Fire was discovered many thousands of years ago. The first time humans saw fire was probably when a tree was destroyed by lightning(闪电). Humans soon learned how to make fire. They probably made the first fire by rubbing (摩擦)two sticks together.

 Fire was very important to humans. They needed to keep warm at night. They used fire to cook food. They used fire to keep enemies and wild animals away. In some parts of the world fire was used to send messages. The Indians in America, for example, used fire to make smoke as a message. In some other countries people lit fires to warn their friends of danger.

Fire was also used to give light. Before the invention of the oil lamp(灯), humans burned sticks to get light. 

One man even used fire to tell the time. He invented a candle clock. He made a candle that took exactly twelve hours to burn. Then he marked this candle in twelve equal(相等的) parts. He lit the candle and could tell the time by counting the number of parts left of the burning candle. But the candle clock did not always work well. If there was a wind blowing on the candle, it burned too quickly.

    There are some differences between British English and American English. In grammar, for example, speakers of British English say "in hospital" and "Have you a pen?". Americans say "in the hospital" and "Do you have a pen?". Pronunciation is sometimes different. For example, when a learner speaks British pronunciation[da:ns] (dance), he may not understand the American pronunciation[dæns]. There are differences between British English and American English in spelling. For example, "travelled" and "honour" are British spelling, "traveled" and "honor" are American spelling. However, in most situations(情况), British English and American English are not different languages.

C

Some students have their favorite pop stars or sport stars. They admire them very much. They admire their ability and the way they live their lives. Young people are full of potential ( 潜能) and have lots of questions about their futures: What kind of person will I be? What kind of job can I do? ①Sportsmen and pop stars seem to havealready answered these questions in their own lives. But when you watch these people, you only see a part of their lives, the public part. Their everyday lives might be very d_②______.

Many parents worry that their children will follow the bad side of their idols (偶像). And many young people are often disappointed to discover that their favorite idols ③have feet of clay. But the lucky thing is that they don't have to behave exactly like their idols.

④Celebrities (名人) are fun to watch and admire, but the best idols are often the people you see in your everyday life: your family, your neighbors and your teachers. These are the people who teach you how to be honest and how to get along with others.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴Tommy: I like to have this class best because I like playing basketball and soccer very much.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵Cindy: In the class, I can learn to play many  kinds of instruments(乐器). I can also learn to sing many new songs.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶Wendy: I love this class best because the language is becoming more and more important (越来越重要) in the world.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷Ted: Many girls think it is hard to learn it well，but I like it best. It's is difficult sometimes, but it is interesting.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸Lin Xi: I like it best because it is my mother tongue(母语).It is one of the oldest(最古老的) languages in the world.