Reading is a very important skill. 阅读也是一种提高你的英语的好方法。However, to make sure what you read isn't too difficult, it's important to know what makes texts difficult and how you can improve your understanding of them. Here are some suggestions.

    ①Understand the purpose of your reading. The way you read depends on the purpose of your reading. The kind of reading you do in class or for your homework is different from how you read a novel for pleasure in the summer holidays.

    ② Find background information. Find something out about the topic you are going to read.

    The more background information you have, the easier it'll be to understand the text.

    ③Increase your vocabulary（词汇）. The more vocabulary you have, the easier your reading will be.

    ④ Use your dictionary correctly. A common mistake is to read everything very slowly and carefully, looking up each unknown word. Sometimes this is necessary, for example, when reading exam questions. However, it takes a long time and can be very boring; it can even make understanding more difficult!

    If you've followed the above advice and still can't understand a text, then it's simply too hard for you. Stop reading and ask someone to help you. 没有人想要放弃。However, you'll just be wasting your time if you continue to work at a text that's beyond you.

    Years ago in Scotland, the Clark Family had a dream. Mr. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had received passports and tickets for the whole family to travel on a new ship going to the United States{#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. Because of the possibility of rabies(狂犬病), he was not allowed to leave the house for fourteen days.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father, filled with disappointment and anger, watched the ship leave--without the Clark family. The father was really disappointed and complained both his son and God for their bad luck.

    Five days later, terrible news spread across Scotland. The huge Titanic had sunk(下沉){#blank#}3{#/blank#}The Clark family was to have been on that ship but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland.

    When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt was a bad thing into good luck{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

A. The family's dream was broken.

B. Although we may not always understand, all things happen for a reason.

C. Nothing is impossible if we put heart into it.

D. The family was filled with excitement about their new life.

E. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it.

    These days, a new kind of restaurant is becoming popular. People who go there can not only enjoy their meals, but also enjoy playing computer games and chatting on the Internet. Wink is the restaurant's name. It is in Los Angeles, and it's about fun and food.

    In Wink, there are no waiters or waitresses around you. The screens have replaced(取代)them. You can order the food you want by touching the screen in front of you and runners will bring it to the tables. You can also play video games with the people at the next table .The screens can show music videos, movies and so on. But mainly they are used to show video games.

    It's an interactive(互动的)restaurant where you will control your meal and your time. The service is fast and the runners know clearly where to go. There will be no waiting for a waiter and no misunderstandings(误解)in the kitchen. Different kinds of food are served at any time of the day. Wink is a place which hosts “room games”, where every table in the restaurant can have a video game competition at the same time.

    The owner of the restaurant hopes that Wink can make it easy for people to be interactive having fun and enjoying a delicious meal.

    A music club was set up in Class One, Grade Eight. The students who like music can join the club. There are some students in it now.

    Li lei likes rock music best. He says, "Rock music is my favorite, because it makes me happy and exited. It sounds exciting and most people like it. I am going to become a famous singer of a band when I grow up."

    Wang Ming says, "I am from the country. So I liked country music when I was young, and I still like it now. I will sing a song when I'm sad, and then I'll get better."

    The twins like jazz best because they can dance to the music.

    Jack says, "I like pop music, but I do well in playing musical instruments, so I like classical music best. I want to continue studying classical music."

    Han and Xue like folk music best, they say it sounds wonderful. They are ready for the next school concert.

Information Card

Notes: draw 抽奖；entry form报名表；receipt收据；claim认领

    Winston Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." These are certainly words that millions of volunteers around the world could agree with.

    In the US, April is National Volunteer Month, to praise and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, and support to what they care about.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} People who volunteer spend their time doing things they feel strongly about. For example, animal lovers may volunteer at an animal centre to help improve the treatment of animals.

    Volunteering allows volunteers to meet new people, try out new skills and explore career choices. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Take Andrew Makhoul, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, as an example. Andrew didn't spend his last spring break relaxing. Instead, the 19-year-old boy decided to do something for people who were less lucky than himself. He travelled to an orphanage (孤儿院) in Guatemala in Central America. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And it depends on volunteers to stay open.

    Andrew doesn't speak much Spanish, but he found communication wasn't a problem, "You communicated with love," according to an article on his university's website. And what he gave out, he got back, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}" Andrew's first time as a volunteer only lasted a week, but by the end of that week, he knew he'd be back soon — because he saw love and hope.

    US author Sherry Anderson once wrote, "{#blank#}5{#/blank#}" And this is perhaps why volunteers all around the world keep doing what they do — their work is "priceless".
 

A. It is in one of the poorest parts of the country.

B. You could see love when you looked in their eyes.

C. Volunteering means choosing to work without being paid.

D. It's a chance for poor children to get better care and support.

E. Life will be difficult, but I have the confidence to live a happy, full life.

F. For young adults, valuable lessons may also be learned through volunteering.

G. Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless.