Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth. There are hundreds of kinds of sharks. Most are about two meters long. The dogfish shark, however, is less than twenty centimeters in length. A shark has an extremely good sense of smell. It can find small amounts of substances in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sharks eat fish, other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean.

    Sharks grow slowly. About forty percent of all sharks lay eggs. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Some sharks carry their young inside their bodies as humans do. Some sharks are not able to reproduce until they are twenty years old．Most reproduce only every two years. And they give birth to fewer than ten young sharks. For this reason, over-fishing of sharks is of special danger to the future of the animal.

    Sharks are important for the world's oceans. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too great. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    People hunt sharks for sport, food, medicine and their skin. Experts say the international market for some kinds of sharks has increased because many parts of a shark are valuable. Collectors pay thousands of dollars for the jaws of a shark. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The skin of a shark can be used like leather.  In Asia, people enjoy a kind of soup made from shark fins. Experts say a fisherman can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins. Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth, but some sharks are in danger of disappearing from Earth. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

A. Shark liver oil is a popular source of Vitamin A.

B. This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans.

C. Sharks are valuable to us and we can make full use of them.

D. These powerful senses help sharks find their food.

E. If too many sharks in one area are killed, that group of sharks may never return to normal population levels.

F. This is a threat to other forms of life in the ocean.

G. The others give birth to live young.

    Winter is a really fun time of the year—it's great to have snowball fights and build snowmen. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} When it's cold outside and you're not prepared, you can feel uncomfortable. Lucky for you, learning how to stay safe is not difficult.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Wearing thick clothes is the best way to stay warm in the cold. Depending on where you live and how cold it is, some kids may need more clothes, some less.

    Take that hat. You maybe wear a large overcoat and ready to go, but are you forgetting something?{#blank#}3{#/blank#}You'll stay much warmer with a hat than without one—tons of body heat escapes right from your head.

    Drink up. Sounds like advice for hot weather, not cold weather, right?{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When you're outside in the cold and breathing hard, your body loses a lot of water through your breath. And the best way to get that water back is to drink up!

    Take it easy. Sometimes if you're out having fun, it's easy to forget to pay attention to your body. But if your body temperature drops even 4 or 5 degrees while you're outside, it can make you feel terrible.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}And if you ever feel weak, those are signs that you have to take it easy indoors for a while.

How to Recognize a True Friend

    Sometimes it can be hard to recognize a true friend. Hopefully this article will help you recognize which friends are the keepers.

    Be able to trust your friends. You should be able to trust true friends and they should return this trust. Do your friends tell you secrets that no one else knows? Ask you for advice?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, if your friends hide things from you and act secretly, then this is a sign that they may not trust you.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Think about it. How comfortable are your friends when they are around you? Are they being themselves around you? Are they acting fake or perhaps hiding something? True friendships can take a while to develop, but if your friends are true they should feel comfortable around you, and vice versa (You with them)

    Think about loyalty(忠诚). {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you are in need of a helping hand, your true friends should be there to offer it to you. True friends don't try to get one another into trouble. A true friend will always be loyal to you and will not reveal secrets.

    Think about nicknames. A lot of true friends love to give each other nicknames！ If your friend is giving you nicknames, then this is a great sign. Think of the nickname your friend has given you, does it suit you well? {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Look at how you fight. Nearly all best friends fight. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} True friends will find their way through a fight, no matter what the size is. True friends will remain “faithful” to each other even during a fight. They will not tell each others' secrets, and they still care about each other.

A. Consider comfort.

B. Choose your friends carefully.

C. True friends are always there for one another.

D. Both are sure signs that your friend trusts you.

E. If so, this shows your friend must know you quite well.

F. So if you and your friend have a little argument, don't worry!

G. An inside joke shows that you share a special connection with your friend.

The winner's guide to success

    Do you know what makes people successful? To find out the answers, an American scholar recently visited some of the most successful people in America.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be responsible for yourself.

    Sometimes you may want to blame others for your failure to get ahead. In fact, when you say someone or something outside of yourself is stopping you from making success, you are giving away your own power.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Write a plan

    It is very difficult to try to get what you want without a good plan. It is just like trying to drive through strange roads to a city far away.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Without this "map", you may waste your time, money and also your energy; while with the "map" you'll enjoy the "trip" and get what you want in the shortest possible time.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Nothing great is easy to get. So you must be ready to work hard even harder than you have ever done. If you are not willing to pay the price, you won't get anything valuable.

    Never give up

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}When you are doing something, you must tell yourself again and again: giving up is worse than failure because failure can be the mother of success, but giving up means the death of hope.

A. A good plan is like a map to you.

B. It seems to us that everyone knows this. But it is easier said than done.

C. Some people achieve success much later in life because they didn't work harder earlier.

D. You are saying they have more control over your life than you do.

E. Someone else's opinion of you doesn't have to become your reality.

F. Be willing to pay the price.

G. Here are some keys to success that they give.

With gas prices rising and airport security lines snaking longer than ever, why not book your next domestic vacation on a train? Compared to other alternatives, it's comfortable and relaxing. Here is some advice on how to make a trip by rail as pleasant as possible. 

Plan ahead. Most long-distance trains, especially the sleeping car accommodations, sell out very quickly.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But no matter when you travel, it's a good idea to make your reservations at least 90 days in advance. 

Use a travel agent. Consider turning your travel plan over to a travel agent and letting him double-check all the details, make suggestions, and then handle the actual reservations. A good one can sometimes find you discounted tickets.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Then you won't have to walk through several cars on a moving train three times a day for your meals. 

Bring a blanket.When you're riding on trains, you won't be provided with a blanket for free, even if your trip is an overnight one.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}In the summer in particular, the air conditioning can make them quite cold. 

Arrive early. Most trains operate just once a day and some run only three times a week, so missing yours can be a disaster.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Note: The times listed on the schedules are departure times, not arrival times. 

Have fun.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Read a book, knit, do a crossword puzzle, or simply watch the world unfold outside the window. To calculate your speed as you do, divide 3,600(the number of seconds in an hour)by the number of seconds it takes you to travel one mile(the distance between two mileposts). If it takes the train 53 seconds to travel one mile, you're going 67.92 mph.

A.Train trips aren't for impatient types.

B.You'll have views from both sides of the train.

C.The temperature on rail cars is often hard to control.

D.That's particularly true during busy summer months.

E.You might have to wait longer than 24 hours to catch the next one.

F.Chances are the cost will be a lot less than the cost of one bedroom.

G.He may also book you in a sleeping car that's right next to the diner.