Have you read any books by Washington Irving？Now I will tell you a story written by him. The name of the story is Rip Van Winkle, and it is also the name of the hero in this story. There are three characters in this story, Rip Van Winkle and his wife, Dame Van Winkle and their dog, Woof. Dame Van Winkle is a sharp-tongued (说话尖酸的、刻薄的) woman. Both Rip Van Winkle and the dog are terrified of her, even of her voice.

        There is a scene that can describe how Rip Van Winkle and his dog feel in front of Dame Van Winkle:

          Rip had just one way of replying to his wife's talk:  he only put his head back on his shoulders, looked up toward heaven, and said nothing. . . True, in the woods, Woof was as brave as an honorable dog should be， but as soon as Woof entered the house, his head bent low, his tail lay on the ground or curled between his legs. He went around the house with a guilty look, watching Dame Van Winkle out of the corner of his eyes, ready to run from the room at the slightest sign of her displeasure.

       This was the time when England ruled America. One day, Rip Van Winkle went into the mountain with his dog for an escape of his wife. He drank something given by some strangers and fell asleep. That was 20 years! His wife died and America got freedom from England, and I think that's what the story wants to tell us:  both the poor man's independence and nation's independence.

         Why does Irving's story attract people?  Because he wrote so vividly（生动地）. That sets me thinking:  How he observed things so carefully?  If you read through this story, you can't help smiling or laughing from time to time!

    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.

B

    It is important for each child to get enough sleep every day．Here．we'll learn more about that．{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It usually depends on their age．Newborns (新生儿)of 0 to 3 months should sleep for about 18 hours a day．Babies of 4 to 11 months should start to sleep through the night，for 9 to 12 hours at a time．{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Children of 3 to 5 years should get 11 to 13 hours a day．Children of 6 to 13 need 9 to 11 hours of sleep．Teenagers of 14 and up need 8 to 10 hours of sleep．{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Set a strict nap timetable(小睡时间表)．Younger children should take a short sleep during the day．Even older children can benefit(得益于)from late—afternoon naps if they don't get enough steep at night．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Pay attention to(注意)screen time．Remember to ask children to tum off the television and the computer an hour before they go to bed．If possible，get them out of their bedrooms since the light(光)from the screens can make sleep a difficult job．

Get children movin9．{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Running around and playing sports are great, but children can move in other ways．too．They can take a dog for a walk or go to the park—just get them out of the house and get them moving．

    The Maldives is a country in danger. This small country — made up of over 1,000 islands (岛) in the Indian Ocean—is under threat from rising sea levels ( 面临海平面上升的威胁).

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}As the water in the sea gets warmer, it expands (膨胀). Very slowly, sea levels are rising. Over the next 100 years they may rise by 50cm or more.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}That's because its islands are very low (低的)! The highest place in the country is only about 2m above sea level. Many of its islands are less than lm above sea level. Every year, a lot of people come to the Maldives to enjoy its beautiful islands and beaches. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    People have already had to move away from some islands. Many have moved to the capital city, Maid.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}A high wall (墙) around the island keeps the city from the sea.

    For the people of the Maldives, it's hard to know what will happen in the future.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}And that's a future no one wants.

根据材料内容，从方框中选择恰当的句子填入文中空缺处，使材料完整、通顺。

    Our feelings influence almost every decision we make. Instead of living a boring life, positive (积极的) feelings can help us a lot. The pity is that sometimes become victims of feelings.

    In one of my latest books, I compare people's ability to controls (控制) on a media player. Just like the controls can help you enjoy wonderful songs, these methods will be choices for you to manage feelings successfully.

⒈Pause.

    Take time to stop and think before you speak or act. Of course, you may feel sorry if you like doing something without thinking-like sending an angry email or posting something bad on social media. If you feel your feelings getting out of control, pause. If possible, go for a short walk. Once you've calmed down, decide how you want to move forward.

⒉Volume control

    Have you ever noticed that when speaking with someone, your style or tone is a mirror (镜子) of the person's you are speaking to? If you stay calm or quiet, they'll follow you. Shout or scream, and they'll do just like you. If a discussion starts to become worse, try to change it by softening your tone or lowering your voice.

⒊Record

    If you want to learn more about another person's thoughts, recording, one way of careful listening, may help. You don't need to reply at once; you're listening to understand. Through careful listening, you often see things you didn't see before and can even discover misunderstandings you didn't know. Don't judge or offer advice before you know more about others and the topic.

    Sometimes, our decisions are affected by our feelings. If you keep positive feelings, you can {#blank#}1{#/blank#} living a boring life. Some methods can help you {#blank#}2{#/blank#} in controlling your feelings. First, doing without thinking may make you {#blank#}3{#/blank#}what you've said or done. It's wise of you to pause when your feelings become bad. Second, when speaking with someone, the other person usually offers you a reply in the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} style or tone. So controlling volume is very important.  What's more, recording is one way of careful listening, with the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of learning more about another person's thoughts. Follow this way, you can judge or offer suggestions.

The Art of Paper

    Chen Zijiang is a paper cutting expert whom I interviewed for my article on Chinese Art. Paper-cutting is something that he learned to do from an early age.

    "It is a Chinese folk art with a long history," Mr. Chen told me, "Paper cuts of animals have been found in tombs. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}" He added that by the Southern Song Dynasty, paper-cutting had become an important part of everyday life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They are paper cuts for decoration, for religious purposes (宗教目的) and for design patterns.

    Paper cuts for decoration are often seen, on windows and gates. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They are also used on presents. A present for parents whose child has recently been born might show a paper cut of children, for example. Paper cuts which show the Chinese character for double happiness are often used to celebrate weddings.

    Paper cuts for religious purposes are often found in temples{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The third kind of paper cuts are these used to make patterns on clothing. They are also sometimes used to decorate jewelry (珠宝) boxes. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.