Grandmother's Favourite Doll (玩具娃娃)

 A little girl had a doll. She loved it so much that she would treat it with great care, even though her friends would laugh at her for being so careful.

 As time passed, the girl grew up, moved houses, became an adult, married, had children, and finally became a lovely little old woman with many grandchildren.

 One day, she returned to her hometown, found her original house, and went in. Among hundreds of old things, the now-old little girl found her doll. It was as well looked after as before. She took it home with her and gave it to her granddaughter. Her granddaughter loved it.

 Each time the old woman saw her granddaughter playing with the doll, tears (眼泪) of joy would roll down her cheeks (脸颊). She was so glad to see now it was in the hands of her granddaughter.

    January is a great month. I only need to go to school from the first to the fifteenth. Every year, our school has an art festival. This year it is from January 13^th to January 15^th. All the students and parents can come to the festival. My mother says she can go to the festival with me, but my father can't. He is busy. All people can sing, dance and play games at the festival. After the festival, the term is over. I don't need to go to school and can have a long holiday. My parents and I want to take a trip in Sanya, Hainan. And we want to spend (度过) our Spring Festival(春节)there. We will come back to Beijing on February 15^th. I'm sure we'll enjoy it!

    The earliest maps were probably drawn in the Middle East. Some of these maps have1and they show us the people at that time thought the earth flat(平的).As time went by, the pictures became more detailed and maps were more2made. Later on, ancient Greeks(希腊人)used their3of math and science to make maps. Greek maps tell us the Greeks knew the world was 4.

    From simple pictures, mapmaking has turned into a science. Maps are made5 surveying(勘测)land. In the1900s, people around the world started to share information to make6maps. With the help of the photographs taken from the sky and space, maps are now more exactly made than ever.7the world is always changing, we will always need new maps.

    There are many types of maps, but almost all use8and pictures to describe what a place is like when the map is made. A map usually tells what the pictures 9. Some maps may show the whole world. A road map will help you know the10from one place to another. Other maps may use pictures to show the temperature and population in different places.

Drinking tea is an important part of Chinese culture. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. The most common types of Chinese tea are as follows.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. It has a pale color and a sharp flavor (口味). It is produced mainly in Anhui and Zhejiang. The most popular green tea is Longjing Tea, which is produced near West Lake, Hangzhou.

Red Tea (Black Tea) is the second most popular type of Chinese tea. It can help treat stomachaches. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. 

Wulong Tea, also known as blue tea, has the advantages(优点) of green and red teas. It has a gentle flavor and can help people lose weight. Tie Guanyin Tea in Anhui and Dongding Wulong Tea in Taiwan are two well-known types of it.

Scented Tea (花茶) is created by mixing tea leaves with flowers.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Iasmine (茉莉) tea is the most popular of this kind.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Drink it hot.

Don't drink too much strong tea.

The best time to drink tea is between meals.

Drink tea a couple of hours after taking medicine.

Green tea is the best choice for office workers.

Have you ever wondered how many ants there are on the earth? Scientists at the University of Hong Kong certainly have. In a new study, they estimated (估计) the number of the world's ants is about 20, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000(20 with 15 zeroes!

That means for every human, there are nearly 2. 5 million ants. If you put all the ants on a scale, they'd weigh more than all the wild birds and mammals (哺乳动物) on the earth. 

How did they count such a big number? In the past, many scientists have counted ants in different areas. They collected fallen leaves and earth and dried them to force the ants to come out for counting. Based on 465 studies that cover the whole land, the new study made the estimation. According to Wang Runxi, one of the authors, the number and distribution(分布) of ants can be valuable to show the environmental changes. 

"Ants play an important role in the ecosystem, " Wang told Science and Technology Daily. "They help loosen the soil, spread seeds, break down things and form a part of the food chain (食物链). They are everywhere on the earth except for the coldest places. "

"Compared with big animals, little ants are more sensitive (敏 感 的 ) to environmental changes, " Wang added. Most ants live in tropical (热带的) and subtropical(亚热带的) areas. But in recent years, ants have been moving toward the two poles because of global warming. Changes in forests, such as too many trees being cut down, also have influence on the number of ants, the study showed. 

"Our global map of ants allows us to better understand and predict ants' responses to worrying environmental changes, " scientists wrote in the study.