—But it is       useful bird. It can help fishermen catch fish.

—       . I'll water them on time.

—Are they? They just want you to spend more time       your lessons.

—Well, maybe there were too many people at the party.

—Sorry, I don't know. I think         did it before class.

—In two weeks.

A: Hi, Jane. .

B: Hi, Jim. It's nice to see you and so many old classmates.

A: So it is..

B: You're right. It's really a long time.

A: Did you see the old photos on the wall?

B: I sure did. .

A: But those are some great memories.

B: Hey! .

A: Yes, it is. I remember he used to stay up all night studying.

B: .

The umbrella is a very common object. It keeps the rain and the sun off the people. Most umbrellas can be folded up so it is 1to carry them.

However, the umbrella has not always been as 2as it is now. In the past, it was a symbol of importance. Some African countries still use umbrellas in this way. Someone carries an umbrella and walks behind the king or an important person.

Umbrellas are very old. People in different parts of the world began to 3umbrellas in different times. The Chinese had them more than 3,000 years ago. From China, umbrellas 4to India and Egypt. In Greece and Rome, men wouldn't use them. They believed umbrellas were only for women.

England was 5 the first country in Europe where common people used umbrellas against rain. The weather there is very 6 and umbrellas are very useful.

Everybody uses umbrellas today. Next time you 7one, thinking that for centuries only great men and women used them, you'll feel you are an important person, too.

Do you know Emotional Quotient (EQ)? It is a kind of important 1 that helps us better understand ourselves and others. Here are some tips about high EQ.

You should research your feelings.

It's a symbol of high EQ. You don't just feel. You think about what you are feeling and try to understand 2. Doing so helps you understand the role emotions play in your own and others behavior.

You should take your time.

You know that emotions and feelings appear in a short time and that making quick decisions leads to regrets. That's why you should take time to calm down before speaking or 3 especially when you realize you're under control of emotions.

You should pay attention to your thoughts.

You can't always control your feelings: Outside stimuli (刺激) can cause you to feel happy, excited, sad or 4 angry.

But you should realize that you can influence how those feelings develop by paying attention to your thoughts. As the old saying goes, "You can't stop a bird from landing on your head, but you can 5 it from building a nest."

You should praise others.

You look for the good in others. When you find it, you can tell them what you 6 and why. By doing so, you lift others up and bring out the best in them.

You should learn from mistakes.

No one can be 7 in managing their emotions. But you may work hard to learn from those mistakes—to study your own act, 8 reasons and build habits that will help you improve those situations.

In China, more and more villagers have left home to make a living in big cities. As a result, their children have become leftover children and they need more care. The survey below is from some villages in Central China. Three hundred children were chosen to answer the questions.

Winter means different things to different people. For some, it is the chance to cozy up (惬意) to a warm fire; for others, a time to play in the snow. Then there are those that head to the Takhini Hot Springs (温泉) in Yukon, Canada to take part in the International Hair Freezing Contest.

The event usually runs for the whole month of February, which is traditionally the coldest time of the year in Yukon. It's really cold, below 4°F (-20℃). The purpose of the contest is to create the most creative frozen hairdos (发型) possible.

After checking in, you are led to the natural hot spring, which has a temperature of 104°F (40℃). Thanks to the cold air, a simple duck underwater is enough to freeze hair.

You can also sit in the hot spring and allow the steam to gradually get on your head while the cold air freezes your hair. After the hair is frozen and molded (when possible), you take pictures. The hot spring officials collect all the pictures during the contest and in mid to late March the top three pictures are chosen.

Participants (参赛者) must agree to give all rights of their pictures to the hot spring officials. The contest also offers some great prizes.

1st place: $750 and a free 30-soak (浸泡) membership at the hot spring.

2nd place: $200 and a free 12-soak pass.

3rd place: $100 and a free 3-soak pass.

The contest started as a lark (嬉耍) in 2011, attracting just 10 to 15 contestants. Now it has become hugely popular and draws lots of people from all over the world.

How do we know the time? A clock, a watch or a cell phone can help us. . Over the centuries, people have developed different ways of telling the time.

About 5,500 years ago, the Egyptians invented the sun clock. This was a tall stone structure. . They were able to determine (测定) midday.

About 3,500 years ago, the Egyptians made a sundial.. On cloudy days or at night it was impossible to tell the time with a sun clock or a sundial.

Water clocks were the first clocks not to use the sun. The idea is simple. Water flows (流动) from one container to another. When the water reaches a certain lever, it moves a lever (控制杆) and this shows the hours. The Egyptians used water clocks about 3,400 years ago. These clocks were very popular in the Middle East and China but they failed to keep accurate (精准的) time.

In the 13^th century, the mechanical clock was invented. This was more accurate, but was expensive to make. Over the next few centuries, it was developed. . This improved accuracy and allowed clocks to be smaller.

In 1927, the first quartz clock was developed.. People began depending on them more and more to run businesses, markets and so on.

More recently, in 1956, came the digital clock. And nowadays satellites (人造卫星) send our cell phone the time to the exact second. There has been a lot of progress in time keeping but some things never change. Many of us still have trouble getting out of bed on time and not missing appointments.

Have you ever wondered what goes through your mind when you choose where to sit in a new classroom? Or in a waiting room full of strangers? Or on a bus? Researchers have found out some interesting facts.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, we prefer to sit closer to people like ourselves. Girls sit by girls and boys sit by boys. Adults sit together and young people choose another young person to sit near. But it goes further than this. We even choose to sit near someone who looks like us.

People with glasses are more likely to sit near other people with glasses. People with long hair sit closer to other people with long hair.

We seem to believe that people with similar habits or hobbies will share similar attitude and we are more likely to be accepted by people like ourselves or even. We think we may be safer with people who look like us. Sometimes that's true but it's a pity if we always stick to the same people, the same group. The danger always staying in our comfort zone is that we just recycle the same opinions, the same tastes and the same ideas. We lose the chance to learn something new, find out about interesting things, hear funny stories and discover differences.

When we always stick to the same people, how can we ever break down the barriers (障碍) which prevent us from getting to know people with different ideas? And how can we avoid the ignorance (无知), which too often leads to prejudice (偏见) and even fear? If instead you want to live in a society that opens to changes and new things and different opinions, be the cat among the pigeons.

Move out of your comfort zone. Go and sit next to someone different. And don't just sit there in silence. Say hello. Ask a question. Start a conversation. That's how we make friends. That's how we learn about people. That's how we open our minds to new ideas. That's how we live an exciting life.

Huawei is firing back against the US-led campaign (战役) to push it out of major markets, insisting it's till on track to lead the world in the introduction of 5G technology.

Despite efforts in markets creating fear for Huawei, using politics to interfere (干预) with growth, customers continue to trust us and continue to work with us and build networks with our technologies, Deputy Chairman Ken Hu told reporters in the Chinese city of Dongguan on Tuesday.

Hu was speaking during a turbulent period for the Chinese company, one of the world's biggest markers of smartphones and telecommunications equipment. Its chief financial officer Ms. Wanzhou Meng is under irrational arrest (不合理的逮捕) in Canada, facing possible extradition(引渡) to the United States, and its products are coming under increasing scrutiny (详细审查) from businesses and governments over security concerns (安全问题).

Despite decisions this year by Australia and New Zealand to stop wireless operators (无线设备) from using Huawei to build their 5G networks, Hu expressed confidence that the company's technology is" significantly more advanced" than that of its rivals (对手), giving it a head start of 12 to 18 months and the ability to attract new customers.

（参考词汇：epidemic 疫情 virus病毒 battle战役 infection 感染 mask口罩）

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