California is one of the richest states in America．It has a large amount of land．And it also has more people than any other states．It has plenty of natural resources （资源），too．

    But everything （A）_______ not perfect there．California has two major problems：earthquakes and forest fires．

    The San Andreas Fault runs through California．（B）As a result of it，the state gets many earthquakes．（C） 其中一些地震非常强烈 For example，there was a strong earthquake in San Francisco in 1906．It destroyed many buildings．And it started a large number of fires．（D）More than 3，000 people died after it ． There have also been many other strong earthquakes．Some people fear that the"big （E）one"will hit someday．They think an earthquake will cause a huge amount of damage （破坏）．

    During summer and autumn，much of California is dry．So forest fires，or wildfires，often start．Those fires can spread （F）rapidly ． They burn many forest．But they can also burn people's homes and buildings．They often kill people．（G）_______ firefighters can put them out．

    China has decided to stop the use of free plastic bags. Supermarkets, shops and outlets(经销店) in China can't offer plastic bags any more.

    Every year, people use too many plastic bags. They throw them here and there after they have used them. The government has done its best to deal with them but failed. While we offer quick service（服务）to customers, the plastic bags pollute water, earth and air, and they waste the oil. The government asks people to go back to carry cloth bags and use baskets when they go to buy something. The cloth bags and the baskets can be used again and again.

    Many months have passed. The environment has been improved a lot.

    Almost all of us have unpleasant habits. We all want to get rid of(摆脱) them, but we don't know proper ways. Here's some advice.

    ●Write down all the reasons why you want to stop some behavior. Look at the reasons very often.

    ●It's clever to do something else when you want to stop your bad habits. If you get angry easily, for example, you can go out for a walk.

    ●Decide what you'll do to reward(奖励) yourself if you really get rid of your bad habits.

    ●If you get too heavy, keep junk food out of your house.

    ●Bad habits develop over years, so you can't get rid of them very soon. So you should be patient.

    ●Don't be afraid to ask others for support. You can talk to your friends, family or other people. When you talk to them, they might be able to provide some advice that you can't get from yourself.

Dear Henry,

    I'm glad to know you are coming to my house next Sunday. But it is a little difficult to find my house. Go out of the train station, and go down West Street to the north. Don't turn left at the crossing, and just walk straight on. You can see a bus stop near a movie theatre on your left. Take the No. 2 bus there and get off at the fifth stop. Then you are on Garden Street. Go down the street and walk until you see a park. Walk across the park and you can find a bank on your right. My house is opposite the bank. I will meet you at the gate of my house. See you then.

Your friend,

Tom

    Teaching your child to read can be one of the most rewarding(值得的) experiences you have as a parent.

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Nothing can replace the head start(起步时的优势) that a child receives from becoming familiar(熟悉的) with books and the way that the written word sounds when reading aloud. If your child sees that reading is important to you, then he will be much more likely to want to learn how to read himself.

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    If your child shows interest in learning letters and looking through books, he may be ready to begin learning to read. Learning how to read cannot be rushed. If your child has no interest in learning his letters, then wait a month or so and try again.

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    You can make this fun, such as saying "I see a [k]-[ӕ]-[t]-cat" whenever you see a cat. The sound of a letter is much more important than a letter's name because the child will need to combine the letter sounds to make words.

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    Some children learn their letters faster by seeing or hearing them, while other children learn letters by using their bodies. Encourage your child to draw the letter and then paste pictures of something that begins with that sound onto the letter. Sing songs about the letter. Read your child a story that repeatedly uses that letter sound.

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    Rather than try to teach a child 26 new letters at one time, focus on one letter a day or a week. This enables the child to master each letter sound and feel proud of himself/herself for doing so.

    August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned(布置) to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.

    You might think that I don't want to spend my summer reading, hut that's not the problem；I love reading. On the first day of summer holiday this year, I borrowed a Gathering of Old Men by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to(订阅) and spend about     minutes every day with the morning newspaper.

    So why do I hate summer reading for school？Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting(不吸引人的) . Teachers don't under-stand that summer reading can be interesting as well as educational. They choose books called "spinach books": good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.

    This bitterness started three years ago when 1 began high school. As preparation. my English teacher told me to read The Age of Innocence(《纯真年代》). At 14, I couldn't understand the love 100 years ago in the story. I only know my love for baseball. The Age of Innocence was completely different to my life. What is more, sometimes I guess teachers don't think exciting plots make for "good literature". To me, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.

    If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value(文学价值) and can also entertain kids. If the teachers could add a little fun into the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable.