Weather has a strong effect(影响) on people. It influences health, influences health(智力), and feelings.

    In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. Southerners have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at times and very cold at other time. People in these states tend to(趋向) have heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.

    The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 study by scientists, the IQ scores of a group of college students were very high during a hurricane(飓风), but after the storm their scores dropped 10%. Storm can increase intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can lower(降低) it. Students in many schools of the United States often do badly on exams in the hot months of the year.

    Weather also has a strong influence on people's feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel sad during cold weather. In hot summer weather, on the other hand, fat people may feel unhappy. At about 18℃, people become stronger.

    Are you feeling sick, sad, tired, forgetful（健忘）, or very intelligent today? The weather may be the reason.

    The Monkey Buffet Festival is on the last Sunday of November. It is a great day for monkeys in Thailand(泰国). The festival has a history of twenty-five years. People there think monkeys can bring good luck to them. So, to thank monkeys, they have this special festival.

    On that day every year, people put lots of fruit, vegetables, cakes and even drinks on the tables outside. They are all for monkeys. Many people come to see the monkeys on that day.

    During the festival, there are a lot of interesting activities about monkeys. Young people always dress like monkeys. And they sing and dance and play some music on the street.

    Monkeys always live in groups. Most of them live in the trees. They are good at running and jumping. They eat fruit, vegetables, flowers and birds' eggs. Monkeys are clever. Do you think so?

    We have found plastic in the ocean and in animals like birds, fish and whales. But for the first time, scientists have found plastic in human poop (大便) , USA Today reported. The findings came from a study led by scientists from Environment Agency Austria {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The volunteers wrote down what they ate for a week and then provided a stool sample (大便样本) for testing.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}About 20 small plastic particles (IM) were found in every 10 grams (克) of stool. "The smallest plastic particles can enter the blood, the lymphatic system, and may even reach the liver (肝脏)," said Philipp Schwabl, who took part in the research. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They're not sure how the plastic got in the volunteers' bodies, either. But most of the volunteers said they drank from plastic bottles and also ate seafood that could include plastic from ocean pollution.

    In fact, plastic is everywhere around us. Every year, lots of plastic waste goes into the ocean.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Most of the particles stay in the ocean. Others can spread into the soil, and air. Could plastic in the air fall onto food and get into the human body?

    Some past studies may also give us a clue. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And even some drinking water has been found to have tiny plastic particles in it.

    Come to meet the family. This is a picture of my family. The man is my father. He is a policeman. The woman is my mother. She is an English teacher. They have a son and a daughter. The boy is me. My name is Lin Tao. I'm eleven. I'm a student. The girl in a hat is my sister. Her name is Lin Ying. She's eleven, too. We're twins. We look the same. We're in the same class. We are good students. We like our family.

It is easy for many people to catch a cold in the springtime or fall. It makes us wonder if scientists can send a man to the moon, why can't they find a cure for the common cold? The answer is easy. There are actually different cold viruses out there. You never know which one you will get, so there isn't a cure for each one.

When a virus attacks your body, your body works hard to get rid of it Blood rushes to your nose and causes a block in it. You feel terrible because you can't breathe well, but your body is actually eating the virus. Your temperature goes up and you get a fever, but the heat of your body is killing the virus. You also have a runny nose to stop the virus from getting into your cells. You may feel very uncomfortable, but actually your wonderful body is doing everything it can to kill the cold.

Different people do different things to deal with colds. In the United States and some other countries, for example, people might have chicken soup to help them get over the cold. Some people take hot baths. Other people take medicine to stop different symptoms(症状)of colds.

There is one interesting thing to note一some scientists say taking medicine when you have a cold is actually bad for you. The virus stays in you longer because your body doesn't have a way to fight it and kill it Bodies can do an amazing job on their own. There is a joke, however, on taking medicine when you have a cold. It goes like this:

It takes about one week to get over a cold if you don't take medicine, but it takes only seven days to get over a cold if you take medicine.

①Many people describe New York City as the centre of culture in the United States. That's because no matter what you're interested in, you'll find it in New York City. Whether it's theatre, music, ballet, or museums, the city has some of the very best to offer.

②The street called Broadway in New York City became the centre of American theatre in the mid-19th century. The number, size, and fame(名声) of the Broadway theatres grew as New York City grew. In 1910 the brightly lighted street became known as "the Great White Way". Beyond these theatres the city offers free performances of the plays of William Shakespeare in Central Park. Operas and concerts are also held in the park.

③New York City has a number of world-class space for performances of all kinds. The city's concert halls include those at the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts as well as Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall. The groups that perform in these halls include the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, and the New York Philharmonic. The New York City Ballet also performs at the Lincoln Centre, in the New York State Theatre.

④Museums are another important part of New York City's cultural life. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Guggenheim Museum are among the city's art museums. You can also spend many hours in the American Museum of Natural History and its Rose Centre for Earth and Space Science.

⑤With all of these resources(资源) there is always plenty to do in New York City.