My hometown is different from what it looked like before. To be honest, it is more beautiful than before. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Ten years ago, it used to be a poor village. There was only one mountain path (小路) to go there. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} People lived in low straw­thatched cottages (破草房). Now my hometown has changed a lot since our government helped us. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So it's convenient to go in and out of our hometown. Also, we have built some schools so that the children can receive a good education. As people have made more money by working in the cities, or planting more economic crops (经济作物). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} All the villagers are living in new houses, some even in large buildings. There is a beautiful park in our town. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Every day, after dinner people would like to go to the park to enjoy themselves. We are living a happy life now.

    Tom and Mike are good friends. They are kind to children. They want to find summer jobs. One day Tom tells Mike that Beidaihe Kids Summer Camp needs help with sports, music and computers. They are both very glad to hear(听说) this.

    Tom can play basketball and volleyball, and he can swim, too. Mike can play the violin, the trumpet, the drums and the guitar. Tom and Mike like computers very much. Can they join the Summer Camp?

    Should parents ask their children to do chores? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They think that children are too young to cook or clean for themselves or their parents. But many people believe that children can learn a lot from doing regular chores. Parents should help children learn to do the housework that they will have to do when they live on their own. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Most experts(专家)do agree. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Parents shouldn't, of course, ask a schoolboy to cook when he is doing his homework. If the child has activities after school, the time left to do chores may be short.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When a child does what his parents ask him to do happily, he will probably have the feeling of growing up. Chores can be useful. They are a teaching tool(工具). Parents use the tool to teach children, so that they can care for themselves some day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If parents keep a clean house, children won't find any reason to do chores.

A. And they also give children a sense of responsibility, importance and confidence.

B. Parents must make children understand how hard they work.

C. However, the chores should suit (适合于)children.

D. Doing chores can help children get better grades.

E. Some believe that children should not do chores.

F. Perhaps more chores on weekends can be helpful.

Just In Time

    "Come on, Sasha," my father shouted. "Put the book down and get your clarinet(竖笛). We have to leave now if you don't want to miss the class."

    A clarinet class? I thought to myself. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Yes, I would like to miss the class. "Coming"{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. I got out of the bed and picked up my clarinet and rushed to the car.

    My dad started the engine and we drove off. "Hope you have a wonderful class," my dad said. "In my dream," I spoke very quietly. "Not again," my dad said angrily.

    I look out of the window{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. "Car traffic", I said under my breath with a big smile. This is my lucky day because I am going to miss the class.

    While we were waiting for the cars to start driving again, I was sitting in my car seat, singing a song. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. What's important is that I was going to miss the class. "Great! Ten minutes passed," I said excitedly. My dad looked at me angrily. The car started to move.

    "Finally," my dad took a deep breath. We got there and I had only missed a few minutes of the class.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    "Just in time, Sasha. I was thinking you might be getting worried that you were going to miss the class," my teacher made a joke on me –knowing well that I hate the clarinet class！

    The Republic of Kenya is a country in Africa, with a population of about 48，000，000. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. Kiswahili and English are its official languages, and it also has many local languages. Kenya covers 582，646 square kilometers. It has a warm and humid tropical climate on its Indian Ocean coastline. On Kenya's land, fruit, vegetables, coffee, tea, corns and wheat are the main agricultural produce. The people in Kenya like cross­country running, road running, soccer, boxing and so on. Kenya won several medals during the Beijing Olympics—five golds, five silvers and four bronzes, making it Africa's most successful nation in the 2008 Olympics.

    Most teens need more than 9 hours of sleep each night. But about 1 in 4 teens has trouble in sleeping. Lack of sleep can affect everything from our feelings to how well we focus on tasks like studying. It can also influence sports performance, increase our chances of getting sick, and may lead to weight gain in some people.

    How can we get the sleep we need? Here are some ideas:

    Be active during the day. Get at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. Physical activity can decrease stress and help people feel more relaxed. Just don't work too close to bedtime because exercise can wake you up before it slows you down.

    Say goodnight to electronics. Experts suggest using the bedroom for sleep only. At least shut everything down an hour or more before lights out.

    Keep a sleep routine. Going to bed at the same time every night helps the body expect sleep. Creating a bedtime routine can improve this relaxation effect. Reading, listening to music, spending time with a pet, writing a diary or doing anything else can relax you.

    Expect a good night's sleep. Instead of worrying that you won't sleep, remind yourself that you can. Say "Tonight, I will sleep well." several times during the day. It can also help to practise breathing exercises or gentle exercises before bed.

    Everyone has a sleepless night once in a while. But if you regularly have trouble in sleeping and you think it's affecting your mood or performance, talk to your doctor.