I always take my vacations at home．But this summer，I want to do something different．I'm going sightseeing．Next week I am leaving for Hainan．I am staying there for two weeks．Then I'm going to Tibet．Of course，I'm taking a lot of photos．I can't wait!

   I think the best place for a summer vacation is the seaside（海滨）．I'm going to Hawaii on August 1st．It has fantastic beaches and I like the sand，the sea and the sun．I'm staying there for three weeks．There are lots of exciting things to do there．

   This summer vacation，I'll be busy．I'm going to Europe to visit my grandparents in Paris and my uncle in London．I plan to go to New York，because I want to meet my pen pal Tony．

    Jenny works in school and teaches us music. She likes shopping. She loves her family very much. It's Sunday, January 1st. She wants to buy a new skirt for her mother, because it's her mother's sixtieth birthday next Sunday. Now many clothes are on sale at Renming Clothes Store. There they have skirts in all colors and sports shoes in different sizes. They are very cheap. Jenny comes to the store with her mother, Mrs. Green. Jenny has a look at a red skirt and asks her mother to try it on (试穿)in the dressing room. After Mrs. Green comes out of it, a salesgirl says to her "You look five years younger in this red skirt. After hearing that, Mrs. Green says, "I will not take this skirt, because I don't want to look five years older after I take off the skirt.''

    In 1909 an English newspaper offered £ 1,000 to the first man to fly across the English Channel in an aeroplane. Today, modern jets cross it in minutes. But at that time it still seemed a good distance. The race to win the money soon became a race between two men. Both were very colourful.

    One was Louis Bleriot. He owned a factory in France that made motor car lamps. He was already well known as a pilot because he had had accidents several times. Some people laughed at him. One man said, "He may not be the first to fly across the Channel but he will certainly be the first to die in an accident!" But Bleriot was really a good and brave pilot. He also had many good ideas about aeroplane design.

    The other man was Hubert Latham. He was half French and half English. He took up flying when his doctors told him he had only a year to live. "Oh, well," he said, "if I'm going to die soon, I think I shall have a dangerous and interesting life now." Latham was the first to try the flight across the Channel. Ten kilometres from the French coast, his plane had some trouble. It fell down into the water and began to sink under the water. A boat reached Latham just in time. He was sitting calmly on the wing and was coolly lighting a cigarette. Bleriot took off six days later. He flew into some very bad weather and very low cloud. He somehow got to the English side and landed in a farmer's field. When he did so, a customs (海关) officer rushed up to his plane. Planes have changed since then, but customs officers have not. "Have you anything to say?" The officer asked.

    Once upon a time, there lived a rich man. He had a servant(仆人). He and the servant loved wine and good food very much. Each time the rich man left his home, the servant would drink the wine and eat up all the nice food in the house. The rich man knew what his servant did, but he had never caught his servant doing that.

    One morning, when he left home, he said to the servant, "Here are two bottles of poison(毒药)and some nice food in the house. You must take care of them." With these words, he went out.

    But the servant knew what the rich man had said was untrue. After the rich man was away from his home, he enjoyed a nice meal. Because he drank too much, he was drunk and fell to the ground. When the rich man came back, he couldn't find his food and his wine. He became very angry. He woke the servant up. But the servant told his story very well. He said a cat had eaten up everything. He was afraid to be punished(惩罚), so he drank the poison to kill himself.

    "We only had one recess (课间休息) today!" a girl from Connecticut said sadly to her mom. The mother, Lucy Dathan wishes her daughter had more recess time. "It helps kids build relationships and be creative thinkers," Dathan is working to pass a state bill(议案). The bill would require at least 50 minutes of recess every day.

    Advantages of recess

    There was a report about recess in 2017. It said that playtime encourages kids to be active. It can build healthy bodies. It also helps kids make friendships. Last year, the state started requiring two recess periods a day. Most U.S. schools offer 27 minutes. But some schools offer none at all.

    Powerful Voices

    At least six states have laws that require primary schools to provide recess. Other states are considering the same thing. Kids can help. In Arkansas, they asked lawmakers to consider a state bill. This bill requires 40 minutes of recess. Izzy Kopsky is one of those kids. Playing with his friends is his favorite part of recess, but he felt like he didn't have enough time to do that. He spoke in front of lawmakers and told them that more recess time could help students pay attention in class. The governor of Arkansas signed the state's recess bill on April 1st.He likes the kids' efforts. "Young people can have a powerful voice."

    Test Case

    Many schools have to make sure students do well on state tests. That's why some schools have shorter recess. It makes more time for class. But cutting back on recess may not be the right choice. Recess can improve a child's memory and focus.

Every student knows the importance of taking notes in class. But the skill of note-taking isn't only used in school. Adults also need to take notes in meetings or training courses for work. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

At the beginning of a class or meeting, write down the date and topic in your notebook. It will help you keep your notes organized.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Trying to write down everything the speaker says will only make you angry. Instead, listen for the key ideas the speaker wants to communicate.

If the speaker uses a PowerPoint, you don't need to copy the slides ( 幻灯片) {#blank#}3{#/blank#}If so, you can just write the key words the speaker says. Or you can take pictures with your mobile phone. Sometimes, the PowerPoint is provided before the class or meeting {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Review your notes as soon as possible. In this way, you can add any information that you didn't t write down. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Note-taking is a useful skill, so you need to practice more to do it well.

A. Pay attention to the most important points. 

B. If so, print it out so that you can write notes on it.

C. You can also review the material while it' s still fresh on your mind.

D. Here are some ways to help you develop this important skill.

E. Ask if the PowerPoint will be provided later.