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.

    While you are at the bookstore, you may be faced with a difficult decision: e­ books or paper books? Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. Making the best decision depends on a number of factors(因素).

    An e­ reader can carry a whole library wherever you go, which is great for travelers or those who always want a choice of reading materials. Although e­ readers are convenient, high levels of screen brightness from an electronic device(电子设备) can cause eye problems. A study in the Information Science Research found that young people preferred e­ readers, like smart phones or iPads. That's why most teenagers are short­sighted.

    Many book lovers prefer paper books and value the feeling of them. Paper books are very well designed, they look and smell good, and they carry with them a more human touch. Avid(热衷的) readers prefer reading on paper .Perhaps this is their choice because paper books give them a sense of ownership .It is reported that reading on paper rather than an electronic screen is better for memory and focus .But paper books are heavy and they are not convenient to carry.

    Which is your decision, an e ­book or a paper book?

    Everyone has his own hobby. Reading books is a good hobby for us. Here are some reasons for reading：

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}⒈Reading has a lot of benefits（好处）. It can open up our eyes because books are full of knowledge，and it can make us wiser and richer in life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}⒉You can keep yourselves amused（被逗笑的）if' you like reading. This is especially useful when the weather is bad. It's a relaxing hobby，too. You can really become interested in it.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}⒊Reading also helps readers become good writers. They are usually good at spelling as well，and have more things to write. So reading is a wonderful hobby.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}⒋You can choose anywhere to read books. If you don't like carrying printed books，you can choose e books. Besides，reading is easy to stop and then start again.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}⒌Have you ever heard of a famous saying Reading makes a full man? It is from the famous writer Francis Bacon（培根）. To make you a full man，let's begin reading right now!

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    Friends are important in our life, because no one wants to be lonely. However, some people have difficulty in making friends and they often feel lonely. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} According to a new study from Chicago University, the reason is that this kind of people have brains（脑）different from common people. And they often feel unsafe when facing strangers.

Does that mean they have no way to become happy again?  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Scientists of this study have thought up ways to help these people deal with their loneliness. They provided four steps for getting out of loneliness.

    The first step is to accept social invitations even if you don't want to go." It's not enough for people just to get in touch with others online. That's because most people don't show their true selves there," said Dr. Cacioppo, one of this study's scientists. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} As" actions speak louder than words", people need to be active to communicate with others. They also need to meet people with the same interests. Also, they should try to expect the best from each activity.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Who knows what good things are waiting for us?

    To me, music is food and water. I can't live without it. I know this is not true for everybody. Usually lots of people go to concerts or listen to music records. Maybe some of you don't do these and you get along quite well, but music is everywhere in our life. For example when you watch movies or TV plays, will you find them interesting if there is no music? I'm sure you will find them boring. And when you are waiting for the train or the plane, you would like some music because it makes the time seem shorter.

    Some people like to sit by the sea and listen to the sound of the sea. Some enjoy listening to the singing of birds. Those sounds are some kind of music. So music has meaning for everyone in some way or others. Of course, it has special meaning for people like me. We spend our lives playing or writing music.

    Someone said, "Through music a child goes into a world of beauty, learns to take care of others and makes his mind and body strong."音乐真的在我们的生活中扮演重要的角色。

    Why do people cry? Scientists say the body produces tears because they need them. One kind of tears is for the eye, the other is for the heart. They both work as cleaners. If something else like dust(灰尘) gets into your eye, tears also come into the eye to clean it out. If you are hurt by something, your strong feelings produce some poisonous chemicals(毒素) in your body, and at the same time, tears come out with them. If these poisonous chemicals are not cleaned out of your body as soon as possible, they will do harm to the heart sooner or later.

    In the United States men have heart problems more often than women do. Doctors say heart problems have something to do with the pressures(压力) of living and working now. Perhaps men suffer more from these illnesses because they do not cry enough. They need to cry more.

    In fact, you can find many ways of reducing the pressures to keep fit. Crying is a natural and physical one.