The largest animal living on the earth is the blue whale. It weighs about 80 tons—more than 24 elephants. It is more than 30 metres long. A newborn baby whale weighs as heavy as a big elephant.

    Cats can survive(存活) when they fall down from a very high place because they can keep their bodies safe. One cat fell 32 floors onto the street, but it was just hurt a little.

    A bear can run as fast as a horse.

    A newborn panda is smaller than a mouse, and weighs about 100 grams.

    Elephants are the most careful animals in their love. A male elephant may show his love to a lady for up to three years until the lady accepts his love. They often show their love by touching each other's body.

    Usually, wolves don't attack(攻击) people. And wolves don't usually go together, but they may do this in winter.

     Computers are very important to modern life. Many people think that in the future computers will be used a lot in everyday life. Maybe we won't have to go shopping because we will be able to buy most things on the Internet.There will be fewer books because we will be able to get all texts from computers. The Internet will be used to play games and see films. Most telephone calls will be made by computers, too.

    Some people are glad about these new ways of shopping and communicating(交流). Others do not think that computers will replace（代替）our old ways.

    Let's take books for example. Some people think that one day we won't read books made of paper. Instead, we will buy and read books by using computers. We will read texts on small pocket computers. The computers will keep many different books in them at the same time. We won't need to turn lots of pages and paper will be saved. Computerized books（电子图书）will be used more and more.

    Is Internet shopping such a pleasure as going to the shop? Many people say it is not. It is pleasant to go into shops and look at things you want to buy. It is also impossible that many people will want to read large texts on our computers. Because paper books will perhaps be more friendly. Maybe computers won't change these two habits.

    Now you've finished three years of English study. There's one way to demonstrate(展示)

    what you've learned－take a test!

    Do you have any special methods you use to help you do better on a test? How well you do is often a matter of how well prepared you are. Here are some ways to make sure you're at your best on test days.

    Go to bed early. The night before a test is not the time to stay up watching TV. You want to be rested and wide-awake for test day.

    Have a good breakfast. Test day isn't a morning for donuts(面包圈). Nor is it a time to starve(挨饿) yourself. Eat plenty of low-sugar, high-energy food to keep your brain and body working their best.

    Be prepared. Make sure you have two pencils and anything else you were asked to bring.

    Watch the numbers. Make sure that the number of the items(项目) on your answer sheet matches the number of the question.

    Look over all the answer choices. Don't assume(假定) that choice A is correct until you've checked the others. You may find a better one. And it is wrong to eliminate(排除) any choice that you can see at once. You'll have a better chance of finding the right answer.

    Check the clock. Make sure you allow yourself enough time to answer every question and go back and check your answers. Don't spend too much time on any difficult question. Skip（跳

    读） it and come back to it later.

    Keep up with your schoolwork all year long. That's  how you get the skills you need for taking a test.

    The Chongyang Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and is also called the Double Ninth Festival. As both the month and the day are nine, it got this name. To celebrate the day, people usually climb mountains and enjoy chrysanthemum (菊花), so the festival is also known as the Height Ascending (登高) Festival or the Chrysanthemum Festival. In China, nine has the similar pronunciation with the word “forever”, meaning long life. So the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors' Day.

    The festival has a history of over 2000 years. During the Warring States Period, there was the Chongyang Festival. But it was only celebrated in the imperial palace. From the Han Dynasty, it began to be popular among the common people. The name of the Chongyang Festival first appeared in the Three Kingdoms Period. During the Jin Dynasty, there were customs of enjoying chrysanthemum and drinking wines on the day. It was not (A) officially set as a festival until the Tang Dynasty. Since then, all the people have spent the festival with kinds of activities. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people in the imperial palace all ate flower cakes to celebrate. The emperor climbed the mountain on the day as well. In 1989, the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors' Day.

    As September has the clear sky and fresh air, it is a very good time to climb the mountain. There will be a happy sense of excitement by climbing the mountain in this season. Also, it is good for health. Since the Western Han Dynasty, it has been the custom of climbing on the Chongyang Festival.

    On the day, enjoying chrysanthemum is very popular as the flower means long life. Drinking chrysanthemum is regarded as a way to prevent disasters and bad things. Inserting Zhuyu and sticking chrysanthemum are also traditions to avoid the bad as (B) they have special smells which can repel (驱逐) insects and keep out the cold.

    Eating Chongyang cakes is another tradition on the festival. There is no fixed way of the cake but the one with nine layers (层) with two sheep on it is the best. Two sheep means Chongyang. Nine layers show people could do well in everything.

    Culture UK: Bristol

    Chocolate!

    The first chocolate bar in the world was created in Fry's, a company in Bristol. Joseph Fry invented the delicious treat around the year 1720. Fry's also produced the first chocolate Easter egg in the UK in 1873. The company continues to produce chocolates and sweets to this day.

Balloon Festival

    The Bristol Belle was the first modern hot-air balloon in Western Europe and was developed and built in 1967. The Bristol International Balloon Festival is held every summer in the city, and is Europe's biggest hot-air balloon event.

    According to a new study, Bristol is the UK's most musical place, with the biggest number of musicians among the population. It's well-known for giving birth to the trip-hop scene in the 1990s. Its multicultural（多元文化的）population has really influenced the sounds of the Bristol music scene.

    Famous people

    JK Rowling

    J.K. Rowling was born and brought up in Chipping Sodbury, just outside Bristol. It is said that she invented her famous character Harry Potter after meeting a young boy named Ian Potter in the village where she grew up.

    Banksy

    Banksy is a graffiti artist local to Bristol. He is famous all over the world for his street art. Some of his pieces have been sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Many Hollywood pop stars and famous people love to collect his work.

A. Beijing

    For travelers in China, Beijing is a must, as it is a political and cultural center and it offers many scenic attractions. Foods are very popular with tourists as well, such as authentic(真正的) Beijing roast duck and instant—boiled mutton.

B. Shanghai

    You know what? Shanghai is one of the developed cities in China. It is a commercial(商业的) and industrial(工业的) city. Tourists will be satisfied with what the city supplies, from various snacks and cakes to handcrafts and textiles. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit the city.

C. Suzhou and Hangzhou

    Suzhou and Hangzbou are two cities near Shanghai. They were once described by Italian traveler Marco Polo as the most beautiful and prosperous(繁荣的) cities in the world. Both of them are called" Paradise(天堂) on Earth" .

D. Xi'an

    Xi'an is the capital of Shanxi Province. It dates back over 2,000 years as an ancient capital which served as the capital for many dynasties in the Chinese history. It is also the starting pointing of the famous ancient Silk Road. The life—size terra cotta soldiers and horses of the Qin Dynasty are described as the" Eighth Wonder of the world".

E. Harbin

    If you want to travel in winter, Harbin is particularly good for sightseeing in January and February. If you have never seen any snow, you play enjoy the ice festival and even go skiing and skating in this world of snow.

F. Kunming

   Kunming is regarded as "Scenic City of Eternal Spring" because of its year round spring weather. You may find almost every kind of Asian flowers there.