Reading an English newspaper is a good way to improve a student's language ability. As there are many useful and common words in an English newspaper, it may help students increase their vocabulary（词汇量）as well as improve their reading skills. （1）他们可以从报纸上学到新的知识。 But what is theproper way to read an English newspaper? Do students need to look over all the content（内容）of the newspaper?

   The first step is to choose a right newspaper with good language. Then turn to the front page and read the headlines（标题）to know what has happened. As the most important things are put on the front page, it's easy to find out what you're interested in and then turn to the page to read it completely.（2）There is no need to go through all the articles.

    Secondly, read newspapers every day. Remember words through context（上下文）, in which these words may appear repeatedly. （3）Once they appear several times, you will remember them easily. Don't look up every unknown word in your dictionary. You can try to guess the meaning between sentences. （4）如果你的猜测错了，不要放弃。 Keep reading, and you will become familiar with the words after reading them several times in different texts.

    Reading English newspapers makes us knowledgeable.（5）It can not only help us know what is happening in the world but also improve our language.

      Why are so many people so afraid to fail? Quite simply because no one tells us how to fail so that failure (失败) becomes an experience that means growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.

      Most parents work hard at preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. 60% of the parents choose this way. When a child finishes making a table, the mother describes it as “perfect” even though it doesn't stand still. Another way is to blame (责怪) others. If John fails in science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.

      There's a problem with the two ways. It makes a child unprepared for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time, and that it's possible to enjoy a game even when you don't win. A child who's not invited to a birthday party, who doesn't make the honour list on the baseball team, feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick consolations (安慰), prize or say, “It doesn't matter.” Because it does. The young should be allowed to experience failure and be helped to come out of it.

     Failure never gives people pleasure. It hurts both grown-ups and children. But it can be really good to your life when you learn to use it. You must learn to ask “Why did I fail?” Don't blame anyone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong and how you can improve. If someone else can help, don't be shy about asking them.

    Steve visits the nursing home near his house two afternoons each week. On one of those days, he reads to his friend Martin. On the other afternoon, he plays cards and talks with Mrs. Johnson. Steve enjoys spending his extra time this way. He is a volunteer. A volunteer is a person who helps another person or has a job for which he or she does not get paid. A volunteer donates his or her time for free.

    Everyone else in Steve's family is also a volunteer. Steve's mother Mary volunteers one afternoon each week at the local hospital. She talks to patients, delivers flowers, and helps the nurses with odd jobs. Steve's sister Gina volunteers two afternoons at the museum. She welcomes visitors and answers their questions. Steve's father David also is a volunteer. He is a volunteer fire fighter for the town in which they live.

    Steve's family thinks volunteering is very important. Steve's parents think being a volunteer helps to teach values. Steve and his sister learn how to be kind and respect other people.

    Steve's family does volunteer work to give something back to the community. They want to help people who are not as fortunate as they are.

    A family of volunteers

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Tim, from America, is travelling around the world. His last stop is to visit a tower where he can stay over the night.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Michael, a student of history, is ready to write a paper on old towers. He is going to visit one in Europe.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Gina, a teacher from Australia, likes shopping very much. She is thinking of buying different things for his students.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Sarah is a college student. She is on holiday in July and would like to visit the tallest tower of the five below.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Peter is interested in plants and animals. He is now looking for a tower where he can see fish and other water animals.

Hi, Daming,

    You ask me about how to improve（提高） your English listening. Here are some advice(建议). I hope they can help you.

    Relax(放松) yourself.

    Before you start listening to something, don't get excited or nervous（紧张的）.You need to relax．This will help you with your listening.

    Listen carefully to the first sentence.

    The first sentence tells a lot about the whole passage．For example，if，at the beginning，you hear “Our reporter says…”,you know you will hear a piece of news，not a children's story, or a science report.

    Think when you're listening.

    When you're listening, try to do some thinking．For example, you can think of the following questions: When, where and how? What does the speaker want to tell us? In this way, you may understand the passage better.

    Listen to important facts.

    It's important for you to remember some important facts. For example, if the passage is a science report, you should try to remember its findings, and how the scientists get their results. This is also very helpful to your listening．

Yours,

Tom

    Many people are looking for a pet that is a little more interesting than a cat or a dog. If you have a lot of space and are happy to find out how to look after it, a green iguana(蜥蜴) can make a great pet. We spoke to Dr. Troy Wilson, a specialist in lizards, about how to look after an iguana.

    The first question is, what should it live in?

    Dr. Wilson: The green iguana can grow to be about 2 meters long, so you are going to need a big space to keep it in. Start with a small glass tank for a baby iguana, then when it is bigger, you can move it into a larger cage.

    Do they need water?

    Dr. Wilson: Yes. Iguanas need water to drink and sit in. In the wild they always live near water and they are good swimmers. They need a water dish or small pond that is big enough for them to sit in.

    What do they eat?

    Dr. Wilson: They eat mostly raw vegetables and some fruit. You can feed your iguana fresh vegetables every day and some fruit once a week. Iguanas cannot chew their food so you should cut it into the right size. They swallow food in one piece.

    Are they fun?

    Dr. Wilson: An Iguana is a clever, friendly animal. It will learn who you are and can even be quite affectionate. (深情的)