If you can find a tree which has been cut down，you will see many rings，or circles，on the base of the trunk.By learning to read these rings，you can find out about the tree's life.

    The number of rings tells you how old the tree is.Each year，new wood is formed on the outside of the tree.This new wood is light in color when the tree is growing in spring and summer，and dark in winter when the tree is not growing much.So，if you count the rings of dark­or­light colored wood，you can often find out how old the tree is.

    You can also tell which years have been good years and which years have been bad years.When the light­colored rings are very wide，it means that the tree has been growing quickly that year.If the rings are narrow，it has been growing slowly.If the rings on a tree trunk were greatly magnified，you would be able to see why the rings are light­colored when the tree is growing quickly and dark­colored when the tree is growing slowly.The tree trunk is made up of microscopic tubes，like some pipes，carrying water from the soil，through the trunk，and up to the leaves.They are wide and thin­walled when the tree is growing quickly and they are carrying a lot of water.They are narrow and stuck together when the tree is not growing so quickly.

    When a tree is old，the tubes in the centre of the tree don't carry water.The walls of the tubes have become thick with materials which have stuck along them over the years，forming a kind of wood called“heartwood”．This kind of wood is darker in color than the young，growing wood on the outside of the tree.

    You don't very often see whole tree trunks which have been cut across.But once you learn to read a cross section of the wood，you can see much more in wood which has been used to make boxes，houses and other things.

    In most wood，instead of seeing the trunk cut across，you are seeing it cut along its length.Because you don't see the whole tree，you can't tell how old it is.

Title：{#blank#}1{#/blank#} of a Tree

    Nowhere is the place you never want to go. It's not on any departure board, and though some people like to travel so far off the motherland that it looks like Nowhere, most wanderers ultimately long to get somewhere. Yet every now and then—if there's nowhere else you can be and all other options have gone—going nowhere can prove the best adventure around.

    Nowhere is entirely uncharted; you've never read a guidebook entry on it or followed others' suggestions on a train ride through its suburbs. Few YouTube videos exist of it. Moreover, it's free from the most dangerous kind of luggage, expectation. Knowing nothing of a place in advance opens us up to a high energy we seldom encounter while walking around Paris or Kyoto with a list of the 10 things we want—or, in embarrassing truth, feel we need—to see.

    I'll never forget a bright January morning when I landed in San Francisco from Santa Barbara, just in time to see my connecting flight to Osaka take off. I hurried to the nearest airline counter to ask for help, and was told that I would have to wait 24 hours, at my own expense, for the next day's flight. An unanticipated delay is exactly what nobody wants on his schedule. The airline didn't answer for fog-related delays, a gate agent declared, and no alternative flights were available.

    Millbrae, California, the drive-through town that encircles San Francisco's airport, was a mystery to me. With one of the world's most beautiful cities only 40 minutes to the north, and the unofficial center of the world, Silicon Valley, 27 miles to the south, Millbrae is known mostly as a place to fly away from, at high speed.

    It was a cloudless, warm afternoon as a shuttle bus deposited me in Millbrae. Locals were taking their dogs for walks along the bay while couples wandered hand in hand beside an expanse of blue that, in San Francisco, would have been crowded with people and official “attractions.” I checked in to my hotel and registered.

    Suddenly I was enjoying a luxury I never allow myself, even on vacation: a whole day free. And as I made my way back to my hotel, lights began to come on in the hills of Millbrae, and I realized I had never seen a sight half so lovely in glamorous, industrial Osaka. Its neighbor Kyoto is attractive, but it attracts 50 million visitors a year.

    Who knows if I'll ever visit Millbrae again? But I'm confident that Nowhere will slip into my schedule many times more. No place, after all, is uninteresting to the interested eye. Nowhere is so far off the map that its smallest beauties are a discovery.

    Six Things You should Never Do Before the Queen

    ※Don't show up empty handed.

    What do you get the woman who already has everything? Sure, the Queen has several homes full of priceless trinkets（饰品）, but bringing a gift is necessary. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So if she's paying a visit to your hometown or country, something which reflects local culture might go down better than W.H. smith's vouchers（优惠券）.

    ※{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

You may be dead on your painful feet—but you should always stand when the queen enters the room. You may only sit once she has taken the seat, so keep a close eye on when the Queen sits down herself.

    ※Don't ignore the dress code.

    Regardless of how late you're running or how tempting it is to stay in your casual clothes, make sure you dress accordingly when meeting HRH. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ※Resist the temptation to refer to her by her first name.

    While the Royal family may be extremely familiar to us, and while we may have our own nicknames for them, we common folk still aren't on a first name basis with them. So, when you meet the Queen she should be addressed as “Your Majesty” and “Ma'am” consequently after. When she leaves, however, you must address her as “Your Majesty” once again.

    ※Only speak if the queen speaks to you.

    Remember when you were a small child and all your elders would drop wisdom such as “don't speak unless spoken to first” and “children should be seen and not heard”? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This rule exists so Her Royal Highness can control every aspect of the conversation-- including exiting it swiftly.

    ※Don't eat before she does.

    No matter how tasty and tempting the banquet morsels spread in front of you look, you can only start eating once the Queen does. So perhaps have a quick snack beforehand, in case any speeches go on for a long time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Stand to attention.

B. Watch out for Queen.

C. Oh, and if she has finished eating, you'd better be full too.

D. If the event is black tie, wear black tie.

E. You are supposed to listen to them though you've grown up.

F. This gift must also be appropriate to the occasion.

G. The same applies to meeting the Queen.

                   How to make friends at a new school

    Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything seems to be different, and you don't even know where to go for your own classes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.

Be yourself.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}If some people don't accept you, they're not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sport may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot. 

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!

Believe in yourself.

    A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don't keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact (目光接触) with other people.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you're from.

Remember people's names.

    You like it when people use your name, and so do other people.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname (昵称). You'd be surprised how often this might come in handy.

A. Be friendly to others.

B. Making new friends can be hard, too.

C. Join after-school activities you like.

D. Never change who you are to try and fit in.

E. If you see someone you know, smile or say “Hi”.

F. People may become angry if you just begin by saying “Hey” each time.

G. Don't sit at the back of the classroom where other people don't notice you!

    There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving birds. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} She cared them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt the great love from the birds.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. As he flew close, she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} She opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate love had killed him.

    She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. He needed to fly into the clear, blue sky. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The bird circled once, twice, three times.

    The girl watched delightedly at the bird's enjoyment. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest songs that she had ever heard.

    The fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight, while the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

A. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss.

B. Suddenly she felt the bird go softly.

C. She took them home and put them in a small cage.

D. She gave them some delicious food and left.

E. She lifted him from the cage and threw him softly into the air.

F. One day the girl left the door of the cage open.

G. One day she left with the two birds at home alone.

Life on a Ship

    We three children were very excited when we walked up the gangway (舷梯) of the British flagship China Star and saw officers, crew and staff rushing around. A Chinese housekeeper led the way and helped Uncle Jean and Aunt Reine with our luggage. Victor, Claudine and I lagged behind. The housekeeper was tall and thin and towered over everyone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} As we followed him down a narrow corridor towards our cabins, Victor whispered to me, "One thing about having no hair at all on your head, you always look neat!"

    Though I was still feeling nervous and tongue-tied because it had only been three days since Aunt Reine took me out of St. Joseph's, I laughed out loud. That was the effect Victor had on people. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} "Boys to the right and girls to the left," said Uncle Jean. Our two cabins were directly opposite each other. Inside, everything was neat, bare and clean. While Aunt Reine, Claudine and I were unpacking, there was a knock on the door.

    Victor stood there, wearing a bright-red and orange life-jacket. "Why are you wearing that?" Claudine protested. "Our ship hasn't even sailed yet!" "In case the China Star starts going down. Then you'll really be sorry you're not wearing one yourself. Here! Let me show you something!" {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Our cabin was below deck. Outside we could see nothing but deep dark water.

    Claudine became alarmed. "Mama, how often does a ship sink?" she asked. Before Aunt Reine had time to reply, Victor quipped with a straight face, "Only once!" Aunt Reine and I could not help laughing in spite of ourselves. But then Victor did something my brothers would never have done. He took off his life-jacket, slipped it on his sister and showed her how to adjust the straps. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} At night, our housekeeper brought in a tiny roll-out bed because there were three of us.

A. Once Victor hid in a lifeboat for half an hour while we searched everywhere.

B. His head was completely hairless, and he was obviously unsteady.

C. He and Claudine made me feel at ease as soon as I met them.

D. There were only two narrow twin beds in our cabin, each covered with dark blue sheets.

E. He parted the curtain and looked out of the round window of the ship.

F. He jumped out as we passed below him, scaring and delighting us at the same time.