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.

    With the rapid development of science and technology, communication methods of people have changed a lot in the past years.

    As we all know, in ancient times, people communicated with people who were far from them only by letters, which took a very long time to get the message.

    In the 19th century, telegraph was invented, but it was not widely used, letter is still the main method at that time. In1836, John Coker invented the first electromagnetic telegraph(电磁电报机) in the world, then telegraph appeared and was popular, which was much faster than letter, bringing great convenience to people.

    As time goes by, telephones become increasingly widely used. Now, the phone has been developed as mobile phone, fixed telephone, Internet telephone and other kinds, being an essential communication tool in the modern information society.

    In addition, network communication is popular as well. It is especially widely welcomed by the youths. A great number of people communicate with others on the Internet by using software, such as email, QQ, WeChat, bbs, MSN and so on. Using software is easy. A computer which is connected to the network is enough. In China, WeChat has become the most popular communication software nowadays. WeChat, known as Weixin in Chinese, is a mobile phone text and voice messaging communication software which is developed by Tencent. People can make video calls that not only can hear the sound, but also can see the people you talk to.

    France is well known for its fine art, tasty food and romantic scenery. About 75 million visitors come here every year.

    France is the largest country in Western Europe. It has a population of over 66 million. The country is home to many famous places of interest, like the River Seine as well as the Eiffel Tower.

    Many visitors also come for the country's art. Sculptor Auguste Rodin and painter Claude Monet once created their great works here. If you visit France today, it is not a surprise to meet street artists in the city or come across a singer in the subway.

    No visit to Paris is complete without a trip to Louvre, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. Inside, there are 35, 000 works of art, such as the painting Mona Lisa by Da Vinci and the statue David by Michelangelo. It would take nine months to enjoy all the pieces.

    Besides, French food is world-famous. Bread is very important in France. The best known French bread is called a baguette. They are long, delicious and taste salty. Snails are also a must have here. French people eat 40, 000 tons of snails every year!

    But France is not always good. Paris, the city of light, may also show its dark side to visitors. Chinese visitors feel sorry about the crowded subway in Paris.

The moon landing

    It's always been man's dream to fly like a bird in the sky. Back in 1865, a French writer once wrote about man's landing on the moon on a special airplane with three people inside, and the first person to touch the ground on the moon would be American. That was considered (被认为) to be a crazy (疯狂的) idea at that time. Over one hundred years later, on July 20, 1969, however, this impossible dream did come true.

    It was a big day in the history of the 20th century. On that day, a special airplane took three brave (勇敢的) men from Cape Kennedy at a speed of 35,533 feet per second. The trip to the moon took 103 hours and 30 minutes. In fact, it was the first time that man ever "walked" in outer space. On the trip, two of the spacemen spent two hours on the moon walking like flying, and the other stayed in the spaceship. They studied the appearance of the moon. Four days later, the spaceship Apollo 11, returned to the earth and the astronauts were welcomed by people around the country. The man who took the first step, Neil Armstrong, said, "That's a small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." This has been said again and again in every language around the world since then.