Listening to songs is a great way to learn English. Here are a few reasons.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. And when you are enjoying yourself, you learn without even realizing it. The best thing is that there are so many good songs in English and there are so many kinds of music, including pop, country, R&B, rock, soul and so on. Let David Bowie, Madonna, The Beatles, Alicia Keys...be your teachers!

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Just take your MP3 player with your favorite tracks and press “play”. And you can listen to them whenever and whatever you want, so you can learn English while you're walking, driving, doing sports or relaxing on the sofa.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. While you're listening to songs, you are raising your awareness of language structures. And you're seeing how the structures are formed and used.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. And after singing along to the songs several times, all those phrases and expressions will become firmly fixed in your long-term memory. Then later you'll find that you use them naturally when you're speaking or writing.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. For example, the song American Pie is about the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the The Big Bapper, which was an important event in US history.

    So, load up your MP3 player, put on your headphones and press “play”!

A. Learning English by listening to music is easy, too.

B. Songs can also teach you about history, culture and traditions.

C. Songs are full of useful language that you can use when you're speaking and writing.

D. Songs are good for developing your understanding of English grammar.

E. Listening to music is fun.

    While you are at the bookstore, you may be faced with a difficult decision: e-books or paper books? Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. Making the best decision depends on a number of factor (因素).

    An e-reader can carry a whole library wherever you go, which is great for travelers or those who always want a choice of reading material Although e-readers are convenient, high levels of screen brightness from an electronic device(电子设备) can cause eye problems. A study in the Information Science Research found that young people preferred e-readers, like smart phones or iPads. That's why most teenagers are short-sighted.

    Many book lovers still prefer paper books and value the feeling of them. Paper books are very well designed, they look and smell good, and they carry with them a more human touch. Avid (热衷的)readers prefer reading on paper. Perhaps this is their choice because paper books give them a sense of ownership. It is reported that reading on paper rather than an electronic screen is better for memory and focus. But paper books are heavy and they are not convenient to carry.

    Which is your decision, an e-book or a paper book?

In the future, maybe there won't be any{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Students will study at{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. They will use computers to{#blank#}3{#/blank#} lessons on the Internet. They can ask their teachers questions{#blank#}4{#/blank#} email. But they won't be{#blank#}5{#/blank#} because they can't make friends at home.

I was always busy with work and travel. I didn't think I would have 1 or energy to care for a pet. But everything changed when I met Kitty.

Kitty was a homeless cat that I found on the street one 2 night. She was wet, hungry and frightened, and she looked at me as if she was begging (祈求) for 3 . So I decided to take her to my 4 .

At first, Kitty was 5 and nervous. She hid under the sofa and only came out when I offered her food and water. She didn't like to be 6 or held, and she would scratch (绕) me if I tried to pet her. I wondered if she would ever 7 me or love me.

But as time went by. Kitty started to warm up to me. She began to 8 me around the house, and sit next to me on the sofa or the bed. She would play 9 with the toys I bought her and would wait for me at the door when I came home from work.

Kitty 10 my life for the better. She made me feel more relaxed. She taught me how to be more patient and caring.

One day, we were told that we would have a school trip at the end of the month. The whole class got very excited and the girls began to discuss what to wear and what to bring with them. But Danny simply told everyone he wouldn't go. 

"Don't you like it, Danny?" our teacher Mr. Smith asked with kindness. 

Danny stood up and said, "It's too much money for me. My dad is ill in bed. My mom works in a supermarket every day. I will not ask them for money."

"I'm very proud of you that you can understand your parents. Not every student of your age can think about this," Mr Smith replied. 

Then Mr. Smith asked us to come up with some good ideas to raise money for the trip by ourselves. We all thought it was really meaningful, and it would be a different and valuable learning experience for everyone. 

That day, we knew Danny more than before, because he was not only honest but also brave. He won the respect of all of us. 

Judge the sentences below true (T) or false (F) according to the passage.

Hi, I am Amy. People in the same(相同的) family often have the same eyes or hair. But do they have the same hobbies(爱好)?

In my family, my mom Kate has brown eyes and blonde hair. She likes books and music. My dad Peter has blue eyes and brown hair. His hobbies are sports and computers. My brother, Max, has blue eyes and blond hair. He likes music and sports. What about me? I have my mom's brown eyes and my dad's brown hair. But my hobby is photography(摄影).

My parents don't have a camera. They don't like taking photos, and photography is not one of their hobbies. But do you know who likes photography in my family? My grandpa, Paul. He loves taking photos and his photos are great! My grandpa doesn't have brown eyes or brown hair, but we like the same thing(事物). About 25% of the people in the UK like the same things as their parents, grandparents, or grandparents' parents!