{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paper books (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times. Additionally, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} No matter when you are on the subway or you are waiting at the airport, a book in hand is always a good choice.

     Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.

A. Television has not killed reading, however

B. A printed book is a good time killer

C. Every home should have a good dictionary

D. More and more people spend less time doing sports

E. Choosing a good book is just like choosing a friend

F. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment

G. With the popularity of televisions, some think fewer people will buy books and newspapers

    The eyes are the windows of the soul. Having a pair of bright, clear eyes is very important, so we should protect our eyes throughout our lives.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Don't read while lying down or walking. Relax after every hour of reading.

    Keep a distance from the TV set when you watch TV and give your eyes a rest every 30 minutes.

    Don't stare at the sun or try to read in the darkness.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} This can damage your eyes easily.

    Get your eyes checked often. Not many people have this habit, but it is necessary. If you feel that there is something wrong with your eyes, get them checked quickly.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can close your eyes for a few seconds or look into the distance for one or two minutes. A small break will relax your eyes and help to stop you from getting eye problems.

    Be careful when you choose your glasses.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Make sure your glasses are right for you . If they don't feel right, get your glasses changed.

A. Develop good reading habits.

B. Rest your eyes whenever you can.

C. Make sure you get enough sleep every night.

D. Glasses that aren't suitable for you could bring you trouble.

E. Even if you're wearing sunglasses, never look directly at the sun.

F. Eye problem can be found and treated early with regular checks.

G. Drink green tea every day as a way to protect your eyes against eye problems.

    People have always wanted to know what the future will look like. Then, how can we know what the future will look like?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The world has changed a lot in the past 150 years, but we humans are driven by the same basic needs as we were 150 years ago, such as food, sleep, the feeling of being appreciated and loved.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}No. In addition, generally speaking, the inventions for the last 150 years have been a human effort for freedom and communication, to be able to get in control of the time and world. Since there is still much to do in this area, this will be the focus at least for the next 150 years.

    But why do we need to predict the future? Predicting the future is important for two reasons: first we need to start to think about what kind of future we'd like for ourselves and to pass on the next generation{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    How about the virtual worlds? It might be possible in the future to experience the sand between your toes, and hear the waves, just lying in your bed at home.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}So, even if a great invention is there for an affordable price, it'll never take the place of the common experience if it's not real.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}What we'll see in the next 50 years is the transition from an oil-dependent society to a new society. Here there'll be new medicine, continued exploration of space, challenges in the climate change, and new inventions that make life a little easier.

A. So what will the future look like then?

B. Will this change in the next 150 years?

C. Predicting the future can help us in many ways.

D. However, you'll never get the feeling of being there.

E. Well, to understand the future, you must know the past.

F. However, no matter how real the experience will feel, it doesn't happen for real.

G. Then we need to know what decisions we need to make today that will give the best result in the future.

    Color is fundamental in home design—something you'll always have in every room. A grasp of how to manage color in your spaces is one of the first steps to creating rooms you'll love to live in. Do you want a room that's full of life? Professional? Or are you just looking for a place to relax after a long day? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, color is the key to making a room feel the way you want it to feel.

    Over the years, there have been a number of different techniques to help designers approach this important point. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, they can get a little complex. But good news is that there're really only three kinds of decisions you need to make about color in your home: the small ones, the medium ones, and the large ones.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. They're the little spots of color like throw pillows, mirrors and baskets that most of us use to add visual interest to our rooms. Less tiring than painting your walls and less expensive than buying a colorful sofa, small color choices bring with them the significant benefit of being easily changeable.

    Medium color choices are generally furniture pieces such as sofas, dinner tables or bookshelves. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. They require a bigger commitment than smaller ones, and they have a more powerful effect on the feeling of a space.

    The large color decisions in your rooms concern the walls, ceilings, and floors. Whether you're looking at wallpaper or paint, the time, effort and relative expense put into it are significant. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. If you're experimenting with a color.

B. While all of them are useful.

C. Whatever you're looking for.

D. It's not really a good idea to use too many small color pieces.

E. Small color choices are the ones we're most familiar with.

F. So it pays to be sure, because you want to get it right the first time.

G. Color choices in this range are a step up from the small ones in two major ways.

Not all English is the same

    To many learners of English, it's easy to think that all native speakers have no trouble communicating with one another.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Well, it turns out that being a native English speaker from one country doesn't mean that you're able to perfectly understand a native English speaker from another country, and vice versa (反之亦然)

    Take the UK and the US for example.

    As a Briton, I grew up hearing American accents alongside British ones – on TV shows, movies and in songs.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} and how they would eat “cookies” instead of “biscuits”.  And it took me a while to figure out that the “trunk” (n. 后备箱) of a car is what us Britons call its “boot”.

    The confusion didn't stop at just vocabulary –{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, when talking about shopping malls, Americans pronounce it “mawl” instead of “mal”. And for some reason that's hard for Britons to understand, Americans remove the “H” sound from “herb”, pronouncing it “erb”.

    These small differences may not change much in a day-to-day conversation between a Briton and an American.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Recently, for example, an American friend told me that she liked my pants. “You can see them?” I asked, shocked. Pants means “underpants” to most British people, which explains my horror.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In the US, for example, a “bum” is a homeless person, while the same word in the UK is used to describe one's backside（n.臀部）.

    And, more amusingly, “trump” was only ever really used as a verb in the UK – meaning “to pass gas” – until the US' current president came into the spotlight.

But as long as you can speak one version of English, it's easy enough to understand any other – and any confusion just makes your day more interesting.

A. English is changing as it spreads around the world.

B. After all, English is English, isn't it?

C. I soon noticed how Americans would put “gas” in their cars instead of “petrol” .

D. However, confusion can still happen every now and then.

E. There are different words that mean the difficult thing.

F. Some words can even be offensive (adj.无礼的) without you realizing it.

G. I discovered that many words are even pronounced differently.

Spreading smiles at Birchwood

    When Ava McCarver was in kindergarten, her class visited a nursing home (疗养院). Ava learned that many of the residents (住户) there receive few visitors. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}"I asked my mom if I could visit them," she says. Soon, Ava and her mom became volunteers at Birchwood Health Care Center.

    That was six years ago. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}She enjoys hanging out with Mary, Shirley and other residents during her twice-monthly visits. "I paint their nails, and I talk to a lot of them," she says. Sometimes she helps lead craft (手工艺) projects. Other times they play card games. "It's good for the residents to see little kids," Ava says. "That makes them really happy."

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}She has raised money for the nursing home by making refrigerator decorations and selling them at a craft fair. She has also collected used puzzles from garage sales and donated them to Birchwood.

    Ava wrote a book called The Squirrel Family. In the book, two squirrels raise a family and eventually move into a place called Birchwood where they live happily. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Ten stores in her city agreed to display the books, along with a can to collect money. Ava's project raised about $750. Birchwood used that money to buy furniture for the residents.

    Ava says she enjoyed the look of "pure joy" on a resident's face after a hug from her. That's why she started visiting Birchwood — to bring happiness to others.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}"It's really fun," she says. "They have good stories, and I enjoy my time there."

A. She decided to take action.

B. But she has gained happiness for herself, too.

C. Since then, Ava has made many friends at Birchwood.

D. Ava used her book to raise money for the nursing home.

E. Birchwood needs more volunteers for its craft project.

F. Ava has found some creative ways to help her friends at Birchwood.

G. Ava's book has achieved a great success and earned a large amount of money for her.