I once believed that a friend is a friend all the way. Now I have changed my ideas about friendships.

    1). Friends of convenience(便利). They can be the people who live next door or the mothers of our children's closest friends. Friends of convenience are good indeed. They'll help us when we need it. They'll look after our cats when we go on holidays. But we don't ever get too close or tell too much. Between us, we'll talk about being overweight but not about being sad or disappointed(失望). However, people still find it necessary to make friends like this.

    2). Special-interest friends. These friendships aren't deeply personal or emotional(感情上的). They lie in some shared interests, so we may have an office friend, a tennis friend, or even a shopping friend.

    3). Historical friends. We all have a friend who knew us when…maybe we were back in the second grade of primary school, when our family lived in that two-room flat downtown. He or she was the first, the only friend we told our secrets to.

    The years have gone by, and we have gone different ways. But we're still a personal part of each other's past. We know how we looked before our teeth were straightened(矫正), and our getting together makes us think of an earlier part of ourselves, which is important and never lost.

    4). Cross-generational friends. These are friendships that from across generations(代). I have in my own life a precious(珍贵的) friend, a woman of 65, who is clever, who listens well, and who means not only an ideal mother to me but also the person I'd like to be when I grow up.

    Best friends, I believe, totally love and help each other.

    It is said that more than four million people die each year from smoking. That number is frightening.

    Yet people around the world continue to smoke. In the United States, about forty-seven-million adults smoke. This year, more than 430,000 Americans died of diseases which have something to do with smoking. The American Cancer Society(美国癌症协会)says smoking harms the body greatly. It warns that smoking even a number of cigarettes is dangerous.

Street Markets Around the World

    There are many ways of shopping. You can shop by telephone, by post or through your home computer, but for many people, the most exciting way to shop is also the most traditional—at a street market. You can find markets anywhere in the world. Here are four of them:

    There are many "floating markets" in Asia; perhaps the most unusual(非同寻常) is in Thailand(泰国), at a place called Damned Saduak. It's open from six in the morning to the noon every day. People sell fresh fruit from their boats.

    Many Belgians(比利时人) say that the Grand Place is the most beautiful square in the world. It's the home of a colorful flower market. It's open every day except(除了) Monday. On Monday, instead of(替代) flowers, there's a wonderful bird market.

    One of the world's famous markets is in Mexico City(墨西哥城)—the Sonora Market. You can buy toys, birds, herbs(草本) and medicine. There're all kinds of things. It's open every day from early in the morning till late at night.

    In England, on Saturday and Sunday thousands of young people from all over London travel to the Camden Market—it's the place to go for street fashion, CDs and tapes. Many people also go there for fun.

    My name is He Min.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}I think the best place to visit on weekends is the zoo. When you are free,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}In the zoo, there are many animals like pandas, koalas, elephants and lions. Elephants are the biggest(最大的) animals on land(陆地上). Lions come from Africa.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}I want to see lions.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Sally wants to go with me this weekend. But I have lots of homework to do.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then we can have a good time there

    One day, a strong cowboy was traveling on his horse when he saw a bar (酒吧). {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then he tied his horse outside the bar, walked into the bar and ordered two bottles of beer. This cowboy was new in town. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} He guessed that they might play some tricks on him, but he said nothing and continued to drink. After drinking, he walked out of the bar and found his horse lost.

    However, he kept calm (平静的), came back into the bar, and said to the others slowly, "I don't know what you did to my horse there, but I'm leaving in five minutes. And by then if my horse isn't back, I will have to do here what I did in Texas!" The cowboy added, "{#blank#}3{#/blank#}" After hearing these words, the others seemed a little bit afraid.

    The cowboy went back to his seat and ordered another two bottles of beer. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} He was very happy. Just as he was leaving, the boss of the bar came up and asked what he did in Texas. The cowboy turned to the boss and replied in a low voice, "{#blank#}5{#/blank#}"

    This teenager can be a good boy and his mum's very happy with him

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} He goes to school, does his homework, meets his friends and enjoys playing sports. But between 5: 30 and 6: 30 from Monday to Friday, Tom does something different. He cooks dinner for all the family: mum, dad, younger brother Joe and elder sister Emma.

    "{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Maths and English are important, of course, but they need other skill to help them in today's world. First I taught Tom how to cook easy meals like pizza or egg and chips. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Yesterday he made vegetable soup. It was good!

    We all liked it very much. "Toms mum says

    "I love cooking and I think I'm really good at it.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} I don't know why, it isn't difficult and it's great fun! "Tom says

    In the past, Tom didn't help out at home and his mum wasn't pleased with him.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}