What is the sky? How high is it? What color is it? What birds can live above it? These questions are difficult to answer, aren't they? In fact, the sky has no color. Then why does the sky look blue?

    We know that there is air around the world. When planes fly, they need air to lift their wings. Planes can't fly very high. That is because the air gets thinner when they go higher. The same will happen to us if we go high enough. If we go up about 1,200 kilometers from the earth, we'll find no air there. Some birds can fly into the sky as high as a plane, but they cannot fly or live without air.

    Looking up above us, you will see the blue sky with white clouds. It is usually light blue. The color would be bluer when you see on the top of a high mountain. And you will see fewer clouds in the sky between you and the sun. Sometimes the sky doesn't look blue. When the sun rises and falls, you will see red, orange and other colors in the sky, such are the most beautiful moments of the day.

    Who can see the colors of the sky high above the earth? The astronauts! They can see those beautiful colors of the sky from the outer space. However, before flying into the outer space, they sit in a spaceship high above the earth and there is no air at all. The sky would be that dark and its color would be black.

    Now you may understand that we see colors because the air scatters (使散射) the sunlight. Light travels through the air. Without air there would be no colors.

Have you ever wondered what an American high school is really like? This article will describe a typical (典型的) high school and its students.

A typical American high school has several large buildings and enough space for about 1,500 students. Every student is given a locker. When students first arrive at school, they go straight to their lockers to put away or get their textbooks and to hang up their outdoor clothes. As American textbooks are expensive, students would rather loan (租借) than buy them. Students must pay back if they lost any of them.

American students have different types of school transport. They usually take a yellow school bus or walk to school if they live close enough. Sometimes their parents drive them to school.

When they turn 16 years of age, most take a free driving class at school for one term. If students' exam passing grades in the class and also pass their state driver's exam, they can begin driving themselves to school.

Each day, students take six or seven classes. They must take science, math, English and social studies. They can choose art, homemaking, fashion design and other classes. In some schools students are required to take one or more of the following special classes: health education, physical education or foreign language studies. Students move to different classrooms for each subject. This is because cache teacher has their own classroom. There is a five-minute break between classes, to give the students the time to hurry to their next class.

The regular school day usually ends early in the afternoon. After school more than half of the students take part in after-school activities. These activities include sports, specially football, basketball, baseball and soccer or clubs, such as yearbook, speech, school newspaper, photograph or student government.

Title: {#blank#}1{#/blank#} in an American High School

① Animal behavior is an interesting and attractive study. Scientists research the ways animals use to look for food. They study how animals protect themselves from their predators, and which animals kill other animals for food. All of this helps us understand how useful animals can be.

② Each country or culture raises some animals for food. In the United States, people mainly eat meat from cows, chickens and pigs. In some other countries, people might raise sheep or buffalo for meat. These differences come in part from weather and other environmental conditions (状况). People around the world eat al kinds of fish and shellfish from oceans and rivers. In some countries, people don't always choose some animal groups, such as dogs, for food while in other countries such animals may become people's favorite food.

③ In West Africa, animals provide humans with more than food. They have been helping people do daily work for thousands of years. Horses, oxen, and other work animals pull heavy things. Elephants, camels and other animals carry people and things from place to place. Carrier pigeons (信鸽) have been used to send messages.

④ People also receive health benefits (利益) from animals. For example, dogs and cats can help calm people down. This is helpful for people fighting illnesses. Animals can also reduce stress, helping people to draw their attention to learning new information, such as reading. When people are walking their dogs or horses, it encourages exercise.

⑤ Animals and humans share space on Earth, so keeping a healthy relationship with animals around us is in our best interest.

Most students find it d{#blank#}1{#/blank#}to lear n English well. They have so many problems when they are learning English. In fact, it's easy to learn it well if you follow my a{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. First, try to p{#blank#}3{#/blank#} the words c{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is very important for you to i{#blank#}5{#/blank#} your pronunciation. Then, you'd better read English as loudly as you can. You must read English every day and try to speak English more often. Just as the saying goes, "P{#blank#}6{#/blank#} makes perfect." So don't be s{#blank#}7{#/blank#} to speak to foreigners. Well, how to improve other skills like reading and listening? We usually feel it very difficult to follow the foreigners when we speak to them. It's impossible to u{#blank#}8{#/blank#} all the words. They usually speak so fast. We should catch the k{#blank#}9{#/blank#} words or the main ideas. And doing more reading every day is also the b{#blank#}10{#/blank#} thing you need to do.

要点： 
1.外貌、性格： 圆脸、强壮、幽默、乐于助人；
2.喜好： 最喜欢的季节是……因为……； 喜欢DIY，空余时间会制作⋯⋯；喜欢野生动植物； 
3.申请理由(列举至少两点) 。

注意： 
1.内容必须包含提示中的所有信息； 
2.可适当增加细节， 以使行文连贯；
3.文中不得透露个人信息； 
4.词数 80 左右(短文首句已给出， 不计入总词数)

Dear Chairperson,

I would like to join the Birdwatching Society. 

 Yours sincerely,

 Li Ming

Sugar figurines (糖人) is a kind of traditional Chinese folk art with a long history of hundreds of years. It was {#blank#}1{#/blank#}( wide) loved by most children. Do you know{#blank#}2{#/blank#} to blow a sugar figurine?

Xiong Chuanfa, a figurine maker, can show you {#blank#}3{#/blank#} process. Syrup (糖浆) is necessary for making perfect sugar figurines. He first {#blank#}4{#/blank#} ( heat) sugar s yrup to the required temperature. Then he turns the s yrup into a ball with a hole in the {#blank#}5{#/blank#}( central) and presses its edges (边角) together to form a tube(管). Next, Xiong starts to turn the sugar ball into different{#blank#}6{#/blank#}( shape) by blowing air into the tube. Sometimes more materials will be put in to make colorful sugar figurines.

Many people show great interest {#blank#}7{#/blank#} Xiong's" magic show", including Ngendakumana from Burundi. He wanted to make a Bing Dwen Dwen by {#blank#}8{#/blank#}( he). However, it's {#blank#}9{#/blank#}( easy) to see than to do. With Xiong's help, he finally succeeded in {#blank#}10{#/blank#}( produce) a sugar horse.

For years, Xiong's family have been trying their best to protect such folk art from disappearing.