Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets(彗星) which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse.
Now Halley set to work. He figured out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607 and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart.
This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley's prediction could be tested.
In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet had been called Halley's comet, in his honour.
Scotland has long been characterized as a land of romance. It contains ruins of many ancient castles and abbeys，and there is an attractive beauty in its mountains，long deep valleys，and ribbon lakes. Each year those things attract a great number of tourists.
Numerous islands line the coast. In the north are two large groups，the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands. Close to the west coast are the Inner and Outer Hebrides groups，and the islands of Arran and Bute.
The land may be divided into three regions: the Highlands in the north，the Central Lowlands and the Southern Uplands.
The Highlands are wild and picturesque(如画的). A long valley called Glenmore crosses the Highlands from southwest to northeast.
In the south of the Highlands are the Grampian Mountains，highest in the British Isles. Ben Nevis，the highest peak，rises to 1，243 meters. Ben Lomond rises from the shore of Loch Lomond，Scotland's largest freshwater lake.
The Central Lowlands run from southwest to northeast and the greatest length is nearly 145 kilometers. The soil here is fertile，and there are four coalfields underlying the area. In the east is Edinburgh，Scotland's historic capital city，and in the west is Glasgow. Almost 90 percent of Scotland's population live in the Lowlands.
In the Southern Uplands，the hills are generally less than 600 meters high. Their rounded or flat tops are often capped with dark peat(泥炭). Along the slopes are plants like grass and heather(石南花).
Spending as little as $ 5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia found.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others—even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier.
"We wanted to test our theory that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn，" said Elizabeth Dunn，a psychologist at the University of British Columbia. They asked their 600 volunteers first to rate their general happiness，report their annual income and detail their monthly spending including bills, gifts for themselves, gifts for others and donations to charity.
"No matter how much income each person made，those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not，" Dunn said in a statement.
Dunn's team also surveyed 16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit sharing bonus of between $ 3, 000 and $ 8, 000. "Employees who devoted more of their bonus to prosocial spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus, and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself，" they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.
They gave their volunteers $ 5 or $ 20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it. Those who spent the money on someone or something else reported feeling happier about it.
"These findings suggest that very minor changes in spending allocations—as little as $ 5—may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day，" Dunn said.
Britain's pub landlords (酒吧店主) are looking with a worried eye to the UK Chancellor's budget for fear that the annual tax gathering round will strike another blow to a traditional industry already reeling (蹒跚). Thousands of pubs have closed since the financial crash in 2007.
The Plough, which was once a coaching house for travelers, has been serving Britain's famous warm beer since the days of Shakespeare. Now it is under threat too. "Yeah. So many pubs have been closed over the last few years even in this area," said Derek O'Neil, the manager of The Plough Pub.
Many reasons are the cause—a ban on smoking in public, severe laws against drinking and driving and high taxes have all combined to kill off nearly 10,000 pubs in the last seven years, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. With the closures, pubs are being redeveloped. Many have turned into supermarkets, where the beer is sometimes cheaper.
Britain's pubs continue to play an important part in the UK economy, selling thousands of different beers and employing more than a million people. The reality, though, is pubs are suffering something of a hangover (遗留物). In the last 15 years the amount of beer sold in pubs has fallen by eight million barrels to just under 36 million a year. Pub landlords want tax breaks (税务减免).
"People have less money in their pockets, so they can't go out and spend it and habits are changing—so much alcohol is nowadays drunk at home," said Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association. "Yeah, I miss the pubs where there's a lot of character, especially 30 years ago. You know there was great fun in them."
While pubs are still much loved, they're discovering that love isn't enough to survive 21st century economics.
How to Enjoy Your Family
Everyone has at least a little family drama, and you should still love your family no matter how many challenges are brought upon you. If you really trust your family, you should know they will always be there for you.
Look back on the previous moments that you have had with your family. Your friends are a big part of your life, and even though they aren't related to you, that doesn't mean you can't call them your family.
Make sure they know how you feel. Tell them that there have been things bothering you for a while, and you just want them to understand. If you tell them how you feel, then maybe they will give you more respect.
If you are a teenager, remember that they are the ones that provide you a home and food. If they weren't there, then neither would you. There are a large number of fun things you can do with your family.
Spend more time with your family. Have a "family game night". Go to see a movie, go out to dinner, go on vacation and so on.
If your family is just boring in general, and you are having a tough time enjoying their personalities, then expose your family to fun.
A. Just be grateful.
B. Talk to your family.
C. Try to start a blog or website of your own.
D. You should be thankful and enjoy what you have.
E. Here are the steps that will help you to learn about your family.
F. There are a large number of fun things you can do with your family.
G. If you can think of no good memories with your family, remember you still have your friends.
I was invited to attend a presentation at the Kentucky School. That evening I found gratitude（感恩）had amazing 1to change our attitude and our life.
The young musician Mr. Patrick was 2 onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the piano. His 3 danced across the keys as he made beautiful music. He then began to sing as he played, and it was wonderful. But what shocked me most was his 4 smile.
Patrick was born with no eyes and an illness in the legs, which 5 him disabled for life. However, as a child, he was6 with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first 7, he discovered the piano. When his mom hit any note on the piano, and within one or two 8, he'd get it. By his second birthday, he was playing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". His father was extremely 9. "We might not play baseball, but we can play music together."
When Patrick was at the University of Louisville, his father 10 classes with him. He was also a part of the 214-member marching band! He was a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father did it together. His father 11 the night shift（夜班）in order to accompany his daytime band practice. Patrick says, "My dad's my 12."
But even more than his 13 musical talent, it was Patrick's "attitude of gratitude" that 14 my soul. On stage, between songs, he talked to the audience about his life and about how 15 he was to his great father. When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and 16 for over five minutes.
We all face misfortune in our lives. 17, it's not the hardship but how we 18 to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During 19 times, do we spend too much time feeling 20 for ourselves, or can we, with gratitude, learn how to dance in the rain?
In recent years, Internet voting has become （increase）popular in China. People not only cast on-line votes (them), but also urge others to vote for(compete) like the "Most Beautiful Teacher" and the " Cutest Baby".
Lin Yue, a high school student, is invited to vote in the "Best Police Officer ", (organize) by the local government to let the public havebetter understanding of police officers' daily work. Lin Yue visits the website and reads all the stories. He is deeply moved by glorious deeds. He is already thinking of becoming a policeman himself in the future.
Wu Hua is invited by his uncle to vote for his cousin in the "Future Singer". He (receive)three similar invitations so far. His uncle tells him his cousin wins it, the family will win an overseas tourfree. Wu Hua likes his cousin very much, but he finds other singers perform much(well). To vote, or not to vote? This is a question that troubles him very much.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧), 并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2）允许修改10处, 多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Our government is trying hard to build the energy-saving society. It is everybody's duty to work hardly and reach this goal. But, not everybody has realized the importance of it. Take our school for an example. Sometimes we can see that light and computers are still on after class. Some students even forget to turn off the tap after using it and have water run all the time. Our papers are printed on only one side, causing more waste. It's time we did something to avoid this kind of waste. Firstly, make sure that all the lights and other electric facilities turned off when we leave the room. Try to form the habit of turning off the tap immediate after using it. What's more, papers should be printed on both sides and reuse if possible.
内容要点：
1）休息(由于平时学习紧张，缺少锻炼和休息);
2）看望乡下的祖父母(帮助他们做点家务，并给他们谈了身边的新鲜事);
3）和朋友进行短途旅游(欣赏大自然，呼吸新鲜空气)。
国庆假期： National Day holiday
【写作要求】
1）字数在100字左右（开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数）。
2）可适当表达个人看法。
Dear James,
I'm very glad to receive your letter. And it's a pleasure to tell you something about …
Yours ,
Li Hua
