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.

    Thang-ga is a special kind of painting. It started from the Tang Dynasty. Thang-ga paintings have attracted the public's attention in recent years. At the same time, the Chinese government has also tried hard to protect the culture.

    Thang-ga paintings were developed in the 7th century in the Tibetan area. The paintings are colourful and the paints used in Thang-ga paintings are different from those in other paintings. Because of the special environment of the Tibetan Plateau (高原) and the excellent painting skills, the colours of Thang-ga paintings look special. The paints in Thang-ga paintings in the past were made from minerals, including gold, silver, as well as some plants. Since they were made by hand, the beautiful colours could last for hundreds of years.

    However, with the development of machines, people now use cheaper and more easily-made chemicals to make paints. The traditional paints in Thang-ga paintings needed too much work and there were many secret methods. Later people stopped making the paints and forgot about them. So the skills were almost lost.

    David Beckham opened his London football academy (学院) in 2005. The academy welcomed boys and girls aged 8 to 15. It accepted 15,0001a year, 10,000 of them free. In America, football is a2sport.3, American football is quite different. Players sometimes kick the ball but they often throw the ball and4with it. They try to take it to the other end of the field. They have four chances to5the ball ten yards (码). They can6and throw it. If they move the ball ten yards, they can try to move it7ten yards.8they move it to the end of the field, they can get six points.

    It is difficult to move the9. Eleven men on the other team try to stop the man with the ball. If he doesn't move the ball ten yards, his team kicks the ball to the other team.10university wants its own team to win. Thousands of people come to watch. They all shout for their11teams.

    Young men and women come on the field to help the people shout more. Each team plays 10 or 11 games each12. The season begins in September and ends in November. If a team is very good, it can play another game13the season ends. The14teams play again on January 1st, the first day of the New Year. Many people go to see these games and many others watch them15TV.

①Millions of people around the world cook their food on fire every day.People must spend lots of money on cooking fuel.However，there is a much easier and cheaper way to cook using energy from the sun.

②Solar cookers have been used for centuries.A Swiss scientist made the first solar cooker in 1777.Today，people are using solar cookers in many countries around the world.People use them to cook food and to heat drinking water.

③There are three kinds of solar cookers.The first is a box cooker.It is designed with a special wall that collects sunshine into the box.A box cooker is good for slow cooking of a lot of food.

④The second kind of solar cooker is a panel cooker.It has several flat walls that collect the sunshine onto the food.People can build panel cookers quickly.They do not cost much.In Kenya，for example，panel cookers cost just two dollars.

⑤The third kind of solar cooker is a parabolic（抛物线的） cooker.It has rounded walls that collect sunlight into the bottom of the cooker.Food is cooked quickly in parabolic cookers.However，these cookers are hard to make.They must be moved again and again to follow the sun.Parabolic cookers can also cause burns and eye injuries if they are not used correctly.

⑥You can make solar cookers from boxes or heavy paper.They will not catch fire.Paper burns at 232℃.A solar cooker never gets hotter than that.Solar cookers cook food at low temperatures over long time.This allows people to cook food and do other things at the same time.

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