Do you live in a city? Do you know how cities began? Long long ago, the world had only a few thousand people. These people moved from one place to another. They moved over the land, hunting animals for food. No one knows how or when these people learned about growing food. But when they did, their lives changed. They did not have to move houses any more. They could stay in one place and grow it. People began to live near each other, so the first village grew. Many people came to work in the villages, and these villages became larger and larger. Then people had machines, life in the villages changed again. People built factories. More and more people lived near the factories. So the villages grew into cities. Some of them grew very big. Today, it's strange that some people are moving back to small villages. Can you tell me why ?

Subject: Mobile phone problem

Dear Editor,

    I am a middle school student. I used to bring a mobile phone with me during school hours. But the teachers think using mobile phone is distraction (分散注意力的事) to students during school hours and also causes so much trouble in class. So now we aren't allowed to bring mobile phones to school.

    I find it really inconvenient (不方便的)。 My parents feel unhappy because they can't get in touch with me(不能与我有联系) . But I can't make our school change this rule. What do you think I should do to solve this problem?

Liu Fengyi

    Everyone knows that exercise is important. We all need to exercise. There are many ways to exercise. You can walk, run, swim, skate, or play ball games, but you should remember to exercise in the right ways.

        ①    Before you do any exercise, make sure to warm up for at least five minutes. During warming up, you should extend all parts of your body.

        ②      It's best to exercise twice each week. Thirty minutes each time is enough. Try all kinds of things until you find one, two or even three sports that feel right for you.

        ③    There are a lot of equipments (设备) at fitness centers. The equipments will help exercise your arms, legs and other parts of your body to make you fit. Some people buy equipments for their homes. But it is very expensive.

        ④     If you get hurt when you are doing exercise, don't play again until you are well.

    English dictionaries which were written before 18^th century had only words which were not common, or words which were difficult to spell. Then, in 1755, Dr. Samuel Johnson, a great English writer, wrote a famous dictionary. This dictionary contained common words as well as unusual ones. It also showed how words should be used in sentences.

    In 1858, a group of people who study language started to write The Oxford English Dictionary (OED). They wanted to list all the words of the English language. They even included words which were not used any more. They also wrote sentences that show the meanings of words. They also described the history of words, saying when words were first used in English, and which languages they came from. The OED tells us, for example, that "algebra" comes from Arabic and was first used in English in the 16^th century. The dictionary took hundreds of people over seventy years to complete. It has been improved many times, as the number of words used in English has increased. The more recent dictionary gives the meanings of over one million words. It is put into twenty-one books: each one is over one thousand pages long.

    Although Americans speak English, they use some words that are not used in British English. For example, the season an English person calls "autumn", is called "fall" by an American. The first dictionary of American English was published by Noah Webster in 1828. He also decided to spell some words in a simpler way. For example, he wrote "colour" as "color", "centre" as "center", and "plough" as "plow". These spellings are still used in America today. Since 1828, Webster's Dictionary of American English has been improved and made bigger many times.

    A good dictionary is a very important tool for every reader. Many modern English dictionaries are now available. They give different kinds of information. It is very important to choose the best dictionary for your needs and to use it often.

    Teeth are important part of our body. Everyone should brush his or her teeth every day. Learning how to take care of teeth is very important.

    The importance of brushing teeth

    If you eat and do not brush your teeth, pieces of food that stick to your teeth can cause problems. The food can damage (破坏)your teeth. Then germs (细菌)can get into your teeth and make them decay (腐烂).

    It is important to brush teeth every day. You should get a checkup from your dentist every year. Trying not to eat food that has a lot of sugar, such as candy and soft drinks, helps to protect teeth.

    The proper ways of brushing teeth

    Do you know that most people do not brush their teeth in the right way? Follow the methods below and they will help you keep your teeth healthy, clean and beautiful.

    ◆Replace your toothbrush every few months.

    ◆Clean two or three teeth at a time. Brush the front of your teeth with a circular motion (运动)and clean the backs of your teeth with up and down motions.

    ◆Use a gentle back and forth motion to clean the tops of your teeth where you bite (咬)into food.

    ◆Don't forget to gently brush the top of your tongue (舌头)from back to front. A lot of germs live there.

    ◆Take at least 2 minutes to brush your teeth.