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.

    Most people drink tea in the world. But tea does not mean the same thing to different people. In different countries, people have different ideas about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, tea is often served when people get together. Chinese people drink it at home or in tea houses at any time of the day. They often use hot water to boil tea leaves.

    Tea is also important in other Asian countries. People in these countries have a special way of serving tea. They hold a tea ceremony in their houses when important guests come. It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in their houses.

    In the United States, people usually drink tea at breakfast or they drink it after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make tea. This way is faster and easier than the way of making tea in teapots. In summer, most Americans drink iced tea. They like to put some ice in their tea.

    The sun was falling behind the hills. Andrea was driving back home to Brockboune. Then she saw an old lady, standing by the toad, with a sign saying "Brockboune" in her hand.

    Andrea stopped the car. When the old lady got in, Andrea could see that she was not that little. She was in a long dress and had a hat pulled down low over her eyes. She put her big brown shopping bag down onto the floor.

    "Do you live in Brockboune?" asked Andrea. "No, dear," answered the old lady in a low voice, "I'm just going to visit a friend, but my car won't start, so I decided to hitchhike."

    Something in the way the lady spoke made Andrea uneasy, Andrea secretly studied the half-covered face, the shapeless body, the arms with their thick black hairs… Thick black hairs? Andrea's blood froze. This wasn't a woman. It was a man!

    Her heart was beating wildly and her mind raced. Then suddenly, an idea came up to her. She stopped the car in a sudden. "My God!" she shouted, "A child! Did you see the child? I think I hit her!" "I didn't see anything", the "old lady" said, "I don't think you hit anything." "I'm sure it was a child!" shouted Andrea. "Could you just get out and have a look?" The "old lady" slowly opened the car door, leaving her bag inside. As soon as "she" was out of the car, Andrea drove away as soon as possible.

    Several minutes later, Andrea thought about the "old lady's" bag and opened it carefully. There was only one thing in it—a shining knife.

    Hi, I'm Linda Smith. My first name's Linda, and my family name's Smith. I'm a 12-year-old middle school student. The cute girl is my sister, Mary Smith. She's 8 years old. These are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. We're Americans, but we're not in the USA. We are in China now.

    Look! This is a photo of my room. It's very nice and clean. Here are some books on the desk. An eraser and three pencils are in the pencil box. What color is my schoolbag? It's black. You can see a Dog on my bed, but it's not mine. Its name's Pluto. It's my sister Mary's. Are those my dictionaries? No, they aren't. I borrowed (借) them from my teacher, Ms. Black. She teaches(教) me English at school.

    My room isn't big, but it always(总是) brings me happiness(带给我快乐). I love it.

    Have you ever been to Ireland? If not, you should think of spending a vacation there. The Republic of Ireland stands in the south of the island. There are about 4, 810, 000 people in the country and the weather is quite wet but warm. Falls of snow in Ireland are most unusual.

    Ireland is full of interesting things to do. You'll find restaurants and cafes everywhere. Most of them have a long list of Irish food and drinks. After your meal, you can take a walk along the shore. The countryside is good for horse riding. Other sports you may want to do are sailing, boating, swimming, fishing and golfing. Ireland is famous for its theaters and festivals. So why don't you stay longer for a party, an opera or a concert? The Irish people are kind and friendly. From mountains to beaches you will find people ready to stop and talk about the weather, the local geography or history and maybe about what you should see next.