The Internet is generally(通常) considered to be the world that belongs to young people. But some old people in Shanghai don't think so. Recently, more than 8,000 people over 50 took part in a web page designing contest in Shanghai.

    The contest lasted for two months and attracted a lot of old people. Among them, the oldest is a 79-year-old retired (退休的) lady. She had learned web page designing for 4 months before attending the contest. She finally got an honorary ( 荣誉的) title of “The Most Senior Participant(参与者)”. About 30 other old people got different prizes such as “The Best Creative Work” and “The Best Fine Arts Work”. Their works' themes included science, technology, Olympics, personal life and so on.

    The organizers of the contest hoped to encourage more and more elderly people to learn more about the Internet world. And many of the participants felt they really got a lot from the contest. “Designing web page enriches my life and makes me feel much closer to the young people,” one participant said.

    The designing of web page is not an easy job. But that doesn't mean it is the patent(专利) of young people. In fact, as the saying goes: “It's never too old to learn.” As for the teenagers, perhaps they should know“It's never late to learn”, whether it is English, piano or others.

A：Morning, Zhou Lin．

B：Morning, Lu Cheng．

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B：Yes．It is．

A：{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

B：Seven．

A：{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

B:Of course．I like playing sports there．

A：{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

B:No．But I can play in the school playground on Saturday．

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B：OK.

    There are some skills for students to listen to the teacher in class, which means you're going to have to practice it. Just as you would have to practice basketball to be a better player, you also have to practice listening. How to listen in school?  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One of the things you need to do is to make sure that your mind doesn't wander (漫游). It's easy to start thinking about other things, especially when you're not interested in the subject. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Next, listen for the main ideas. If you want to catch every little piece of information, you'll feel tired and bored.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Not only does this show respect(尊敬) to the teacher, it also helps prevent your mind from wandering. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Or it could just be someone talking to their neighbors who shouldn't be. It can even be some birds outside the classroom window, or a group of kids who are talking loudly as they pass the door to your room.

    Finally, you need to take notes because you will not remember everything the teacher said. You'll have to take down the notes so that you can study it after class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Listening isn't always easy, but if you follow these simple steps, you'll be much more successful in your classes.

A. Here are some suggestions.

B. You'll also need to look at the teacher.

C. So make yourself pay attention to what the teacher is saying.

D. Taking notes also makes you pay attention to the class.

E. It might be a friend who is trying to pass you a note.

My name is Tom Brown. I'm fine. I'm not twelve. I am eleven. I'm not in Grade Seven. I'm in Grade Eight. I'm in Class Three. My teacher isn't Miss Black. My teacher is Mr Green. My phone number is 7667250.

The story of the magazine

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    When you look at the different kinds of colorful magazines in the shops (and online) today, it's easy to think that they are a modern idea. However, magazines have been around since the 18th century and they have been an important part of people's daily lives for hundreds of years.

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    One of the earliest magazines was The Gentleman's Magazine which was started in London in 1731 by a man called Edward Cave. He was the first person to use the word "magazine" about a regular publication. The word comes from the Arabic makhzan or storehouse. His idea was that his magazine was a storehouse, or place that you could keep information about many different things.

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    Magazines became more popular in the 19th century. They gave people tips to help them with their daily lives, and they often had serialized(系列的) stories which gave the readers a new episode every week. Each part finished at a very exciting point in the story. Famous writers such as Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created serialized novels for magazines.

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    One very important serialized novel was Hard Times by Dickens. It came out in 20 weekly parts between 1 April and 12 August 1854 in the magazine Household Words. This magazine was very good value and it was a cheap way for readers to buy a version of a novel.

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    Soap operas on TV today are often similar to the serialized novels. These old stories have often been made into modern films or TV series and they are still popular with modern audiences because they are so exciting.