Tom has three good friends. They are Jack, David and Mark. They have different hobbies. Tom likes football. He often plays football on weekends. He thinks playing football can make him strong and healthy. He is in the school football team.

    Jack doesn't like sports. He likes listening to music. He likes Jay Chow best of all the singers. He has many of his CDs. He often listens to music on the way. He thinks music can let him feel happy.

    David doesn't like sports or music. He likes stamps. He collects stamps for five years. The stamps are very beautiful. He thinks collecting stamps can help him know more about the world.

    Mark likes taking photos. He has a few cameras. When he is free, he often takes out his camera and takes some pictures. Some of his pictures are in the newspapers. He thinks the world is beautiful. He wants to show the beauty of the world to others.

    Do you often use a cellphone? Do you take the subway to school every day? These items make our modern life easier. But do you know how we should behave properly while using them? The following suggestions might be helpful. For cellphone users

    Keep your voice down when you make a phone call in public. Shouting on the phone may make others feel uncomfortable. And you'd better not use it during an appointment（约会）.

    Stop sending messages or playing games with your cellphone at a dinner or a party. It's a good time to communicate（交流）with your family and friends.

    Don't make or answer a call while driving. It is not only very dangerous for both you and your passengers but also against the law. For subway passengers

    You are supposed to wait in line while buying tickets and getting on the subway.

    You're not allowed to eat, drink or smoke on the subway train. The smell and noise may trouble others. It's our duty to keep the train clean and tidy. Besides, smoking is bad for health.

    You can't take pets on the train. As we all know, animals may spread diseases（传播疾病）and get the train dirty.

    You'd better not lie across the subway seats even if the train isn't crowded. Offering your seat to someone who needs it is regarded as good manners.

Titles：Some etiquette in modern life

    When Ana Dodson was 11 years old, she travelled to Peru. She went on more than just a vacation. She was visiting her native country.

    Ana was born in Peru, but she was adopted(领养)by an American family and grew up in the USA. While in Peru, Ana wanted to know what her life could have been like if she had not been adopted. She visited several orphanages, including one in the hills of Cuzco, near her birthplace.

    "The orphanage was really cold and dry," Ana said. "The paint was falling off. The girls were in poor health."

    When Ana returned home, she kept thinking of the orphanage in Cuzco." I really couldn't get the girls out of my mind, and I really wanted to do something because I could have been one of those girls in that orphanage."

    Ana decided to start a group called Peruvian Hearts to help. Her goal was to improve orphans' living conditions. In the first two years, Peruvian Hearts raised about $18, 000 for the orphanage. The group also bought a chicken coop(鸡舍)so the girls can eat fresh eggs.

    Ana's efforts have been noticed. She won a Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. The prize is given to kids who make a difference. Ana says any kid can do what she did. "Really believe in yourself, and follow your heart, "she says.

    How important is music? When they are asked this question, students and parents usually answer that music is nice, but not very important. It is often considered only as entertainment, but not the first choice for education. This opinion is shortsighted. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Music tells us who we are. Music reflects the creators' thinking and values, as well as the social environment it came from. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came from American musical traditions.

    Music provides a kind of ability to know the world in a different way. Science explains how the sun rises and sets. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}We need every possible was to discover and response to our world.

    Music is a form of thought, as powerful as science. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Through the language we express our feelings, our discoveries, our ideas, our imagination and our hopes so that they can be shared with others. When we do not let our children receive good music education, we take away from them the meanings that music expresses. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Music does.

    So music education is much more necessary than people generally realize.

    Critical thinking(批判性思维) is trying to improve the way you think. People use critical thinking in every area of life to solve problems and evaluate claims(评估主张).

    Like every other skill, critical thinking takes practice. When a problem comes our way, we need to think critically to decide how to solve it. When we see an advertisement, for example, we should stop and think. Advertisements are made to make people feel certain that they are true, and then people can buy the products. But is what the advertisement says true? Is it making a claim? Or does it only interest us? Critical thinking is important and stops us from making poor choices. In fact, we are using it if we ask questions naturally about what we see.

    Practice makes perfect. While you are growing in critical thinking, you'll become a wiser and more thoughtful person. There are many ways of doing practice. Here are a few.

    Read about a topic people disagree on. Look at articles or books on all sides of the subject. For each side of the subject, think carefully and evaluate it.

    When you see or hear a claim, ask questions about it. Who is making the claim and why?

    Evaluate your own thinking. Where and why do you think uncritically? How can you improve?

    Critical thinking should be part of everything we do. It may help you to succeed at work or school. Make yourself into a habit of critical thinking. Change your thoughts and change your world.

    One day, a strong cowboy was traveling on his horse when he saw a bar (酒吧). {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then he tied his horse outside the bar, walked into the bar and ordered two bottles of beer. This cowboy was new in town. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} He guessed that they might play some tricks on him, but he said nothing and continued to drink. After drinking, he walked out of the bar and found his horse lost.

    However, he kept calm (平静的), came back into the bar, and said to the others slowly, "I don't know what you did to my horse there, but I'm leaving in five minutes. And by then if my horse isn't back, I will have to do here what I did in Texas!" The cowboy added, "{#blank#}3{#/blank#}" After hearing these words, the others seemed a little bit afraid.

    The cowboy went back to his seat and ordered another two bottles of beer. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} He was very happy. Just as he was leaving, the boss of the bar came up and asked what he did in Texas. The cowboy turned to the boss and replied in a low voice, "{#blank#}5{#/blank#}"