An atlas is-a book of maps. Atlases are made with different kinds of information about different parts and areas of a country or the world. They are prepared for desk use or travel use.

    Desk atlases are made for different groups of people with different needs. For example, students may use desk atlases to help learn Geography, and other people may use desk atlases to study a place. A popular type of the latest atlas shows the recent fact of the world. New atlases are often carefully produced to help people learn about the changes, such as name changes, boundary(界) changes and other important new information. A desk atlas can also have some different maps of the same place. For example, an atlas may include maps showing population and important products of a place.

    Travel atlases usually show the information about both natural and man-made features(特点). So it is not surprising to find universities, airports, forests, rivers, roads as well as cities, towns and villages in them. A travel atlas is often the first thing people need when they want to start a trip in a strange place.

    It often has a map of a whole country, and a map with more special information of each important place in the country. Take the atlas of the United States as an example, it often has a map of the whole country and then a map of each of the fifty states.

    A travel atlas may also point out the beautiful natural places. In the USA, the atlas may include national parks such as the Yellowstone National Park and some others to show the beauty of nature and interesting places to tourists.

    As is known to all of us, Beijing Opera is one of the most important opera styles in China. It is an art on the stage which has about 200 years' history. It is not only a treasure of the Chinese nation but also a cultural symbol of China. Similar to western operas, Beijing Opera is a combination of singing, dancing, martial arts, music and literature, so it is also called the "Oriental (东方的) Opera" by western people.

    Beijing Opera uses special imagery in creating the characters. All roles are divided according to sex, personality, age and profession and social status. Hangdang is the general term for role in Beijing Opera. There are four types of roles in Beijing Opera today. They are sheng, dan, jing and chou. The sheng is the male protagonist (主角), the dan the female protagonist, the jing (painted face) a male supporting role with a different characteristics, and chou (clown) a comic or negative figure. Each kind of role has their own face-painting and dressing to indicate their identities.

    The Opera's performance requires not only the gentle voice but also the proficiency (熟练) of martial actions. A successful opera actor must suffer from the tough practicing period. In the old time, the children of poor families were sent to the opera group in order to earn a living. While now, the real opera artists are well respected by opera lovers.

    Mei Lanfang, one of the most remarkable performing artists in Beijing Opera, was born in Beijing into a poor family. His life was bitter and he had no opportunity to go to school, so he went to the troupe (戏班子) when he was 8 years old to learn Beijing Opera. Mr. Mei was on the stage when he was 11 years old to perform the plays of Beijing Opera. He has been an opera actor for more than 50 years, performing hundreds of traditional plays and over 30 modern plays. He portrayed many bright and lifelike female figures on the stage and became the model in Chinese Beijing Opera and even within the entire artistic circle.

I live in a {#blank#}1{#/blank#} neighborhood. There is a library {#blank#}2{#/blank#}my home on North Street. I love to {#blank#}3{#/blank#} time there on weekends because it's so quiet. When I read books in the library, time goes so quickly! I can get to the library {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. I just have to walk out of my home and {#blank#}5{#/blank#} left. It's across from a post office on my{#blank#}6{#/blank#}. I love my neighborhood!

Hello! We are students from Thailand, and we want to save the elephants. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Our first flag had a white elephant on it. This is a symbol of good luck.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} They can play soccer or music. They can also draw very well.Elephants remember well. They can walk for a long time and never get lost.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} People cut down many trees so elephants are losing their homes.People also kill elephants for their ivory. Today there are only about 3,000elephants(over 100,000 before).

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} We must save the trees and not buy things made of ivory. Remember that March 13th is Thai Elephant Day.

When you hear the word "shower", what {#blank#}1{#/blank#} to your mind? Maybe it is "a lot of falling water" in the bathroom. But "shower" can also {#blank#}2{#/blank#}"a lot of falling presents" on a special day. On a special day, we might shower someone with gifts. 

My family is going to have two showers this week. On Tuesday, we are going to have a baby shower. My brother's wife is going to have a baby soon. So my family and friends will come with a lot of {#blank#}3{#/blank#} for the baby. 

Then on Thursday, we will have a bridal (新娘的) shower for my sister. She is getting married {#blank#}4{#/blank#} week. She will be a beautiful bride. All her female friends and relatives are coming to {#blank#}5{#/blank#} before she marries. They will give her a lot of presents for her married life. 

 The Feynman Technique(费曼学习法) was developed by Nobel Prize- winning physicist Richard Feynman. It's a study method that helps students learn by teaching others.

 The Feynman Technique has been one of the most useful study methods for many years. For one thing, it helps students really understand something instead of just memorizing information. Plus, unlike traditional study methods like reading textbooks or reviewing notes, it pushes students to be mate actively involved in the learning process.

 If you want to use the Feynman Technique to study better, follow these steps. To begin with, choose a topic you want to learn, including sub- topics(子主题). If not, you' ll end up jumping between topics without developing a deeper understanding of any of them.

 The second step is the heart of the Feynman Technique: explaining the topic simply enough to be understood by a sixth- grade student. This requires you to help the child understand by using the simplest and clearest language possible. This step helps divide indigestible topics into their most basic parts.

 Next, review your explanation and try to find any area where you felt that you couldn't explain the topic simply. When possible, it can be very helpful to get advice from someone whose understanding is similar to that of a sixth- grader.

 The mourth step. is to improve your explanation using the information collected from the third step Finally, repeat the steps. The Feynman Technique works best with repetition, and that is why going through all the prior(先前的) steps just once is usually not enough to fully understand the topic.

 Once you' re confident you've learned the topic, it's time to give yourself a prize. Perhaps, like me, enjoy a nice cup of coffee.