In English, the spelling of words does not always represent(代表)the sound. And some words seem to have too many letters. An American called Noah Webster wanted to do something for the development of English, so he began his work on it. His first book,  The Elementary(基础的)Spelling Book, suggested making the spelling of English words easy. The book was very popular. In fact, Webster is famous for his American Dictionary of the English Language. This dictionary came out in 1828 after it was completed. It introduced lots of new American words, with information about their pronunciation, use and the new spelling. Today,  Webster's dictionary is still widely used in English-speaking countries.

    A good book can be satisfying, can improve your knowledge and can teach you a lot. There are several ways to develop a lifetime reading habit.

    Set times. You should have a few set times every day when you'll read for at least 5—10 minutes, no matter what happens. For example, make it a habit to read during breakfast and lunch (and even dinner if you eat alone).

    Always carry a book. No matter where you go, take a book with you. When you leave the house, make sure to have at least one book. You may keep the book in the car, or into the office or to anywhere you go, unless you' re sure you won't have time to read.

    Make a list. Keep a list of all the great books you want to read. You can keep this in a pocket notebook. Be sure to add to it whenever you hear about a good book. Keep a running list, and cross out the ones you have read.

    Find a quiet place. Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair without television or computer near the chair. There should be no music or noisy family members.

    Set a high aim. For example. Tell yourself that you want to read 50 books this year. Your best to finish reading them. Just be sure you're still enjoying the reading.

    Hong Kong is a shopping heaven (天堂). During the Hong Kong Shopping festival in July and August each year. Hong Kong puts on special events and the stores put on sales for the festival.

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    Hong Kong is a city with many shopping malls, department stores and street markets, but shopping areas are mainly in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

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    Hong Kong is one of the best shopping places in the world. The best three buys are clothes, cosmetics and electrical appliances. As the goods are tax free, the prices are always louver than those found in other countries.

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    When you shop in Hong Kong, you will find the currency (货币) symbol $. It looks like the symbol of US dollars but it always refers to Hong Kong dollars rather than US dollars. You can exchange your currency for Hong Kong dollars at any authorized (授权) money exchanger.

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    There are many street markets in Hong Kong. Exploring street markets is a way to experience the local people's lifestyle and buy souvenirs. The famous street markets are Stanley Market, Ladies' Market and Temple Street Market.

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    Retail shops generally open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. But most department stores and shopping malls in major tourist areas will stay open until 9:30 p.m. or even later. Please check the opening hours before you pay them a visit.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴The most unusual museum in London is the Science Museum. In most museums, there's no shouting and no running, and people aren't allowed to touch the exhibits (陈设品). But the Science Museum is different. It's noisy! People can talk about what they will see and do there, and some of the machines are noisy as well.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵When I visit the Science Museum, I go to the Launchpad (发射台). This is the most popular room because there are lots of physics tests. We can also learn how astronauts travel into space and back again here. I'm really interested in those kinds of things, so it is my favorite room.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶On the second floor there is Human and Nature room. We can compare our speed with animals there. If we aren't quick enough, the lion will catch us! There are also rooms on transport, the environment and space technology, as well as math, physics and chemistry.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷We can do a lot of things in this museum, but we have to obey some rules as well. For example, we mustn't take photos of the exhibits in the museum. But we can buy postcards of them in the museum shops.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸Most important of all, the Science Museum is free. That means we can drop by for a few minutes or we can stay as long as we like—it's open from 10: 00 a. m. to 6: 00 p. m.every day except Monday. So if you go to London, make sure you visit the Science Museum. It's my favorite museum in the whole world.

    December 21 was Becky's fourteenth birthday. When she got home after school, she saw her parents in the living room. They said to her, "Happy birthday, dear! We have a present for you, Becky. Go and look for it in your bedroom."

    Becky ran quickly to her room. On her bed she saw a bright red box. She thought that her present must be in the box. She opened it. There was nothing but a card in it. The girl took it out and read.

    "Dear Becky, I'm your present. My first three letters are the same as in the word 'come'. My last two letters are the same as in the word 'water'. My middle three letters are in the word 'put'. What am I?"

    Becky thought hard and soon smiled. She then went back to the living room and shouted. "Aha, I know what present it is. Thank you very much, Mum and Dad! But where is it?" Her mother answered, "Look at the back of the card." Becky turned it over and read, "Come and look for me in the study."

    Becky hurried to the study. There on the desk she found her present. What was it? Do you know?