You may think that inventions are far away from your everyday life. But in fact, almost everyone can invent. It's just that they do not realize that their idea could be the start of an invention. Once inventors see their ideas have some practical value, they don't let them run away.

    For example, the inventors of the dishwasher, American Josephine Cochrane, loved to give dinner parties. But she found it took too long to wash her dishes by hand. She decided that a machine could do the job faster. So, in 1886, she began to make one for herself.

    Here are the steps to create inventions. The first and most important step is to find the problem. Start by looking at what is wrong with things you see now and ask people around if they remember ever saying, “I wish someone would invent something for...” Then you might notice situations(情况) or things in need of improvement. The next step is to think about possible solutions. An invention is a new way of solving a problem. So think of many and unusual ways. You can often come up with a solution to a problem by looking at it from a different side.

    The hardest part of inventing is coming up with a problem and finding a solution. Once you have an idea, you can always get help building your invention. This problem-solving technique can also work in your everyday lives. So, why not try it in your studies, in your relationship with others, or even in the way you look at the world?

    What do you read when you are travelling by train or bus? What are other people reading? Perhaps a woman sitting near you is reading a love story. A man is reading a serious biography(自传) about a president. And there's a student reading an English textbook.

    What do their choices(选择) say about them? Do you think you can know them by what they are reading? I have got to tell you that your feelings of them may be quite wrong. The woman reading the love story could be a lawyer. She just wants a light read to take her mind off work. The man reading the biography wants you to think that he is very clever. The student reading the textbook isn't a student at all. She's an English teacher.

    Publishers(出版商) know that some people care what they read on trains or buses and so they put out different types of covers. For example， books about Harry Potter have a cartoon cover for young readers and then another more serious cover for grown—ups.

    So next time you are on a train， look around and see what other people are reading， but don't jump to any conclusions(结论). You will be wrong maybe.

Here is a sentence that you could say， “Don't judge（判断） a book by its cover”.

    Humans' Greatest Achievements

    The earth is 4.5 billion years old, but the human race has lived on it for just 200, 000 years. In that short time, we have achieved some amazing things.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The list is almost endless. The invention of the airplane has changed our lives. The discovery of antibiotics(抗生素) has saved the lives of millions of people. Can you imagine living without electricity？What about the printing press(印刷术)？Without the printing press, you wouldn't be reading this. In the last 50 years, there have been great achievements in communication, such as radio, TV, computer, the Internet, and smartphone (智能手机).{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    What about the arts？The arts have brought pleasure to many people, but are the Beatles and Bach more important than antibiotics？{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Finally, we must not forget humans' early achievements.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} We can't imagine modern life without cooked food and cars.

    What are humans' greatest achievements？To answer the question, we need to decide what we mean by "great"{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Or is it just something that makes us say “Wow”, like the Great Wall？What do you think?

根据短文内容, 从方框中选出五个句子填入文中空缺处, 使短文内容完整正确.

    I have one sister Sally. She is 15 and I am 13.We are in Chengguang Middle School .We have two dogs, Susie and David. Susie is grey but David is white and black .They are interesting.

Dave King

    I have two sisters .Tina is 10. Anna is 13. They are nice .My mom and dad are nice, too .We are a big family.

Kevin Smith

    The world is an interesting place. Different people like different things. Some people like loud music. Other people don't {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Many people like sports, but they do not all like the same sports. In some countries, cricket is a very popular sport. In others it is not popular at all. No one plays it or watches it on TV. However, most people like soccer. The World Cup is very popular.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Different people like different foods. Some people do not like meat.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some people do not like potatoes or bread. They prefer rice.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Most people have their favorite colors. Some people like bright colors. Others prefer pale colors.

    Many people like traveling. Different people like different places, some people like to go to the country. They like the fresh air. Some people like to go to the cities. Because they like shopping.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

What do you like? Have you got an idea?

The Amazing Spider Man

    Spider Man is a hero. People got to know the hero through the Spider Man movie series.

    Now, a new Spider Man movie is coming to our eyes. It has a new name called The Amazing Spider Man. A new director called Marc Webbis directed the movie and a new actor, Andrew Garfield, played Spider Man.

    The Amazing Spider Man is also about the story of Peter Parker, a high school student. His parents left him when he was a boy, and he was raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today.

    As Peter finds a briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins to find out why his parents disappeared. The discovery of his father's secret will shape his destiny(命运)of becoming “Spider Man.”Peter will make his choices to use his powers and become a hero.

    Unlike the former one, the new movie focuses on Spider Man developing his abilities in high school, as well as discovering the mystery(秘密)of his parents, or at least what happened to his father.

    The movie is going to come out on July 3, 2012 in 3D.