Benjamin Banneker was born a few months before another great American—George Washington. Benjamin was black, but he was not a slave (奴隶). He and his mother and his grandmother were free. Benjamin's grandmother came from England. In America she got a job and worked for many years to pay for her boat trip across the ocean. After working many years, she saved enough money to buy a farm. Benjamin lived with her for a while. She taught him to read, write and do arithmetic (算术).

    Benjamin's neighbours knew that he was clever. They were not surprised when he built a large wooden clock. He made each piece after studying a small pocket watch. The clock made him famous, for it was one of the first clocks built in America. People from other places began to send hard problems of all kinds to Benjamin to settle.

    Thomas Jefferson heard of Benjamin Banneker's ability to settle hard problems. He asked Banneker to help build the city that was to be the capital of the United States—Washington, D.C. Banneker worked hard on the plans for the city. He marked where the streets and buildings—the Capitol (美国国会大厦), the White House, and many other places should be built.

    Later, L' Enfant, the Frenchman who had designed the new city, had a quarrel, and went back to France in anger. He took all of the plans away. The workmen couldn't build without any plans to follow.

    For a while it seemed that the plans for the capital might have to be changed, but Benjamin Banneker remembered the plans he had helped draw. He drew each again as he had built each piece of his clock.

    If it weren't for Benjamin Banneker, Washington,

    D.C might look very different from the way it does today.

Hello, I am Jenny. I'm 13 years old. I live with my parents in a big city. I always study hard on weekdays. My grandparents live on a farm and I often visit them on weekends. On the farm are many kinds of animals, such as cows, sheep, pigs, dogs and chickens. I like to play with them because it can make me relaxed.

One day, I find a little duck on the farm. He has no family or friends, and he often walks alone. He is cute and I call him Tom. I decide to take care of him. After that, I often bring him some fresh fish and play with him. Little by little, the duck becomes friendly to me. Then, on Saturday mornings, when Tom sees me on the farm, he always runs up to me like a little dog. Sometimes he follows(跟着) me into the forest. We sit together and read books. We both feel relaxed. One Saturday evening, my grandfather asks me," Why does the little duck like you so much?"" Oh, because he can feel my love, grandpa."I answer happily.

Do you have an animal friend? If you don't, please try to get one!

A simple honk(汽车喇叭声) from the bus is a secret code(暗号) between the driver and the   students living in a far- away village in Wanzhou, Chongqing. 

Mr Cheng, a bus driver, notices a schoolbag hanging on the door of an old house. He stops and honks to answer the" code". After a moment, a boy rushes outside and gets on the bus. The boy's parents work far from home, leaving him in the care of his grandmother. Though the boy is separated from his parents, he is trying hard in his study. Whenever the boy's schoolbag is hanging outside the house, it" tells" Mr Cheng that the student needs to catch the bus. Mr Cheng says that plenty of left- behind children(留守儿童) need to take the bus. He knows that his role(角色) is very important in their lives. 

Touched by the story, many people praised him as a" good driver" on the Internet. They commented(评论) that" The schoolbag is their code, packed with love inside. "

The Arctic Region（北极地区）is one of the coldest place in the world. It is cold all the year round. Spring comes from May to June. The ice and1 begin to melt. The plants begin to grow and the animals look for2 . The summer comes from July to August. The temperature in summer can get only -8℃. It should be the warmest3 here. Autumn comes from September to October and it lasts4 .5 comes quickly from November to April next year. Winter is the6 and coldest season of a year. And the Arctic Region is filled with ice and snow everywhere. At this time there is no7 . So it looks like night in winter.

Are there any people living in such a8 place? Yes, they are Eskimos. It is9 for them to live there, but they live happily with a long10 .

A big test makes students feel fear and worried. But taking tests is something faced by all students at all levels of schools. How do you prepare for the tests as well as reducing fear? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Maybe they will be of use to you. 

Calm down. Don't panic. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You will be focusing on the fear, and not the coming test. Many times, fear can even prevent you doing well. If you panic, take deep breaths, and think that you can do this. 

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}People who make a detailed study plan often have an easier time of their studies. When making a study plan, calculate(计算) the amount of time you have left before the exam date. Is the exam in a month? Did the teacher spring the test on you suddenly? Is it a mid-year exam that has been waiting since the start of the year? Depending on the time, make your study plan long or short. 

Take notes and ask questions. If you come across what you can't understand, write it down.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And don't worry—you aren't stupid if you ask questions. Questions mean that you're actively learning. Besides, a question ahead of time could mean a better grade on the exam. 

Good study skills help to achieve better results with less effort. So use the ones that work for you. 

What else can you do to prepare for a test? (No more than 15 words) {#blank#}5{#/blank#}