A lovely rabbit, a cute hamster, some colourful fish, a strange-looking turtle or a snake...What kind of pet would you like? Lots of kids love animals and dream of having a pet.

    But not every family can have a pet. So, in many Western countries such as America, Britain and Australia, primary and middle school classes have their own pets. Looking after a pet is not as easy as you may think! Fish and turtles need clean water and the right food. Hamsters and rabbits need fresh vegetables and a warm place to sleep. Even little mice need good care! What would you feed a pet mouse? How about snakes?

    Class pets teach kids about nature and being responsible. Sometimes the pets have babies. It's very exciting but it also means having more animals to take care of!

    Students take turns to take care of their class pets. Every week the pets have a new “mum and dad” to look after them.

    You may want to know what happens to the class pets during school holidays. At the end of term, the teacher chooses a responsible student. This lucky student keeps the pets at his or her home for the holidays.

    Notes:

1) hamster n. 仓鼠   2) turtle n. 乌龟   3) responsible adj. 负责任的   4) choose v. 选择

Do you know that you are not outgoing enough? Do you want more friends, but are you too shy? Read the following rules. They will help you.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Always be clean. Shower, brush your teeth, and try to look nice. Dress in clothes that make you feel good and comfortable. Those make you feel more confident.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try to smile more often at people. It will get them to think that you are friendly. Then they'll talk to you more even if they don't know you.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some people worry about talking because they think, "What am I going to talk about with that person?" Outgoing people don't even think about it.  They just go up to people and say what they think.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can't just talk. People will think that you're self-centered. You have to listen to others and give your opinions. Let them know you care.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't just stay at home and do nothing. Surf the net for news and information, and talk about it when you're with friends.

Several months ago, New Zealand announced a plan. Under the plan, the country would make it illegal(非法的) for people born after 2008 to buy cigarettes(香烟). {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. And it won't make a difference to smokers now.

Starting in 2023, people under the age of 15 would be stopped from buying cigarettes. After that, the age limit(限制) for buying tobacco products would be raised every year. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. In short, the move will stop people born after 2008 from ever buying tobacco products.

Tobacco products contain something poisonous(有毒的) called nicotine(尼古丁). Though nicotine isa poison, when people have a little bit of it, it can give them an excited feeling. Over time, nicotine changes the body so people feel like they need more of it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Then people are unable to stop taking it. That's why it's so difficult for people to stop smoking.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It's one of the leading causes of deaths around the world. In New Zealand, about 5,000 people die every year from illnesses connected with smoking.

No country has ever tried an age limit- raising smoking plan like New Zealand's before. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. We expect the plan to have important influences.

Last year, 61 companies in the UK took part in the world's largest test of a four-day work week. The results were so positive that 92% of the companies were planning to keep the new schedule. worried that they would get less work for their money, or that it could cause other problems. But the results of last year's experiment suggested the move might be good for both businesses and workers.

Last June, 61 UK companies agreed to try giving their workers a four-day work week. In return, they asked their workers to try to do as much in four days as they usually did in five days.

Many different kinds of businesses took part, including online stores, computer technology companies, advertising companies, and even a fish restaurant. Some companies were small, while others had around 1,000 workers

The companies found different ways of giving workers one more day off. Most companies simply gave workers Fridays off., Others chose Mondays, or had different workers take different days off. The experiment ran for six months, and turned out to be good for most businesses.

The number of days when workers were out sick dropped by 65%. On average,57% fewer people quit their jobs during the four-day work week trial. What's more, the companies made more money--about 1.4% on average.

How did workers do more in less time? Some companies cut meetings, or made sure they were shorter.0thers used technology to help workers get more work done quickly. Some companies created a "focus tie" so workers could work on just one thing without being disturbed.

In general, workers said the four-day work week made them feel less tired. About 71% said they felt less "burnt out‘' with their new work hours, and 39% said they felt less stressed. Most of the workers were more satisfied with the time they spent working.

Do you know ants（蚂蚁)? Now let me tell you something about1 .

They are very2 . There are many kinds of 3 —white ants, black ants,4 ants and so on. Some ants make their homes 5 a tree. If the weather is warm you can see them near the 6 . In the bad weather ants usually go up the tree. 

If one ant7 some bread, it is going to ask its 8 for help, and then other ants can come and get the 9 home together. 

Ants don't fight(打架) for food. They are very10 !

Do you like them?