In classes, your teachers will talk about topic that you are studying. The information they provide will be important for you to know when you take tests. So you must be able to take good written notes from what your teachers say.

   Here are the three stages(阶段) of taking notes and what you should do during each stage.

   1. Before Class Review your notes you have taken before you come to class. This will be good for remembering what was covered. Get you ready to understand new information your teacher will provide.

   2. During Class Keep your attention on what your teacher is saying and „the signal words that tell you what your teacher is going to say and it is important to write in your notes. Examples of signal words are „The most important point…and „Remember that… Be sure to include in your notes information that your teacher repeats or writes on the blackboard. Write quickly so that you can include all the important information in your notes. Do this by writing abbreviations(缩写） such as med for medicine, using symbols such as % for percent, and writing short sentences.

   3. After Class Rewrite your notes to make them more complete and accurate (准确的) by changing abbreviations into whole words, symbols into words, and shortened sentences into longer sentences. Use them to answer your questions. If necessary, ask your teacher for help.

    In most parts of the world, many students help their schools make less pollution(污染). They join “environment(环境) clubs ”. (1)In an environment club, people work together to make our environment clean. Here are some things students often do.

    No garbage(垃圾) lunches. How much do you throw away after lunch? Environment clubs ask students to bring their lunches in bags and the bags can be used again. If the classes make the least garbage, we will report them to the whole school!

No car day. On a no car day, nobody comes to school in a car—not the students and not the teachers! Cars give pollution to our air, so remember: Walk, jump, bike or run. Use your legs! It's lots of fun!

    Turn off the water! Did you know that some toilets(厕所) can waste(浪费) 20 to 40 m³ of water an hour? In a year, that would fill a small river! In environment clubs, students mend(修理) those broken toilets.

    We love our environment. (2)Everyone should take _______ to make our environment ______. Let's work together.

    The play takes place in a typical, old Beijing teahouse. The main characters are teahouse's owner (Wang Lifa)and his customers, who all live in the same neighbourhood. They come in and out of the teahouse and talk to each other.

    The play reflects(反映) changes in the lives of almost 70 characters. It includes three parts. The first act takes place in 1898 at the time of the Qing Dynasty. The second act jumps forward 20 years and the final act takes place in 1948.

    In Teahouse, the writer Lao She says goodbye to the old Chinese society and hello to the new one. It's about the changes that have taken place in Chinese society in almost 50 years. All types of people come to the teahouse in Beijing. Some come to do business. Others come just to sit and pass the time. There are some good, kind people and there are also some bad, nasty(讨厌的) characters. They meet, they talk, they argue, they gossip(闲聊)and then they get on with their lives.

    Teahouse was first put on in 1958. It is still one of the most popular plays in China. It is a favourite work by Lao She, one of China's most popular writers. Anyone who is interested in Chinese life and history should see the play. It helps one to understand Chinese culture better.

    "A wise old owl sat on an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke, the more he heard. Why aren't we like that old bird?" –Edward H.Richards.

    We all need to learn to listen well. Listening is a skill we should be practicing every day. And I mean active listening, not just listening when it is convenient to us.

    Listening shows others that they are important. It's a sign of respect (尊重). If someone listens to you carefully when you are talking, it shows that they are really interested in what you are saying.

    How do you practice listening? Here are some basic rules:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Are you in the middle of writing something? Put down the pen and fold your hands. Are you reading something? Close it so that it will be impossible for you to look down and start reading again. Then put it down.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The computer will take your attention from your job at hand—listening.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Facing the person you are talking with will help you focus completely on listening. It will also make the person feel that you find what he is saying important.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Standing closer to the speaker will show interest. Crossing your arms in front of your chest shows disagreement. Looking around the room shows you have no interest. Looking the speaker in the eyes tells him that he is important.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Do not start sharing your ideas after hearing the first few words. Do not just think about your reply in your mind. Pay attention to the speaker. Really listen to what he is telling you.

Reading a good book is a wonderful journey because the reader can live in someone else's world for a while. Reading together with others, known as buddy (同伴) reading, will make this journey even more fantastic. During the journey, the buddies spend time doing a lot of reading activities. This not only adds to the pleasure of reading, but also deepens their understanding of the books.

Although it is all right to have students join in buddy reading with same-aged schoolmates schools usually pair up older students with younger ones. In 2021, Green School started such a program and has achieved a great success.

Both younger and older readers in this school have learned a lot from this two-year, program. For example, when they listened to each other, they learned to be kind and patient. This experience also provided them with a chance to practice lifelong skills such as exercising leadership or communicating with others. A student called Jason said that reading to a younger buddy was really helpful. He became more confident, as he knew he was a role model for someone.

The school also became a closer community. The reading buddies felt more connected as they often met each other. The students were always excited when they saw their buddies pass by in the hallway.

Now summer vacation is coming. It's a great time to get into books. Why not pair up with a friend, choose a book you both like and read it together?

A robot could understand your words and follow your instructions(指令) to do things. There're many kinds of robots. Each kind of robot has a different job. 

There are waiter robots. They can clean the table and serve the dishes. Household(家庭) robots do many things at home. They lift furniture, clean the room and even do some cooking. Sales robots work as salesmen. They can sell flowers, newspapers, and many other things. Recently, a Japanese company has showed a guard dog robot. It keeps the pet dog at home. And a company puts its singing and dancing robots on show. The robots are not for sale. 

In the future, we will have more robots. They will be a great help to our life. Maybe you can walk with your robot dog on the street. How interesting it will be!