A 50-year-old American officer came back to his school. The teacher asked him to give a talk to the small boys and girls there. The talk was about the love of their great country. All the little ones were sitting in a large meeting room. The old officer went up and began speaking. He said, “Boys and girls, I studied in this school forty years ago. When I was your age, we were not as happy as you are today. Think about it and answer me. Why are you so happy now?”

    No sound came from the children. The old man waited for a long time. Then a short boy in front put up his small dirty hand. “Good boy! Please answer me, dear.” said the officer.

    With a big smile on his face, the boy stood up and said, “If you speak long enough, we won't have Maths and Biology lessons this morning.”

根据短文内容, 回答下列问题

    Look! This is Li Ming. He is from Haikou. He is thirteen years old. Now he is in Haikou No. 14 Middle School. He is in Class Five, Grade Eight. His telephone number is (020)7868-9688. Li Ming and Sally are good friends. They are in the same class, but not of the same age(年龄). She is twelve. She's from America. Now Sally and her mom are in the same school. Her mom is a good teacher.

    In schools all over the world lots of boys and girls are learning foreign languages.

    There are thousands of languages in the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is used not only in England and the USA, but also in the other parts of the world.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We should remember how we all learned our own language when we were children. If we could learn a second language in the same way, it would not seem so difficult. Think of what a small child does. He listens to what people say, and he tries to copy what he hears. When he wants something, he has to ask for it. He is using the language, talking in it and thinking in it all the time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    It is important to remember, also, that we learn our own language by hearing people speak it, not by seeing what they write. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In school, though you learn to read and write as well as to hear and speak, it is best to learn all new words by ear. You can read them, spell them and write them later.

A. We copy what we hear.

B. What is the best way to learn a language?

C. English is one of them.

D. If a second language is used all the time, it would soon be learned.

    After you get back home from a trip, one of the most pleasant things is sharing your stories with people. And that's what we'd like you to do. Our magazine's “True Stories” section is for your strange experiences, heart-warming tales and funny stories on your trip. So if you have good stories, please write to us!

    If your story is chosen as the best one, you will win the nine-day trip across North America, including a seven-night trip along the California coast. For more information, please call 800-227-2826, or e-mail us at TrueStories@hotmail.com.

    Besides, you need to remember a few things if you want to write a story:

    Keep the story brief (简短的) and lively (within 250 words).

    Please send your story as the body of your e-mail, not as an attachment (附件).

    Most of the stories we print have photos, so send pictures, but try not to go crazy. Send only the best one(s).

    Please send your photos as an attachment, not embedded in (把……嵌入) the body of your e-mail.

    We don't mind if you or your friends are in the pictures, as long as you tell us who or what is in the photos.

    We need to be able to get in touch with you, so tell us your phone number and home address.

    When you are learning a language, listening, speaking and writing are important, but reading can also be very helpful. When you read, you can not only learn some new words, but also learn how to use them. When you read a passage, it gives you a good example for writing.

    Here are some good reading tips.

    Firstly, try to read at the right level (水平). Read something that you can understand. If it is too hard for you, it is not interesting.

    Secondly, try to understand the new words. If there are four or five new words on a page, don't use a dictionary. Instead, try to guess their meanings as you read. Mark (作标记) them with a pencil. Then look them up in a dictionary when you finish reading, and write them in your own vocabulary book. Try to remember them.

    Thirdly, try to read for a short time once a day. Fifteen minutes or half an hour every day is better than two hours every Sunday. For example, you can read before you go to bed, or after you get up or at lunchtime.

    Lastly, read something that interests you. Choose a newspaper, a book or a magazine about a subject that you like. It will be easy enough for you to understand. There is something interesting in it.