When it comes to the letter grade on your test or homework, you might notice that there is no letter E. Have you ever thought about why that is so?

    In the A, B, C, D and F grading system, the first four letters are typically considered passing grades. An F in this system simply stands for“fail”.The word“fail”happens to start with the letter F, which seems to leave out the letter E. The fact”．Some schools have U grade for“unsatisfactory”,or I grade for “incomplete”.

    Even with all this said, we should also point out that E grade actually has been used pretty commonly throughout the history of letter grades in the US.

    The first college in the US to use a letter grading system like the ones we use today is Mount Holyoke College. In 1897, they began to use the following grading scale:

A: 95-100%(excellent)       B: 85-94%(good)      C: 76-84%(fair)

D: 75%(barely passed)       E: below 75%(failed)

    We can see the inclusion of E instead of F.

    Gradually,the letter grading system became more popular throughout the US. However, many schools decided to drop the E grade and go straight to F.There is no evidence(证据) to really support this, but one possible explanation is that teachers were worried that some students and parents might mistake E for “excellent”.

    Why do we have letter grades? Well, part of the reason is that they made grading simpler during a time of great change for schools. As the 20th century began,growing cities and an increase in immigration led to larger school classrooms. Most teachers at that time thought this new letter grading system was an easy, fair and clear way to grade students.

    Today, more and more people argue that letter grades don't fully reflect(反映) student learning. However，as teachers try to improve grading methods, many parents continue to favor the letter grades they got as kids, they are familiar(熟悉) and easy for parents to understand. So while they might not be perfect, the letter grades probably aren't going away any time soon.

Last week we asked students at Guanghua High School about the best ways to learn more English. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Some students had more specific suggestions. Bruce Li, for example, said the best way to learn new words was reading English magazines. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When we asked about studying grammar, he said, “I never study grammar.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Wei Ming feels differently. He has been learning English for six years and loves it a lot.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} He also thinks that watching English movies isn't a bad way because he can watch the actors say the words.

    Liu Chang said that joining the English Club at school was the best way to improve her English .{#blank#}5{#/blank#}And they also have fun.

Some advice for safety:

    ①Always play in a safe place. A park is a safe place because there are no cars or trucks. But do not talk to anyone you do not know. Never go with a stranger into a motor car.

    ②Before crossing the road, stop and look both ways. Look left, look right, and look left again.

    ③Keep away from houses or buildings that are being built or knocked down. Something might fall on your head, or you might cut yourself on broken glass.

    ④Medicines or pills can be dangerous. Never swallow (吞下) any pills or medicines you find in the cupboard.

    ⑤Wear a life jacket whenever you go out in a boat, Even if you are not in the open sea and the water is not deep, you should have your life jacket on. It's easy to fall out of boat.

    ⑥Do not put your head out of a car, bus or train. Many children have been killed by doing this.

    Once upon a time, there were three fish living in a pool. One evening, some fishermen (渔夫) passed by and saw the fish." This pool is full of fish!" they said excitedly. "We've never fished here before. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}" After saying that, they left.

    When the oldest of three fish heard this, he was worried. He said, Did you hear what the fishermen said? We must leave this pool quickly. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}" The second fish said. You're right. We must leave here. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} "There's nothing to worry about." he said "We have lived here all our live. No fisherman has ever come here. I'm not going anywhere. My luck will keep me safe."

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The second fish saw the fishermen coming early the next morning and left quickly. The oldest fish left the pool that evening.

The oldest fish saw the problem ahead (预先) and acted before it arrived. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But the fish that depended on luck and did nothing died in the end.

A. The second fish acted when it came.

B. But the youngest fish didn't think so.

C. The fishermen will come back tomorrow and kill us!

D. The third fish's luck didn't help him— he was caught and killed.

E. We must come back tomorrow with our nets (网) and catch these fish!

    Teenager Jake Deham was skiing with his family in the USA when he fell over and lost one of his skis. His family didn't know that he had a problem. They kept on skiing. When they got to the foot of the mountain, there was no sign of Jake.

    Jake couldn't find his ski anywhere. In the end, he decided to take off his other ski and walk down the mountain. But he couldn't work out the right way to go.

    It was now getting dark and he was a long way from any place of safety. He knew that he might die that night in the cold temperatures. But Jake kept calm. At home, Jake watched a lot of programs about living in difficult situations. He remembered the advice from these programs and knew that he should build a hole in the snow. He made a hole and pointed it up the hill so the wind couldn't blow into it. Outside his hole, the temperature fell to a dangerous-15℃ that night, but inside it Jake was safe from the cold.

    But he had to get down the mountain. The TV programs always said," If you are lost, you should find someone else's tracks(足迹) through the snow and follow them." "I wanted to live my life." remembers Jake." So I got up and I found some ski tracks and I followed those." He walked and walked and finally he saw lights. Nine hours after he lost his ski, he found a team of worker who came to save him. He was safe!

    His mum was very happy when she heard the news. Amazingly, Jake didn't even have to go to hospital. He got through the terrible experience without any injuries.

    So, the next time someone says that watching TV is a waste of time, think of Jake. Sometimes TV can save your life!