Two years ago, a small town in Changhua started to grow healthy rice. The healthy rice was not grown by farmers but by the students from a small primary school of only about fifty people.

    The idea of growing rice came from the school teachers. When making teaching plans, the teachers decided to teach students how to grow healthy rice on school land. They wanted the students to get closer to the land when doing the rice farming outside the classroom.

What's better, the school made money from selling the rice and giving farming classes to the public. With the money, the school could help the students who wished to go to foreign countries some day. Today the dream is becoming real — the students are flying to Japan to share their special farming experiences, and have fun over there, of course! “We all feel very proud that even students from a small town can make themselves seen in the world,” said one of the teachers.

    Today is November 8th. It's Gina's birthday. She is twelve. Jim, Kate and Bill are her friends. They want to buy some presents（礼物）for Gina. They go to the shop near the school. There are a lot of things in the shop. They buy a big cake, two boxes of color pencils and a pencil box. They want to buy two toys（玩具）for Gina. But all the toys are too dear （贵的）.

根据短文内容，回答下面问题。

    Canada is a big country with a large area, but it has a small population. It lies in North America with oceans around it in three directions except in the south, where the United States is. The Great Lakes are between Canada and the United States. There are many lakes and islands in the coastal areas. Canadians care about the environment very much. The government and the people in Canada try their best to protect the environment. So in Canada, the air is fresh, the water is clean, and the sky is blue. Many tourists like to travel in Canada and live there for some time to relax themselves.

    The climate in Canada is different from area to area. It is wet in the west and east, but cold in the north and south. Canada is rich in natural resources, such as forests, fresh water, coal, oil, and so on. Farmland mainly lies in the south where farmers grow lots of corn and wheat. There are many big farms there. The farmers work hard so that the people in Canada can get enough good food for their daily life. Industry in this country is well developed and the transportation is very convenient. Living surroundings in Canada are the best in the world. Canadians enjoy themselves and live a happy life.

Information Card

    A cold is the most common illness among us.这里有一些建议来防止感冒。

    Drink lots of hot water. This is an effective way to stop a cold. You'd better take at least 8 to 10 glasses a day.

    Check your temperature often. If your temperature is lower than 102 degrees F, don't care much about it. With your body temperature being higher than normal, it will be difficult for the viruses (病毒)to grow. In other words, having a low-grade fever (up to 102°F) is your body's way to protect itself from viruses.

    Make your sore throat feel better. Chicken soup or any kind of sour soup you like, is an excellent choice.

    Gel enough rest and slay warm. You should get enough sleep. Make sure to keep yourself warm and dry because you may feel cold at that time. If you are starting to sweat a lot, change your clothes immediately. You do not allow your sweat to just dry especially on your chest and back. As much as possible, wear cotton-made clothes to allow your skin to breathe and make you feel more comfortable.

    Jason Queally is one of the fastest men in the world on bicycle. But do you really call the thing in the picture a bicycle? Well, yes, Jason's human-powered machine. With its two wheels, is, of course, a bicycle.

Every year, a very important human powered bicycle is held in Nevada, USA. The speed of a bike is measured (测定) for only 200-metres, but players take more than a kilometer to get their bikes going fast. Jason Queally's fastest speed for the 200metre race was 103.5 kilometers an hour.

    At this year's race, Jason failed to reach the finishing line. He was speeding along at about 70 kilometers an hour when he began to lose control of his bike. When he tried to slow down, it began to smoke. Soon the inside of his bike was filled with smoke. He couldn't see, and he couldn't breathe. At 70 kilometers an hour, a crash could be very serious. Jason was frightened, but he managed to stop the bike safely. He would repair his bicycle and try again another time to be the world's fastest man on a bike. Better luck next time, Jason.

    Maybe you're surprised that these bikes go so quickly, but is it useful? It could be. Cars are becoming more and more popular, and they are very safe, comfortable and easy to drive, but they also pollute the air in our cities. Scientists and engineers are learning from fast racing bikes how to make human-powered vehicles that might be useful for daily travel.

    My name is Jack. I am English. And I'm in Beijing now with my family. Let me tell you our life(生活) here.

    My parents are teachers. They like to work(工作) here very much. I have a sister and a brother. My sister and 1 are in the same middle school in Beijing. My brother is only three.

    We have a nice house(房子) in Beijing. My room is big and nice. You can see a bed, a desk, a chair and a sofa in it. I have a computer, too. My books and computer are on my desk. On Sundays, I like to play computer games. I love my room.