There was a time when New York City buildings were almost all the same height.

3.Today you can see buildings of different heights that seem to touch the sky. They are called skyscrapers(摩天大楼). They shape the famous New York City skyline.

 It started about 90 years ago. It began like a race. This wasn't a race down the street or around a track(跑道). It was a race for the sky. Who was racing? Buildings were.Their builders were actually racing to build the world's tallest skyscraper.

 The race started slowly.

 First came the Woolworth Building, in 1913. It rose 792 feet(英尺) on the southern side of the city. Then the race heated up.In1930, two skyscrapers were nearing completion. The Bank of Manhattan Building was finished first. It rose up to 927 feet into the sky. Builders were then putting a round roof（屋顶）on the top of the Chrysler Building. It rose up t0 925 feet. The Bank of Manhattan, two feet taller, seemed to be the winner.

 A few weeks later, New Yorkers saw a strange sight（景象）.  The day that the Chrysler Building was to be completed, workers raised a shiny metal, spire（尖顶）through the top of the building, adding 121 feet to the building's height! At l,048 feet,the Chrysler Building was now the world's tallest.

 But the race was not over.  A year later, in 1931, the Empire State Building became the new winner.4.At l,250 feet, it was the world's tallest building.

 In 1973, even that record was broken. Builders finished the World Trade Center. At 1,368 feet high, it rose above all other buildings in New York City.

 Time goes on. As technology improves, taller buildings are being built. The race is still on.

    Today is April 4th, and there {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) a talk at the lecture hall on English study at 5 o'clock. Students of Class 6 are going to the lecture to listen to the talk, and they're listening to the lecture hall rules.

    1）All the students should {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (wear) school uniforms. You are {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (not allow) to get into the lecture hall without wearing school uniforms.

    2）You mustn't {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (talk) or chew gum while you {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (listen). {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (not take) food or drink into the lecture hall.

    3）You are not supposed to bring MP3 players into the lecture hall.

    4）{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (not bring) any mobile phones into the hall. You can't talk on the phone in it.

    5）No {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (photo) can be taken during the talk.

    6）{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (smoke) is not allowed in the hall.

    7）You'd better {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (take) a notebook and a pen so that you can take some notes.

    Mayme Clayton collected books， magazines and letters written by African Americans. Her son， Avery Clayton， thought her collection was important. Unlike most books， these were rare and hard to find. They were written by writers who helped shape African American culture.

    One book in the collection was written by Phillis Wheatley. Wheatley was a slave who wrote poetry. She was the first African American to publish a book. Wheatley herself signed (签名) the book in the Claytons' collection. No one else owns a copy signed by Phillis Wheatley.

    By the time she passed away at age 83， Mrs. Clayton had more than 30，000 books by or about black people. Her collection also includes papers about slaves， photographs， movies， sheet music， and personal letters by black leaders and artists. It is one of the biggest personal collections of African American history and culture in the United States.

    Avery Clayton's dream was to create a museum for his mother's treasures.  Scholars say that Mrs. Clayton's collection is very important. Without her work， part of African American heritage (遗产) would have been lost. “We didn't know these things existed，” says Sara Hadron of California's Huntington Library.

    The collections new home is likely to be in Culver City， California. Part of Avery Clayton's dream is to share the cultural riches his mother collected with others. He especially wants children to have a chance to see the collection. “ At present African American culture is being explained by pop culture，” he says， “ It's important to offer a more complete picture.”

    Maybe you are an average(普通的) student. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, this is not necessarily so. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here's how.

    Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First your time for eating, sleeping, dressing, ect. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Don't forget to set aside enough time for entertainment (娱乐). A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.

    Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this place which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

    Make good use of your time in class. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

    Study regularly(有规律地). When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher mentioned in class. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you'll remember it longer.

    Develop a good attitude (态度) towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. Then help you remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be over worried.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

A. There are other methods that might help you with your studying.

B. Then decide a good, regular time for studying.

C. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.

D. No one can become a top student unless he or she works hard.

E. You probably think you will never be a top student.

F. Make full use of class time to take notes of what the teacher says in class.

G. This will help you understand the next class.

    There are many new rules for middle school students. Many middle schools are going to use a new way to decide the best students. They will have not only high grades but also good behavior. Here are some of the new rules.

    Tell the truth. Have you ever told a lie? Don't do it again! That's not something an honest student should do. If you copy someone else's homework, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Help others at school. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If your classmate is ill, you should help to take her to hospital.

    Take care of the flowers and grass. If you know how to protect them and more people work together, it will make our school more and more beautiful.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Have you ever argued with your classmates when you are in disagreement? Be friendly to the people you are with.

    Try to think of others, not only yourself.

    Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Maybe you'll discover someday.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Everyone's ideas are important. You should welcome them, because new ideas make life better for everyone.

    Protect yourself. Has someone ever tried to hurt you? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go home late, you should let your parents know.

    Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your studies. But {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, so try to look at Web pages that are good for you.