A road is just like a bridge between two places. The Silk Road has been a bridge between East and West. But the Silk Road is not a single route! It is a series of trade and cultural transmission routes. From the time Zhang Qian opened up the world-famous Silk Road during the Han Dynasty, until the Yuan Dynasty, it enjoyed a history of about 1,600 years.

 This ancient road begins at Chang'an (now Xi'an), and it reaches Dunhuang, where it divides into three, the Southern Route, Central Route and Northern Route. And then it ends in Eastern Europe, near the Mediterranean Sea(地中海). The Silk Road is about 6,500 kilometers long. It goes across one-fourth of the planet. (3)In fact, there is another trade road which is called the “Silk Road on the Sea” in the southwest of China.

 The Silk Road was very important to both China and the rest of the world. Besides trade, knowledge about science, arts and technologies were shared across the Silk Road. The Four Great Inventions of China was introduced to the West and Chinese also knew about the religions of the West. (4)In this way, languages and cultures developed and influenced each other. Today, places along the Silk Road are great places of interest, such as the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu.

Keep in Touch

    You can keep in touch with your friends in many ways. You can call them. You can send letters or e-mails to them. You can even use a website like Facebook to keep in touch with them.

Touch Luck

    "Touch Lusk" is used when you feel sympathy (同情) about something bad that has happened to someone. But it is also used when you don't have any sympathy for someone's problems.

Touch Screen

    You can find touch screens everywhere now. They are fun and easy to use! You touch the screen to choose what you want. Many mobile phones and music players have touch screens. Many ATMs have them, too. You can also use them to buy tickets.

Touchdown

    When you watch an American football game, you will hear the word "touchdown". A touchdown happens when a player carries the ball across the other team's goal (球门) line. When a player makes a touchdown, he scores (得分) six points for his team!

The Midas Touch

    Midas was a king in an old Greek story. He loved money very much! He wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. His wish came true. Everything he touched-His furniture, his food, and even his daughter-turned to gold.

    Do you know an old city called “Pingyao” in Shanxi? The old city is not far from Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province (省). It's a town with a long history of more than two thousand years.

    The old city is not very large. It is only 2.25 square kilometers in size. And there are no tall buildings here. Most of the buildings have only two floors. And most of them are made of stones (石头). There are many Chinese-style shops on each side of the street.

    Pingyao is a square city. The city has a wall around it. It's about 6 km long and 12 m high. The wall has six gates. And you mustn't miss the nice food in Pingyao. Try Pingyao beef and you are sure to fall in love with it.

    Pingyao is a place worth (值得) a visit. You can take buses or trains here. It's less than 2 hours' bus ride from Taiyuan. It costs you only 20 yuan. If you take a train, it will take you less time, only one and a half hours. And if you want to go to Pingyao from Beijing, the train ride takes only about 6 hours.

The City of Pingyao

 A. What if you win      
 B. Life won't be the same without you

 C. Life isn't crystal stair.    
 D. There is a rainbow after every storm.

 E. Focus on the future.  
 F. To give up is to live a meaningless life

    The life has been full of challenges and difficulties. Life is not about the smartest person or the strongest person, or even the richest person. However, life is about having the mind in your heart "Never Give Up", even when you feel that giving up is the only choice. The world is waiting on your gifts.

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    You are important to this world and believe it or not, someone is waiting for you to enrich their lives. You are too important to the world to just give up.

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    You many feel that life is challenging you from time to time and you can't take it anymore. You may want to give up right now. But here is a thought, what will happen if you overcome the difficulties?

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    When an Olympic runner is in a race, he or she is focusing on one thing - the finishing line. You have to focus on the big picture – not just where you are right now. Focus in where you want to be. Make an agreement with your mind and your mouth.

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    One of my favorite poems is called "Crystal Stair" written by Langston Hughes. In that poem, a mother tells her son that life is tough, you will meet rocks and hard places, but the end is victory to those who stand their ground and ride the course.

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    Whatever you are facing, you can make it through. There is a rainbow on the other side of your situation. Stay strong, stay focused and never give up.

I'm Mike I'm a middle school student. I learn many subjects in school. 我最喜欢的科目是科学 The science teacher Mrs Green, is my friend Jill's mother. She is nice and she teaches very well.

    I like maths because I think it is so interesting. I always do very well in the maths

tests (测试). My friends say I am clever (聪明的), but I don' t think so. I just work very hard.

    I also like geography. I like learning about people and places. I want to know what they are like and what they're doing. I travel a lot. I'm making plans for my trip on Sunday.

    I don't like English It is not very interesting. We read a lot, sometimes write, but we don't often speak or listen. Most children want to talk with others in English.

    One would think that campers would know not to break the branches off trees for firewood, drive fast around the campground, litter, or leave a fire not looked after, but I've seen people do all of these things. No matter where you put up your tent, here are five things not to do at a campground.

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    What's it like to be near someone who decides to arrive late at night? Last summer, on a rainy night at a state park in Vermont, we heard noises from excited kids and barking dogs very close to our tent after midnight. There is no beautiful way to set up camp in the middle of the night, so please, just don't do it.

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    No one thinks that his dog is annoying, but we all know that some pets are better off left home. The only thing worse than a camper who stands by lazily as his dog barks at passers-by for no reason at all, is that he leaves his dog at his campsite while he goes off for the night.

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    This is the most important and often unnoticed camping manner in the book. Nearly every campground has rules that do not allow noise late at night and early in the morning, but most places also don't have the staff to carry them out.

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    You might accept leaving your bar of soap thinking that someone might have forgotten to bring theirs, but I can assure you that non one wants to use your leftover soap especially if it's hairy, so please take it with you.

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    No matter how good your taste in music is, I'd say most people prefer quiet hours with the nature. The truth is that no one want to hear your music except for yourself. Headphones are a great invention, but since too many campers fail to pack them, don't forget your earlugs.