Marco Polo was from Venice, Italy. In 1271, at the age of 17, Marco went on a trip with his father and uncle to China. Today people often travel to different places around the world. But it was very hard for people from Europe to visit China then. After three and a half years, the Polos reached China in 1275.

    While he was there, Marco Polo worked for Kublai Khan, the emperor of China. He was able to learn and experience many things that were new to Europeans. In his diary, he wrote, "Kublai Khan's palace is the greatest I've ever seen. The streets of the new capital, Dadu, are so straight and so wide." Paper money also took him by surprise, since it was not yet in use in the West at that time. Homes were heated with "black stones… which burn like wood." Those stones were coal, and most of the Europeans knew little about it then.

After 17 years in China, Marco and his family finally returned to Venice. After he returned home, Marco completed a book called The Travels of Marco Polo, full of facts about his wonderful experiences in China.

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    How important is music? When they are asked this question, students and parents usually answer that music is nice, but not very important. It is often considered only as entertainment, but not the first choice for education. This opinion is shortsighted. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Music tells us who we are. Music reflects the creators' thinking and values, as well as the social environment it came from. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came from American musical traditions.

    Music provides a kind of ability to know the world in a different way. Science explains how the sun rises and sets. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}We need every possible was to discover and response to our world.

    Music is a form of thought, as powerful as science. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Through the language we express our feelings, our discoveries, our ideas, our imagination and our hopes so that they can be shared with others. When we do not let our children receive good music education, we take away from them the meanings that music expresses. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Music does.

    So music education is much more necessary than people generally realize.

    Stephen Hawking was born in England in 1942. He's one of the most famous scientists on space and time in the world. He is called the King of the Universe.

    He studied math and science at Oxford University, then he became seriously ill, which made him unable to speak or breathe without the help of machines.

    He went on to study at Cambridge University after graduating from Oxford University. In 1965, he got a Doctor's Degree of philosophy（哲学）. Because of his serious illness, it was difficult for him to draw diagrams or to write. So he started to think in pictures. With this new way of thinking, he is respected by people in the world. Then in 1988, he wrote his first important book, A Brief History of Time. It was sold more than 5.5 million copies in over 33 different languages. He was once invited to China to give lectures（做演讲）. His self-confidence and humouous conversations impressed us deeply.

    My name is Alice. I am 14 years old. I have good eating habits(饮食习惯).

    For breakfast, I have two eggs and some bread. I don't like milk, but I have some milk too. Because milk is healthy. For lunch, I have rice with meat and vegetables. Chicken is my favourite meat. Carrots arc my favourite vegetable. They are very healthy. I have vegetables and noodles for dinner. After dinner, I eat some fruit. Bananas and apples are my favourite fruit. What food don't f like? Hamburgers! They aren't healthy Good eating habits help me to be healthy.

    Here are Alice's {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. She has two eggs, some bread and {#blank#}2{#/blank#} for breakfast. She has rice with meat and vegetables for lunch.  Her favourite food is {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. She has vegetables and noodles for dinner. She likes {#blank#}4{#/blank#} best. She doesn't like {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    I'm Li Ling. It's Tuesday today. I'm really busy today. At 8:00 I have maths. I don't like it because it's difficult. Then at 9:00, I have science.  It's also difficult but interesting. At 10:00, I have history. Then at 11:00, I have PE.

    That's my favourite subject. I have lunch at 12:00 at school. After that, I have music. It's relaxing (令人放松的). I love my music teacher—Miss Morgan. She is beautiful and kind. She's my favourite teacher. All my classes finish(结束) at 2:00. After school I play tennis with my classmates. It's fun. I love sports. Then at around 4:00 I go home and do my homework.

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    I've got a collection of terrible ' mistakes' in my wardrobe. I have never worn them! But I don't mind going shopping with my girlfriend, because she helps me choose. I think women are better at buying clothes than men. They've got better taste and they always know what's in fashion.

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    You shouldn't be afraid of her. Maybe she's just as shy as you. What about giving her a red rose and a short message? Say something like “I'd really like to know you but I don't know how." She'll probably be excited to know she's got a fan!

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    Jane usually travels for 2 hours at most and then she can have a rest for at least 3 hours. She meets a lot of interesting people from all over the world. She says she likes it because she doesn't have to work full-time, she can spend more time with our three children and me.

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     When Mrs. Poor got into the lift, she was carrying only a handbag. After a while, the lift stopped between floors. She shouted and shouted, and rang the alarm, but nobody heard her.

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    I've known her for four years and I really like her. But she always copies everything I do. If I buy some new clothes, the next day she'll go out and buy exactly the same ones. It's the same with music, films, even my friends! What should I do?