To be a good tourist

    Nowadays, travelling is becoming an important part of our life. However, some people have bad habits when visiting places of interest.

    Some people often make loud noise that makes others feel uncomfortable. Some people don't realize the importance of protecting our environment. They throw rubbish everywhere. Some people like to take photos in wrong places, even in dangerous places. These are very rude and unwelcome in public.

    As a student, I think we should remember to do something to be a good tourist. First of all, we should throw rubbish in the dustbin instead of dropping it everywhere. Secondly, don't make too much noise, especially in some quiet places. It is not polite. Finally, we understand that many people like taking photos while travelling. It is fun. But we should take photos in proper places and always remember safety comes first.

    In a word, if all of us can try our best to be good tourists, I believe we can make a great difference to our environment and we can have more fun as well.

Information Card

    A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city. Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn't built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Even so, travel isn't difficult. The waterways have always been the best ways to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along.

    Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped from a war more than 1,500 years ago, and built homes there. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.

    Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower.

Tips for Writing Better Articles

    Many of us don't spend a lot of time improving our writing skills. This can be a problem when we hand in our articles. Good writing skills will help us improve our grades and benefit us later in life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Make good word choices. When we're not sure which word is the right one for a sentence, look it up in a dictionary. Many of us choose words in a hurry and don't take the time to decided if they're proper. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Check facts. If we want people to believe what we write, we must make sure our facts are true. We should use dependable facts.

    Rewrite. A common problem is that we don't like to rewrite. In fact rewriting is the best way to find out and correct some mistakes, like grammar and spelling mistakes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, though it takes more time and more work.

    Read aloud. Sometimes it's easier to find problem with spelling, word usage, and grammar when we read aloud. Reading aloud help us not only find out our problems but also develop our writing.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Preparing a list is necessary for writing a good article. Such a list includes:

Is there a proper title? Have we explained every point? Are all the parts of the article included? This can help us to make sure that we have covered everything.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. But with a few simple steps, we can improve our writing skills and learn how to write better articles.

    As a mother of three young girls, Alison Cowan worried about her daughters growing up too fast. From asking for the latest toy to wanting to wear make-up, it seemed to Alison and her husband. Alan, that their children were never satisfied with what they had.

    The girls would ask for a toy, but would lose interest in it as soon as their friends had something new. Birthday parties were no longer just a few party games and blowing up balloons. All the parents seemed to invite professional performers and compete over who could give the most expensive party bag. At just seven years old, Amy and her friends were paying more and more attention to their appearance. It was a feeling that many parents would have.

    However, few would dream of leaving a comfortable family life and a comfortable house to move their family 3. 000 miles away to Africa in search of a simpler life. But last June, Alison and her husband, Alan, moved with their daughters to Kampala in Uganda, to show them a different lifestyle.

    For almost a year, the girls play in the red, dusty streets with local children and visit markets to buy fresh fish and vegetables for dinner. They have been able to play and use their imagination away from the distractions(分心) of the consumer-driven society. Now, instead of competing over who has won a computer game, the girls think about things like the frequent water shortages and electricity cuts in certain areas. "At times, we've been without water for five days. The girls always accept it, though. Their world before had been so small, but now they understand 93."

"It's hard to say this, but I'll have to leave school in a few weeks' time, " said Mr. Thomas, standing at the front of the classroom. 

It was early on Monday morning and Mr. Thomas' students were surprised at the news. All of them loved Mr. Thomas very much and they never thought that he might leave. However, Mr. Thomas reached the age when he was going to retire. After hearing the news, the class kept gloomy for the next few days until the class monitor gave them a small scolding (训斥). 

"We should not be like this, "she said. "Instead, we should study hard to thank Mr. Thomas for being so good to us. " The class agreed, and they thought of an idea of having a farewell (送别) party for Mr. Thomas to surprise him. 

On Mr. Thomas' last day at school, everybody brought a different kind of delicious finger food to class and put it in the middle of the classroom. They covered the blackboard with farewell messages. When Mr. Thomas showed up, all the students said "Goodbye, dear teacher!" together and promised Mr. Thomas that they would do their best in schoolwork in the future. 

Mr. Thomas was really surprised. And he was really touched. The class, in turn, was glad that they did the right thing. After all, it was the simplest way to show thanks to their favorite teacher. 

 The boy in the photo is our favourite writer.1 name is Dillon Smith. This 9-year-old boy is from the US. Americans all like his first book"The Life of Dillon Smith". He uses different colors of 2 in the book.

"Hey, my writer.3 pencils do you use in your book?" Dillon's mum asks.

"Oh, let me 4 . One, two, three, ... Well, I use many pencils. I 5 different students every day and I have to use different color words(词) to write them. I use the 6 word for Tom because he likes trees and grass. My best friend Jane 7 me every day with my English so I choose(选择) the red word for her."

"How about your 8 in your class?"

"Oh! Ms Green! I choose the orange word for her!"

"Your idea is 9 I like it!" Dillon's mum is happy and she knows what to do — —10 more pencils on her son's desk.