One of the greatest mysteries on Earth is the statues which stand on Easter Island. Easter Island, which was almost uninhabited when it was discovered on Easter Day in 1722 by a Dutch captain, is the most distant island in the world covered with hundreds of giant statues, each weighing several tons and some standing more than 30 feet tall.
    Who built these statues and why and how did they get there? Nobody knows the answer for sure.
    One theory suggests that Easter Island was first inhabited by Polynesians, who traveled thousands of miles in their canoes（独木舟）in 400 A.D. However, the ocean currents（洋流）which carried them there would not take them back, so that they could not leave.
    The statues appear to have been made out of the top edge of the walls of a volcano on the island. Then, it may have been rolled or dragged down to the foot of the volcano(火山). Then, it was stood upright（直立）and ropes were tied around it, which was made to act as a pulley（滑轮）. Over a period of months, a statue could be walked for miles down to the ocean. Finally, it was placed in line with other statues, all of them looking towards the center of the island.
    This process was difficult. If a statue fell over, it was too heavy to be pulled upright again, so the islanders went back and carved another statue.
    The population of Easter Island must have reached 11,000. Later, the resources of the island were used up and people began fighting and eating each other. Work on the statues stopped and the statues were knocked over. When the first Europeans finally arrived on the island, most of these people had died out.

    An important question about eating out is who pays for the meal. If a friend of yours asks you to have lunch with him, you may say something like this, "I'm afraid it'll have to be someplace cheap, as I have very little money." The other person may say, "OK, I'll meet you at McDonald's."

    This means that the two agree to go Dutch, that is, each person pays for himself. He may also say, "Oh, no. I want to take you to lunch at Smith's," or "I want you to try the Chinese dumplings there. They're great." This means the person wants to pay for both of you. If you feel friendly towards this person, you can go with him and you needn't pay for the meal. You may just say, "Thank you. That would be very nice."

    American customs (1) about who pays for dates (2) are much the same as in other parts of the world. In the old days, American women wanted men to pay for all the meals. But, today, a university (3) girl or a woman in business world will usually pay her way during the day. If a man asks her for a dance outside the working hours, it means "Come, as my guest (4)." So as you can see, it is a polite thing to make the question clear at the very beginning.

    Audrey is a Chinese-American student. She has found value (价值) differences between Chinese and Americans.

    About money:

    ①Americans would like to spend more than they have, so many of them are always in debt (欠债). Chinese usually spend less than they have, so many of them always have money left in the bank.

    ②American kids love to make money by themselves. Chinese kids always ask their parents for money.

    ③Americans parents think that it is not useful to send their children to an expensive university. Chinese parents would do anything to send their children to good universities and that might make them very poor sometimes.

    About school:

    ①Many American girls take part in sports, dancing and singing groups while Chinese girls take part in academic groups.

    ②Some American students think that "B" is a gift while Chinese students think that "B" is terrible.

    About American parents and Chinese parents

    American parents allow their daughters or sons to have some part-time jobs in their free or at weekends. Chinese parents usually don't allow their children to do so in middle or high schools.

Four students are talking about the books they have ever read.

 Tom,13

I have finished {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Little Women. It is written by an {#blank#}2{#/blank#} writer and it is about the life experiences of four sisters. Though the book is a little bit boring, I have learned that we should be{#blank#}3{#/blank#} in the face of difficulties.

 Kate,14

 It took me a week to read Robinson Crusoe. The book is amazing. It is about a man who lived· alone on an {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, but he did not give up his hope. He cut down trees and {#blank#}5{#/blank#} a house and learnt to grow fruit and vegetables. {#blank#}6{#/blank#} he went back home successfully.

 Bob,14

I have read the Treasure Island many times beca…… I am interested in it. It is written by the English .{#blank#}7{#/blank#} Stevenson. The book is full of {#blank#}8{#/blank#} . ít is about the journey of a boy and a group of people looking for the treasure.

 Peter,15

I haven't finished reading Harry Potter because · it is too long. But I have {#blank#}9{#/blank#} some of the Harry Potter movies. I think the movies are much {#blank#}10{#/blank#} interesting than the books.

Patrick Dan was 12 years old when he decided to do something different. He thought it could be fun to raise worms (养虫). He wanted to sell the worms to 1 to help them improve their fields. He could also sell the worms to fishermen. Then he 2 to do that. In spring, Dan bought many worms. He put the worms in clean earth. He then put water and leaves there. When the worms got fat, Dan sold many of them. But one winter he did not put them in a warm place. The 3 weather killed all the worms.

The next spring, Dan did that again. He bought more worms. He tried his best to 4 them. Many people bought Dan's worms. When winter came, Dan took the worms inside so they would stay 5 .

However, one day, he suddenly got a(n) 6 . It was from the state of Chicago where he lived. It said, "Everyone who sells things has to 7 taxes (税)!" Dan made only 50 cents per day by selling worms, but he still had to give part of that money to the state. Dan told many people in his town what had happened. He told them about his 8 . Later some people showed a video of their talk with Dan online. In the video, they said that the law was not 9 .

To everyone's great joy, the law was 10 changed. Children like Dan can now sell things without paying money to the state.

The music starts. A Sichuan Opera performer(表演者) dances to the music and {#blank#}1{#/blank#} changes face masks(变换脸谱). 

 The performer is Yin Qiuhua. Yin is 19 years old. She is {#blank#}2{#/blank#} from other performers. She was born with Down syndrome(唐氏综合征). 

 Zhao Haiying is Yin's mother. She wanted {#blank#}3{#/blank#} her daughter life skills(技能) and took Yin to learn different things. Zhao said, "She is young and I can't take care of her all the time. My biggest wish was to find a useful skill for her so she can make a living. " Yin {#blank#}4{#/blank#} many things like the violin and the folk dance. But she didn't do well {#blank#}5{#/blank#} any of them. 

 Things began to change in 2021, when Zhao met Lin Chun, a {#blank#}6{#/blank#} Chinese opera teacher. Lin Chun took Yin as a {#blank#}7{#/blank#} and taught her the face-changing art of Sichuan Opera. The face-changing skill is difficult to learn {#blank#}8{#/blank#} it was also difficult to talk with Yin. Lin had to show the moves over and over again. During the first year, Yin practiced for up to eight {#blank#}9{#/blank#} a day. After about 18 months of training, Yin gave {#blank#}10{#/blank#} first show at an activity in Nanchong. "The performance went very well. Yin is excellent, " Lin said. 

 Yin's story {#blank#}11{#/blank#} the hearts of many people. "We should not give up on our children. We should try our best to bring out what they are good at, " Zhao said.