Jack is six years old. He has no sisters. But he has a brother. His brother's name is Mike. Jack likes eating apples, oranges and bananas. Sometimes he eats some of his brother's apples. And his brother often beats（打）him for this. He doesn't like Mike. This September he goes to school. It's the ninth（第九） day at school. Jack and his classmates are having a new lesson.

    "Jack, what is five minus（减） three, please？" asks the teacher.

    "It's…it's…"

    "Now, listen to me," says the teacher, "If your sister has five apples, and you eat three of them…"

    "But I have no sisters." Jack says.

    "Oh, sorry. But do you have any brothers？"

    "Yes."

    "Now, if your brother has five apples, and you eat three of them, tell me now…？"

    "He'll certainly beat me," Jack says quickly.

    Long ago, there lived a water carrier. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Unfortunately, one day, the pot hit a stone and cracked(裂开) a little. Half the water slowly spilled(溢出) outof the narrow opening as the carrier walked. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    After two years, the pot said to the water carrier, "I'm so sorry."

    "Why?" asked the water carrier.

    "{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Lots of water spills through the crack. That means you have to make more trips to the river. I am a terrible pot!"

    The water carrier smiled. "Look at those beautiful flowers along the path. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They grow well there because of the water. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}"

    Can you imagine a sea of sand three times bigger than India? This is the Sahara Desert, the largest desert in the world. It covers 11 countries in North Africa and is over 9 million square kilometers.

    In the Sahara, temperatures are very different during the day and at night. It is much hotter during the day than at night. During the day, the hottest time is between 2 p. m. and 4 p. m.-when temperatures rise to 33℃. But it is very cold at night, the coldest time is at 4 am, when temperatures fall to -1℃.

    Because of the extreme temperatures in the desert, it is a very difficult place to survive (幸存). Marco Rivera, our survival expert, has some tips.

    Take warm clothes and a blanket. You will need a hat, long trousers and a thick sweater to keep you warm at night. During the day, cover your body, head and face. Clothes protect you from the sun and keep water in your body. You will also need a warm blanket at night. It can get cold rapidly. When the temperature drops, it can be a shock and make you feel even colder.

    Try to drink some water at least once every hour. You need your water to last as long as possible. Drink only what you need. If you eat, you will get thirsty and your water will run out soon. You can eat a little, but only to stop you from feeling very hungry. Eat a small amount of food slowly.

    It's important to stay out of the sun during the day. Make a hole under your car and lie there. This will keep you cool and help you sleep. Find a warm place to sleep at night. A small place near a tree or a rock will be the warmest. But be careful before you decide where to sleep. Dangerous animals like snakes also like to sleep in these places. Look carefully for animals before you lie down.

    What do you think of your study habits？Do you find it hard to concentrate on your homework？Do you forget anything that you studied the night before？If you have these problems, maybe your study habits are not so good. Here are some tips to help you improve your study habits.

    ● Plan your time carefully. When you plan a trip, one of the first things you must do is to make a list of things. If you don't, you are almost certain to leave something important at home. When you plan your week, you should make a list of things that you have to do. Otherwise, you may forget to leave enough time to complete them.

    ● Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study place. Keep this space, which may be a desk or a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No computers, radios or televisions! If you can't find such a place at home, find a library where you can study.

    ● Make a good plan of your study. In class you should pay attention to what the teacher says. Sit where you can see and hear well. Good listening in class means less work later. You should take notes, too. After class you should go over your notes. Review the important points that your teacher mentioned. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss next day, read them first. This will help you understand the next class better.

Information Card

    We are a bit afraid when we talk about the A/H1N1 flu(甲型H1N1流感).

    Flu

    The A/H1N1 flu sounds really scary and some people died of it. ⑶It is difficult for us to stop it. But it works like other kinds of flu. We catch it in the same way, and we can protect ourselves from the flu in some similar ways.

    ★Pandemic(大流行病)

    The A/H1N1 flu is a pandemic. ⑷The word "|pandemic" sounds like millions of people might die. But that's not what it means at all!

    The pandemic spreads(传播)over a whole country or the whole world. It doesn't mean a high death rate(比率), but just only large groups of people in the world may get it.

    Mask(口罩)

    A mask just keeps a person from breathing in the virus(病毒)that might be breathed out by someone. Wearing a mask isn't a bad idea, but it doesn't mean that the flu is much more dangerous than other kinds of flu.