Two men were going through a forest.

“I am afraid,”said one, “that we may meet with wild animals”Fear nothing, friend Quickwit,” cried the other, whose name was Braggart. “If they come at us, we shall stand by one another like men. I have a strong arm, a strong heart, and”“Hark!”cried the first in fear, as a low sound was heard from somewhere nearby, Braggart, who was light and nimble, climbed up a tree like a squirrel(松鼠), leaving his friend, who was not so active, to face the danger alone! Quickwit could do nothing but throw himself on the ground and pretended(假装) to be dead; for he had heard that bears would never touch a dead body. In no time the bear camp up to him, sniffed(用鼻子吸气) at him. Quickwit did not dare to move; and the bear, thinking him dead, went off into the wood again, leaving him quite unharmed!

 When Braggart saw that the danger was over, he came down from the tree and tried to pass off the matter with a joke. “Well, my friend Quickwit,” he said, “what did the bear say to you when he put his mouth close to your ear?”

“He told me,” replied Quickwit, “never again to trust a man who talks big like you!”

      He was an old manwho fished alone in a small boat on the sea and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish, the boy's parents had told him that the old man was now salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone with another boat which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his boat empty. The sail looked like the flag of failure forever.

      The old man was thin with deep wrinkles (皱纹) in the back of his neck. His face was terribly brown because of the strong sunlight on the sea every day and his hands had the deep scars (伤疤) from dealing with heavy fish on the lines. But none of these scars were fresh. Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful.

      “Santiago,” the boy said to him as they climbed the bank from the sea. “I could go with you again. We've made some money.”

        The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.

      “No,” the old man said. “You're with a lucky boat. Stay with them.”

      “But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks.”

      “I remember,” the old man said.

     “It was papa who made me leave. I am a boy and I must follow him.”

     “I know,” the old man said. “It is quite normal.”

       "He hasn't mush faith(信心)"                       

     “No,” the old man said. “But we have. Haven't we?”

     “Yes,” the boy said. “Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace?”

    “Why not?” the old man said “Between fishermen.”

Creating a study plan

Studying is importantto students. But it is always difficult to find enough time to study every subjectyou need. So a good plan helps you to make sure of your success in study.

Then, how to make astudy plan? Wel1, you can begin with listing all the subjects you need to studyand make sure what you need to do for each subject. Next, you should decide howmuch time you should spend on different subjects. Now, it is a good idea to studyat the same time every day. In this way, you actually have a plan you canremember easily. While arranging (安排)time foreach subject, you also need to make sure that you still have time for family , friendsand rest. This is because you won't be able to succeed in your studies unlessyou balance your personal life and your study.

Once the plan is made,the next thing you need to do is to follow it. One of the biggest challenges infollowing your study plan is that you will be tempted(诱惑)to avoid it and do something relaxing, or fun instead. Luckily, youcan fight this temptation by taking breaks. But be sure not to take extrabreaks or too long breaks as it can affect your plan. So at the start of yourbreak, set an alarm clock to remind you when your break is over. Also, you needto use your break wisely. For example, go for a short walk, eat a snack, orlisten to some music.

To avoid forgetting tofollow your plan, try to get into the habit of looking at your calendareveryday. Sometimes our plans are hard to follow because some important peoplein our lives distract(使分心)us from our goals. Inorder to avoid this, tell people in your life about your plan. Put up a copy ofyour study guide at home so you and your family can see it, and email a copy toyour friends so they know when you have spare time.

Lao She was one of the greatest Chinese writers of the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} century. In 1913, his mother sent him to a teacher's school and he became a teacher. In 1924, he went to a college in London to teach Chinese. 5 years later, he {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to China. In his life, he wrote many plays,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} and short stories. In many of his works, he {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the lives of common people in China. He was named "the People's Artist". 

People built the Lao She Teahouse in Beijing according to (根据) his play Teahouse. You can enjoy the Beijing Opera, traditional music and magic shows there. It {#blank#}5{#/blank#}a warm welcome to everyone from all over the world. 

Recently, a junior high school sent several students back home because they broke the school uniform(校服) rules. Should students wear school uniforms? The Young World magazine held a discussion on this topic. 

Kennedy: The school uniform is very important, because it always reminds me that I am supposed to go out of my way to study hard. It also helps prevent school bullying(欺凌). If everyone wears the same clothes, it is impossible to laugh at other people's clothing. 

Manson: The uniform has to be got through hard work. Students should start school with no uniforms. As they make progress at school, they start wearing it. I always think children need to be proud of their schools. The uniform is important for that. So, make students work hard to get it! If they don't behave(表现) well, they should not be allowed to get one. 

Moorhead: In my opinion, kids don't have to wear uniforms. There should be more choices open to kids in education. They should develop their own independence and just be themselves. Their personalities(个性) would be shown through their own clothes at school. And different dress could be one way of showing their understanding of beauty. Besides, they make the school lively and colourful. 

Patrick: I can see the advantages of wearing school uniforms. They play a very important role in managing schools. However, a school should not depend heavily on uniforms to improve students' behaviour. Teaching them how to express themselves with confidence is more important. 

 Gwen walked into the gym(体育馆) for her next basketball class. The coach asked each girl to join {#blank#}1{#/blank#} team. There {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(be) six girls each team. But Gwen didn't know any of her teammates. All of her friends were in the other {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(team). She was sad. "I feel ill. May I go to the doctor?" asked Gwen. The coach could see through the {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(girl) excuse(借口). So he refused. Gwen felt much sadder than ever and begged(恳求), "I don't know any of these girls! Let me join another team." "Why not have a try? You are likely to make new friends {#blank#}5{#/blank#} them." the coach said. Then a girl smiled at her. "Hi, I'm Stephanie. Join {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(we) and we' ll be friends soon." Gwen was surprised, but she nodded. When the game stared, Gwen {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(play) as well as she could. She took a long shot(投篮). The basketball went right through the hoop(篮筐)!

"That was surprising! " said a girl. {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(sudden), Gwen fell down and hurt herself. All her teammates ran over {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(help) her. Gwen said,"I'm fine. Let's keep playing!" Finally, Gwen and her team won! The game connected Gwen's team together {#blank#}10{#/blank#} brought her a colourful life.