Every year, wildfires(野火) destroy much forest land. homes are broken down, and thousands of people die. smokejumpers are stop helping to stop this.

    Smokejumpers are a special kind of firefight. they jump from planes into areas that difficult to reach by car or on foot. they race to put out fires as fast as they can.

    At a fire site, Smokejumpers first examine the land and decide how to fight the fire. their main goal is to stop fire from spreading. using basic tools such as shovels and axes, smokejumpers clear land of burnable material like plants and other dry material. they carry water with them too, but not much.

    Although most smokejumpers are men, more women are joining. Most important are your weight and height. Smokejumpers in the U.S. for example ,must be 54 to 91 kilograms, so they don't get hurt when they land, or get blown by strong winds.

    Smokejumpers must be able to live in the wilderness. in Russia ,many smokejumpers know how to find food in the forest and even make simple furniture from trees.

    They work is dangerous, the hours are long. But for these firefighters, smokejumpers isn't just a job. They love being able to jump out of planes, fight fires, and live in the forest. As 28-year-old Russian smokejumpers Alexi Tishin says,“This is the best job for the strong and brave.”

    It's a Saturday morning. Mary doesn't need to go to school. She says to her mom, "I need some clothes. Can we go to Nice Girls' Store?"

    "Well, what do you need, Mary?" Mom asks her. “My skirt is small, so I want to buy a skirt. And (A) I need a pair of sports shoes, too," Mary says.

    "I see. Let's go and see now." In the store, Mary sees a blue skirt. It's nice. So she asks the clerk , “how much is it?"

    The clerk says, "It's twenty dollars." "OK. Let me think about it. Thanks."

    Mary asks her mom, (B) "What do you think of that blue skirt, Mom?"

    "It's nice, but I don't think blue is nice on you. What about this green skirt, Mary? "

    "Oh, it's nice! " Mary says.

    They take(C) it at a good price. Only 12 dollars! They buy a pair of green sports shoes, too. It's 32 dollars.

    True friends are rare to make these days. Even if you believe you've connected with someone, how do you really know he is a true friend? And often you will find that someone who you thought you could trust may disappoint you. There are ways you can know if a friendship is true and how you can hold onto that friend.

    A true friend is someone who will be there for you no matter what happens. Through good times and bad times, they will stand by you. They will accept you for who you are without trying to change you, and they will be there to help you grow in new ways.

    Trust is another important aspect. A true friend will keep your secrets. You can depend on them. They will listen and be someone you know you can talk things over with, even if they may not have advice to share with you.

    Friendship is a two-way street. To find true friends and keep them, you must in turn be the same as well. Be there for them in their hard times and share the good times with them. Be someone your friends can depend on and offer them the same things they give to you. A friendship will fall apart fast if only one person is giving and putting all the effort in. To keep a true friendship, you must be honest.

    There will be barriers in the road but that is the test of true friendship. If it can survive those barriers, it will be stronger and last forever. St Thomas Aquinas said, “There is nothing on this earth more prized than friendship” and it holds true.

    A girl named Mary was killed at around 6：20 p. m. on a rainy day. Somebody found her on a street and called the police. The next day, the police got four suspects(犯罪嫌疑人). The police asked them the same question, "What were you doing at around 6：20 p. m. yesterday？"

Information Card

    A ratio compares two numbers. For example, if you have 3 pens and 4 pencils, the ratio of pens to pencils is 3 to 4. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 3 to 4, 3:4 and 3/4. One type of ratio is expressing (表示) numbers as a percent. A percent is the ratio of a number to 100. In other words, a percent compares one number to 100. The percent means "per hundred". {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can use "%" to express percent. So 35% means 35 out of 100, and 15% means 15 out of 100. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Probability means the chance (可能) of some things happening in the future. For example, if there is a 90% chance of rain, 90 times out of 100, it will rain. That is a very high probability. However, if the weatherman says that there is only a 10% chance of rain, then 10 times out of 100, it will rain. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    You can also express probability by using ratios. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 5 of them are black while only 1 of them is red. If you choose a pen at random (随机地) from the pencil box, then the probability of choosing a black Den are 5 to 6, or 5/6. On the other hand, the probability of choosing a red pen is only 1 to 6, or 1/6.