When Abraham Lincoln was just a boy, he had to help his father to manage their farm. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Abraham wanted to go to school, but there was no school there, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Mrs. Lincoln loved the boy very much. She tried her best to make Abraham happy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It was a long way, so it took her a long time to get there. She bought something there and went back. It was dark in the evening when she got home.

    The next morning Mrs. Lincoln said to Abraham, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}."She put some food on the table, and then brought out a present. "A book!" Abraham cried. It was an old book, but he liked it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.He looked up at Mrs. Lincoln and said, "Thank you, Mom."

    I'm Li Ling. It's Tuesday today. I'm really busy today. At 8:00 I have maths. I don't like it because it's difficult. Then at 9:00, I have science.  It's also difficult but interesting. At 10:00, I have history. Then at 11:00, I have PE.

    That's my favourite subject. I have lunch at 12:00 at school. After that, I have music. It's relaxing (令人放松的). I love my music teacher—Miss Morgan. She is beautiful and kind. She's my favourite teacher. All my classes finish(结束) at 2:00. After school I play tennis with my classmates. It's fun. I love sports. Then at around 4:00 I go home and do my homework.

    Giving Directions in Different Places

    If you ask people of different countries "Could you tell me the way to the post office?", you will get different answers.

    In Japan, people use landmarks(路标) instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers," Go straight down to the corner. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The post office is across from the bus stop."

    In Kansas, America, there are no towns or buildings within(在……之内) miles. So instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. For example, people will say, "Go north two miles(英里). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}"

    People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions. They will often say, "Follow me." {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Sometimes if the person doesn't know the answer to your question, he or she, like a New Yorker, might say, "Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don't know."{#blank#}4{#/blank#} They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. A visitor can always get lost in Yucatan!

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You might not understand a person's words, but maybe you can understand his or her body language. He or she will usually point to the correct direction. Go on in that direction and you may find the direction.

A. Turn east, and then go another mile.

B. But one thing will help you everywhere.

C. People there think "I don't know." is not polite.

D. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market.

E. Then he or she will take you through the street of the city to the post office.

    When you are learning English, you find it not clever to translate an English sentence, word for word, into your own language. Take the sentence "How do you do?" for example. If you look up each word in the dictionary, one at a time, what is your translation? It must be a wrong sentence in your own language. Languages don't just have different sounds, they are different in many ways. It's important to master(掌握) the rules for word order in the study of English, too. If the speakers put words in a wrong order, the listener can't understand the speaker's sentence easily. Sometimes when the order of words in an English sentence is changed, the meaning of the sentence changes. But sometimes the order is changed, the meaning of the sentence doesn't change between the two pairs of sentences: "She only likes apples." "Only she likes apples." "I have seen the film already." "I have already seen the film."

    When you are learning English, you must do your best to get the spirit of the language and use it as the English speakers do.