Mothers Day is a celebration in memory of mothers. It celebrates the importance of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, mostly in March, April or May. Let's see how different people celebrate their Mother's Day.

    Mexico(May 10)

    Children make gifts and give them to their mums on Mother's Eve (May 9).On the morning of May 10,families make a special trip to church and cat tamales(玉米饼),sometimes filled with meat, cheese or vegetables.

South Africa(Second Sunday of May)

    Besides giving mums Mother's Day cards, people show their thanks for their mothers by wearing red and pink flowers called carnations. If their mothers have passed away, they wear white carnations.

    United Kingdom(Fourth Sunday of Lent(大斋期))

    Mother's Day is a traditional day for people to visit their hometown and attend their home churches. People also bake(烘焙)special fruitcakes to give to their mums.

    Indonesia(December22)

    People throw big parties for their mums, filled with fun activities-such as cooking competitions and kebaya-wearing competitions!(A kebaya is a traditional blouse and skirt.)

    My pen pal John is a school boy. He is from the USA and he is 13 years old. This is his room. Let's have a look. His computer is on the desk. And a telephone is on it, too. His books are everywhere. Some are on the shelf（书架）and some are on the ground. Look, what's that under the bed? Oh, it's one of his socks. Where's his schoolbag? It's near the bed. You can find a dictionary, a pencil box and a set of keys in it. Where is his hat? Can you find it?

Dear Sally,

Thank you for your email. Do you want to know about my school days? From Monday to Friday, I'm1 . Every day I have six lessons. In the morning I have2 lessons and in the afternoon I have two. In the evening I3 have lessons. I'm at home with my family. At school, my favorite4 is Chinese. Why do I like it? Because it's very interesting and relaxing. My favorite day is5 . On that day I have Chinese — my favorite subject. And I can have two free days after that day.

Yours,

Mary

Hundreds of years ago, a Norse (挪威的) army came from the north of Europe and stepped onto the land of Scotland. The Scots, a brave people, loved their country very much. They fought hard to keep the Norsemen out of Scotland, but there were too many of them. It looked as if the Norsemen would win.

One night, the leader of Scots took his soldiers to the top of a hill." We will rest here tonight, my men," he said." Tomorrow we will have another fight. We must win or we will die."

They were all very tired, so they ate their dinner quickly and fell asleep. There were four soldiers on duty, watching out for any danger at night. But they were also very tired. One by one, they fell asleep as well.

The Norsemen were not asleep. Very soon, they came together at the foot of the hill. In order to walk quietly, the Norsemen took off their shoes. Slowly they climbed up the hillside without making any sound. Closer and closer, they moved towards the sleeping Scots. They were almost there. A few minutes more, the war would be over.

Suddenly, one of the Norse soldiers put his foot on a thistle(蓟) and got hurt. He cried out and his sudden cry woke up all the Scots. In a moment, they were on their feet and ready to fight. The fighting was hard but it did not last long. The Scots drove the Norsemen away and saved their country.

From then on, the thistle has become popular in Scotland. Although it is not beautiful and has sharp needles all over it, Scottish people still make it their national flower.

Why do we go to zoos?Millions of people around the world visit zoos each year,but the reason is hard to explain.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But the animals they see in zoos are little like the toys,cartoons,and decorations that fill their homes. For such children,meting with real animals can be confusing even upsetting

The great interest that children have in animals today might lead one to suppose that this has always been the case.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}That was also when zoos became an important part of middle-class life. 

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}They lived together with our ancestors（祖先）in a shared natural environment. In the Industrial Era,the human domination（支配）of animals could be seen in the popularity of real-looking animal toys. 

Children rode rocking-horses that had realistic features,and they slept with bears,tigers,and rabbits that looked and felt almost real. The Twentieth Century marked a further development—the change of animals into people. 

This was the age of Babar the Elephant,Hello Kitty,and the Lion King. Parents and children had previously wanted animals that looked like animals. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

In a zoo they hope to see the living breathing versions of their character friends. They find instead unfamiliar creatures who cannot speak,smile or interact with them. For this reason,a visit to the zoo can be disappointing for children today. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Meeting real animals reminds us forcefully of the boundary( 界 限 )between imagination and reality. When we visit animals in a zoo,perhaps we will recall our true relationship not only to animals but to the entire world. 

A. Animals are the best friends of the human beings. 

B. Many of those visitors are children,whose lives are already surrounded by animals' images. 

C. Perhaps that disappointment is the best gift a zoo can offer

D. But now they want animals that look and act like humans

E. Yet,it was not until the Industrial Era that animals became part of childhood. 

F. In prehistoric times,there had been no zoos,as animals were a real part of the human world