Levi Strauss—a name that is now famous—was the man 1invented jeans. Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829, but went to the USA as 2young man. At first he lived in New York,3in 1853 he moved to San Francisco, where he worked with his brother. They worked in a shop selling clothes to men who 4for gold in the California Gold Rush. The men were working very5in difficult conditions, and they needed very strong trousers.
Strauss was the first man to begin producing special, strong trousers6working men. He made these trousers from a tough fabric( 结实的织物) called "denim"（牛仔布）probably from a town 7Nimes in France. Many people now think the English word "denim" 8from the French words "de Nimes", which means "from Nimes". Later, Strauss added special metal buttons to the trousers to make them even9and they immediately became very popular.
In the early part of the 20th century, only working men wore jeans in workplaces like factories. But after the Second World War, teenage boys and young men at college started to wear10to go out. These boys called the trousers "jeans". In the 1960s, more young Americans started11them as informal, casual clothes outside the workplace and denim jeans became fashionable.
At that time, jeans were usually flared(向外展开的), but today,12many different styles of jeans: straight, baggy, flared, low-waisted—almost any style you can13.
Today,14people wear jeans to go to work in offices, as well as to go out. Jeans are as 15today as they ever were, but there is one thing no one is really sure about—why are they called "jeans"?
There was a woman in Detroit(底特律), who has two sons. She was worried1them, especially the younger one, Ben,2he was not doing well in school. Boys in his class made fun of him because he seemed so slow.
The mother decided that she would, herself, have to get her sons to do better in school. She told them to go to the Detroit Public Library to read a3a week and do a report about it for her.
One day, in Ben's 4 the teacher held up a rock and asked if anyone knew it. Ben put up his hand and the teacher let him speak. “Why did Ben raise his hand?” the class wondered. He5said anything; what could he possibly want to say?
Well, Ben not only 6 the rock: he said a lot about it. He named other rocks in its group and even knew7the teacher had found it. The teacher and the students were8. Ben had learned all this from doing one of his book9.
Ben later went on to the top of his class. When he finished high school, he went to Yale University and at last became one of the best doctors in the United States.
After Ben had grown up, he 10 something about his mother that he did not know as a child. She, herself, had never learned how to read.
Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do many things with. Sure, there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well. That doesn't mean they no longer like each other. Most of the time, they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very sad. We miss them very much. But we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named in this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There is more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people who do not have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.
Andrew Carnegie—the King of Steel（钢铁）,was born in 1835, in Scotland. In 1848, his family moved to America to look for a better chance for making money. Andrew Carnegie had a few years' schooling. He worked from an early age.
In the early 1870s, Carnegie built his first steel company with others. Over the next few years, he built his own steel industry in the US, and became one of the wealthiest men in America.
Carnegie believed that people should win success through hard work, but he also felt strongly that the rich should use their money for the improvement and development of the society. He didn't agree to always provide help for the poor. He thought it was important to provide educational chances to allow the poor to help themselves.
His more contributions（贡献） to society include the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh. It has a library, a museum of fine arts, and a museum of national history. He also built a school of technology that is now part of Carnegie-Mellon University. Other contributions to society are the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to develop understanding between nations, the Carnegie Institute of Washington to provide money for scientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts.
Few Americans have been left not touched by Andrew Carnegie's kindness. His contributions of more than five million dollars built 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout the country and formed the public library system that we all enjoy today.
①He built his own steel industry in the US.
②His family moved to America.
③He built his first steel company with others.
④He built part of Carnegie-Mellon University.
IQ scores have been measured（测量）since 1916, when Alfred Binet developed his intelligence list as follows:
IQ scores | Description |
130 | Very excellent |
120 | Excellent |
110 | Above ordinary |
99 | Ordinary |
80 | Below ordinary |
Less than 70 | Very low |
Some very famous people are known for their high IQ level. Jill St. John who has the highest score on this list was a major American film actress during the 1960's and 1970's. Jill was chosen to the University of California at the age of 14.
Name | IQ scores |
Al Gore | 140 |
Hugh Hefner | 152 |
Carol Vorderman | 154 |
Bill Gates | 160 |
Jill St. John | 162 |
Scientists have estimated（估算）the IQ scores that some famous historical people might have got. This was done by looking at their work and their ideas and the way they put them together. Leonardo da Vinci gets that high score not only for his art but also for his idea of the helicopter（直升飞机）.Without modern scientific tools, he created a lot of design drawings and patterns, which was ahead of his time.
Name | IQ scores |
George Washington | 118 |
Napoleon Bonaparte | 145 |
Albert Einstein | 160 |
Charles Dickens | 180 |
Michelangelo | 180 |
Leonardo da Vinci | 220 |
My house is made of wood, glass and stone. It is also made of software.
If you come to visit, you'll probably be surprised when you come in. Someone will give you an electronic PIN to wear. This PIN tells the house who and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it's dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights nearest you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.
Of course, you are also able to tell the house if you want something. There is a home control console (控制台), a small machine that turns things on and off around you.
The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you my car keys, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the keys. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.
I believe that several years from now on, most new homes will have the systems that I've put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I've put in today.
I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, “How did I live without them?”
The Art of Paper
Chen Zijiang is a paper-cutting expert whom I interviewed for my article on Chinese Art. Paper-cutting is something that he learned to do from an early age.
"It is a Chinese folk art with a long history," Mr Chen told me, "Paper cuts of animals have been found in tombs" He added that by the Southern Song Dynasty, paper-cutting had become an important part of everyday life.
They are paper cuts for decoration, for religious purposes(宗教目的) and for design patterns.
Paper cuts for decoration are often seen on windows and gates. They are also used on presents. A present for parents whose child has recently been born might show a paper cut of children, for example. Paper cuts which show the Chinese character for double happiness are often used to celebrate weddings.
Paper cuts for religious purposes are often found in temples.
The third kind of paper cuts are those used to make patterns on clothing. They are also sometimes used to decorate jewellery boxes
A. They are usually put up during holidays to bring good luck.
B. They are also used as offerings to the dead.
C. Dragons are very popular patterns for these designs.
D. They can date back to the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasty.
E. Mr Chen went on to explain that there are three types of paper cuts which people still make today.
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Dear Tom,
Thank you for your concern. Well, I'm going to take the once-a-year Senior High School entrance examination.
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
