Weddings are important in every country, and there are different wedding customs in different countries. In western countries the bride's (新娘的) dress—her wedding dress—is very important. Some brides wear a new dress. Some brides wear the dress their mothers or even their grandmothers wore at their weddings.

       Some people believe the bride should wear something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. She may wear an old ring and will usually have new shoes. She may borrow something to wear from a friend, and the ring on her finger may have a blue jewel in it or some of her clothes may be blue.

       Many married people in western countries wear a ring to show that they are married. They wear the ring on the fourth finger of their left hands.

       At the wedding, as soon as the man and the woman are married, their friends often throw rice or very small pieces of paper over the couple. They believe this will bring them good luck and that they will have many children. The bride often carries flowers, and after the wedding she throws them up in the air. People believe that the woman who catches the flowers is lucky enough. The bride and the groom (新郎), their friends and family then have a party. After that the bride and the groom go on holiday together. This holiday is called "the honeymoon".

    Do you like drinking coke, coffee, juice or milk? Do you often drink them instead of water? However, of all the things we eat and drink, water is the most important. Not all of us understand this but it is quite true. Human body can go without food for a long time, but two or three days without water usually makes people die.

    Many people do not understand how much water the human body needs to work well. What is true is that many people do not drink enough, especially in hot weather. Most people drink only when they are thirsty but often need more water after they take exercise.

    Does anyone know what is the 65%-75% of human body? It is water. If we do not have enough water, we will feel tired and become ill. So, do you know what the best drink is? It's water.

    One day, my wife and I went shopping. We took the car as we had a lot of things to buy, because my brother and his family were going to spend the weekend with us. We stopped the car in front of the shop. An hour later we came back to the car with a lot of things. Then the trouble(麻烦) started. We could not open the door.

    "Oh, dear," said my wife, "what are we going to do?"

    "Let's ask that policeman," I said.

    The policeman was very kind and glad to help us. Soon he got the door open. Just at that moment, an angry man came up and shouted. "What are you doing with my car?" We looked at the number of the car, and our faces turned very red.

How do you learn English best?

    This week we asked students at New Star High School about the best ways to learn English. Many students said they learnt English by using it. Some students had more specific suggestions. Li Lianli, for example, said the best way to learn new words was reading English magazines. She said that memorizing the words of pop songs also helped a little.When we asked about studying grammar, she said, "I never study grammar. It's too boring."

    Wei Ming felt different. He had been learning English for six years and really loved it. He thought studying grammar was a great way to learn a language. He also thought that watching English movies wasn't a bad way because he could watch the actors say the words. Sometimes, however, he found watching movies frustrating because the actors spoke too quickly.

    Liu Chang said that joining the English club at school was the best way to improve her English. Students could get lots of practice and they could also have fun. She added that having conversations with friends was not helpful at all. "We get excited about something and then end up speaking in Chinese ， " she said.

⑴题判断正误；⑵题完成句子；⑶⑷题简略回答问题；⑸题将文中画线句子译成汉语。

    When visitors came to see Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street, they often did surprising things. Sometimes they put their heads in their hands and cried. Sometimes they talked and talked, and couldn't stop. And sometimes they just sat there and didn't say a word. But nobody was more surprising than Dr Huxtable.

    He was a large man, tall, well-dressed. He came into the room, walked to one of the big chairs, and suddenly fell into it. He sat there, with his eyes closed, looking pale and ill.

    Holmes looked in the man's pockets-and found a train ticket from Mackleton, in the north of England.

    "Mackleton-that's a long way," said Holmes, "it's not twelve o clock yet, so he probably left home before five o'clock this morning. He was probably hungry."

    After a minute or two, the man began to move, and his eyes opened. A second later, he stood up. His face was now red and unhappy.

    "Mr Holmes, I am so sorry! I forgot to eat or drink anything this morning that's why I felt ill. But I'm better now," said our visitor," and Mr Holmes, come back to Mackleton with me by the next train, please!"

    "I'm sorry, that's not possible," said Holmes," I'm working on two important cases. I cannot leave London at the moment."

    "Important cases!" our visitor cried, "But this case is very important too. You know about the kidnapping of the son of Duke(公爵) of Holdernesse three days ago."

    "What! The Government Minister?" I was shocked.

    "Yes, that's him. And he is one of the greatest men in the country." said Dr Huxtable, "Mr Holmes, the Duke is offering five thousand dollars for news of his son, and another one thousand dollars for the name of the kidnapper."

    "That," said Holmes, "is a most interesting offer." He looked at me, "Watson, I think we are going with Dr Huxtable back to the north of England this afternoon."