When we are talking about animals in China, the most precious (珍贵的) animal we would think of is the panda. In fact, we have one kind of bird as precious as the panda,1many people don't know much about it. The bird is called crested ibis (朱鹮) . It is as2as snow with a red face and looks very beautiful. It is also in danger like the panda.

Crested ibises3in tall trees by small rivers or rice fields. They look for small fish and4small animals for food. About one hundred years ago,5crested ibises lived in China, Russia and Japan. Later, as they lost their homes,6them was getting smaller and smaller. Between 1965 and 1980, people didn't see any of them living in the wild. Luckily, on May 23, 1981, scientists7seven of them in the south of Shanxi Province. 8protect crested ibises in the wild, the Chinese government is setting up nature parks and developing other plans. Now scientists are doing a lot of research to help them to9more babies. Today there are about 1,500 crested ibises living in the wild. Zoos and research centres10after about 500 crested ibises.

    Parents, especially those of teenagers, care about their children's education more than anything else. They would do    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} for their children. Many of them spend most of their spare time {#blank#}2{#/blank#} their children with their studies. If they have no time or cannot do it themselves, they would hire family teachers {#blank#}3{#/blank#} send their children to after-class schools. It seems as if a better education is all that parents expect for {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    How can we explain the present situation? First of all, many parents have {#blank#}5{#/blank#} that future success depends more and more {#blank#}6{#/blank#} skills and education. Secondly, in a competitive(竞争的) society there are both losers and {#blank#}7{#/blank#}. Those who have better skills and more knowledge will enjoy {#blank#}8{#/blank#} opportunities(机会).

    Certainly, it is important to learn to succeed, but the {#blank#}9{#/blank#} thing to learn is how to survive(生存) and how to be a qualified citizen(合格的公民). {#blank#}10{#/blank#} this is included a good education, the children will surely have a bright future and he healthy in body and mind.

    XBOX 360 Kinetic, RoboSapien, WiiParty, these are just a few of the modern toys sold in recent years. But some of the most popular toys are actually quite old.

Games have been around for thousands of years. In 4000 B. C, Babylonians played a board game that was similar to chess. Yo-yos made of stone were first used in ancient Greece around 1000 B C. And kites appeared in China around the same time.

    Another famous game is Scrabble. It was invented by an architect in the 1930s, but it didn't get popular until 1953 And since then, more than 100 million sets have been sold worldwide.

    As you can imagine, toys and games are a multi-billion-dollar industry. Mr. Potato Head, the first toy advertised on TV, grossed more than $4 million in its first year. Play-Doh made its inventor Joseph McVicker a millionaire by his 27th birthday, while Mattel sells 1. 5 million Barbie dolls each week (that's two dolls each second!).

    Some toys go out of fashion, but then become popular again, such as Rubik's Cube. Research says parents are increasingly choosing to buy toys they remember from their own childhood.

    These days, toys are not just for fun. RoboSapien is a remote-controlled robot that was launched in 2004. He can walk, turn around and do other poses. RoboSapien was designed by Mark Tilden, who once created robots for NASA space missions. He expected the toy to be used mostly by and scientists, but almost 2 million RoboSapiens have been sold worldwide since its launch as a toy?

    Fancy a game anyone?

Until the beginning of July, there has been no rain in northern Italy for over 100 days. Add to that the high temperatures, and the locals get very dry conditions. This is the most serious dry spell（干旱期）for that area in the past 70 years. Because of this situation, the country's longest river, the Po, is drying up!

This is bad news for several different reasons. The fresh water of the Po provides drinking water for northern Italy. Besides, farmers in this area need the water of the Po to keep their crops growing. What's more, the flowing river water is used to create about half of the hydroelectric power（水力发电）for Italy. Its drying up means that more natural gas（天然气） will be used, which is bad for the environment.

There have been some interesting discoveries from this lack of rain, however. Between Florence and Milan, a long ship sunk （沉没）in 1943 appeared because of the low water levels of the river. Now many tourists and locals come to see this ship. A German tank has also appeared out of water near Mantua. At other places along the river, people can even walk on the sandy river bed. Although this may be interesting, people in Italy and around the world are hoping for the return of rain to refill the Po!

Hong Kong is surrounded(环绕着的) by mountains and seas. It lies in southern China, and is China's"South Gate"to the world. In the old days, HongKong was only a small fishing village, but now Hong Kong has become an important trading center and shipping center in Asia and the Pacific. Since HongKong's return to China in 1997, the rule of law system has been perfected.

Hong Kong is made up of three large parts and nearby islands. There are few flat areas in Hong Kong, and only a small part of the coastal area is low,surrounded by hills. Because Hong Kong is one of the most densely(稠密地) populated areas in the world, dozens of high-rise buildings are built on hillsides.

Hong Kong's tourism industry is highly developed. There are all kinds of goods from all over the world, and the prices are very low, so Hong Kong is a good place for buyers. It is also a place where Chinese and Western cultures mix. Food from all over the world is brought together to make Hong Kong a"FoodCapital". Every year,a large number of tourists from all over the world come to visit.