Every year, wildfires(野火) destroy much forest land. homes are broken down, and thousands of people die. smokejumpers are stop helping to stop this.

    Smokejumpers are a special kind of firefight. they jump from planes into areas that difficult to reach by car or on foot. they race to put out fires as fast as they can.

    At a fire site, Smokejumpers first examine the land and decide how to fight the fire. their main goal is to stop fire from spreading. using basic tools such as shovels and axes, smokejumpers clear land of burnable material like plants and other dry material. they carry water with them too, but not much.

    Although most smokejumpers are men, more women are joining. Most important are your weight and height. Smokejumpers in the U.S. for example ,must be 54 to 91 kilograms, so they don't get hurt when they land, or get blown by strong winds.

    Smokejumpers must be able to live in the wilderness. in Russia ,many smokejumpers know how to find food in the forest and even make simple furniture from trees.

    They work is dangerous, the hours are long. But for these firefighters, smokejumpers isn't just a job. They love being able to jump out of planes, fight fires, and live in the forest. As 28-year-old Russian smokejumpers Alexi Tishin says,“This is the best job for the strong and brave.”

    Have you ever been so worried about something that you have a headache or even can't sleep at night? Then you cannot pay enough attention during a test or to your study．If so, then you know that is stress．You are worried too much about something．The bad feelingin your mind can make you angry, sad, or scared, and can even give you a stomachache or a headache．

    However, some kind of stress is good． Excitement might happen when you are called to give a speech at school．You feel nervous but excited．This kind of stress can help you to get things well done．And you may do a better job in your test if the stress pushes you to prepare more beforehand．

    On the other hand, bad stress can last long if you are unable to come over your problems．You may not feel well, if your parents are having a quarrel, if a family member is badly ill, if you're doing poorly at school, or if anything else makes you unhappy．That kind of stress isn't going to help you．And it can actually let you do worse in your daily life．

    The best way to fight the stress is to have a balanced life．Make sure you get enough sleep and eat properly．Have some regular exercise．You should spend some time for fun．Get advice from your parents, teachers and friends．Soon after that, you'll probably get away with your stress．

    Marco Polo was born in Italy in 1254. When he was 17, he travelled along the Silk Road with his father, who wanted to trade with the Chinese. Finally, they arrived in Beijing. They were guests at the Emperor's Palace Marco was very clever and could speak four languages. The Emperor was impressed by him and they became friends. He asked Marco to serve in his court (宫殿) and sent him to do many important jobs all over the country.

    Marco was amazed by how beautiful China was. He was impressed by Beijing and the Emperor's Palace, especial the Summer Palace which was described as "The greatest palace that I've ever seen". The walls were covered with gold and silver and the hall was so big that it could easily hold 6,000 people for dinner.

    Marco was also attracted (吸引) by the inventions and developments in China which couldn't be found in Europe at that time. Marco was surprised to see Chinese people using paper money in the markets. In Europe, people paid for goods(货物) with gold and silver. He could not understand how people paid for food and valuable things with paper! He was also puzzled by the black stones people used to burn to produce heat. The black stones were coal, but Marco had never seen coal before!

    After he served the Emperor for 17 years, in 1291, Marco returned to Italy. He was a very wealthy man then. A writer wrote down all the stories that Marco told him in a book called The Description of the World, which became one of the best-selling books in Europe.

    People enjoyed the book, but many of them thought that Marcos stories about China were too fantastic to be true. However, Marco always stood by his tales. Just before he died, aged 70, Marco was asked the question, “Was it all true?” And this was his answer, “I have only told a half what I saw!”

请根据短文内容，完成下列表格。

A.    B.    C.    D.    E.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} ⑴A girl named Alice falls down a rabbit hole after an unusual big white rabbit. She finds herself in a land of talking animals and other fantastic animals, and starts a trip full of adventures(冒险).

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} ⑵After a ship accident, Crusoe lands on an island. To live he must build a home for himself. He saves a man called Friday. A lot of adventures happen to them on the island.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} ⑶The story is about the Marchi family of four sisters growing up. It shapes the image of the four different characters to the family daily life.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} ⑷This is an adventure about a boy called Jim Hawkins. He goes out to sea with a treasure map and finds an island full of treasures. It's a problem-solving journey to rescue(营救) treasures from dangerous situations.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} ⑸This story is about an emperor who loves clothes very much. Two brothers cheat the emperor to get silver and gold. They tell him that people can't see the clothes unless they are clever.  In the parade, everyone says his new clothes are wonderful except a little boy.

    "A wise old owl sat on an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke, the more he heard. Why aren't we like that old bird?" –Edward H.Richards.

    We all need to learn to listen well. Listening is a skill we should be practicing every day. And I mean active listening, not just listening when it is convenient to us.

    Listening shows others that they are important. It's a sign of respect (尊重). If someone listens to you carefully when you are talking, it shows that they are really interested in what you are saying.

    How do you practice listening? Here are some basic rules:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Are you in the middle of writing something? Put down the pen and fold your hands. Are you reading something? Close it so that it will be impossible for you to look down and start reading again. Then put it down.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The computer will take your attention from your job at hand—listening.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Facing the person you are talking with will help you focus completely on listening. It will also make the person feel that you find what he is saying important.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Standing closer to the speaker will show interest. Crossing your arms in front of your chest shows disagreement. Looking around the room shows you have no interest. Looking the speaker in the eyes tells him that he is important.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Do not start sharing your ideas after hearing the first few words. Do not just think about your reply in your mind. Pay attention to the speaker. Really listen to what he is telling you.

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