Today, I'd like to tell you something about the history of the United States. The United States covers a large part of North America. After winning freedom from England, it had only 13 states. Each of the states had a star on the national flag. As the nation grew, new states were formed and there were new stars on the flag. For a long time, there were 48 states. In 1959 and 1960, two more stars, standing for the new states of Alaska and Hawaii（阿拉斯加州和夏威夷州）,were added to the flag. Indians were the first people of the land. Many people came from England. It is for that reason that the language of the US is English.

A.      B.

C.       D.

E.

    Once upon a time, there was a strange bird. He lived in a tree near the bank of a river. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One day, one of the two heads saw a delicious fruit on a tree. He picked it and started eating the fruit. "It is one of the most delicious fruits I have ever eaten," he said.

    The other head said, "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}" The first head laughed and said, "You know that we have only one stomach. It makes no difference whether I eat it or you eat it. Moreover, I'm the one who found the fruit. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}"

    Later that day, the other head found a tree having poisonous (有毒的) fruits. He took a poisonous fruit and told the first head, "I will eat this fruit."

    The first head shouted, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you eat it, both of us will die."

The other head replied, "Shut up! I'm the one who found the fruit. I have the right to eat it."

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In the end, both of them lost their lives.

A. So I have the right to eat it.

B. The first head started crying, but the other head still ate the poisonous fruit.

C. Let me also taste the delicious fruit.

D. The bird had two heads, but they shared one stomach.

E. What do you think of the bird with two heads?

F. Please don't eat this poisonous fruit.

G. The bird looks very beautiful and cute.

    When you hear the name Hollywood, you probably think of excitement, lights, cameras and movie stars. Famous actors are not the only important people in the entertainment business. Directors and producers are important, too. Today, Hollywood is full of producers and directors. And it is one of the tourist destinations in America.

    In 1911 the small, peaceful village of Hollywood in California voted to become part of Los Angeles. Today, over 100 years later, this village has grown into the home of one of the best-known industries in the world- the American film industry.

    With this growth, came many well-known symbols. There is the famous Hollywood sign which stands above the hills of the town. The first sign was built in 1923. Then there is Hollywood Hall of Fame, where great actresses, actors and directors leave their footprints or handprints. Norma Tallmadge was the first actress to do this in 1927. But most famous of all are the Oscar Academy Awards(奥斯卡颁奖). In March of every year a number of actresses, actors and directors wait nervously to find out if they have won an "Oscar". The 85th Oscar Academy Awards was held on February 25, 2013, in Los Angeles. Ang Lee(李安),a Chinese director won the best director again. It was his second time to win an "Oscar".

    Nowadays it becomes more and more common for films to be made away from Hollywood itself, but it remains the home of films, and thousands of hopeful young actresses, actors, writers and directors still come to "the Dream Factory" every year. But not all Hollywood dreams have been happy ones- as one actress, who later died tragically(悲惨地), said," Hollywood is a place where they will pay you 500 dollars for a kiss, and 50 cents for your soul.

Four Funny Inventions

       ①        

    Are you a person who wants to know the time and temperature during the day? You might like Time Temp Glasses. These special glasses show the time above your right eye and a temperature above your left eye. It is surely easier than wearing a watch, and you never have to guess the temperature.

      ②        

    Do you eat too quickly? Do you eat too much? How can the Alarm Fork help you? Aren't you curious? Well, this special fork has two lights: one green and one red. When the green light is on, it's OK to take a bite of food. The fork "knows" when you take a bite, and soon the red light is on. Wait for the green light before you take another bite.

       ③        

    How do you know if your breath(呼气) smells nice or if it smells bad? It's difficult to know, because it's very hard to smell the air that comes out of your own mouth. Smell This is useful for this situation. Smell This covers your nose and your own mouth, so it is easy to smell the air that comes out of your mouth. Does your breath smell nice, or do you need a piece of gum?

       ④       

    Has this ever happened to you? You put a banana in your bag lunch in the morning and when you open the bag at noon, the banana looks like someone drove a car over it. If you put your banana in the Banana Suitcase, this will never happen. It keeps a banana safe, delicious and looking like a banana!