Mr. Brown is a very busy man. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He often forgets his family's birthdays. Today he remembers it is his wife's birthday. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So on his way home from hospital, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} When Mr. Brown gets home, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} "Happy birthday to you. It is January 14^th today. I remember your birthday this year." Mr. Brown laughs(大笑) and says, "My birthday was yesterday, not today. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}"

A. he buys some flowers in a shop.

B. He always works hard.

C. He loves his wife.

D. He gives his wife the flowers and says,

E. I do not like them

F. But thank you all the same.

    Henry was a kind, good boy. His father was dead, and his mother was very poor. He had a little sister about 2 years old. He wanted to help his mother because she could not a{#blank#}1{#/blank#} earn enough money to buy food for his little family.

    One day a man gave him a dollar for r{#blank#}2{#/blank#} the pocketbook which he had lost.Henry could have kept the pocketbook because no one saw him when he found it. But his mother had taught him to be h{#blank#}3{#/blank#}，and never to keep what did not belong to him. So he gave the pocketbook back to the man.

    With the dollar he bought a box, three b{#blank#}4{#/blank#},and some shoe polish(鞋油）.He then went to the c{#blank#}5{#/blank#} of the street, and said to everyone whose boots did not look n{#blank#}6{#/blank#}. “Polish your boots, please?”

    He was so p{#blank#}7{#/blank#} that gentlemen soon began to notice him, and to let him polish their boots.The first day he c{#blank#}8{#/blank#} over 50 cents, which he gave to his mother to buy food with. When he gave her the money, she cried with joy and said, “You are a{#blank#}9{#/blank#}, good boy, Henry. I didn't know how I could earn enough to buy bread, but now I think we can m{#blank#}10{#/blank#} to get along quite well.”

    Henry worked after school every day. He earned almost enough to support his mother and his little sister.

    Here are some English learning tips to help you improve your English.

    Ask yourself weekly: What do I want to learn this week?

    Asking yourself this question every week will help you think about what is most important to you. If you make a plan for each week, you will be surprised to notice how much you have improved your English by the end of the week! This feeling of success will encourage you to learn even more English.

Quickly review before going to bed

    Research has shown that our brains process(加工) information that is fresh in our brains while we sleep. By going over important knowledge before you go to sleep, your brain will work on this information while you sleep!

Speak English aloud.

    Understanding grammar rules does not mean you can speak English well. You need to practice speaking aloud. Speaking by yourself at home and reading the exercises that you are doing will help connect the muscles（肌肉）of your face to the information in your head and improve your pronunciation.

Do five to ten minutes of listening at least four times a week.

    If you decide that you are going to work hard and listen for two hours, maybe you will not do extra listening exercises soon. But if you listen five to ten minutes at least four times a week, you will find it's not so hard to develop the habit of listening to English.

Look for situations to practice your English.

    Learning English in a classroom is important, but using English in real situations will improve your English skills greatly. You can create new situations by using the Internet to listen to news, exchange emails in English with email friends, etc.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}on Learning English

    Read the passage carefully and answer the questions according what you've read.

    The Book Thief was written by the Australian author Markus Zusak and it has been his most popular work. Published (出版) in 2005, it has become an international bestseller and been translated into several languages. In 2013, it was adapted into a film of the same name.

    Are you wondering who the“book thief”is? It was Liesel Meminger, a 12-year-old girl living in Germany during World War II. While the Nazis were creating horrors (恐怖) all around, Liesel came across something that she couldn't give up: books. She stole books that belonged to the mayor's (市长的) wife, as well as books that the Nazis wanted to destroy.

    A Jewish man named Max inspired Liesel's love for books. Liesel's family hides Max in their house. He developed a close relationship with Liesel and taught her to read in secret. Soon, Liesel realized the power of words. She not only stole books, but also wrote her own stories.

    “It is not the kind of story that has you crying one moment and laughing the next,” as The Guardian reported. Instead, the sadness of Liesel's story interests you. It makes you realize that such kinds of things have happened to many other people. And it makes you think a lot.

    It was night by the time she came to a town. Just outside the town, there was a large temple(寺庙). It was very quiet. There was only one light in one of the rooms.

    "I will stay here tonight," she thought.

    The temple was quiet because only a goblin(小妖精)lived in it. But the girl did not know this.

    Once inside the temple, she came near to the only room. She knocked on the door, but no one came.

    "Is anyone here?" she called quietly.

    There was no answer, so she went into the room. Inside the room, there was only a mat(垫子)on the floor, a light near the window, and a large paper screen.

    The girl wanted to sleep, but she also wanted to draw some cats. She drew them on the paper screen. She drew cats of every kind.

    After that, she lay down and went to sleep. Then she remembered the nun's words: Don't go into large places at night. Go only into small ones.

    "This room is very large. And I am alone. I'll hide myself."

    She looked around the room and saw a large box. She opened the box and looked inside. It was empty.

    "Good," she thought. "I can hide in this box."