hungry, but it is thirsty.1） It seems strange that nearly3/4 of the earth is covered with water while we say we are short of water. Why? Because about 97% of water on the earth is sea water which we can't drink or use for watering plants directly. Man can only drink and use 3%—the water that comes from rivers and lakes. 2）而且由于有一些水已经被污染, 我们甚至不能全部利用。
Now more water is needed. The problem is: Can we avoid（避免）a serious water shortage later on? Firstly, we should all learn how to save water. Secondly, we should find out ways to reuse it. Scientists have always been making studies in the field. 3） Today. in most large cities. water is used only once and then runs to the sea or rivers. But it can be used again. 4） Even if every large city reused its water. still it would not be enough. Thirdly, there is a lot of water in the sea. What we should do is to separate the salt from the sea water. This is expensive, but it's already used in many parts of the world.5）科学家们正在尽力找出一个更加便宜的方式来做这件事。So you see, if we can find a way out. we'll be in no danger of drying up.
（Lin Tao is a student from Changsha. He was ill last night. He hurried to a hospital this morning. Now he is at the doctor's.）
Lin Tao: Good morning 
Doctor.
Doctor: Good morning. You don't look well. , young man?
Lin Tao: I've got a headache and a cough. It feels terrible.
Doctor: Don't worry. It's nothing serious. Have you taken your temperature?
Lin Tao:.But I haven' t got a fever (发烧).
Doctor:?
Lin Tao: It's been like this ever since last night.
Doctor: Let me look over you. Open your mouth and say "Ahh".
Lin Tao:?
Doctor: No, nothing serious. Just a cold. Take this medicine three times a day and a drink more water. You'll be better soon.
Lin Tao:, Doctor.
Doctor: You're welcome.
①谈论政府已经做出的努力（如关闭高污染工厂，制定环境保护条例，做好环保宣传等）;
②谈论一下自己已经采取的行动;
③并号召同学们一起加入进来，一起守卫长沙的蓝天。
提示:蓝天保卫战 the Blue Sky Protection Campaign; 高污染的highly polluting
注意
①语言流畅，书写规范，卷面整洁，80词左右;
②文中不得使用真实姓名、学校、班级。
Dear classmates,
It has been two years since the Blue Sky Protection Campaign started in Changsha. Let me tell you something about it.
……
Yours,
Li Hua
