My mother used to say things just to make me mad。 Like most teenagers, I thought I knew everything. And what I didn't know, I didn't want to be told. For example, if I said I was going to a movie, my mother would roll her eyes. On my way out, she'd shout, “You need to slow yourself down before something bad happens! You don't want to learn that the hard way!” I didn't know what that meant. I thought she just wanted me to stay at home.

    Many years later I had three teenagers of my own. They thought they knew everything. I would say the same things to them like my mom. That's when I first saw it. My mother wasn't trying to help me.

    Why do we always have to learn things “the hard way”? Why can't we just accept our elders' wisdom? It's a good lesson for anyone. Clearly, I still haven't learned it.

    Yesterday, I stepped out of the shower when I heard my cell phone ringing in the kitchen. Grabbing a towel, I ran through the house. I grabbed the phone and hit my left foot against the table. The X-ray showed that I'd broken two toes.

    We all need to slow ourselves down once in a while, before something bad does it for us. My mother was right about a lot of things. I wish I could have told her.

    I am 73 years old. I often watch TV in my free time. Of all the programs, I like the news best. Through the TV, I can learn more about our country and the world. At seven every evening, I always sit in front of the TV.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    I am a grandma. I like Chinese traditional opera. From Monday to Thursday, I usually turn on the TV at half past seven. The programs from CCTV 7 are my best. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    I am a basketball fan. I like playing basketball very much. But I am too busy. So I have to watch it on the TV. Every night, I watch the match till 12:00 pm. I am crazy about it, especially(尤其) NBA.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

I am a housewife. I do the housework all day. I'd like to watch TV at night. I prefer to see soap operas like 'Palace", "Meteoric（流星） Garden" and so on. Because they can make me feel relaxed.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    I am the only son in the family. I am in Grade Five. I like cartoons best. I often watch cartoons on the TV after doing the homework. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

每个人都有自己的喜好，根据上面五个人的描述，从A～E中为他们选择喜欢的电视节目。

    A middle-aged man, Xu Shijie, from Kaifeng is a pedicab (三轮车）driver, or rather, a tour guide. Over the past 15 years, he has served hundreds of foreign tourists. He told them stories about Kaifeng in English.

        ①      With the help of a dictionary, he read English magazines and books in his spare time. He also kept a diary in English. Thus, he could learn more new words and grammar.

    He first talked to a foreign tourist in 2003. He was nervous and not sure whether the tourist could understand him or not. Luckily, the tourist understood him and they talked happily that day. Since then, Xu has studied English even harder. He practiced listening and speaking skills every night. In order to provide a better introduction to Kaifeng, he has also read lots of books about the city's history and culture.

    Xu is now better known as Jason, his English name. He has become the most popular pedicab driver in Kaifeng.    ②     He often helps tourists buy train tickets or medicine. Sometimes, he also helps them find quality hotels.

    Many people call Xu a culture ambassador. XU said he would try his best to live up to the praise and make Chinese culture known to the world.

Shanghai Noon

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

The film is an action film as well as a Western. It is also a comedy. The film happens in 1881. It begins in China, but most of the film happens in the US.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The story is about Wang Chong trying to save Princess Peipei from bad guys. While he is looking for Princess Peipei, Wang Chong and the train robber share many funny adventures.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The main character is Wang Chong, played by Jackie Chan. Lucy Liu plays Princess Peipei. Owen Wilson is the robber.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

I like all the funny fighting and the jokes in this film. There are a lot of amazing scenes, too. I think all the stars act very well. Go and see Shanghai Noon if you like funny action films. It's an enjoyable film. I would give it eight out of ten.

The last paragraph is mainly the writer's {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.
A.plan

B. story

C.advice

D. experiences

    The Republic of Kenya is a country in Africa, with a population of about 48，000，000. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. Kiswahili and English are its official languages, and it also has many local languages. Kenya covers 582，646 square kilometers. It has a warm and humid tropical climate on its Indian Ocean coastline. On Kenya's land, fruit, vegetables, coffee, tea, corns and wheat are the main agricultural produce. The people in Kenya like cross­country running, road running, soccer, boxing and so on. Kenya won several medals during the Beijing Olympics—five golds, five silvers and four bronzes, making it Africa's most successful nation in the 2008 Olympics.

    If you think you are too shy and want to be a little bit braver, just try the following things.

    Be open to others.

    Tell people you are shy. There is no need to hide(掩盖) it. When they get to know you are a shy kid, they will understand you better. This also helps you feel relaxed(放松的) in talks.

    Try to smile more.

    When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk with. Remember that other people have feelings, too, and most people don't like an angry-looking face.

    Learn to be a good talker.

    If you find it hard to start a talk, say something nice about people around you. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you. Doesn't it make you want to keep talking to that person?

    Get your attention elsewhere.

    Think more about ways to enjoy parties or games. Don't worry about your looks or whether(是否) other people like you or not. You will become relaxed and find it's not so hard to talk with other people.

Title: {#blank#}1{#/blank#} to be a little braver